Technology in Education: Notes from the Closet

  Soon, I’ll teach a graduate course centered around teaching and learning online. In my roles as an adjunct instructor in higher education and the Director of Distance Learning for a community college, I live and breathe this modality. One of the assignments my students will be asked to do is to create an “Online Teaching and Learning Manifesto” in which they share their current beliefs. I love the reflective nature of this assignment and thought it was the right time to put mine on (digital) paper. In no particular order, here are some of the tenets that shape my beliefs and reflect how I teach graduate courses asynchronously and how I would like to be taught. Design matters . From user experience ( UX ) to interaction design (IX/ID), every decision made by an online instructor is important- design is not neutral. Many students (and instructors) have bitter memories of in-person courses being moved online during 2020’s Emergency Remote Learning. Taking an in-person course and mov...

In my role as the Director of Distance Learning, I am responsible for helping faculty create effective learning experiences for students in hybrid and online courses. Even though my focus is on the adults, it is important for students to be oriented to online learning and determine if this modality is for them. With that in mind, I created a series of flyers to help our community college students determine if online or hybrid learning is right for them. Click on each image below to view the flyers in full size.

This winter I am working toward adding a new credential to my learning: Quality Matter's  Teaching Online Certificate . This well-established and highly respected organization has put together a series of workshops that focuses on best practices of online teaching. I have reflected on each workshop as I completed them as a way to model metacognition. This post is the final reflection, 8 of 8. I'm fortunate to be at an institution that encourages and values continuous learning. As someone who has taught graduate courses for well known universities for 15 years, I feel I have a solid grasp of online pedagogical practices. Still, part of staying relevant is continuing to grow yourself and reflect on your learning. Having recently completed the workshops, this blog contains my thoughts about the process and content overall. In no specific order, here are my takeaways and tips for anyone considering working toward this credential. Build in space between each workshop. Not knowing an...