Barry Westling

Mary, Good organization does play a key role in providing structure and order, two factors most students need. We can rely on our planning and access to prepared resources to guide students, and will promote solid delivery of course content, independent from personal ups nd downs. Barry Westling

Rae Lynne, All good measures to help maintain a positive setting for learning. Respect and trust have to be earned and one method that contributes to achieving these important sentiments is by connecting with, interacting with, communicating with students. And sharing grade information is one great way to convey their efforts are recognized and that we are willing to assist them with suggestions, advice, support, and encouragement. And without timely feedback, it's possible too much time may lapse before effective intervention can occur. Barry Westling

Joe, Absolutely! Without feedback on suggestions for improvement, students would have no idea how close to our goals and their progress towards their hopes for achievement in the course. Barry Westling

Rae Lynne, Yeah, pretests are really a planning tool for instructors. Sometimes we find more remedial work is needed, which adds extra work and time. But I'd rather know this so I can plan appropriately, and still cover all I need to cover. Barry Westling

Joe, This is potentially possible. However, I've had students perform poorly, and based on the pretesting, I had to really scramble to get everyone up to speed and cover everything that was required. Even so, I think the pretest helped me. Barry Westling

Rae Lynne, Sounds like you've got a good handle on your personal instructional style. It IS important to be as relatable to our students as possible. To reach them, they have to have a degree of openness to us. Barry Westling

Joe, I would also add good communication and critical thinking skills. Students need common sense, problem solving, and manners to keep their jobs these days. Barry Westling

Terry, This is true. Also, I want to measure learning, and evaluation of performance is among the methods available to do that. Barry Westling

Terry, I think when we keep in mind the "WIIFM" (what's in it for me) principle, students will stay engaged with better focus, longer, and be more willing to participate. Barry Westling

Terry, I believe any environment where there is positive energy, passion, enthusiasm, and lively activity will naturally draw students into that setting. When we create a setting students want to be a part of, they will be more receptive to our instructional goals. Barry Westling