What strategies have you implemented for making a course’s content relevant and applicable to the learning needs of students?
I usually try to use real life examples in my lectures with demonstrations and hands on practice. I also let the students tell of their experiences and ask them how it relates to the career and to possible work related scenarios.
I am lucky since most of my courses are real world, i.e., OB, OD, etc. I always try to relate a situation to the real world. I utilize current articles on legal and ethical considerations within the workplace, as well as implications of job satisfaction, culture change, etc. in a fluid environment when the economy is so out of flux. I can usually tell from the first week the "needs" of an individual learner. Using the bio forum in an online environment can be very beneficial. My motto is "always look for the underlying issues". You can often tell when one learner needs more pats than the other, etc. I always try to start out with an assignment that is related to "their world" whether they work or not. What I deal with, i.e., behavior, it does not always need to be within the organizational environment. Sometimes I have learners who are not working but hope to return to the workplace, those who have been laid off, etc. Each "KNOWS" about what I teach it is just a matter of demonstrating how that could "possibly" be. Kathleen Henry
Although I have a pattern I use over and over, it tends to hit the main learning styles. I like to present information, then demonstrate a couple of problems on the board and then hand out an in-class practice assignment that they can work on. Finally we go over that and summarize what we've learned.
Every class, I try to include an activity that will satisify the learing style for each learner. I always do a hands-on activity, a visual activity (power-point), and an aural exercise. I try to do incorporate them all at once, so I am meeting the needs of each student!
I also use current events to illustrate a concept and as an attempt to get students more interested in keeping up with daily news.
Hi Leslie,
You are being creative in your thinking about strategies to use with your students even with the restrictions you have since it is an online course. I commend you for your effort and wish you much success as you bring these new ideas into your instructional delivery.
Gary
A number of the courses I teach use a competency-based approach. Students in the health professions must learn to perform procedures surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. Whether I am teaching a theory or application, I tend to use the following approach:
1. What: What is it that must be learned. I discuss the beackground information students need to understand and apply the knowledge or skill being covered.
2. How: What is the step-by-step procedure for performing the procedure, solving a problem, or analyzing an issue, etc.
2. Why: Why is this knowledge and application important. What are it's implications.
3. What if: What if what is generally expected does not occur? What if we change the variables how does that affect the outcome and our approach to adepting to the change, etc.
We employ many techniques to ensure that our curriculum is relevant to the industry. On a day-to-day basis, I like to ensure that my lesson plans cover course objectives that are listed on the syllabus.
I have found that taking notes after a lecture/demo/etc has been very helpful, and allows me to learn from mistakes.
I have also found that ending a lecture w/ a short recap, AND starting the next class period w/ a short quiz or review discussion has helped students retain information better
I try to use a variety of instructional methods to meet the needs of students' learning styles. When I taught full time face to face, it was very difficult because the ages in my classes would range from 18, fresh out of high school, to 55, retired and looking for a new career. By finding the right combo (each lesson required new and fresh ideas), I was able to keep the attention of the students and they were able to learn in a friendly and comfortable environment.
I teach in an online format, so almost all of the content is written. There is not much manipulation that I can do with the existing course content.
What I can do, is to try to find supplemental sources that have an auditory component, or that encourages the student to, participate in a related (to topic) activity, or to visualize the content in a form other than written words.
Another small action that I can use, is to invite the student to follow up with me via email or phone - which allows them to use the delivery (of information) method best suited to his/her needs.
Hi Lori,
Sounds like a great course. With your experience you can inform the students of exactly how it is in job searches and career development. Way to go in expanding the horizons of your students.
Gary
Hi Sara,
Great job! Way to go with using all of the senses and getting students involved in a fun but focused way.
Gary
I implement hands on experiences. I feel that there is better retention when the students are able to experience the lesson for them selves.
I have the students do a writing assignment the first week of class, so I can learn more about each one of them. Through that and discussions in class, I am able to find out more about the students and how they learn best. I then try to tailor my instructional methods to the learning needs of at least the majority of the students; if I am lucky, I can reach all of them!
I teach a career development course, so it's fairly easy to make this topic relevant for people who know they will be searching for a new job in the foreseeable future. I reinforce the importance of this topic throughout the course by reminding students of the importance of marketing themselves professionally to prospective employers. My background is in Human Resources and Recruiting, so I give a lot of examples from the employer perspective.
I have implemented different learning style assessments, projects and lectures. I have a variety of instructional practices. I use computer programs for students to explore, we go outside and use sidewalk chalk for a large graph, I use pictorals for instruction, real life experiences and the traditional lectures. I try and think of all 5 senses that I can incorporate into my lesson.
It's always important to show the relevance of the course material to each student's future career. I also think it's important to make the assignments somewhat flexible so the students can research an avenue that they are truly interested in. For example, in one of my classes, students are to research the business communication customs of a country of their own choosing.
Hi Ray,
You are right on with your application of real world situations. This will help the students make the transfer between the classroom and the work world.
Gary
Hi Thomas,
Great way to sum up your approach to the classroom. We move toward what we focus on and by creating the TEAM concept you are moving your students toward their career goals.
Gary
It's so important to get students' feedback about the relevancy of a course - and the instructor has to ask the question, forming it in such a way as to avoid a yes or no response. By tossing out an open-ended question and encouraging students to offer their opinions, it's more likely that students will respond. Everyone has an opinion, and students really enjoy having an opportunity to air them. The question may be couched from a "devil's advocate" point of view or maybe something a bit controversial. Once you get them talking, thinking and interacting, you have gained so much information about your students, their preferences for their learning styles and their values. The other half of the equation is listening closely and modeling the behavior (clarification, etc.) that you would like them to incorporate in their class.
