What did you like or dislike about taking an asynchronous online course?
I really like the convenience of working at my own pace, and the ability to work anywhere, anytime, 24 hours a day. This makes it possible to work my school around life, instead of life around school; this makes me a better father and husband. I also don’t miss all the driving- it takes me over 1 ½ hours to commute one direction to school; this has allowed more time to digest the content, to commit to assignments, and to spend time with my family; even though I am still spending the same amount of time, I am able to spend that time from home, which makes it feel like I am home more even if I am slaving away in the “dungeon” (as my wife calls it) ;). I also like the money that I saved from not having to commute- this will help me pay my outrageous tuition bill for the summer ;).
I do miss the face to face interaction that is offered by the traditional university experience; the interaction between colleagues and between professors. I learn so much from my peers and I feel like I miss that when we do things on our own. Since this is something I highly value, I think I still prefer traditional classes over online courses; however, I do appreciate all that I learn about technology and the experience I gain from having to be online so much.
I would say that I miss getting to know my professors this summer; but we both know why I cannot say that in regards to this class ;) I have really gotten to know you this semester, and I am sure you got to know me more than you ever wanted to. I just want to repeat again how much I appreciated your understanding this semester and how awesome I think both of you are. You are an example of what real teachers are, and others should look to and follow your example. Teaching is not just disseminating knowledge, it is about compassion, empathy, and an intense desire to see those you teach succeed and gain knowledge and experience. You have facilitated these things this semester despite all that I had to pass through this summer, and I appreciate it. I could not have done it without your kindness and compassion.
What topic did you learn the most about and what was your favorite topic? What did you like least?
I love teaching and so my favorite section was on teaching with technology. I currently teach a course that helps teachers to teach more effectively- although I do this for religious educators, many of the same vital principles to effective teaching are shared between secular and non-secular teaching. I really liked seeing and becoming familiar with much of the potential technology out there that can enhance my teaching; since I plan on teaching after receiving this degree, this came quite in handy. I also really liked learning how to evaluate websites and other sources of data- there is so much information out there and it is difficult at times to separate fact from fiction. I feel better equipped to be able disseminate the information now, and look forward to teaching my patients how to do this as well, so they are more empowered and can take an active role in their health care. I also loved the section on ethics and policy- I am a huge fan of policy, politics, and legislation; it was very insightful to see how technology has impacted and will impact these arenas in the future.
Although I can appreciate the purpose and potential purposes of social networking, I still do not like it and probably will not do it. I found the blogging activity insightful in that it taught me what it was and the basics of blogging- but I am not good at it and do not really like it that much. I am a redneck when it comes to certain things- this is one of them. I do not like blogging, twitter, facebook, myspace, etc. I have never had an account, nor do I want on. It is just something I have no desire for; I prefer the phone and the face-to-face communication because so much is lost in the information transfer when it is just words on a page. Like I said, I can understand and appreciate their potential; but I don’t have to personally like to do it. I prefer to stay “old-school” in that arena.
Do you have any other comments for us?
Like I said, I think you are both amazing professors and I can honestly say that I would change nothing. I really like the asynchronous format; I think that the way you have it set up is a perfect balance between being able to work on our own pace and also having a certain time-frame/timeline to have work complete- this helps with those who struggle with procrastination. I think that this is a perfect class online since the purpose of this course is to learning how to effectively use information technology; what better way to teach this than to have this course online? Every concept that was taught brought me a greater appreciation of technology in health care and a desire to embrace it in my practice rather than fight it. It also provided several resources that I have bookmarked for future use in my practice. I feel this class has helped me on the path to becoming a true doctoral professional, and a leader in the use of technology as this module taught us we should be. I want to thank you again from the bottom of my heart for this course, for all that I learned, but mostly for your compassion, empathy, and kindness. I appreciate that you never made me feel like I was bothering you- it really made me feel comfortable and minimized the stress that I was feeling because of all that was happening. Thank you so much again- I cannot tell you enough. More professors need to be like you and need to learn from you awesome example. Thank you.
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