What are the 2-3 most important concepts that have impacted your thoughts on student engagement and retention during this course?
This course has taught me about the importance of multi-modal communication in online learning environments. Combining text and video, for instance, can allow students to engage with a particular lesson or theme on multiple levels, thereby deepening their engagement and interest. I’ve also gained an appreciation for the pedagogical value to be found in an instructor’s projection of the ‘self’, or a version of it, into online environments. Such a projection holds the potential, it seems, to humanize an environment that might otherwise appear as lacking in human connection.
I believe a good strategy, or goal, would be for me to post ‘reflection’ videos in response to major themes or lessons delivered. These might provide a humanistic ‘anchor-point’, or ‘connect-point’ for students feeling un-invested in the content, or simply wanting to engage on a deeper level. I also believe it important to continuously invite student dialogue and participation, and to offer assistance and support as needed.
Questions and Strategy:
Moving forward – I would like to investigate the work of online instructors who have really nailed their videos. What tools do they use to make the videos engaging, connect their videos to the course content, etc. What balance do they strike in developing both a cinematically interesting and pedagogically rich platform? Over the next few months, I plan to seek out a series of stellar online instructional videos and analyze them for content, style, pedagogy, linkages and effect.