My
name is Melanie Fiander and I am one of the Senior Full Time Faculty
members in the Photography Department at The Art Institute of
Pittsburgh Online Division. This
blog is intended to display information and activity that has occurred within my online classrooms.
In the online platform for learning can sometimes make students seem distant from their professors and their classmates. In order to help close this gap, I included a detailed "Meet the Professor" post within the thread of each courses' Autobiography Assignment. I give my students information regarding my educational background and work experience as well as provide them with a "Video Introduction" of myself. Students are able to put a "face to a name" and learn a little bit more about me, my teaching style and what is expected of them during the term.
In terms of establishing a "Positive and Open Learning Environment", I constantly encourage my students to get in touch with me if they have any questions or concerns regarding feedback, grading, or a question about a module or assignment. My office hours and contact information are clearly listed within the Course Home section as well as in the signature of my e-mails. Students are reminded they are more than welcome to schedule an appointment that would better suit their schedule. Personal phone calls are made to students during Week 3 to "check in" and see how he/she was feeling about the course thus far.
At the start of each term, students are greeted with a variety of announcements within the "Course Home" section. The topics vary throughout these announcements although they are all intended to help the students succeed throughout the course.
Each week I introduce students to a "Weekly Inspirational Photographer", a new historic or contemporary photographer. Information about these photographers are placed within an announcement in the Course Home section on Day One of the new Week. More information can be found on these Weekly Inspirational Photographers by scrolling down.
The second post titled, "Questions for the Professor", goes over some examples of additional information that I have made available to my students within the classroom. Alongside the material that s/he learns from the weekly modules and readings, a variety of posts are also placed within the Questions for the Professor section; the posts pertain to the course competencies and offer the students more help.
Each assignment is listed clearly within the online classroom although the directions for these assignments can sometimes seem confusing to students, particularly in a learning environment where the students cannot speak to the instructors face to face. In order to help students better understand what the assignment is asking for and more importantly, what I as their professor am looking for, I provide students with additional help for the "Assignment Instructions" and also provide "Step-by-Step Instructions" to further clarify the assignment.
I have shared the different types of "Feedback and Critiques" that I give to my students. Photographers in the "real world" constantly receive feedback from their clients and conduct business transactions through a variety of communication methods. In order to better prepare my students for the work force, I give them feedback in the form of the written word, the visual platform and the video feedback.
This blog also has "Student Work" from five of the courses that I've taught: "PH123: Principles of Digital Photography", "PH136: Lighting I", "PH309: Photo Criticism", "PH331: Location I", and "PH350: Time Based Media I".
I have also included "Student Comments" that were left by students within these classroom as well as within the IDEA Surveys. Please feel free to scroll down and explore!
Below are the different blog posts titles, listed in bold, and a synopsis of the posts contents.
In the online platform for learning can sometimes make students seem distant from their professors and their classmates. In order to help close this gap, I included a detailed "Meet the Professor" post within the thread of each courses' Autobiography Assignment. I give my students information regarding my educational background and work experience as well as provide them with a "Video Introduction" of myself. Students are able to put a "face to a name" and learn a little bit more about me, my teaching style and what is expected of them during the term.
In terms of establishing a "Positive and Open Learning Environment", I constantly encourage my students to get in touch with me if they have any questions or concerns regarding feedback, grading, or a question about a module or assignment. My office hours and contact information are clearly listed within the Course Home section as well as in the signature of my e-mails. Students are reminded they are more than welcome to schedule an appointment that would better suit their schedule. Personal phone calls are made to students during Week 3 to "check in" and see how he/she was feeling about the course thus far.
At the start of each term, students are greeted with a variety of announcements within the "Course Home" section. The topics vary throughout these announcements although they are all intended to help the students succeed throughout the course.
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| Please click on the image above to view more clearly. |
Each week I introduce students to a "Weekly Inspirational Photographer", a new historic or contemporary photographer. Information about these photographers are placed within an announcement in the Course Home section on Day One of the new Week. More information can be found on these Weekly Inspirational Photographers by scrolling down.
The second post titled, "Questions for the Professor", goes over some examples of additional information that I have made available to my students within the classroom. Alongside the material that s/he learns from the weekly modules and readings, a variety of posts are also placed within the Questions for the Professor section; the posts pertain to the course competencies and offer the students more help.
Each assignment is listed clearly within the online classroom although the directions for these assignments can sometimes seem confusing to students, particularly in a learning environment where the students cannot speak to the instructors face to face. In order to help students better understand what the assignment is asking for and more importantly, what I as their professor am looking for, I provide students with additional help for the "Assignment Instructions" and also provide "Step-by-Step Instructions" to further clarify the assignment.
I have shared the different types of "Feedback and Critiques" that I give to my students. Photographers in the "real world" constantly receive feedback from their clients and conduct business transactions through a variety of communication methods. In order to better prepare my students for the work force, I give them feedback in the form of the written word, the visual platform and the video feedback.
This blog also has "Student Work" from five of the courses that I've taught: "PH123: Principles of Digital Photography", "PH136: Lighting I", "PH309: Photo Criticism", "PH331: Location I", and "PH350: Time Based Media I".
I have also included "Student Comments" that were left by students within these classroom as well as within the IDEA Surveys. Please feel free to scroll down and explore!
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