The other great idea that was hit upon was that an instructors presence in a course changes over time as the course progresses... or rather as the students progress in their understanding. That's an eye-opening idea for me... and likely this happens naturally for many... but others continue to think of their feedback and interaction with students as constants.
The one part of their book organization that bothers me a bit is the naming of the four phases: Beginning, Early Middle, Late Middle and Closing. This just seems so boring and nondescript. I must admit to not having read the book, but I'd guess the reason is to keep things generic so as not to exclude some discipline. But even then, couldn't "beginning" be "Settling in" or "Set the Stage"? And then let's rename "Early Middle" something like "Group Growth" or "Explore". I guess I want something more meaningful than first, second, third.... It's my favorite suggestion for new online instructors that they title contents meaningfully. So instead of naming the chapter 1 folder chapter 1, how about telling me what Chapter 1 contains?!
Here are my visual notes:
