Wow, I am the shy student who does not want to attract attention to himself. I have material to learn, just leave me alone and I will return it to you completed at a level better than the other students.
Online learning may be difficult for some students for various reasons. Students behaviors are very important to keep track of especially during online discussions and online learning. Most students can be emailed but it is good to check in with them to prevent attrition. Also, they can have other conflicts such as technology or being overwhelmed or just procrastination.
Email can be overwhelming in any work environment. With e-learning, the teacher much have a email management system that allows for within 24 hour replies and a strong connection with the student. Organization is key.
I learned that you will encounter difficulties in any teaching environment but you need to stick to your expectations you set at the beginning of the course and with what your schools sees as acceptable response to behavior. Also you need to keep good records of interactions and be an effective communicator through email.
Some of the challenges found when teaching ground classes can also be found with e-learning. One area that I found of interest is the one of students who will decide to quit due to attrition that was contributed by either challenges with technology or feeling overwhelmed by the workload for the class. I would like to implement the helpful points mentioned in this module to not only reduce the amount of students dropping the course but to also make it a positive and productive learning experiece for the student. I also appreciated the strategies offered on how to deal with difficult students and how to approach the situation in a professional manner.
Moving forward as an online instructor, in addition to the traditional classroom setting it's important to keep in mind the importance of managing the educational forum for fair, respectful, meaningful and individually supportive opportunities for all students.
I learned about effective record keeping and counseling by email.
An online environment for learning is very similar to a traditional environment in that each student has a different personality and learning style. It is important to keep each student engaged as much as possible. It is also important to give students personal emails when necessary to direct their attention, give them support, and give them motivation when needed.
I can identify my learners and specifically address individual needs. Whether those needs are behavioral or a need for encouraging participation or providing different levels of technical support in order to help students successfully complete the course. Keep documentation.
This section of the course teaches us how to deal with the different types of E Learning students. I have delt with each one of these types of Students as I have been teaching online. I have Learned to catch the ones that will be disruptive early and let them know that this will not be allowed. Also the ones that are not likely to be involed you will really need to push them and get them Involved or they will be lost and once the student gets lost it is hard to get them back on track.
Dealing with disruptors in class may be the most difficult task due to the student never having to actually face their instructor and knowing what and how to react appropriately will be key in these instances.
Interesting to study the learning styles (personality's almost) that can hinder online learning for others as well as those that can make the experience more enjoyable. The module has given me a much better understanding of what to look for in behaviors, through posts, and how to effectively manage them.
It is an excellent practice to maintain a method aof course record keeping. Maintain proper communication and only promote policies in accordance with your institutions rules and regulations. Limit attrition by keeping communication open and direct. And, do not overload a student with work for work's sake.
I've learned that keeping file on students with sub folders alows you to address issues quickly and efficiently. Many things can arise assignments that appear in submission when they were perceived to be late or missing entries could be time stamped for accuracy.
e-line courses require a different way to work with students. Good communication. And solve problems with behavior types.
What a delicate matter. Some students have delusions of granduer when signing up to school. However, they find that the process is more rigorous than they thought. It is then, when you as an instructor need to step in and give reassurance that they are perfectly able to complete the curicullum, just as many before have. Let them know that many before them had the same trepidations and that they were able to work through them. Keep them at the forefront of your daily routine and make it a point to reassure them that they are not alone in this and that they will "get it". Then pay close attention to those students until such time as either all is OK, or all is lost. Some students are unreachable.
As an Instructor we deal with attrition all the time it is a very important part of teaching. Also behavior can be a problem 1 bad or problem student can take up quite a bit of instructional informatio.
For me this has been the most informative of the units so far. I really like and will use the idea of having a separate forum space for students to refer to and ask questions about the course management, because when it is an issue that their classmates can answer it will cut down on time that I can otherwise use for course content.
I also like the idea of posting a list of types of inquiries that I am authorized to respond to. I don't think I would have thought about that myself, and feel that it will cut down on a lot of unnecessary inquiries.
The emphasis on saving all copies of communication is vital.
I appreciate that you presented specific strategies for dealing with different learner styles that may cause problems in the online classroom settings.
Communication is key on a daily basis with each student. This helps all learners stay on track and voice any concerns to the instructor. Part of our job is also counseling, and making sure we are available for students to ask questions. Sometimes we as instructor are the only people the learners will talk to.
Records management is an interesting concept presented in the module that I had not given much thought to. I can see why it is critical to keep organized and detailed records of student performance and interactions. Just like in nursing, when things are not documented timely and accurately we run into problems- the same goes for online teaching!
