Embedded Files
Community college students are more likely to come from underserved populations and are inclined to feelings of self-doubt in academic settings. When learning online, our students need to know they have an instructor who cares and is there to support them, and that they are part of a vibrant learning community. Effective online teachers mindfully cultivate their presence at the course level and one-on-one with students. These interactions foster a relationship based on trust, which is the foundation of a learning community.
Reflections
Reflections
Where I was.
Where I was.
A fish out of water... That was me when I began this journey. As a counselor and instructor, I've always taken pride in being approachable and relatable to students. I don't take myself too seriously and describing myself as quirky may be an understatement at times. I was concerned, however, about how to convey this online. It took me very little time to realize that writing as the sole form of communication between me and my students, and frankly, my students and their peers, just isn't enough to build that human connection. I had to step out of my comfort zone (where we know all the magic happens) and embrace video. Dun dun dun!
Where I am.
Where I am.
What I have learned thus far is invaluable. Online does not have to mean detached, and it's the connection that we build with our students that can shape their entire experience in our classes, and maybe even college as a whole. I'm not in love with being in front of the camera, but if I'm asking it of my students, I can be brave, too.
Where I'm headed.
Where I'm headed.
In my future classes, I intend to focus greatly on instructor and social presence. I will respond to each student's introduction discussion posts and reach out to those who do not submit one. Each time we move on to a new topic, I will update my course home page. Additionally, each week I will send a wrap-up announcement that also introduces the new topic we'll be covering. In addition to discussions, students will be required to do group work, which will provide more opportunites for them to connect with their peers.
Examples
Examples
welcome aboard
welcome aboard
I've had experience using PowToon in the past, but creating this welcome video allowed me to interweave video and practice creating closed captioning. I intend to send this video as part of the welcome letter that will be emailed to students prior to the start of class. It will also be a page at the start of the Getting Started module to introduce students to the class.
navigating the waters
navigating the waters
A signature assignment for many Counseling courses is the creation of a comprehensive education plan. Without the luxury of being able to walk students through the process as I would in a face-to-face course, I knew I had to try to simulate this as best I could in the online environment; solely providing written instructions just wasn't going to cut it, especially for my visual learners. So, I went ahead and created a video using Screencast-o-Matic to demonstrate how to use our online education planning tool.
student perspective
student perspective
We were exposed to a variety of different ways to engage with students, and Adobe Spark was one of them. This was my first time using Adobe Spark and I really enjoyed the process. It was easy to use and I'm happy to have another tool in my toolbox to engage students.
help is on the way
help is on the way
Students will have an assignment where they will be researching campus resources, but I want to ensure that they start off the term strong with some of the most vital resources that can help them be successful.
Google Sites
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