N.B. – Only QCC students are required to participate in this week’s discussion.
Welcome to the instructor-led online discussions for Mu 101 (Fall 2018)! Each week, you’ll discuss a topic together based on a reading I provide for you here. Our first week’s discussion will be a little different, though, and consist only of ideas generated by you in response to the questions below. Think of this first online discussion as an ice breaker, a chance to share resources, and a way for you to set the tone for how you want our (online) time together to go this semester.
- What sorts of things make a classroom (or online) environment welcoming for you? What allows you to get the best out of your educational experience? What can we together do in this class to make it as positive and effective a space as possible?
- What are your best practices for doing well in a class (whatever “doing well” means to you)? How do you achieve that success?
- After reading the syllabus (pp. 6-7), you’ve learned that several assignments in this class will be graded on a scale of Credit/No Credit. What does “Credit” mean to you? What kind of work should earn “Credit” on these assignments? How do would you measure the quality of work you create in this class? Does quantity matter?
Notice that all of these questions are broad and open-ended — this is a classic “Dr. J.” prompt, and you’ll see many prompts like this over the semester. You can (and should!) take these questions in as many (surprising) directions as possible, and don’t feel limited by how they’re worded. That’s how you contribute the most to the conversation, and that’s how we all learn together.
I look forward to seeing what you write and how this semester will unfold!
-Dr. J.
Dr. Jones' Music Classes 
1. Things that make a classroom environment welcoming for me are:
a. when the professor knows the students names
b. when all students are respective of each other and their opinions
c. allowing open discussions
I believe I am able to get the most out of my education when I am comfortable with the environment that I am
learning in. Being open to different ideas and providing positive feedback are, to me, two of the most
important methods to make a productive space effective.
2. Paying attention to the professor, their lesson, and one another is an effective way to do well in a classroom
environment. Also, providing input when a discussion is brought up helps others and yourself learn new
thoughts and ideas that you may have not thought of.
3. Credit is something that is received based on what someone has provided. Work that you believe you
have done to the best of your ability should be credited. You could measure the quality of work you create in
this class by analyzing if the work done follows guidelines (if given any), answers what is assigned, and
shows some level of thought and effort. Quantity in some cases does matter as certain things are measured
by quantity to be validated, although I believe quality is more important.
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1) things that make a classroom welcoming for me is having a friendly connection with the professor and students, coming together as partners or groups and being able to participate in activities such as we did in class. in order to get more out of an education (for me) is the helping hand of the professor such as answering questions that we aren’t able to answer ourselves and providing help outside of class. Tl make the class more positive in class, for example, is what we did in the beginning of the first day of class, practices, participating in the lessons and lots of activities where we are able to come up with new ideas/ working together with our fellow classmates.
2) doing well for me is when I’m able to accomplish a task at the time that is given knowing i did what i did all i can. for achieving success would be to accomplish any obstacles that are given to me by either getting it right away or bu trail and error and coming up with a solution even thou it might be different from someone else.
3) Credit to me means ( in a classroom scenario ) doing assignments that meant to test on how well we perform to what is being taught. the work that should be credited is based on how well the student understands the assignments. my work quality i provide in class would be quiet sometimes but figuring out the best ways to observe what happening in the classroom. Quantity shouldn’t really matter in a class room unless when it comes to preparing for a test to practice and relearn in order to pass.
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1) Education is a tricky necessity in my opinion because we learn everyday–every waking moment–about curiosities we may or may not remember within the next twenty-four hours. Classroom education on the other hand is even trickier because there are times when you’re compelled by an external force to attend said class regardless of personal interest.
In order to remedy any afflicting emotions to any class I personally prefer classes to be engaging in an active way. It not only requires me to keep my attention within the confines of the subject, but also enables me to actually care about what I’m spending my time doing by sitting through a class. Sure, the instructor could pave the road to an open discussion, but more or less you’ll only get a handful of active voices and a gallery of bodies with their minds floating on cloud nine and that really takes away from the “interactive” aspect so it’d be nice to be a part of a “respectful community” rather than a “classroom filled with respectful classmates.” Anyone can toss in their two-cents and say “I’m here”, but to truly give a hoot it helps when everyone has more than just one foot through the door.
2) Doing well in a class, to me, involves being an active listener to the instructor, staying on top of responsibilities rather than procrastinating, and knowing the boundary line between respect and overfamiliarity.
3) Credit to me translates to words such as Earn, Privilege, and Reward. And in order to receive any of the three words one must put in Effort. In regard to this class specifically I would rate “Credit” based on how involved one is with the class itself. If someone is always on top of their game and engaging with discussions I’ll remember them. If someone is sneaking peeks at their phone in silence wondering why they haven’t received responses back from whomever is on the other end or simply staying quiet because they’re daydreaming they’ll go unnoticed and make me question whether they exist or not. And because this is a class based on audio I say quantity matters a tad bit more than quality because it shows how involved one is or not. Quality on the other hand–eh. Saying one or two meaningful comments over the time span of 14-15 won’t render any merit. The rest of the world abides by “quality over quantity”, but again, audio class–you’re going to want those brownie points even if it’s (hopefully relevant) gibberish.
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1) The Things that can easily make a classroom welcoming are simple. First off, the teacher has to have a positive vibe. You don’t want to have a teacher that’s mean and that yells at their students all the time. It should also be a small group in my opinion. That means that you can have more face to face conversations with other students and the teacher. I get the best educational opportunities when I get worksheets. They have tasks that you can easily remember since they’re on the worksheet. In order to have a positive and effective space, we need everybody to participate in class discussions and well as other activities.
2) My best practices for doing great in a class is to complete all of my work that has to be done in a class as well as to participate in class and to ask questions as well so I’m never confused.
3) When I think of credit, I think of something that means a lot to me. Credit is something that us college students need in order to succeed and that’s why I need every credit possible. The work that should count as credit doesn’t matter to be honest in my opinion. The work doesn’t have to be easy or hard, as long as we get knowledge from the work and it benefits us academically is what matters. I measure the quality of work I make in this class in one way, it’s either I give it my all or I don’t succeed, and that only gives me one option. To try my hardest. Quantity doesn’t matter but quality does.
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1.The things that make class welcoming environment is when teacher is interacting with students. Also bringing students into the materials that class is covering. I personally do the best when I work by myself. I like having conversations during the class but when I am doing projects I always feel confident doing it by myself. Using space effectively will be forming a small group discussion and share it with whole class.
2. Doing well in the class to me means paying attention in the class. I like to finish my work ahead of time so that I feel relaxed and not rushing at the last minutes.
3.Another word for “credit” to me is point. You work to earn the points to achieve good grade in the class. The work that can get “credit” should show that the students understood concept and transform that concept into their own idea. I personally don’t think the quantity matters. Students hand in long essay but contents in the essay can be awful.
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1. Things that make a classroom environment comfortable are:
• Professor makes students feel welcomed
• Having group discussions with our classmates to get to know one another so we can feel less tense.
• Professor gives out a positive vibe, so we can all be comfortable
• To get the best out of me during my education experience is when I start to feel comfortable with the professor and the classmates, that’s when I become less shy.
• To have a positive and effective space in the classroom is to feel opened to talk about anything, and that we can talk about different situations and topics.
2.
• Paying close attention to the professor, taking notes, asking questions during the lesson, and interact with other classmates in a group, to get out of my comfort zone.
• I achieved this by putting effort in something that I normally get shy about, but when I achieved this goal I achieved it by coming out of my comfort zone, but at the same time I get an insight on what other people think based on what we are discussing in class.
3. Credit or no credit is based on the work you provided has a lot of effort or no effort. It all depends on how much effort you put into your works. I view it as everything deserves something. I look at is as effort and thought, how much you put into your works. It’s not necessarily all about quantity but its more about quality, the quality of your assignment, all goes back to how much you really put some time and thought and effort into your assignment.
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The thing that that make a class room environment great is that:
1) Give respect to people’s opinions and their thoughts.
2)For me I think give respect to our teacher because she or he is the one who gives us knowledge.
3)Try to be an obedient student.
4)Help class mates who ever need help in studies if you know about that stuff helping others.
5)To be silent during lectures.
6)Try to learn as much as we can.
7)Some of classes needs extra effort and if we have more than one classes it would be a little difficult but not impossible try to manage time.
8)I have a shy personality but I try my best to participate in class and also have alott of ideas in my mind.
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David W.
1). For each class there are multiple factors that typically make the class welcoming in their own ways. However, for any class I can determine my success when the class initially engages in group work and peer review. This way our work becomes more effective when we have someone analyzing what we wrote down. Additionally this provides a way for members within a classroom to learn about each other. For me I notice that I tend to not enjoy classes that have argumentative discussions since that raises uneasy vibes sometimes. What allows me to have the best out of my educational experience is when either the teacher or peers constantly review my work. This is to determine my strengths and weaknesses as a student as well while maintaining healthy connections. To make the class as positive and effective as possible we can actively give feedback to each other.
2) My practices for doing well in a class relies heavily on getting work done early with review. I also spend major time on researching and analyzing each source as much as possible. The way I achieve the success necessary is by paying close attention to each lesson and then asking myself questions about what I learned all together.
3) To me, credit means the classification of how the work was arranged, if it follows the topic questions step by step and if it was submitted on time. The type of work that should earn credit are ones that answer the guidelines with an additional source. The factual evidence should overpower the opinionated ones. To measure the quality the work has to be non simplistic with strong supporting evidence and examples or sources. Quantity is important but quality must be implemented as well.
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What makes a classroom environment welcoming for me? verbal discussions and explanations, visual/audio learning experiences and a Hands-On environment. I have dyslexia and dysgraphia which I’m not ashamed of so textbooks and writing material has always been difficult for me so the more my classmates/instructor can accommodate visual or audio learning the more effective the class space will be for me.
Personally my best practices for doing well in a class is focusing. focus on the class materials, main points and details then I try to make that material personal by finding a similar circumstance in my own life experiences.
Credit to me means showing an understanding of the assignment not just doing the bare minimum but showing an effort. I believe quality over quantity is definitely better because you can have 3 good quality paragraphs explaining in elegant detail our assignment or you can have 4 pages of rambling on and not really getting down to the details or completely missing the point. I usually like short and sweet where I get the information I need and the view across that being explained.
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1. A classroom becomes a welcoming environment for me when the students are comfortable with one another, as well as the teacher. I like when students are able to ask each other for help and work together with one another. In order to make this class a positive environment, I also enjoy having discussions and debates to listen to the input of my peers.
2. One of my best practices for doing well in a class consists mostly of being organized. Knowing when important due dates are coming up is essential to me. Another method that contributes to me doing well is studying. I like having well written notes and handouts to look back on which will help me study to do well on tests. I really appreciate a teacher that reviews over work to ensure a student is fully comprehending.
3. Credit to me, equals effort. I think that if it is evident that a student is trying their best to succeed, even if it means they aren’t the best, they still deserve credit. I am a firm believer of quality over quantity because I don’t think intellectual should be measured by a certain amount of words. I think that the quality of work one puts into the class can be measured by accuracy and being precise.
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Personally I find a classroom welcoming when there are multiple sounds, I hate when a room is completely silent. I feel welcome when the professor as well as the students are talkative, I believe it allows us to share our thoughts about the subject being studied.
I find it best when the professor is understanding and patient and can occasionally repeat information, it’s easier to remember when it is occasionally repeated.
Discussing information as a group and getting to know my classmates would, in my opinion, contribute to making our class a positive and effective space.
My best practices in school would be re-reading my notes, completing all my assignments, and studying for my exams. The goal is obviously to work towards getting the best possible grade.
You should earn credit on assignments from working hard to write a legible, college-level answer. The way I measure the quality of my work depends on if I am proud of my writing or not and if it makes sense to the reader. I do not believe quantity matters as long as your writing discussed the necessary topics.
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– I feel like what makes the environment welcoming is the people you have around you and the overall setting When you’re In a environment that seems like it does not promote growth it can really inhibit the process.Like most people I just want the environment to be comfortable. I feel like the already established environment is highly adequate and
Positive
– For me doing well is being able to succeed. Personally I like to sit quiet and take in what I am observing. to achieve success you have to establish positive habits like studying and reviewing course material given that day
– I believe credit means a reward for your hard work. I believe work that deserves credit is work that visibly shows effort. even if it seems like the individual does not entirely understand the subject you do see that they did put in hard work to complete the task at hand. obviously quantity of work matters in a few classes but I personally prefer quality over quantity.
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1) Things that will a classroom or online environment Welcoming for me would be when the professor and students are comfortable with each other. When students are able to express their opinion without any bad criticism. Also, I enjoy when students can help each other and work together.
2) Some of my best practices for doing well in a class are being organized, knowing the material well and keeping track of due dates.
3) “Credit” on an assignment means to me is the amount of effort that satisfies the assignment. The kind of work that should earn “Credit” is the work that students can show an understanding of an assignment and can go beyond the assignment. Quality over quantity is better because I don’t believe that intelligence should be measured by a certain amount of words. I think that the quality of work that a student puts into an assignment can be measured by accuracy and preciseness.
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1.Group discussions with classmates, students have their opinions about lectures in the classroom, They’re (professor) knowledgeable about their subjects matter. To get the best out of me during educational experience is when I interest subjects and I feel more things (unknown knowledge) I need to learn. Open mind to talk anything (personal music opinions) with professor or classmates.
2. Preview lectures before coming to the class, and pay attention to the professor, asking question if I feel confused. Don’t be lazy! repeat these rules everyday and to set study goals for each week.
3.”Credit” is something I can earn or see it, for example, exam, projects or homework grades, spent more time to study the more “credit” I will receive. The quality of work depends on how much times I spent to study or to do assignments, and it will effort into the the assignment. Quantity does not matter.
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– One thing that would make a classroom welcoming for me is when the professor tries to give a lecture enthusiastically, instead of having the same boring monotone voice for a few hours.
– My best practice for doing well in class is to focus in class, ask questions if in doubt, and to review my notes and understand what it actually means.
– I think that students should get credit on an assignment when they have a full understanding on what they are writing about.
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What allows you to get the best out of your educational experience? What can we together do in this class to make it as positive and effective a space as possible
-The things that would make a classroom welcoming to me are:
when the professor engages the students in group discussions, where everyone can voice their ideas, share their perspectives on the subject and all students are respective of each others opinions.
In order for me to get the best educational experience is when there’s a lot of visual’s that include pictures, videos or audios. I learn best when I can see what is being discussed. I often times get distracted so it would be best if the professor can get everyone to speak so that we are all on the same page. To be successful in this class I would not procrastinate, do all my homework so I won’t feel left behind not knowing whats going on in class, and study+review notes so that I understand what the next class discussion is about. My path for this success
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is to stay on track with all assignments and study, study , study!!
-Credit to me means when a person has participated, took the time to do the task and was able to write about it expressing their understanding on the assignment.
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1. What makes a classroom enviornment welcoming for me is when a professor takes the time to make their classes as engaging and interesting as possible. It also helps if there is in class discussions on the lessons the professor is about to teach. What allows me to get the best educational experience is when the class is focased and not distracting others from getting an education. I believe what we can do to make this class a positive and effective space is to be focased in class and to have as many class discussions as possible.
2) My best practices for doing well in a class is when I’m doing my work , I’m able to complete the task that is given to me. If there is a topic that I don’t understand , I research it and try to find more about it.
3) what credit means to me is when someone takes the time to finish their assignment. The kind of work that should earn credit on these assignments is when someone tries to not rush to finish their assignments. I measure the quality by making sure this person does some background facts, their grammar is correct, and has been edited at least once. I don’t believe that quantity matters because it doesn’t matter how many pages/paragraphs you have handed in it can still have many errors than someone who has done less work.
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Reblogged this on The Oblivious Human Mind and commented:
The primal quality of an welcoming classroom, whether online or in person, is respecting each other’s opinions. Opinions vary throughout personalities and not understanding another’s opinion does not allow one to disrespect it. Class discussions always allow me to get the best out of my educational experience. Interactions among students and professors can always unleash new discoveries and ways of thinking. From my experience of the first day of class, the environment was very positive and effective for learning and growth. To keep this up, we all must be willing and active participants of the class.
To do well in class, I need an attentive environment, whether that means the students are well behaved and respect each other as well as the professor. To keep such environment, I, myself, must also be an active listener and thinker so that I can share my thoughts with everyone else.
After reading the syllabus, I’ve come to learn that the grading system in the beginning of the semester will be on a credit/no credit scale, which I think will be great for starters so that many of us can get the idea of critical thought processing. For me, credit means an earned grade point. The way to earn this grade point should be simple. As long as the participant follows directions, reads the material and responds accordingly, I don’t see how it can be very difficult to earn credit for the assignments. The assignments done in this class and every other class, should be measured based on the amount of thought put into them and by the relevance of the thoughts to the actual subject of discussion. Quantity always matters but sometimes a picture can speak a thousand words while other times, even a thousand words can’t portray an image.
– Nishat
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