Dr. Stephanie Sencil-White writes:

"Learning is about us; it is not about the I; it is not only about the you; but about the we~ In order for you to know what you need to succeed, and for me to know what that is for you to be successful,  we need to work collaboratively in this course.  These are usually the first few sentences in my educational philosophy statement embedded in my course syllabus each term.  First, because it is true for any online course I teach; and, second, because an effective facilitator works to scale learning based on progress in the course, access to learning materials, timeliness to questions, availability to students, access to students, and that great thing we call collaboration.  This is not just anecdotally speaking, but there is empirical support that purports that instructors supporting the online and asynchronous environments that work to consistently monitor and measure student learning styles using integrated approaches, such as visual PowerPoint's, easy to read lecture notes, videos, and active discussion threads enlisting interaction from students, shows that there may be enhanced support for students feeling their learning needs are strengthened, which overall, may support the notion of improved academic scores being strongly correlated as a result of  that added attention to learning styles and use of online learning tools used by the instructor .  Let's first take the domains of cognitive and other learning functioning.  To begin, the physical, i.e. sight, smell, hearing, touch, feeling, all components of how folks tend to absorb materials and learn.  Then, there is the cognitive, thinking, social and emotional, understanding, memory, attention, and reasoning…Also, that sense of control captured is generated based on how one is able to digest the information and then retain it for application.  Remember, tolerance changes take effect for any learning style.  Only so much at one point can be digested.  Attention span, time, interest, and motivation levels can fluctuate.  Maintaining the student's interest is critical in the virtual classroom.  So, what does that mean for the person that has to learn multiple aspects of materials in a short period of time?

You simply have to be strategic, caring, and innovative.  That means you make it fun, gauge motivation levels daily, e.g. weekly for me teaching 5 to 9 weeks courses, emphasize expectations at the onset of the course, and encourage use of auxiliary resources provided by the institution that compliments the student's ability to succeed.  Working comprehensively and collaboratively strengthens one's chances of a positive outcome and the likelihood that learning associated with a positive outcome will be reinforced subsequent to the learning experience.  That involved the instructor, the students, resources, and the relationship between the student, the instructor, and believe it or not, the course!  You really have to be mindful of how students understand the information being communicated in order for any materials at any level to be synthesized.  We all think differently and learning must be individualized as much as the learning plan. There is nothing wrong with helping to allay angst and build that confidence surrounding navigating through systematic and operational processes that can often compound one's anxiety and even stifle hopes of achieving success.  How we approach our students and frame and direct the scenarios they face may make all the difference in how they walk their academic paths…"

Dr. Stephanie Sencil-White

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