Putting the Round Peg Into the Square Hole of Online Learning

You are excited: there are resources you have created that are creative, that are cutting edge, that have a huge “Wow!” factor ... and you can’t wait to insert them in your courses! Student engagement will go up, interest in the classes will increase, and there will be a better understanding of how the subject matter relates to that “real world” of employment—how cool is that?! But wait: if you just drop these in helter-skelter, outside of the class consistency from unit to unit to which students are accustomed— how successful will these dollops of ingenuity be? Will you be the only one benefiting from your brilliance? Ah, but all students can enjoy and benefit from your extra efforts by using the routine and structure of the classroom. It’s kind of like taking medicine hidden inside a meal of good ol’-fashioned meat and potatoes :)Here’s how:BONUS: EXAMPLES OF CREATIVE RESOURCES THAT CAN BE ADDED. When looking to create or locate creative resources for your course considered what can help with learning the course subject, study skills, assignments feedback, and connection of the course material to the professional world. These can be as simple as the use of color, different fonts/differentsized fonts, and visuals to articles and essays, newspaper clippings, YouTube videos/self-created videos, external audio clips or self-created audio clips, library and website links, crossword puzzles, and cartoons—and there are many, many more. Additionally, you can write little pieces to augment course subject and components. One final suggestion: do not be afraid to use language that is conversational, exciting, and a bit creative at times—students will be more apt to read this.Remember : Coloring outside the box is simple: but using color to brighten, heighten, underscore, impress, reenforce, extend, and excite the already-existing contents inside the box is far more challenging—but the end result is a “Wow!” reaction that can always be easily located.A portrait of Errol Craig Sull with text listing his role at Drexel University, address in Buffalo New York, telephone number, and email.The text reads Ugur Demiray comma Anadolu University comma Eskisehir comma Turkey period E dash mail colon u d e m i r a y at anadolu dot e d u dot t r period A thin rectangular border frames the text. Adjunct Professor, Department of English, Drexel University, PO. Box 956, Buffalo, NY 14207. Telephone: (716) 871-1900.