The Kansas State University Human Nutrition (HN 400) flexbook was designed as a textbook replacement for this intermediate-level nutrition course. The objectives in developing the flexbook were (1) to decrease student expense and (2) create an electronic resource that incorporates videos and animations, along with other additional features that provide greater flexibility and functionality than a traditional textbook.
In the new technology-enhanced learning spaces at the University of Minnesota, students outperformed final grade expectations relative to their ACT scores. When instructors adapted their pedagogical approach to the new space by intentionally incorporating more active, student-centered teaching techniques, student learning improved. Students and faculty had positive perceptions of the new learning environments but also had to adjust to the unusual classrooms.
Global public health as a course domain topic suits the various pedagogical methods and technologies commonly used for online learning. The data-rich technologies implemented for global public health projects can also enrich an online course covering the topic. Open-source content from federal agencies and reputable health organizations helps emphasize the complexity of global public health issues. A game model incorporating some principles and practices of global public health can raise awareness of important health issues among those who become engaged in playing it.
System-wide advisory groups can serve a key leadership role when seeking broad-based consensus on large initiatives. Establishing task groups with clear timelines and public deliverables creates a sense of urgency and yields quick results compared to typical standing committees. As SUNY found, a SWOT analysis and governance adjustment for a long-standing advisory group can be more productive than creating a new advisory group.
Course professors are involved in selecting materials, training and supervising peer leaders, and reviewing the progress of workshops. The workshops are integral to the course. Peer leaders are selected, trained, and effectively supervised to become skilled facilitators of group work. Workshop materials are challenging, relevant, directly related to lecture material, and designed for small group work. The workshops are held weekly for two hours, with six to eight students per group, in a suitable space. PLTL should be supported by the department and institution with funds, course status, and other support.9
As online educators struggle to re-create the social experience of the classroom and remote students lament the missing camaraderie and interaction of a face-to-face education, common pedagogical approaches compound these issues by further segmenting and isolating students in the name of privacy. Chief among these approaches is the common habit of asking students to privately submit work to a course management system dropbox. The following paper addresses the problems with faculty's use and overuse of the dropbox and illustrates how faculty can implement a public performance model in their online classes to stimulate a social experience in an online class, increase student feedback and lower online faculty workloads
