The amount of students that show up for chat sessions is disappointing, I would say that more than half enrolled have not attended any chat sessions at all. I would like to stress that the lecture presentations and readings are merely outline and foundation for what is discussed during chat sessions, I do not simply re-type the slides. Typically I provide the scientific foundation for the topic, then discuss the reef-relevancy in chat.
Feedback from students who have attended the chat sessions has been very good, and I get the impression that the students who have been following along diligently are beginning to view their aquaria differently, and more deeply, as I had originally hoped. Therefore I believe that if one intends to get anything valuable from this course it is important to at least read the chat transcripts if one cannot attend the chat. I would say that the chat sessions are equally important as the lecture/reading material.
Additionally, forum participation is even more disappointing. I was expecting that people would at least introduce themselves! It is very difficult to teach effectively without some indication a student's background, or similarly, how well understanding is attained (or not) as the course progresses.
We are currently at the halfway mark, and it is not too late to catch up on previous material. If anyone is having trouble with the material because it is too advanced, let me know by Personal Message here. Conversely, if it is too simple, I would also like to know that; I can certainly accomodate more advanced students I they wish.
Thanks for reading,
Jason
Feedback from students who have attended the chat sessions has been very good, and I get the impression that the students who have been following along diligently are beginning to view their aquaria differently, and more deeply, as I had originally hoped. Therefore I believe that if one intends to get anything valuable from this course it is important to at least read the chat transcripts if one cannot attend the chat. I would say that the chat sessions are equally important as the lecture/reading material.
Additionally, forum participation is even more disappointing. I was expecting that people would at least introduce themselves! It is very difficult to teach effectively without some indication a student's background, or similarly, how well understanding is attained (or not) as the course progresses.
We are currently at the halfway mark, and it is not too late to catch up on previous material. If anyone is having trouble with the material because it is too advanced, let me know by Personal Message here. Conversely, if it is too simple, I would also like to know that; I can certainly accomodate more advanced students I they wish.
Thanks for reading,
Jason
