Hi! My name is Darlene Burke, and I am a returning POT learner. Last semester, I learned a lot about online course design and pedagogy, as well as the use of technology to promote learning in the online environment. My overarching goal for this semester is to become more comfortable and competent with the use of technology. Since I recently completed my doctoral work (Hooray!!), my brain should be more receptive to learning POT-related material.

I have been teaching at MiraCosta College as adjunct faculty in nursing since retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2006. This semester my teaching assignments include f2f group tutoring for all four semesters of students in the RN program and facilitation of an f2f medical terminology course. Sometime in the near future, I hope to convert the medical terminology course from f2f to a hybrid. However, at the end of last semester, I found it interesting that not one student in the class said that they would have liked for the course, or part of the course, to be provided online. Although I cannot say definitively, I believe that the students felt this way because they “bonded” during group exercises and really loved their role-playing assignment.

I look forward to getting to know the new POT learners, reconnecting with returning POT learners, and working with the fabulous POT faculty!