Don Evans

Graphic organizers are also useful as a non-verbal communication device. While I would be remiss if I did not shed a tear for the fact that visual communication is (in part) responsible for the lowering of reading and writing skills, it is also undeniable that a picture is worth a thousand words, if it lends to instant understanding of the concept at hand. In a course that has a high volume of new material, the idea that a picture or graphic can communicate instantly what would take 100 - 500 words ... it is not only a valuable tool for… >>>

While I do not disagree that some students might cause, by asking / or answering questions, the flow of the class to go backwards to a degree, I must say that when I pay my hard earned money to take a class, I darn well want my questions answered. I am in that class for a reason; to learn. Consequently I fully expect questions I may have to be answered (as applies to course material) and I personally don't care if the instructor likes it or not. As one may imagine, I afford that same philosophy to my students. Inspired… >>>

I have to say, that a couple of the test questions in module 3 are somewhat perplexing to me. Example ... Having angry students write down their complaints helps to ... while the correct answer was clarify the complaint .. the text specifically stated "the effort of writing down the concerns of the student often causes the student to dismiss the complaint and continue in the course ....." It seems to me that "eliminate the complaint" would be just as correct. There is another one, it was a question about a cheating student. The text refers to the fact students… >>>

Way down below in the discussion is the Golden Rule discussion. The idea that a student is paying for a course, it is his/her money, and consequently, what they should receive in turn was the topic. Many students do feel they are "owed" a passing grade because they are paying for a course. I would suggest, in higher ed, there is "NO" golden rule in play, ever. The students pays for the opportunity to study, and receive honest evaluation, and that is where it ends, regardless of private or public school. There is no other monetary consideration beyond that, no… >>>

While this course claims that the average attention span is 15 to 18 minutes, I have some different information to offer. In another life, I was an executive at Presentation Technologies in Sunnyvale, Calif. We manufactured film recorders (in the days before LCD and DLP projectors) and participated actively in the corporate presentation world. Our research, developed from our own research and input from Psychologists and Anthropologists indicated the average adult attention span per topic in a lecture situation was in the 8 to 15 second range. POINT: make your point quick. The human mind is full of a considerable… >>>

In today's modern world, too many students want it all NOW, and do not understand the consequences of lack of performance. While I would agree it is important for a student to feel comfortable in their understanding of what was going to be required of them in a particular class or course of study, it think it pertinent they also understand the effort required and the consequences if the effort is not forth coming. This "effort", needless to say, varies depending on the subject matter and class - but needs to be shared with many younger college students. I have… >>>