Some insights from Week 2

I discovered in my reading and reflecting that there are at least 2 aspects of online classes that I do appreciate.
1. Their convenience makes them available to more people. This way, you can potentially have a greater impact on more students and as educators, we can help improve students' educational experiences. I know that online learning is more convenient for more people. We've discovered that in our grad program we can reach more teachers around the world who are interested in a Christian grad program in education. The online format makes it convenient as long as you have an internet connection and access to email and most types of technology.
2. I didn't realize it until this week that one of the features I appreciate is that students have to take initiative in order to be successful students in online programs. I have a sense that undergrad students in our program can sometimes just come to class, put forth minimal effort, and still learn enough to pass. Granted, they don't learn a lot but they can passively learn enough to pass many courses. A well-designed online class can really keep that from happening. And, of course, I want to build that well-designed class.

I enjoyed the slide show on how to design an effective and high quality online course. I mentioned in Today's Meet that it helped me realize the effective coaching I had from Tim, Pat, and Kathleen as I designed my summer 2013 course. It also told me again that I am a pragmatist in many ways. I like the down to earth, specific info in those slides. They seem to describe the experiences I've had and read/heard about. And they help me to have a sense of what I need to do in order to be successful. All that in just a few minutes. Wow!

One other thing to admit: As I worked on my course map, I got excited about how I can make round 2 more effective than round 1. And the idea that I will have things mostly planned by the time the summer starts THRILLS me!