Final Showcase

Group Members	Roles	Commented On
Mady Folz	Reflection Questions, Video Visual Aids, Edit and Review Script, Record Implementation Video, Review Videos and Text Reflection, Peer Evaluation, Self-Evaluation, and Comment on Others	Group 2 Link: https://635group2spring2021.blogspot.com/2021/04/final-showcase.html Group 3 Link: https://635group3spring2021.blogspot.com/p/group-3-final-showcase.html?showComment=1618540349830
Tomie Gartland	Reflection Questions, Video Visual Aids, Combine Reflection Responses, Edit and Review Script, Record Implementation Video, Add Roles to Top of Table, Review Videos and Text Reflection, Post Implementation and Videos to Blog, Peer Evaluation, Self-Evaluation, and Comment on Others	Group 1 Link:  https://635group1spring2021.blogspot.com/2021/04/final-showcase-tally-anderson.html?showComment=1618453872916#c2334411546520663011 Group 2 Link:   https://635group2spring2021.blogspot.com/2021/04/final-showcase.html?showComment=1618670320849#c777207787011617683
Christi Martzell	Reflection Questions, Video Visual Aids, Edit and Review Script, Record Implementation Video, Review Videos and Text Reflection, Peer Evaluation, Self-Evaluation, and Comment on Others	Group 1
Jason Spencer	Reflection Questions, Video Visual Aids, Implementation Video Script, Edit and Review Script, Record Reflection Video, Record Implementation Video, Edit Reflection Video, Review Videos and Text Reflection, Post Project to Facebook, Peer Evaluation, Self-Evaluation, and Comment on Others	Group 1 and Group 3

Reflection

What did you learn from this course?

We learned the main components of adult learning such as the learning process, learning environment, learning styles/tools and strategies, techniques, and methods to facilitate learning. We learned how factors of brain and mind, emotions and motivations, spirit and soul, body and physical conditions, relationships, and environment and context impact learning. We used this knowledge to design a syllabus for a specific group of learners. In this journey, we collected teaching and learning resources for learning activities and obtained knowledge to diagnose problems in practical cases.

Our group focused on the impact of learning environments and how to effectively deliver content to adult learners based on this knowledge. You must understand the learning audience to create an optimal learning experience for them. Every learner has unique characteristics that impact their ability to meet established learning objectives. We covered the learning environment from all angles. A learner or facilitator’s culture, knowledge, or positionality are all factors that impact a learning environment. In addition, historical bias and privilege must be recognized and examined to have a true picture of whether the learning environment is conducive to meeting learning objectives. 

We learned how to reflect on the overall learning experience by having the opportunity to post to the discussion forums and share our thoughts with our classmates. This helped reinforce our learning and gave us different perspectives of the material covered. These interactions provided a solid foundation for our syllabus design. This assignment gave us the opportunity to apply the knowledge from a facilitators point of view.  This was a valuable reinforcement exercise that brought all the course concepts together in one project.

What did you like or dislike about our online discussions, group project and this course in general?

Dr. Bo is a very accessible and compassionate professor. These attributes are exemplified by the timely, consistent feedback provided to each learner by Dr. Bo and her graduate assistant. The syllabus for this course is well written and a valuable tool throughout the semester. Deadlines are considered hard suggestions, and Dr. Bo is always accommodating and flexible when emergencies or other challenges are presented regarding due dates. This course does have an abundance of videos to view each week. While the videos are helpful, often they feel outdated and/or can be repetitive. This could be addressed by searching for the newest relevant online material every semester or so.

As mentioned above, this course is unique because assignments are reviewed weekly by Dr. Bo. Not only does she highlight our content to recognize good, excellent, and outstanding parts of assignments, she frequently takes time to add additional comments to each learner’s post to elaborate on their ideas, or to provide constrictive criticism. After providing constructive criticism, she gives the student the opportunity to resubmit their work, if they would like.

Another distinctive feature of Dr. Bo’s class is that it is frontloaded. This means that the bulk of assignments in this course will be completed early on, with the final showcase assignments submitted at the end of week 13. By having course requirements completed early, weeks 14-16 can be used to correct, revise, and resubmit earlier assignments for a higher grade. Dr. Bo also provides opportunities for extra credit to all students during these weeks.

Finally, the groups for this course were put together with common interests in mind. This also appears to be a feature unique to Dr. Bo. By listing the topics to be covered at the beginning of the semester and asking each learner to sign up under their main area of interest the first week, she was able to assemble groups of individuals with shared interests. This practice appears to have successful results because all groups this semester have done well.

How do you think the project was able to help you understand the practical field and the theories?

Our syllabus project helped us see how what we were learning could be applied in a classroom setting. We were able to construct the syllabus in a way that would connect with learners and offer them the flexibility needed to be successful. We tried to apply multiple factors that are essential to successful learning and incorporate them into the construction of the course we outlined in our syllabus. Some examples of items that we learned in the course that were taken into consideration for our syllabus project include learning environment, learning styles, and learning tools.

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?

A variety of resources (in addition to our textbooks) were made available to us each week for our discussions.  These resources included Youtube videos, audio recordings, snippets from books, research articles, and, of course, our fellow classmates’ thoughts and perspectives. The textbooks by Mackeracher and Lawson provided a comprehensive overview of the week’s topic while the readings, videos, and recordings honed on specific aspects to help us understand the broader topic in greater detail.  The resources also helped us identify what the main topics may be and provided credible sources to use in response to the weekly questions. They also helped spark additional thoughts for some of us in order to pose new questions for our classmates to ponder. 

The resources provided fed directly into our discussion board responses.  It was nice to hear what our classmates thought each week and to hear examples from their lives as educators.  As we have learned, adults tend to use past experience and pre-identified themes to make sense of new information and these discussion boards are an example of that.  What is great about them is that we can reflect on the questions and provide a response through our own personal lenses, then read through our classmates’ responses to understand the questions in new ways.  Reading the discussion boards also inspired new ideas for how to incorporate theories into practice.  It was intriguing to see the many ways other practitioners demonstrated the discussed theories in their classrooms or learning environments. This goes to show how the same theory can be applied in different ways and settings depending on the perspective of the facilitator; the available resources; and the information being shared.  Hearing the variety of ways to demonstrate the theories gave us new ideas to include when we are teaching. 

What do you suggest to better support your learning? What are your suggestions for future students?

Students should ensure they create a plan at the beginning of the course that has room for change and flexibility as the course progresses. We all have lives outside of school and ensuring your team has a buffer to complete items will benefit you; especially with the amount of group work this class includes. Creating a schedule will also aid in finding a day, or days, that work best to complete work on time which will reduce stress and may improve the quality of work being submitted.  Keeping a planner, whether online or digital, can also help you stay organized in an online class like this one with no designated times to meet for class each week.  With group work, be clear and upfront with your team on your availability and set clear boundaries so that you each can honor one another's needs. If you have the time to engage with the discussions more than what is required, do so. If several people do this, you will set an example that others will likely follow and create a broader learning environment.  Moreover, if you have time to read all the suggested readings and view all the suggested videos for the week, do so.  This will give you a clearer understanding of the weeks’ themes and will help you in future EDAC courses.

Dr. Bo is very understanding when issues arise and, as long as she is aware of any issues, is willing to help.  Therefore, don’t be afraid to connect with Dr. Bo as needed throughout the course.  As adult learners, the most important thing is that you learned something.  Sometimes it is hard to focus on school with the other obligations we, as adults, have; but make sure you give your classes enough time and attention to retain the knowledge and make it worthwhile.  Don’t push yourself past your limits and reach out to Dr. Bo and your groupmates when you need support.

Implementation 

	Aims you wish to achieve in your design	Main theoretical ideas (You can cite some ideas from your Theory Review paper)	Main activities in your syllabus (should reflect the rationales)	Main methods/tools/strategies in your syllabus (should reflect the rationales)
1	We have a comfortable learning environment since this class is online and can be taken from anywhere the student chooses	Ergonomics as it relates to tables, chairs, and overall comfort allow for a better learning environment.	This is an online course and comfort is based on the student’s personal environment.	Student must have an internet connection and the ability to view content each week along with completion the assignments online.
2	Embrace cultural differences and respect in our course interactions	Beliefs, customs, and behaviors organize our lives as a group and help us learn.	The student posts must adhere to netiquette guidelines as stated in the syllabus.	Netiquette guidelines allow for a safe learning environment and reinforce cultural respect.
3	Use the power environment to enhance our learning experience.	For the power environment in learning, our course environment helps learners feel comfortable and grow in a way that is part of the individual perspective.	In weeks 6-10 the students must apply strategies to improve the learning environment from the perspective of a workplace trainer.	In weeks 6-10 students apply the knowledge obtained in weeks 1-5 by providing strategies for improvement from the role of a workplace trainer. This demonstrates the power environment by allowing students to serve in both the “student” & “facilitator” roles as well as encourages students to use their voices to execute their ideas.
4	Use the knowledge environment to optimize the learning experience.	Optimal learning environment viewpoints from all sides must be considered when examining the adult   education.	The syllabus reflects links and videos ranging from scholars to workplace training experts.	We utilized the various experts’ viewpoints in our weekly module content. These range from articles, research, meeting videos, and content videos.
5	Reinforce the real-life experience of learning.	Learning is reinforced by activity, content, and culture.	Students must complete a discussion post each week and a peer reply post to reinforce the learning.	By introducing the topics in the first 5 weeks of class and circling back to explore the topics further in the last 5 weeks of class allows the students to apply and reflect upon the real-world knowledge that was introduced in the first 5 weeks of class.
6	Reinforce real-life   learning with content.	Learning is reinforced by content.	Students will follow the same schedule each week and the format of the course is consistent allowing for an optimal learning experience.	Every module opens at the same time each week. All due dates are consistent on the day of the week. The content is framed in a way that allows for learning objective optimization since the consistent format removes any confusion with the course layout.

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