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. ~attributed to Etienne de Grellet~
I'm a big fan of online discussion boards (even for F2F classes) because they can foster thoughtful, deep conversation and still be easy to grade. Good questions make them possible, but, of course, you have to have students being respectful and engaged. How to do it? First, a clear policy of expectation. Something like this... Continue Reading →
Elsewhere I've argued that online discussion boards can be lively, engaging, and deep, involving more students than a typical classroom discussion and prompting more careful thinking and respectful engagement. But how do you get there? It all begins with the questions you ask. What your students talk about on discussion board will of course vary... Continue Reading →
Do you dread discussion board conversations from students because they devolve into students latching on to one good answer and all simply agreeing with it--or, worse, running the whole sentence through a thesaurus so they each say the same thing in a slightly different (and increasingly wordy) way? It doesn't have to be that way.... Continue Reading →
Asynchronous work is the standard in undergraduate courses that are designed as fully online courses. In a high-stress situation in which faculty who typically teach F2F classes now have to teach remotely, they are necessary. It's tempting to think that our students ought to be able to synch up to our classes remotely just as... Continue Reading →
Using discussion boards as you move your traditional F2F class online so you can teach it remotely? I've got good news--the easier you make the grading, the better conversations your students will be having. It's another case of how simpler is better. This is because frequent intervention from you interrupts their conversations and makes students... Continue Reading →
If you are quickly moving to remote teaching, I recommend putting your whole course together now rather than doing it week-by-week. It gives students a better sense of what is coming, and it also provides guidance and structure to anyone who might have to teach your class should you fall ill or have to use... Continue Reading →
Educators now teaching remotely: Are you ready to be sick? For those of us who aren't experienced with illness or disability or who aren't in a high risk group, the thought of your own illness might not yet have consciously occurred to you. Or, if it did, you might be beating it back with denial... Continue Reading →
One of the nicest, if unintentional, compliments I received from a student was one who complained that “you can’t even Google answers for tests in Dr. Barrett-Fox’s classes.” The student was frustrated that, even though most questions on most of my exams for Intro to Soc are trule/false and multiple choice, the answers weren’t ones... Continue Reading →
A friend asked yesterday how we can set up valid exams (ones that measure what we want them to measure) in the quick transition to online classes. Again, the process is different in a class that wasn’t originally online, during a time of crisis, for students who are not prepared to be online learners. So... Continue Reading →
Last week, Asbury University, a nondenominational Christian university, and Brigham Young University, owned by the Church of Latter-day Saints, made headlines for their policies around queer students. Righting America (Subscribe, friends--it's a terrific source for commentary on the Religious Right) invited me to reflect. Here is some of what I shared: But for conservative Christians who oppose... Continue Reading →
Rebecca Barrett-Fox 