Looking for Kendra's Twitter id 

Dear Trollinger & Sugata, Ryan and Katherine and Dr. Kendra Stewart:

As I listen to this cool podcast today, here is my feedback:

       First, let me mention we are dealing with a lot of abbreviations. Joshua Sugata is an SLTIS - Senior Learning Technology Integration Specialist. For the professional, we throw these around, but we have to remember in a lecture, they can really confuse a newbie. Here are some more, at least based on what I hear in this presentation: CDD - Curriculum Development and Design, CD - Curriculum Designer,  and ID- Instructional Designer. Another is AWS or Academic Web Services which is the Graphic Department that CDD works with. Then we have PDS - Professional Development Session and ELS or Effective Learning Strategies, for example. How about RP for Retrieval Practice?

       Second, two examples were raised. The first was the virtual reality of the college of nursing and how to improve it and the second was how not to compromise the integrity of your own online, voluntary class activity. Nursing does required that you incorporate a lot of technology, yet there is this challenge that writing a paper is very theoretical and they need practical labs and how can that be done online? Some of the partial solutions suggested here for the online GCU student were instructional alignment, clear assessments and GCU cutting edge media. The second example was that of adding a voluntary activity like watching a movie clip. Let us say this is a youtube clip or part of a TED talk. On solution mentioned was in optional CATS, you do not have to score the student with points or give them credit. LOOM was also mentioned as a helpful tool. 

       Third, three ELS's or Effective Learning Strategies were highlighted. The first one is explaining a key term which here was Retrieval or Retrieval Practice. The second was Pretesting and the third ELS highlighted was Space Practice and also Interleaving. Lte me break this down. In this first paragraph, I will summarize Retrieval Practice or RP. Katharine defined this as revisiting a concept that you first introduced in your online classroom at least twice before the client or student is tested on that said concept. This can be be adding a discussion question about it or an assignment also that is graded before the quiz. The general discussion with Sugata also mentioned RP should be explained to the client/student. This includes steps like studying that key term, taking a break and then recalling it at your leisure. Later you reread it, mull over it and then maybe introduce some flashcards as an option. 

       Fourth, I am summarizing here the second key ESL mentioned in the above, said paragraph which is Pretesting. Sugata gave this example: I five minutes, write out a few prequestions for your class. Let the student answer and most of them will fail over the material as it is new. Then, the instructor can go over that key material and explain what they key thematic material is and how and what they will learn by the end of that course unit. In other words, the student takes a pretest and they are allowed to fail and then they learn the objectives from the discussion covering the results of that pretest with their instructor. 

       Fifth, the third ELS is Space Practice of Interleaving. SP or Space Practice is defined as the "antithesis of cramming". It was mentioned you can warn the students of the theme that is coming up a few weeks later in your class. I invented GF, GB and GN for these time purposes in all my online literature courses such as English Literature ENG-260 and ENG-450 Shakeseare! Glance Forward is the post you use to explain to your students what is happening next week in your online class or GF. Glance Back is how you review or state your wrap-up as you review your wrap-up in the new week for the past week. That is GB. GN is for Focus. This is warning to your student of something due right now or something crucial - Glance NOW! : ) Okay - last was interleaving. The example was mixing up the kinds of math in a basic math class such as addition, subtraction and multiplication. To give a practical example from ENG-106 - they learn three arguments or specific types of composition as freshman, beginning writers. This is the definition, the cause and effect( not the causal argument!) and the proposal or solution argument. The patterns for these three have to be studied in the rubric and they have to understand the difference in the prompt, in the directions of each particual assignment and its mini-outline. Each of these is a distinct essay argument genre and the title has to reflect that. If you do not match the prompt, you are going to get a low score or flunk that composition first draft. Got to go! 

Instructor Rachel Givan, Syu Ra chi

CHSS Online

[email protected].edu