I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again. ~William Penn~
This week, I've been writing about the work of teaching a course you didn't design. Sometimes this happens because a department has mandated a rigid syllabus for all sections of a course. Sometimes it's because a faculty member takes leave without much notice, and the class must be taught as it was already planned. And... Continue Reading →
My least favorite part of online teaching is the possibilities for intellectual freedom and freedom of speech to be curtailed in online classrooms. Online teaching produces a number of records (almost all student interactions, except those conducted by phone or video conference and not recorded) that can be reviewed, and faculty have little control over... Continue Reading →
Regular readers of this blog know that I'm a fan of the possibilities for online teaching and learning--but I also recognize that different disciplines face very different barriers in creating successful online courses. In particular, science labs, theater classes, studio arts, and other classes that require physical engagement with tools can be a challenge.Today I... Continue Reading →
Thirty-seven percent of faculty are over age 55. The fact that so many faculty members can shop at their grocery store during hours restricted to those at high risk of serious illness from COVID means that campuses need to prepare now for faculty who use sick leave. Others will be using the Family First portion... Continue Reading →
It's not online education. It's a return to physical campuses in the fall. And while this is in part practical--When you kill students, retention necessarily falls.--it goes beyond the numbers of dead and lifelong injured that will result from a physical reopening. Reopening campuses is an admission that science, math, logic, moral reasoning, history, and... Continue Reading →
One of the realities of teaching online is that students have to be highly motivated to succeed. Drop-out rates at public colleges are an injustice that reflects broader inequities in American society, but they are even higher in online programs. What that means for Fall 2020, when many otherwise traditional students will be online students,... Continue Reading →
If you haven't taught online before, you may never have used an online gradebook (though many who do teach only F2F still use the gradebook in their LMS). In terms of helping me manage the unpleasant tasks of teaching, I think the gradebook is especially helpful. It will likely save you hours (like, many hours)... Continue Reading →
Make deadlines the same day and time each week; make all work, including exams, available for at least one weekday day and one weekend day. Most classes can function with a single deadline each week. I recommend Sundays at 11:59 pm since students may be relying on family to provide childcare and that is more... Continue Reading →
You probably have an In Case of Emergency (ICE) contact in your cell phone--the person to be called if you have a heart attack on the street, the number accessible even if your phone is locked. You need one for Fall 2020 teaching. It's possible that you, as a teacher, will become ill in the... Continue Reading →
If your college or university has a site license to the Chronicle of Higher Education, you can access it from home (since you can no longer swipe the hard copy from the dean's office). Here's how. Now, no more pesky barriers to reading "premium content"!
Rebecca Barrett-Fox 