Barry Westling

Pauletta, I know students appreciate instructors who are original, genuine versions of themselves, rather than an artificial version of someone else. And even as students may see imperfections, that's better than a facade that masks our true selves. Barry Westling

Clive, Yes, and when students see this practice consistently they grow to expect this as the norm, and are more apt to take their class seriously because they their instructor is. Barry Westling

Chris, Yeah, when students are engaged and participating, they are naturally using multiple senses. Barry Westling

Chris, Yes, it's important to keep the primary reason why students are enrolled fresh in their minds, to reinforce they made a good decision, and to reaffirm hope and anticipation of a better job and career. Field trips can do this, as can guest speakers. Barry Westling

Lacy, Good. We need fairness and balance in our grading. If we want to measure learning, too much weight on one component can skew whether learning has occurred. Barry Westling

Lacy, Great. I think we are doing good if we can keep the student's attention. When they're focused, they'll be engaged. I try to keep the reason they're here in mind, and that often helps fine tune their attention. For instance, stories, situations or past circumstances from the work setting that are interesting capture attention. Barry Westling

Lacy, It's really an open ended question. Back-up plans can be used when things go crazy and we need pertinent material to make up for missed activity. Or it may be for when time is left at the end of a class. Or when we want or need to do a change up to keep students engaged. Or it may an alternate way of explaining a topic, an activity, or performing a task. I guess the trust of the question is "do we always have several good Plan'B's, Plan-C's, Plan-D's, etc." Barry Westling

Cynthia, I am sure growth occurs when instructors journalize. Self reflection is so important, and journalizing provides one terrific way to practice and benefit by it's merits. I think it takes some self determination to get into the habit but then it becomes really just part of the routine. Barry Westling

Leann, I resolved to this compromise after years of vacillating back and forth, and also encountering less than wonderful experiences giving extra credit. I agree that a small amount of wiggle room is probably OK as long as the student has demonstrated they have mastered the topic. I feel less inclined if the student would not pass the class without EC. Barry Westling

Fredrik, Yes, and without direction, students are likely to flounder. Good or bad, students desire to know how they're doing, and what they can do to improve. Barry Westling