Module 6 - Electronic Journal and Output (PME 810)

I struggled a little bit with this portion of the course.  I've tried to connect with the professional community LSAC (Learning Specialists Association of Canada), but because I'm not currently in a classroom or teaching setting, I was trying to focus on the disconnect that may exist when students come to post-secondary.  When I look at it, I see that students are taught and assessed very differently in elementary and secondary school vs. in a post-secondary environment.  Some students will thrive in any academic setting, but some students need to learn these skills.  Not wanting to provide 'teaching and assessment' methods to a community that focuses on 'out-of-classroom' skills was my issue - in retrospect, though this community is more related to my department and context, it is slightly less related to this course. 

An important resource for me on the LSAC site will continue to be the additional resources that are provided and the contact information of members at various post-secondary institutions across Canada.

Since I am unable to figure out how load a PDF to my Blogger page, the Electronic Journal will need to be viewed on the class discussion board.  It includes the rationale for posting what I did, as well as the feedback I had received from the professional community.

(Please see Electronic Journal)


OUTPUT

The output below has also been discussed with colleagues in my current work setting.   Since we focus on the student supports that are provided to post-secondary students, it was more important for me to look at what we can do to help students reach their full potential while knowing how they are being taught and assessed in post-secondary.  It was an important connection to make that students are not always prepared for the post-secondary environment because of the changes of instruction and assessment methods between secondary school and post-secondary.  (I'm not super technologically-savy, so I had to import each slide as an image.)

At our institution, my colleages feel that they are increasingly meeting with students who require help with learning strategies.  Our Academic Advisors are consistently referring students to our Learning Skills Coordinator.  Our Learning Skills Coordinator has commented that the number of students who she sees on a weekly basis has increased dramatically.  She's frequently meeting with students about how to take better notes in class, how to better prepare for exams and how to manage time.  She did comment on the test taking - she said students are not used to taking multiple choice tests, so many of them struggle with this when they are in large first year courses. 

We are beginning to offer supports to faculty.  Our Executive Director meets with faculty who has pedagogy questions, since she is knowledgeable in the Education field.  This is an area that she has commented on - she feels that we really need to expand our faculty supports so that our student population isn't suffering.  Another goal of hers is to ensure that the learning outcomes for the courses are accurate and appropriate.  Our Learning Assistance Centre also provides faculty with help in creating online tutorials or other online technology support while teaching.  They are in the preliminary stages of planning workshops for faculty, but in the past many optional faculty events (supports) have been poorly attended. 

In addition, we have an increased demand for tutoring services and writing assistance.  We have more tutor requests than we have tutors and we are always running out of time slots for our writing assistance centre.  Students are increasingly requesting these supports.