It still seems to be going well and many students have been supportive of each other. There are, however, some postings that seem unnecessarily negative about presentations that people have posted.
One thing that has been striking is how often terms of address have been problematic. Some people have been using titles (Mr X etc) and Madam/Sir. These seem to be misinterpreted at times. There is a perhaps a need for clearer expectations about the level of equality that is expected.
The course generally seems to be going well. Something that is striking is that in week 5, there are quite a large number of students still posting on the early activities, stating that they are just starting the course. I am trying to reply to at least some of the postings by these students so that they are aware that we are interested in their contributions and still keen to encourage them.
Students still seem engaged on the course and there is plenty of useful discussion occurring. I am trying to encourage and support by making my presence felt. There was one unusual reply to a message I posted - "yah". I find it hard to interpret.
I will be working as a facilitator on the Future Learn MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on presentation skills. If anyone reading this wants to join, they can do so at:
http://www.futurelearn.com/courses/talk-the-talk
It is free to register for it.
I hope to post some thoughts on how it goes as the course progresses.
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