Donna Kiesel portfolio

Return to: ETAP_623_Spring_2014 | Donna Kiesel portfolio | Donna Kiesel Mini-Course

Donna Kiesel's teaching experience began when she was a supervisor at the American Red Cross Blood Program in Chicago, where she arranged in-house training of staff. Later, with the US Peace Corps in Cameroon Africa she taught at an agriculture college, conducted teacher training at the college, and became a trainer and Director of training for incoming Peace Corps volunteers. She continued her teaching in Nepal for 3 years, working at an agriculture school there, where she designed curriculum, wrote study guides, authored farm manuals, developed a program for teacher training. After becoming a Naturopathic Physician while living in Germany for 8 years, Donna and her husband Eckhart and 2 children, Max and Andre moved to Chatham, New York. Currently Donna is in the Masters Public Health Program at UAlbany, also pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Curriculum Development and Online Teaching. Having a lot of experience teaching medical doctors, nurses and other health care professionals about Homeopathic Medicine.

• 

Professional Adult Learners Online

Topic/purpose

This course explores issues and suggested strategies for teaching professional courses online.There are many things to consider when designing an instructional strategy to achieve both the program goals and also provide the most enriching leaning experience. The difference between meeting standards of a professional training and the standards of online teaching are two different subjects that come together in the program design. This mini course walks the reader through the steps of what to consider for the educational process, then looks at the format for professional training content, organized within that instructional design.

Contemplate these questions:

• Who are the students? What kind of learners are they?
• What are the tasks that they need to perform by the end of the course?
• What skills and supplies, software and equipment do they need to take the course?
• What is the difference between online instruction and live teaching in a classroom?
• What are the distinguishing features of online instruction that compliment classroom courses?
• How can a curriculum be designed to make the most of an online learning environment for professional adult learners?

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course .......learners will have developed cognitive strategies, intellectual skills and motor skills to use when teaching professional courses to adult students through the use of technology. For example, learners will be able to determine what activities are best for their students' skill level, demonstrate an understanding of what programs are out there for their students to use, and be able to use appropriate forms of technology and/or programs in their classroom or lessons with the students to help them better understand the concepts being taught.

Intent of This Project on Adult Learning

This course explores issues and suggested strategies for teaching professional courses online.

Contemplate these questions:

• Who are the students?
• What are the tasks that they need to perform by the end of the course?
• What skills and supplies, software and equipment do they need to take the course?
• What is the difference between online instruction and live teaching in a classroom?
• What are the distinguishing features of online instruction that compliment classroom courses?
• How can a curriculum be designed to make the most of an online learning environment for professional adult learners?

Learning Outcomes for This Mini-Course

Learners will be able to:

- describe the features of student communication that are indicative of their individual learning style

- define a list of tasks and objectives that lead to completion of the learning goals of the course

- compose a course syllabus with instructions students need for their success in an online learning environment

- distinguish the differences between the strengths and weaknesses of live classroom and online learning

- develop an integrated classroom-online curriculum for a professional training program

- design a course evaluation strategy and do the first review