Ann,
You're right. The end product is helping the students learn. We have to learn new things to be able to more effectively reach all students. Thanks!
Participating in professional development courses helps the instructor to get better. New ideas and better ways of managing the courses taught will help the workload of the instructor. This also helps the student as well.
John,
Ah - the ultimate goal - helping students achieve the learning objectives. Keep up the good work.
John,
that's what it's all about. We have to love to learn to be a teacher.
Thanks!
Dave,
I have learned so many tactics and techniques to address stress and workload through professional development. The best thing about it all is that much of what I have learned, I have been able to use in helping my students achieve the goals they set for themselves.
John
Through professional development, I have learned a number of new strategies to use as I continue teaching. I have not taken a class in which I can say I did not learn something new. Professional development courses have shown me over and over again that managing or facilitating classes is not about me; it is about the student.
robert,
I love sharing ideas with others and learning as well. Thanks for your input on these forums.
Professional development courses offer great opportunity for faculty to share their work management strategies. Taking this course provided me with great ideas about how to lessen my workload stress. Specifically the discussion boards offer the faculty a place to connect with others and exchange ideas that enhance our efficiency through expansion of our views and methods.
Melissa,
So glad you brought up current pedagogical trends. We do have to stay updated and yet, develop our own style of teaching. A teaching style if very personal to each instructor. Thanks!
Leigh,
Yes, and the more we can learn how to effectively manage the classroom, discussions, workload, etc., the more we can spend time on other things. Thanks!
Professional development opportunities are key to familiarizing an instructor with current pedagogical trends and tools and helping an instructor establish their own pedagogical "style." In my own experiences, I have found less formal Faculty DB forums to be most helpful. Particularly, forums that are organized by a particular class taught and allow all instructors teaching the same class to share best practices.
Through professional development courses we can learn better techniques to manage the classroom and our workload. I enjoy seeing things from other peoples' point of view, and professional development courses allow for this. It's often easier to see multiple useful ideas presented through meetings, and overviews, rather than taking extra time to pursue the sources of the information myself. The information sharing that goes on is invaluable.
Sloan,
Great. Glad you are learning new ways to interact with students and get them engaged as well.
Thanks!
Dr. James and Fred,
We may never become a paperless society as predicted decades ago. ;-)
We keep moving forward, but like that touch of a piece of paper. Thanks!
Dr. James ,
Right on. We open our minds through professional develop and enhance our skills.
Thanks for your input.
Professional development strategies have been very helpful in developing insights for me into ways to develop student participation and student learning.
Fred: I agree with your comment 100%! I remember in the corporate world that everyone thought that due to the computer there would not be a need for paper - of course we all know now that is not the case.
What I have found over the years is that Profession Development continues to bring to light just how little one knows. When I think back to my PhD program and how much I learned about finance (even though I have a Master's degree in finance) it helps me to understand that one always needs to continue the learning process and keep an open mind.
Saudat,
I hope this course has met your needs and helped you become more current in your skills and knowledge. I'm glad you see professional development as advantageous. I love learning and professional development. Take care.
These courses serve as valuable resources for acquiring new skills and current knowledge that ultimately can be used to develop time saving and management techniques that enhance effectiveness and help in creating better work/life balance. In the case of online teaching, it can be very challenging despite expertise in your field of interest. Being able to participate in training and learning opportunities is always advantageous.
