I appreciated the feedback the Math Team provided as they took a lot at the ELA course. Some of their comments struck me as off-base at first: What do you mean it doesn't appear that there are certain supports? What are you talking about, it is difficult to see how some things are sequenced? To those of us who were building the course, it WAS clear. Or as clear as we could figure out how to make it, anyway! The feedback based on the QM Rubric did, however, force me to go back and consider their comments from a new perspective: through the lens of one looking at the course for the first time, having had no background in the logic or rationale behind the module arrangement, course design, or what we thought were obvious instructions. Gaining that feedback was absolutely helpful, as it made our course stronger in the design process and will (I hope!) make the course more user-friendly for students who will take the course and instructors who will teach it.
Working with the other members of the ELA Team has been a great experience. We have had our moments of frustration, of course, but that is to be expected with any team/group project. I am always one who choose to do something on my own, if given the choice, so being forced to work with...and, as a result, learn with and from...other educators turned into a great opportunity to learn more than I could have if I had build an entire course on my own. In addition, talking with these folks many, many times over the course of the semester via Skype, Hangout, or email helped to create connections that probably would not have occurred if we had continued to interact strictly through blog comments. We learned a lot about each other's strengths (and some weaknesses), had some really good laughs, and worked together to ensure the tasks at hand were completed.