Tina Stavredes

Yes, I agree Catherine. It appears that one of the biggest challenges is getting learners to go through the learning materials prior to engaging in the course activities! Tina

Hi Kim, my issue with adapting to students is that it becomes more of a "customer" approach where you are trying to please the customer and I'm not sure I want education to go down that road. Tina

Hi Kate, I think over time, you will begin to develop a sense of your learners tone and mood. It is interesting the little nuances that I pick up in their writing. Tina

These are great ways to support your students! Tina

Hi Kate, I think these are excellent expectations. The one thing I would add is specifics on what you mean by: "Expectations of students: complete reading, assignments and dicussion forums in a timely and professional manner." In our discussions, we ask them to post their initial response to discussion by midnight Thursday and interact with at least two learners by midnight Sunday. You may also want to include additional information about what "professional manner" means to ensure all students are on the same page. Tina

Hi Kim, we created a new scoring guide for discussions, so learners now have to include evidence or references to support their point of view and to achieve the most points they have to have extended the dialog by posting early and reply to posts back to them and to other learners. Tina

Hi Nathan, I think a critical component of teaching online is ensuring learner's understanding. When we design our courses, we provide additional instructional scaffolding to support their learning. In addition, we have more assignments to assess where the learner is at and provide appropriate feedback to ensure the learner meets the learning goals of the course. Tina

The one benefit of being in an online environment is that the loud student can be ignored! Tina

Hi Jeff, yes, that is similar to what we do. Unfortunately, it seems that the students who really need the help, don't utilize the resources provided! Tina

Yes, I agree, so it's important to continue to reach out to learners throughout the course. Tina