Peer Mentor Observation #1
Date: September 6, 2018
My peer mentor, Joann Pell, observed my online class on September 6, 2018.
I wanted to make sure that I was meeting the expectations for participation in discussions, so I asked my mentor, Joann Pell, to observe my discussion participation in my online class. I was attempting to respond to every discussion post, but I was concerned that my high level of involvement was preventing my students from communicating with each other. Joann agreed that I should carefully strategize my responses in a way that shows I am present without stepping on the toes of my students. We discussed several discussion topics that require my response to every student including the introduction forum and the healthful practices. My response to the introduction posts of my students establishes rapport and their healthful practices posts are personal, so it is important for me to acknowledge what they shared and provide encouragement and support. Joann recommended that I closely monitor the other discussion forums and respond primarily to address misconceptions, encourage students to elaborate on their thoughts, and let them know that I am paying attention. Her advise was really helpful. Following her observation, I strategically posted in the discussion forums and closely monitored my students as they interacted. Having my students respond to their peers before I posted, gave them opportunities to build relationships, think critically, and share their ideas and experiences.
Peer Mentor Observation #2
Date: March 5th, 2019
Since the majority of my courses are online and my mentors were scheduled to teach during my in-person courses, my peer mentor, Joann Pell, observed my online class on March 5th, 2019.
Joann observed my class to review my student interactions, and met with me to discuss how they impact student performance and determine best practices that we can share with the department. After Joann observed my class and we discussed my reasoning, we found that we have very different approaches. To interact with students, she primarily uses the announcement feature in Canvas. I use the announcement feature for upcoming events and to share resources, but I prefer to interact with students by sending them individual messages. I believe it is more personal and it demonstrates that I am involved and that I care about their success. Even though Joann provided positive feedback on my approach and I have received many kind responses from students who appreciate the individual messages, I plan to incorporate more announcements. While Joann and I have different approaches to interacting with our online students, we both believe it that student contact is vital for success in the online classroom.
Joann would like me to start taking over the role of ecourse coordinator for our department this summer, so it is really important for me to consider all of the right ways of providing support to students as well as what the best practices are. Joann and I discussed the various methods for reaching out to students as well as preferred frequency. I believe that a high frequency is best, but my preference might not realistic for all of the online instructors in our department. Joann and I drafted some ideas we can share with our team and since the observation, we have had an ongoing conversation about the strategies we should encourage department wide to promote student success.
I will definitely continue sending individual messages because I believe it shows a personal touch. To reach all of my students, I will also increase the number of course announcements I post and incorporate all of the tools at my disposal to maintain a high level of student engagement and promote student success.