With education being the key ingredient to a obtaining a better lifestyle, many people are taking advantage of the opportunity for advancement professionally and academically by going back to college.  Going back to college is much more advanced than a decade ago in that students now have the opportunity to attend college online.  A student's academic world is central to living in the virtual world because of how they interact with peers, exchange ideas, and work day to day with their instructors.  This ability is quite an impressive mechanism for not just attracting students to enroll in respective college programs, but, serves as an additional incentive in that students are able to attend class from anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection, can submit assignments from their computers at any time, and interact with faculty directly through a virtual classroom and environment.  Does it get any better than this model of learning?  Perhaps, because if you think about it, going back to college is really one element of achieving the goal because it is really about being successful in the course and program to be able to earn that diploma.  Success is not just dictated by the student, but the instructor's ability to deliver a strong presence, stay consistent, listen, and motivate students to learn in the virtual classroom. 

Listening to students is invaluable because they communicate not just their learning style, but what learning tools are necessary for success.  An instructor that listens reflexively doesn't just actively listen to students.  This type of instructor listens with the ability to feel what they need to become and stay motivated in the virtual environment.  This goes beyond developing a basic perception of what the students needs, but, coalesces reflexive listening with empathy, understanding that generates a physical feeling by the instructor from the student.  This type of communication can provide instructors the ability to understand and outreach to students at any time.  This is not just a technique that has been successful with me in the virtual world for many years.  The more one engages in the behavior, the more the behavior is a part of the person.

Reflexive listening is one aspect in using evidenced based strategies to scale student motivation and empower student centric learning.  For example, taking a student centered approach to learning can be beneficial in that if there are students that are bordering on staying in the course, at the threshold of passing, and insecure about how they are conceptualizing complex materials, instructors can incorporate motivational and empowering techniques that help students explore areas of ambivalence in order to progress successfully.  Motivating students goes beyond validation and affirming their core strengths on paper.  It takes listening and outreaching to students.   It is about taking a proactive presence in the course to stimulate the discussion discourse.  This involves enlisting  students to engage in critical thinking approaches, challenge peers with thought provoking questions, and relate the information discussed in the course to real life practice setting examples. 

A true mechanism for promoting this model of motivating students is most effective when the instructor serves as the model that delivers the student centric learning via examples necessary to motivate students.  Students are the reason instructors continue to progress in the field of academic, research, and clinical settings.  Motivation is not just heightened by internal and external needs, but, when combined with synergy that includes the instructor that can take learning to a new and enhanced level.

Faculty Spotlight:

Dr. Sencil-White earned her PsyD in clinical psychology at California Southern University School for Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Sencil White also has a PhD in Counseling Education, a Master's in Clinical Social work from Florida State University, a Bachelor's in Social Work from the University of South Florida, and received her AA degree from Central Florida Community College.

Professor White has been teaching for GCU online Graduate and Undergraduate courses as an Adjunct Professor since 2008. She has also been licensed as a clinical social worker for almost 10 years. She is licensed in many jurisdictions as a LCSW and is the author of over 13 articles that have been published online relating to mental health and the virtual environment.

Dr. Sencil-White works as a psychopathologist, clinical researcher, and academician