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I am originally from South Korea and recently moved from East Lansing, MI, to Birmingham, AL. I previously worked as an elementary school teacher in South Korea and now serve as a new faculty at the University of Alabama.

This is my family—my wife, Nari, and my baby girl, Ari. I’m excited to learn and grow with you all in INTE 533!

Please make your post and respond to the prompts you see above. I encourage you to say hi to other classmates and share any thoughts :)

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Hello everyone, My name is James Perkins and Im in Houston, Texas but originally from Huntsville, Alabama.

I found a couple of things interesting in this module. First, the contrast of in person and online classes was interesting to me. I think we underestimate how much non-verbal communication takes place between teachers and students. I can adjust or circle back to concepts in my classroom if I read that the students aren’t understanding something. I can also use examples in one class and see if the students are understanding and making the connection between my example and the content. If it misses, I can use something else in subsequent classes. That isn’t possible in an online class because it is more one way communication.

Second, the concept of asynchronous learning is interesting to me. I experienced it as a teacher during the Covid year and a half, but now it is interesting to experience it as a student. As an example from yesterday, I am also a Football Coach and we were supposed to have our first scrimmage yesterday but it got delayed due to weather. I was able to use that time to read the material for this class.

Im not sure what my final project will be just yet but Im looking forward to learning this content and finding my project.

Roll Tide!

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Hey everyone! I’m Felicia Lee from Birmingham, Alabama. I work in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at UA in the IT department as a Computer Support Technician.

Two things from Module 1 that really stood out to me:

1. I never realized how much better people learn when we combine words and pictures. But only when the visuals actually help explain the content. Throwing in random images just for decoration can actually make learning harder.

2. Another surprise? “Fun” doesn’t always mean “effective.” It’s easy to think flashy animations and music will keep students engaged, but it turns out that too much of that can distract from the real learning. Less is sometimes more!

Course Idea for My Final Project:
I’m going to work on an online course called “Digital Literacy for First-Gen College Students.” It’ll focus on helping students get comfortable with tools like email, LMS platforms, Google Docs, and digital communication.

This is super close to my heart because I’ve seen students struggle at the University. Not because they aren’t smart, but because nobody ever showed them how to navigate the tech side of college. I want to change that.

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Hi everyone!

My name is Latrina Hicks, and I’m from Hoover, Alabama. I currently serve as one of the directors for patient access at a local healthcare institution, where I lead a remote team focused on helping patients with scheduling and support. My academic background is in Business Management, and I’m now pursuing my Master’s in Instructional Technology to strengthen my ability to design effective learning and training experiences.

From Module 1, two points stood out to me:

1. In Chapter 1: E-Learning Promises and Pitfalls, I was surprised by how often technology is expected to “automatically” improve learning outcomes, when in reality, success depends on thoughtful design and strategy, not just the tools themselves.

2. In Chapter 2: How Do People Learn from e-Courses?, I found it meaningful that learners often benefit from multimedia when it’s structured around how people actually process information, rather than simply adding more visuals or audio.

For my final project, I am considering designing an online course on training healthcare access representatives in scheduling accuracy and patient communication. This topic is meaningful to me because it directly impacts patient care and clinic efficiency. Developing a well-structured online course in this area would not only help standardize training across teams but also ensure that patients receive timely, accurate support.

On a personal note, I’m a proud breast cancer survivor after a two-year battle, which has motivated me to keep learning, growing, and making the most of every opportunity. Outside of work and school, I enjoy traveling, spending time with family, and staying engaged in my community.

I look forward to learning with and from all of you this term!

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Hi everybody! My name is Scott McIlwain and I am from Millry, AL. Don't worry no one else has probably heard of it either. It is located in rural Washington County in the Southwestern part of the state. Fun Fact: The first state capital in Alabama was located in Washington County near the town of St. Stephens, which is just a few miles from my hometown.

One thing that stood out to me in this module is how the brain processes information and the limited capacity of the working memory in our brain. Being careful not to overload the learner will be an important part of designing effective learning materials.

Another takeaway from this lesson is that the end goal of training and teaching is not only for the learner to remember the material, but also be able to easily recall it when needed. This stood out to me, because turning knowledge into skill is exactly the result I am looking for in my job. I work for Georgia Pacific at Naheola Mill in Pennington, AL. I work in the Converting department where we make Angel Soft toilet tissue and Sparkle paper towels. My role is Learning and Development Area Manager. I've been at the mill for 18 years and only transitioned to L&D last year. I am pursuing

my Master's in Instructional Technology to help me better create training materials that will be relevant, impactful, and help employees develop their skills. I also hope to positioning myself for promotion to the Mill L&D Leader or other outside job opportunities.

I am leaning towards designing a course on how to properly execute a quality inspection. Angel Soft is a billion dollar brand and delivering a top quality product to the customer is a top priority. Every employee is required to complete a full product inspection once per shift, along with having to perform checks each hour on their specific job.

One of the neat things about asynchronous learning, is being able to participate in a class like this with people from diverse backgrounds. I look forward to learning from and growing with everyone in this class.

Roll Tide!

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Hi everyone! I am Olivia, and I am originally from Baltimore, Maryland, but I have lived in Lexington, KY, Seattle, WA, and now I am finally in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Professionally, I pursued a career in track and field, where I traveled around the world and competed for Team USA. Now I work at UA as a Supplemental Instruction Coordinator, following my passion for working with students.

Two things from Module 1 that stood out to me was the difference of face to face learning and online learning. I find it interesting how hard it is to connect with students through online learning, mainly because you cannot see your students' reaction and see if they have grasped the information. I also find the point that it is difficult to have spontaneity in online courses like face-to-face. I am excited to learn more tips on how to connect with students through online courses through this particular course.

The second point that stood out to me was how, in an online course, it really is dependent on how motivated and self-disciplined the student is. The instructor can create as many engaging activities but if the student is not motivated, then the course may not succeed. I hope this course goes over ways to motivate disengaged students!

For my final project, I am leaning towards an online course on how to manage and schedule student employees. It will focus on how to have empathy, as well as boundaries, while juggling 60-plus students and their differing schedules. When working with students, you must have empathy for what their day-to-day life is, while also creating a healthy boundary for yourself. If you are not careful, you will lose all time for yourself and run into burnout.

I am looking forward to the rest of this course!

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Hi Everyone! I'm Bri Burrell, native Mobile, AL, and currently a TRIO Project Specialist at Coastal Alabama Community College.

Two things that stood out to me from this module are the following:

1. Asynchronous communication can actually pose as a benefit towards student comprehension because class information and student-to-instructor communication is written and permanent in text whereas in-person communication could be forgotten or misinterpreted in speech. (inspired from 13 Differences between online and face-to-face courses)

2. Outside of learning the specific course material, a student can learn transferable skills from scenario through simulations or even basic writing skills and reading comprehension (inspired from Ch 1 from Clark & Mayer).

For my project, I am considering an online course/training for new hire college advisors, "Advice for Advisors." As a college advisor and student success coach, I have witnessed and heard the impact that academic advisors have on a student's college experience. Making sure advisors have adequate training and access to college resources will increase campus culture, student success rate, and lower advisor turnover!

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My name is Shonda Ware, and I am from Auburn, Alabama. I currently work at a public Pre-K in Phenix City. My academic background is in Early Childhood Education and Human Environmental Science, and I am now pursuing a degree in Instructional Technology. I chose this program because technology has become such a vital part of education, and I want to learn how to design effective online learning experiences that can support students and teachers.

One point that stood out to me was the clear differences between learning face-to-face and online. In a traditional classroom, students have the benefit of immediate feedback, natural peer interactions. These factors often make it easier to build relationships and adjust lessons in the moment. Online learning requires much more intentional planning to create those same opportunities for engagement. Students may not feel the same sense of community unless the course design includes collaboration, discussion boards, or interactive tools.

Another surprising point was how challenging it can be to maintain spontaneity in an online classroom. Online settings are often more structured and can feel rigid if not carefully designed. The lack of spontaneity may limit creativity, flexibility, and the “human touch” that makes learning enjoyable. This takeaway made me realize that online instructors have to build in moments of choice, interactive polls, breakout rooms, or open discussion times to recreate that sense of natural flow.

For my final project, I am considering designing an online course for parents and caregivers on how to support early literacy and math skills at home. This idea is especially meaningful to me because of my work in Pre-K. I see how much parent involvement impacts children’s learning. Many families want to help but aren’t sure how. An online course could give them simple strategies to reinforce what their child is learning in school. Creating this course will allow me to connect my passion for early childhood education with the new skills I am building in instructional technology, and it will serve a real need for families who want to support their children’s academic growth.

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My name is Elizabeth Rucker and I was originally born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. I presently live in Zebulon, GA, 45 minutes south of Atlanta. My husband and I have two adult children and two beautiful toddler grandchildren. We live with our two spoiled rotten dogs, a teacup poodle and a mini goldendoodle.

During my reading, I found several interesting and thought-provoking opinions. I really enjoyed reading 13 Differences between Online and Face to Face Courses. I, myself, was an online student at Alabama for my bachelor’s degree and agree with the concept that there is a real advantage in being able to review the material as many times as you need to versus face-to-face lecture content that is provided to you once. In the face-to-face lecture format, I remember being a student and writing everything the professor said down as fast as I could. There were always blanks in my notes and while you are trying to write everything down, you are not able to active listen to the lecture material. I agree that this allows the student more opportunity for success.

In this same article, it was pointed out that online learning makes things more equal for introverted and extroverted students. A shy student may be less likely to raise their hand and ask a question or for more clarification. They would be more likely to email a professor or ask other students in a group chat, thereby enabling them more of an opportunity for success than a traditional classroom setting.

I am having trouble deciding on my topic for my final project, but one of the topics I am considering is The Ins and Outs of Beginning Machine Embroidery. For the past eight months, I have been trying to learn all I can on this topic to start an online home business. I had no idea there was so much to learn when I first started this journey and it has been overwhelming at times. Since this is a topic I am presently engaged in learning all I can about, I think sharing the knowledge and doing more research on it myself, in order to teach it, might be something I would enjoy doing.

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Hi everyone, I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. My background before I had kids was in corporate training and contract instructional design. I am in this program to get back into ID again because technology has changed so much since I did it 16 years ago. It's never too late to learn new things. I work for the CTE department in my local school district.

My 1st takeaway: I learned was in chapter one was about the YouTubes's numbers about asynchronous learners consuming 1 billion hours a day just in How to and Education, was mind blowing to me.

My 2nd takeaway: In the post-covid video interview with the teacher who spoke about how getting up in the morning to go to school is preparing students for their future life where they will get up for work or take their own children to work is a good example of why in-person learning is necessary. As a young student this was absolutely crucial for me too but now that I am older I really like asynchronous learning because it fits in well with my life and I know I can count on myself to get my work done.

For my project, I am currently planning on creating a 7 module soft skills course for middle and high schoolers that can be accessed through Canvas. It is in response from our industry partners who sponsor internships for our high school students who say their internal personal skills are underdeveloped in a professional capacity when working with customers.

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Hi everyone, my name is Callista Brown and my hometown is Houston, Texas.

My first biggest takeaway from this module is actually from the very start of the module, the video online versus in class. There was a discussion regarding spontaneity. The assistant professor, Joel Bruneau, stated that he did not think that spontaneity really could be achieved in the online classroom, or it's harder to be spontaneous in an online course. Dr. Bruneau shared that he relies on eye contact. I think this is something important to consider as we move forward. Online classrooms are going to be a bigger part of education as we move forward. I do agree, there is value to that in-classroom connection and eye contact is important, but I do believe that you can be just as spontaneous in an online classroom. It's just going to look different. I also believe we have a responsibility to work towards achieving that spontaneity.

Another takeaway that I have from this module came from Jacqueline Kelleher. She stated that strong rubrics with clear expectations and proficiencies are helpful. I think this is a key element for online learning. I think you even have to take it one step further by finding different ways to engage with the students and reminding them of the key elements that are going to be required in the assignment. I like to use course announcements. I start each week with a course announcement that reminds the students of what is expected that particular week, what might be due, and then using my own words and a more relaxed tone than the more structured approach of a grading rubric, to walk them through what's expected, what I'm looking for, and how I will grade the submission.

For my final project, I am going to be exploring how we could empower students to ethically and effectively use AI in coursework. I think that students need some guidance on how to use AI in the classroom.  I believe this starts with understanding the academic integrity policies, the boundaries that those policies set, and how to use AI within those boundaries. I also believe students need some guidance in understanding what tools are available to them and how to use them successfully. Guiding students in how to use AI and how to use it responsibly is important because this is a skill that students are going to need upon graduation. AI is not going away. It is going to be in the workforce and teaching students how to responsibly use it gives them a competitive edge.

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Hello everyone! I'm Kendra, a High School Audio Visual teacher just outside of Dallas, TX. I absolutely love what I teach, and I really do enjoy going into class every day.

Two things I learned from Module 1 are that just because students are active online, it doesn’t mean they are genuinely learning. Authentic learning stems from psychological engagement, where individuals are actively thinking, connecting ideas, and making sense of the material, not just completing surface-level tasks or clicking around.

I also learned that sometimes less really is more. If I overload students with too much media or too many activities, they may actually know less. By keeping things simple and focused, I can help them put their mental energy into the concepts that matter most.

My project will teach learners how to confidently use Canon cameras in manual mode by focusing on the exposure triangle, including shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, and demonstrating how each setting affects a photo. This is important because many new photographers rely on automatic settings, which limit their creativity and control over their images. By simplifying these concepts and making them accessible, my course will equip learners with the skills to take better photos and feel more confident using their cameras in any situation.

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Hello everyone! My name is LaShunda Robertson. I live in Mobile, Alabama and I'm a 2nd grade teacher.

Two takeaways from the article about 13 differences was Difference #3: Diverse communication skills are paramount in online learning. This difference provides an advantage of having diversely communicated course content that students may read or view and REview

the course materials over and over again (as many times as needed), thereby better

supporting student achievement. This meets all learners individual needs no matter their circumstance.

The other takeaway in this same article Difference #7: Discussions in the online environment may offer more opportunity

for students to think about, research and even draft their discussion posts and

responses. It specifically talks about how online learning makes things more equal for introverted and extroverted students. This offers more opportunity for success compared to face to face learning.

Unfortunately at this time I am undecided on my final project, however I am leaning towards a course where I provide training for new teachers in Canva, Schoology or Powerschool.

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Hi all, my name is Whitney and I am from the small town of Moulton, AL. I currently work at Blue Origin as an Instructional Designer and working on my Masters in Instructional Technology to broaden my knowledge in Instructional Designing/Technology.

My biggest takeaways from the reading were 1) the author argues that e-learnings can often fail due to design choices etc. I actually do agree here, I have seen many trainings where I didn't learn from the e-learning because it did have too much unnecessary items that easily distracted me. BUT I do believe that e-learnings are highly useful if created correctly. 2) and leading to my second, that we all learn differently. Cognitive Theory as proposed by Mayer, mentions that we must respect cognitive limits by reducing unnecessary distractions. Too much "cool" stuff can bog a learners memory/mind down and this is actually something that I am focusing on right now at my job when creating e-learnings.

I haven't quite decided what I will do my project on yet, but more than likely something related to AI or Gamification in learning because these are two ideas that I am very intrigued by currently.

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Hello Everyone!

My name is Hannah Hare and I am an Academic Advisor II at UA in the College of Engineering. I have been with UA for about 2-3 years and I have been advising for about 4 years! I just completed my Masters in Higher Education Administration this past summer and decided I wanted to jump straight into this new Masters in Instructional Technology. I am originally from a little bit of everywhere! I was born in Vancouver, Washington and then moved to Danville, Iowa before coming to UA for my undergrad degree and I decided to stay here in Tuscaloosa with my boyfriend of 8 years!

I think one of the most interesting things from this module's readings was the emphasis that the articles placed on the need for online learners to develop strong time management and motivation habits. I think people often have the misconception that because a course is online, it will be easier than an in-person course. In some areas that might be true because you are not physically required to go anywhere to meet for class and there is more flexibility in the way coursework can be completed. However, the commitment to self-discipline and time management can sometimes be even more when taking classes online.

The other important distinction I noted from the textbook was how important it is that online courses are designed well to ensure students can learn effectively. While we may think that a bunch of graphics and information is best because it can provide more information or look appealing, it can sometimes just be more distracting and make it harder for students to learn.

Right now, the topic I am considering making a course about is either a “return from suspension 101” or a “Advisors 101” type of course. The return from suspension course would ideally be for students to complete when they are reinstated from an indefinite suspension. The goal would be to help teach these students the skills they need to be successful after returning from suspension, how to avoid suspension again, and focus on reflection about what led to their suspension. The advising course would be designed to teach people who had never been advisors before what it means to be an advisor, the resources available, valuable skills, and important information that is needed for being an advisor at UA.

I am excited to go through this class with everyone!

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My wife, Stephenie, and myself presenting our son, Elishah, his Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout Award

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Hi everyone, my name is Elston Steele and I am from New Orleans, LA., currently living in Northern Virginia. I am a retired Army First Sergeant countinuing to serve our nation as the Director of IT at the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office in Washington, D.C.

I found the metaphors of learning (response training, information acquisition, and knowledge construction) interesting because they highlight different ways people understand the learning process. Response training shows how learning can be shaped through practice and reinforcement. Information acquisition views learning as taking in and storing knowledge, which reflects how many people experience school or formal education. Knowledge construction emphasizes that learners actively build their own understanding by connecting new ideas to what they already know. These metaphors are meaningful because together they show that learning is not just one thing—it can be behavioral, cognitive, or constructivist, depending on the situation.

I also appreciated eLearning Architectures. The three eLearning architectures each provide unique advantages. The receptive architecture is helpful because it delivers information in a clear and organized way, making it easy to absorb. The directive architecture benefits learners by offering step-by-step practice, which supports skill building and mastery. The guided discovery architecture is valuable because it encourages exploration and problem-solving, leading to deeper understanding and critical thinking.

The online course I am considering is “Building Financial Stability and Wealth through Real Estate Investing.” This topic is important because real estate offers a practical path to long-term financial security, cash flow, and generational wealth. It is meaningful as it equips learners with the tools to make informed investment decisions and achieve financial independence.