I agree. In some cases the classroom cannot simulate the work environment. I teach accounting and finance, and while we can simulate the application of the concepts and principles, the classroom does not resemble the working environment in business and industry.
I think the learning environment makes a huge difference in the way students learn. For example, I like students to be comfortable as much as possible. That way, they tend to be more apt to participate and feel open to asking questions. I think it is also important that the instructor feel comfortable in the learning environment, as well.
The learning environment is as important as the dress and mannerisim of the teacher. The environment should be clean, uncluttered, and reflect the purpose of the course. If there are distractions, for example posters or pictures which distract from the subject matter, this may have an adverse affect on the student.
The learning environment plays an important role, not only as it relates to the instructor, but also to the success of the learner. Working in a collaborative environment that promotes interaction among learners and instructors only serves to enhance the overall learning experience.
The learning environment plays the role of a hands on tool allowing learners to prepare for their career of choice. The learning environment should also be considered a safe place to test ideas.
The learning environment in the IT course I teach at CTU online is very similar to the training environment I have at my full-time job in the IT industry over at IBM. I think that this learning environment is very productive because of the emphasis placed on learning as opposed to memorizing the subject matter.
A quality and responsive classroom creates a high level of satisfaction among its prospective and continuing students. My attitude and skills as a mentor are the key to helping our students continuously improve. These improvements in the classroom are directly tied to students’ perceptions of Quality and feelings about their education. Returning to the original comments, students who are engaged in the process of learning are more likely remain at the campus and graduate from their programs. Responsiveness, Empathy, and Feeling need to be part of the communication process-being able to translate the traditional classroom persona and energy to the online environment is important.
Hi Donald,
You are right about clinical experiences. The real world is the real world when it comes to patient care. In the classroom/lab what we can educate the students in the content and skill areas and then try to get them to expand their abilities to problem solve. There hasn't been a textbook written that covers all of the situations that the students will encounter when they start their first job. What students need to develop are strategies for solving situations and problems. This is a critical skill for career success.
Gary
I think some clinical settings can be duplicated but in reality every patient/resident scenario is unique and has it's own special characteristics. It should be discussed in the classroom that each clinical setting in the real world will be different and no two will be alike.
Hi Herman,
You are right about the differences between the classroom and the customer setting. This is why it is hard for some students to make the transition from being a student to being a professional. What do you do to help with this transition?
Gary
i would say we simulate real world situations but there are different stresses involved in a classroom setting and a customer setting .
A very good point Brandy. When instructing it is critical not to lose sight of the ultimate goals of the relevant class. I find course outlines and lesson plans valuable tools to ensure that the overall design of the class is well thought out. Beyond this, dynamic interaction is an important factor in the learning setting. Do you think there are significant differences in how to best support students in an online learning environment when compared to a traditional classroom?
Instructors have to adapt to the role of facilitators and not teachers. The learning environment should be designed to support and challenge the learner's thinking. The critical goal is to support the learner in becoming an effective thinker.
Brandy
Absolutely true - I agree with you Cheryl. I think it is also crucial to remember how large a part of the learning environment the instructor is or should be. An instructor that is passionate, engaging and drawing participation out of students can dramatically reduce distractions. This fact can be even more true in online education mediums where the student may figure they can review the PowerPoint later. It is the instructor that provides the dynamic content. What do you think the single most important action an instructor can take to engage students is - when teaching in a electronic medium?
The learning environment plays a huge role in the instructional process. Students should be able to clearly understand what is going on during a lecture and should have minimal distractions to keep them on task.
The learning environment should provide as many tools as possible to cover any and all aspects of the course outline. If the subject requires visuals, provide them. No number of words can get the point across if visuals are not present. The same goes for examples, supporting documentaion, etc. A student belives the instructor only to a certain point, then supporting venues drive home you ability to forsee the issues that students will create.
students i have come across seem to respond better when the instructor takes the time to listen to the student, not only their questions but sharing of personal life experiences regaurding the subject.
The learning enviornment sets the tone and acts as a central conductor for information transmission. If the enviornment is clean and comfortable more learing can take place. If the environment is cluttered or unclean it is difficult to find a comfort level and concentrate on the information.
Environment can be important to the instructional process. A poor environment can cause distraction. When creating formal instruction it is important to create a space conducive to education. However, as demonstrated in intrinsic learning, a person who is motivated and interested in a subject can learn in many environments. If it is possible to create a learning environment, we should. However, it should not be assumed that learning can not happen in adverse conditions.
The culinary learning environment needs to be as close as possible to real life experience but as hard as we would try to reproduce that on a daily basis it does not come close to the real thing. The pressure of a kitchen with your job on the line is very hard to reproduce in the class room.
Therefore, I try to put students in pressure situations that with recreate the environment that they will be working in.
