Group Member:
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Roles:
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Commented On:
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Stephanie Dean
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Audio Script Writer, Recorded Audio, Audio Script Contributor
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Group 3: Social Cognitive Theory
Group 5: Spiritual Learning
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Abeni El-Amin
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Audio Script Contributor, Demonstration 1 and Demonstration 2 Creator, Submit and post on blog
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Group 2: Narrative Learning
Group 3: Social Cognitive
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Mandy Velligan
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Group Leader, Audio Script and Audio Script contributor, Flyer Creator
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Group 2: Narrative Learning
Group 4: Spiritual Learning
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Sabrina West
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Audio Script Contributor, Audio Script Writer
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Group 3: Social Cognitive Theory
Group 2: Narrative Learning
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Addressed in the following reflection:
- What did you learn from this course?
- What did you like or dislike about our online discussions, group project and this course in general?
- How do you think the project was able to help you understand the practical field and the theories?
- Use examples to tell us how the various learning resources in weekly discussions help you understand the theories and how to apply theories to practice?
- What do you suggest to better support your learning?
- What are your suggestions for future students?
Course Reflection
The adult learning strategies course in its present form is excellent for learners who enjoy discussion boards, group projects, applied tasks assignments, peer review, and research projects. Yet, self-directed learners need more autonomy in academic and career settings to be successful. Some self-directed learners may find the course to be challenging because group projects create limitations on time and balance. Many adult learners have robust careers and find group projects distracting from course material. As such, group projects can detract from learning at the greatest level of effectiveness. Thus, satisfaction in courses with group projects may be minimal. Additionally, learners are paired with other students by the topic of interest, which is important; however, an additional survey to discover learning and work styles is helpful to pair learners to maximize effectiveness in group learning. The instructor provided several modalities of adult learning strategies; however, a more focused approach is needed to help students understand the “why” and “how”. Notwithstanding, the theoretical components of the course prepares students for careers as adults learning instructors, yet Blackboard as a Learning Management System (LMS) is limited in that the instructor is not able to design the course in an organized manner.
The structure of the course was not practical because there was not a proper introduction for the course. One of the biggest takeaways of the semester is when introducing a training and development program, the instructor must provide an appropriate introduction to themselves as well as the material to be covered. Without this foundation, students become frustrated and confused with the direction of the course objectives. Likewise, the instructions for course deliverables were complex and much confusion was experienced by course participants. The next big takeaway is that although a participant’s learning style is self-directed they still need foundation and direction as they explore topical information.
Teaching adult learners provides another dimension in teaching and learning compared to teaching juvenile learners. For example, the amount of material adult learners comprehend is vastly more pronounced, as adult learners are able to connect their experiences to course material and expand upon the theoretical knowledge and frameworks. This is particularly fascinating because the tapestry of experiences creates a dynamic and comprehensive bevvy of information which is then shared amongst participants.
Suggestions for students taking this course in the future are to review the course syllabus, assignment guidelines, and deliverables to understand flexibility provided by the instructor. A student who wishes to work autonomously has this option and may take advantage of this accommodation if they choose to do so. The group project was found to be overly time-consuming and distracted from the focus of the course. It is determined this pursuit does not match well with some adult learners work-life balance and learning styles.
VOICE THREAD: (CLICK HERE)
Transcript of Voice Thread
As the semester comes to a close, our group has taken some time to reflect on the course individually and as a group. Dr. Bo Chang provided the class with a few questions to prompt our group’s responses. The first question centered around what we learned throughout the course. Everyone in our group learned quite a bit about the topic of adult learning and how there are a variety of factors that contribute to the learning cycle including (but not limited to) the environment, race, class, experience, and perception. I think we can each agree that the topics discussed throughout the course have prepared us for future encounters with adult learners!
When reflecting upon the online discussion and the group project, our group can agree that the discussion boards were helpful to a certain degree. It was beneficial to discuss key topics and hear our classmate’s opinions and perspectives. Unfortunately, we have found that the responses to discussion board posts seemed to be repetitive and even forced at times. Having to meet a certain number of posts per week made it seem like we were often posting the same thing such as… “I agree with you” or “Thanks for sharing your opinion”.
The group project allowed us to explore a specific topic more in depth. Our topic this semester was self-directed learning, one of which we all related to being online or distance learners. Each member of our group understands the value of group projects and the importance of being able to work in small groups to achieve a common goal. When asked about feelings towards the group project, two members thought the group project could be shorter. The project was able to help us understand the practical field and the theories in a few ways. It helped us understand self-directed learning based our experience as adult learners. We were able to take the concepts we learned and apply them to a course that would help instructors better understand the characteristics of the adult learner and their needs.
Dr. Bo provided the class each week with various articles, videos, and images to help us understand the theories and apply those into practice. Those supplemental resources were used to develop thoughts and opinions towards topics discussed throughout the semester. The visual learners in our group found the provided videos were a great way to solidify what was read in the text. Mandy specifically mentioned the videos in Unit 3 and Unit 8 served as great resources for her!
Our group has come up with a few suggestions to better support our learning along with recommendations for future students. We found ourselves often asking each other for their opinion on what the assignment was asking for, so small tweaks to add some clarity on the assignments would be helpful along with an overview of the entire assignment and objectives. Upon reflecting, a couple group members do not believe there was enough content to span the entire semester, and learning seemed to happen in spurts causing students to feel disconnected. A way to fix this would be to facilitate the discussion boards and assigned readings the first half of the semester and assign the group project afterwards through the end of 18 weeks.
For future students, we would suggest that they get a planner or a dry erase board to help with deadlines. Reviewing the syllabus and course schedule will help with understanding course expectations. If you don’t keep up with readings and assignments, it’s easy to fall behind. Being patient with group members and be mindful of everyone’s busy schedule makes group work more bearable. Completing work early so the group can reflect on the finished project helped our group make tweaks before a project was due. Strong communication within the group is essential to being successful in the class.
The purpose of this program demonstration is to convey its value for implementation in practice. In this video, introduced is the program to an administrator or granting institution to get a program funded. Introduced are stakeholders, the main components of the program, the rationale of the program, and how it can be implemented in practice. Additionally noted is why the program deserves to be funded.
Marketing of Program - VOICE THREAD: (CLICK HERE)
Marketing the Program
https://voicethread.com/share/11710354/
Marketing the Program
https://voicethread.com/share/11710354/
Demonstration 1
Demonstration 2
Sample Learning Contract (CLICK HERE): Adapted from Knowles (1986) the learning contract provides a way for the student and instructor to maintain accountability for the learning process. In addition to the planned activities and evaluation, it is important to document expectations related to policies, including late submissions and requests for extensions.
Marketing Flyers
Marketing Flyers
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