Week 15: You Aren't Done Yet!

I know how we as instructors get at the end of semesters.  We have a tendency to focus on the "to-do" list and getting all of the grading done and scores in the gradebook.  Shoot, many of us are already making changes for next semester.  Please don't forget though, there are real students with real stress in this last week of this semester.

Make sure you post a closing News item with your contact information and keep checking your class(es) through the last day.  Students will be asking last minute questions and expecting faster than normal answers.  If you can give that to them, it may well be the difference in how they finish the course (and possibly if they take one next semester).

Don't be afraid to give students bad news if they've earned it, but try to do so with a calming tone.  For example, "I'm sorry, but I can't reopen Exam 1.  It just wouldn't be fair to the students who completed the work on time." is very different from "Exam 1 was due February 3rd.  I do not give extensions."  It might not seem like much, but a calm voice in this stressful week may be the difference in avoiding much bigger issues later.

Lastly, thank your students.  They have spent real money to take our classes.  We get to take part of that home in a paycheck.  The least we can do is say 'Thank You'.

Outages

Right now, we are experiencing an Internet outage at PPCC.  (I'm piggy-backing on the student wireless network.)  So, while I'm on my laptop at work dealing with a slow connection, it came to mind, how do we deal with outages in our classes?

The unique thing about CCCOnline is the probability of everybody being down is very low.  Then again, it seems we always hear the line 30 minutes before and assignment or exam is due, "My Internet was down."  So, how do you balance this?

Personally, I'll give a student 48 hours for any reason.  They just have to contact me in advance of the due date.  What do you do?

An Olympic Fall

A couple of weeks ago, I tried to get some more movement from this blog.  I was the only one in the CCCO community without any posts and was trying to get some more interaction.  What I tried doing was giving the people who were reading here a purpose to post in the community.  In this case, with only a few exceptions, it didn't really take off.

However, sometimes it's the side effect which are the most effective.  For example, I learned from Lisa that many folks are reading the blog, not from the community, but from RSS readers.  (I as well use Google Reader for most of my blog reading.) This makes it very difficult to post as it requires going to a separate site.  This makes me think about whether I should be using outside websites as much as I do in my classes.  Also, I didn't give much in the terms of motivation.  Maybe I should have found a carrot to offer too.

So, while my Olympic idea didn't go viral, it wasn't a failure, but more of a fall.  Besides, while it didn't happen in the Olympics, it gives me a chance to show this video. :-)

The Blahs

When I first started teaching for CCCOnline, it always looked like the other folks were always gung-ho and going 100 miles an hour for the full semester.  However, after the first semester or two I discovered I always had a lull of energy between 1/3 and half way through the semester.  I've since learned in private conversations, I'm not alone here. 

Last weekend, my blahs kicked in.  I know all of my students and the "newness" of the semester is over. The end is way too far away to even think about.  I don't want to grade my students' assignments or read their discussion posts even though there's nothing different about them this week.

So what do you do when the blahs hit?  Here's a list of items I've done:

• Mix up the discussions.  See if you can get  something different from your students.
• Take a day or two off.  (Just be sure to communicate your plans to your students.)
• Work in a different physical environment.  Take a laptop to a coffee shop you don't usually go to.  Try listening to different music while you work.
• Find a content appropriate funny YouTube video and post it in the News.

Falling Isn't Failing

As a Colorado native, one of the things you have to do as a kid is learn to ski.  The first few times were spent on beginner slopes snowplowing and falling.  However, as I progressed I was starting to find myself on tougher and tougher slopes, but I was still falling.  So, I did what any kid would do, ask my friends who were better skiers.  One said something that still sticks with me, "If you aren't falling, you aren't getting better."

As I've gotten older I've really come to appreciate that wisdom.  You see, sometimes those of us who have been teaching awhile have a tendency to sit back and cruise.  We don't like to fall down.  It hurts and we still have our scars when we were starting so we take fewer chances.  The problem is if we do this, we "aren't getting any better."

So, if you are feeling like you are cruising, start taking some more chances.  Yes, you may fall.  (I did with my Olympic experiment despite Karen's best efforts, but more on that next week.)  On the other hand you will learn what works and what doesn't while expanding your horizons.  More importantly, you will be passing a message to your students about trying new things.