All posts by Sonya Ratliff

About Sonya Ratliff

Sonya joined DePaul University’s School for New Learning in February 2016. She has more than 20 years of experience working with faculty/students at higher education institutions including; Chicago State University, City Colleges of Chicago, and the University of Phoenix. During that time, she held various positions in Student Services, Information Technology, and Academic Affairs. Sonya earned a BS in Health Information Administration and an MS in Education and Technology from Chicago State University. Sonya has dedicated her career to helping faculty/students bridge the gap between the traditional classroom and the online learning environment. In her spare time, Sonya likes to read, shop, and spend time with her family. She is an Instructional Designer with Faculty Instructional Technology Services assigned to SNL.

Student Testimonials: The Amazon Buying Approach to Online Course Selection

Thumbs up and downRecently I purchased a wheelchair for my mom on Amazon. I love shopping on Amazon. It’s quick, easy, and my packages come straight to the front door. I read the reviews to see what other buyers have to say about the product, and usually make up my mind whether or not to buy based on those reviews. Generally, I never have an issue.

This time, however, was different. As I usually do, after I placed my order I repeatedly checked its status to see when my product would arrive. But now, every time I clicked on the tracking number, a page would come up invalid tracking number. I thought to myself what is going on?

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Tips for Accommodating Different Learning Styles

As educators, we should always be looking to meet the needs of accommodating various learning styles.  Often times, as instructors we tend to be creatures of habit, using the same content over and over again. Instructors should be open to using and selecting the appropriate tool that will help students achieve the learning objective. I recently had an instructor that wanted more information or training about how to select the best tool for a particular learning style. I imagine other instructors would have this same question. So here goes. Continue reading →

Procrastination: Is It Good, Bad, or Both!

If I were to describe my level of being a procrastinator, I would probably say mild to moderate. Over the years, I’ve used procrastination as a way to motivate myself to complete a task. This is particularly the case with tasks that I don’t like doing or tasks that appear difficult at first glance. Sometimes my procrastination is hoping that the project or task will be canceled or eliminated, or due dates pushed back.

Procrastination comes from the Latin verb procrastinare, which means deferred until tomorrow. 

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Are You A Lifelong Learner? Living In An Age Of Acceleration!

While I was watching TV a couple of weeks ago, I came across NYT columnist Thomas L. Friedman discussing his new book, Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations. The interview was very short, but provided an interesting insight into how people, regardless of age, have to become lifelong learners in order to survive in the global market. I am sure we have all thought, at some point or another, that if I can just get this undergraduate degree, or this masters degree, or terminal degree, I’d be free to having never to attend a formal educational institution ever again. My how things have changes!

Fifty or sixty years ago, you could finish college and you’d have all the education you needed for the rest of your career. You don’t have that luxury in today’s job market. Skills that were cutting edge five years ago are likely out of date, and the jobs that we will perform in the next decade or two probably don’t even exist yet. If you want to stay competitive in today’s job market and potentially earn more money, you need to become a lifelong learner.

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What Do I Do Now? Remembering What It Feels Like Being A First-time Online Student

Can you remember feeling nervous, anxious, and fearful about the upcoming online course you registered for at the advice of an academic advisor? While the advisor gave you some basic information about the course and told you not to worry, the little voice inside would say, “Are you sure you can do this”? That little voice never really went away until the end of the course.

The online world of learning is so very different than the face-to-face classroom. Students don’t have the opportunity to speak to the instructor after class or stop by their instructor’s office on the way home to ask a question. Everything, everything is done virtually.

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