Student Perspective

Our time to post to this blog has come to an end. For my final post, I would like to talk about the student perspective. These are things I have learned on my own, and some I have read about.

Do you find that after teaching a few years it is hard to see the student perspective? What I mean is looking at our assignments with “fresh eyes”. We know the subject and our students do not, or they have a partial understanding of the subject. I try to look at how the student sees this subject when viewing it for the first time. I know with my computer programs I have to constantly be aware of the first time user and what they see.

I ask myself questions from the new person perspective. I can tell you this is a challenge. I do some private tutoring and can see when a person’s eyes glaze over. I cannot see that in an online class.

Remembering at all times, that most of our students are seeing this for the first time, helps a lot. Many are also new to online classes, which makes it even harder. I have known people that were a whiz with one program but clueless where they saved their work. They did not know the basics.

As we move into our fall classes, let us all look with “fresh eyes” at our courses. Happy fall! Mary

Reflections

As we begin the fall semester I have a few reflections.

First of all I would like to thank Ralph Newby for recommending me for the Faculty Voices blog. Now that I am in the habit of blogging, I will keep up with other blogs. It has been an enriching experience!

This past summer was a tough one. I had lots of students with lots of issues. Many wanted special exceptions to the rules, while others questioned the rules. Upon reflection, there were the same percentage of students that completed their work on time and without complaint, just like past semesters. I realize summer was not that unusual it just seemed so due to the sheer number of students and the short schedule.

We begin anew for fall; raring to go for the new influx of students. Who will be brilliant? Who will turn in files that I say “Wow”? Who will do the minimum required?

I think the downturn in the economy has benefited society in that people are realizing the importance of a higher education as we continue in this century. Competition with other countries is fierce and we need to be “on top of our game”. Hopefully our students will be able to get meaningful jobs with their new skills. We certainly will do everything we can to help them.

Webinars using Elluminate

CCConline offers us many educational opportunities through their Webinars. I attended one this summer on using the Grades tool in D2L. Some features I didn’t know were available to even ask about. I learned so much more than if I just studied the Wiki. Thank you Amy and everyone else that presents these Webinars.

I have thought about how to include a Webinar in my classes using Elluminate. It requires that the students and I are online at the same time. Most of my students work full-time, so trying to find a good day/evening/time of the week would be difficult. However, if I could get at least a few, perhaps that would be worth the effort. One of the benefits is that it can be archived and viewed later if someone cannot attend.

It requires time to create a presentation, so I need to explore that as well. Has anyone used Elluminate in their classes, and if so, did you get a good response from the students?

New Technologies

I was commenting recently on new ways of teaching, here is link to an article how the military is being trained these days.

Military Training

Like Second Life and video games, what is reality and what is not? SL (Second Life) refers to anything outside of its virtual world as RL (real life).
My 12 year old grandson plays Wii constantly. He says when it is broken that is when he goes outside to play.

Children (and adults) see movies where people are blown up, shot with machine guns, and other violence. How do they distinguish what is real and what is on T.V.?

I guess I am old, but all this scares me just a little. I am all for new technologies, but I plan to pick and choose which ones.

Students of 2014

How will we teach the freshman coming in 2014? This article gives us a clue about what students of 2014 might be like.

Students of 2014

No e-mail? Never a wristwatch? Never used a phone with a cord? What will we need to do in our classes to reach these students in a meaningful way?

I posted a blog recently about using the Second Life Avatar program. Perhaps incorporating this program or using it in part of a class, might be a way to go.
Right now, a pre-medical student can dissect a frog with an online program. That saves a lot of frog killing and is a good way to accomplish that particular task. However, we would want our physician to have worked on a real human, before diagnosing our problem. Someone researching a plant for a wonderful new drug could do a lot of research on the Internet. They also would need hands on experimentation.

Interactive videos are available now and I use them quite a bit in my computer application classes. The students still need the hands on work or they will not be able to use these programs. A question I ask myself is if I should make it so they can work from their IPod, IPad, or other electronic device, rather than a computer. I do not have an answer. In fact, I mostly have questions.

My opinion is that the subject matter should drive what technologies are used. Anyone that wants to chime in, please do.

Best (worst) file excuse

I decided to go back and make a list of the late file excuses I received this past summer. Some were legitimate reasons for late work, but most were not.

Here is an original excuse I would like to share. Class began on June 7th; this e-mail was received on June 28th. No discussions or quizzes had been completed before this date.

“My husband and I just got our textbook last night because our car died and we had to run out a buy a new one and we were not able to purchase our book until last night. We spent all day trying to get completely caught up and my husband got his files submitted to the dropbox, but unfortunately in between the time when I attached the files and hit send, the clock struck 11:59. I was just wondering if there was any way that I can still submit them. Please let me know how I can solve this and I appreciate your time”

I responded that work that was over one week late would not be accepted, per the syllabus. Neither the husband or wife responded back to my e-mail. Notice also the 11:59 p.m. time. If you were a student, would you wait until the clock struck the last minute to upload your work?

This summer session has been very frustrating, however, I learned from these students. My fall classes will have many changes that should make my life easier.

P.C. vs Mac

One of our challenges with teaching computer programs is having students using both a P.C. and a MacIntosh for classes. I do not own a Mac, but have become familiar enough with the platform to address issues that come up. I believe we need to accommodate both platforms. Many industries dealing with graphic design use Macs instead of P.C.s. Just watch a trailer on how Avatar was created and you will see they all use Macs.

Mac users are defensive when it comes to their computers. They think Macs are the best and why would a person use a P.C.? I try to stay out of this discussion as everyone is entitled to their opinion. The books I choose address the difference between these two platforms. I also have notes to show how to use each; even though there are some that never read my notes.

It would be helpful sometimes in answering some questions that arise if I had both types of computers. Fortunately, I have friends with Macs that can help me out sometimes, as well as some of my students. I have no problem asking student’s for an answer. It makes them feel important and why not?

Engaging the online learner

I am continually seeking new ways to engage my online learners. Our challenge is a bit different than f-t-f classes. Our students are sitting in a room, by themselves, working on their class work. My classes are all computer applications, Microsoft and Adobe products, so most all of it is hands on following the steps in a textbook. Here are some of the things I do to help keep their interest.

Whenever I find an online article that relates to my classes, I post it in the discussions. In Excel, articles about budgeting get a lot of attention. In Photoshop, articles about manipulating photos (to misrepresent), get the most attention. Whenever I find a job posted in my local paper for a job related to my classes, I try to remember to scan it, and share with the class.

As I had mentioned in a previous post, making the class personal helps a lot. Working through a textbook hour after hour can be tedious work. Breaking it up with personal stories or photos helps to keep their interest. I keep these personal interest items to a minimum, though, so as not to distract them.

Fortunately for all of us, there are a plethora of free videos/tutorials to show students how to do accomplish a task. What a great feature! Have you tried to make your own video? I have and it was not pretty. Some of my preparation time is spent finding just the right video for a particular feature. YouTube is a great resource, but it also can be distracting. My textbooks show step by step instructions, but nothing beats a good video demonstration. We must keep in mind that learning involves many of our senses. Hearing and seeing videos can be very helpful, especially to students that have a hard time focusing on reading.

Discussions where students have to complete a little bit of research on the Internet helps them to be more engaged in the class. I have had negative comments on this as well, but only from students that want to put in the least amount of effort. Most comments are positive for research projects. They are not writing research papers. The task is usually to find a video or article relating to a particular chapter in their textbook. There isn’t just one good textbook that covers everything we may want the students to know in our classes. A bit of research helps them to learn more about their subject or chosen profession.

What are others doing to add interest to their online classes? I welcome comments.

Discussions

These blogs have been very informative, as I had hoped they would be. One suggestion from Lisa Marie Johnson has been particularly helpful and I will be incorporating it into my fall classes. That is the subject of discussion posts. Some of the students in my classes love discussions, and others think they are a waste of time. Regardless of how they feel, we try to get them involved in these classes as if they are taking a class on campus. No one textbook can cover what they need to learn in a class and discussions are supposed to be a learning tool.

This summer, I had one class with over 25 students. On Saturday, I would have perhaps 10 posts, by Monday, there were 72 posts. Many made at 11 p.m. on Sunday night (the due date). Obviously, not acceptable.

Lisa puts the following in her classes. I believe this will be very helpful to me in my fall classes. Thank you Lisa for sharing.

“Please do not think of the 'end date' for our discussions as the 'due date'. You are expected to be active on two different days each week a discussion is open. And, posting only on the last day will result in point loss regardless of the quality or quantity of your postings. The reason for this guideline is that research shows the more active students are in an online course discussion the more they learn and the more engaged they are with their learning overall.
Also, it's just good manners. Imagine you were taking this course on campus two or three days a week for an hour or so. Then, imagine you made a habit of coming in during the last 5 minutes of class and offering a lot of information and questions to consider. You would not expect much interaction from your instructor peers, would you? In fact, you would look a bit silly.

Well, the same is true online. Waiting until the final hours of a 'class period/discussion' that has been going on for 7-14 days is similar to walking into class at the last minute and expecting a quality level of interaction or learning. It just is not going to happen! The final day of discussion, if anything, like the final minutes of a class period, are about reflection, debriefing, and digesting what has been said and preparing yourself for what is to come, or asking for clarification on things from the class/discussion that are unclear to you. Please keep this in mind when participating this term - we have a course room, but it is yours and my interactions throughout the weeks that will make it a "class".”

Second Life?

Have others been using the Second Life program? Either in their classes or at least been exposed to it? Boy, for me, what a learning curve! I am sure my grandson, age 13, would LOVE all his classes to be taught this way. He is a video/game person. Me, I am a bit old fashioned. Heck, I do not even own a Blackberry, IPod, or IPhone. Does that make me a Luddite?

No, of course not, I pick and choose my technologies. I believe many people have become slaves to their technological equipment. How many people ignore their phone ringing (or text message) during a lunch with friends? In my opinion, it is just wrong to sit and have a conversation with a person on the other end of the phone, and not the one(s) you are with.

So, back to Second Life. I created my Avatar. I have been through a couple of training sessions. I even bought the book “Second Life for Dummies”. My problem with this technology comes down simply to TIME. As it is now, I have newer versions of the software I teach (Adobe Suite) to learn for fall/spring semesters. This involves new books and creating new assignments. All of this is not paid time, but expected of us as teachers.

Adding Second Life to a class would be more than I could handle right now. Just trying to find my way around the program is quite taxing. I will continue to find some time to understand how Second Life works and how it could benefit my classes, but doubt I will incorporating it anytime soon. (sorry Cheryl)

I would appreciate comments about what others are doing with this technology. If not this one, something else?

Making it personal and dealing with distractions

I work out of my home almost exclusively now with online classes. There is the occasional tutoring job on the side, but for the most part, here I sit in Southwest Colorado. My closest neighbors are deer and various other creatures. I realized early on the need to make my classes more interesting; not only to my students, but to me as well. One thing I find helps is making it personal.

Here is my web site that is posted in every class. Mary Homepage

If you visit my site, you will see a picture of me with a short biography. I feel this site is more comprehensive than posting my information in each class. Sometimes I add a quiz question about what kind of pets I have so I know who is reading it.

I encourage students to post pictures of themselves, dogs, cats, spouse, children or whatever to the rest of the class. There are SO many interesting things to take pictures of in my area. I am constantly with my camera in hand. Many of these pictures I post to the Discussion Board using a link to my Google Picasa program (If you are not aware of this free program, I recommend looking into it for posting photos). Inevitably, I get a good response from students. Here is an example: Summer 2010

Hopefully this makes my classes more interesting and students know a “real person” is teaching their class.

If anyone else is working out of their home, they know it is both a pleasure and a challenge. Distractions are numerous. It is very easy to see the dirty dishes, floors to be swept, and other household chores to be done. My husband is retired and is home all the time as well. He tends to call me for everything and there are times I have to put up a “Do Not Disturb Sign”. When I am concentrating on just the right words for an e-mail, it is too distracting to answer his question or comment on what he is doing. My 3 cats want attention as well. In fact, Chester is on my lap as I write trying to help me type! Being focused is the only way I get the job done.

My students have the same distractions with their online classes. Many of them have young children at home, work full-time jobs, and are trying to “retool” for a new career. They are challenged as well with distractions. Until this blog, I do not think I have addressed this issue for my students. Hmm, guess I need to think about that one.

Taking a Break

What, two posts in one day? Why am I doing this?

Sometimes when I am doing “massive” grading, I take a break and make something good to eat. I LOVE to bake. It somehow has become a hobby of mine. Some might think making a pie is work. For me it is a labor of love and actually relaxing. Today it is a peach cobbler made with peaches I froze last year. Quick and easy. I can whip it up and wait for 40 minutes (go back to grading), then have something delectable when it is finished baking.

One of the joys of teaching online is the flexible schedule. I can work any time of day or evening, just like my students. I take frequent breaks from sitting in front of a computer screen. Sometimes it is watering plants. Other times it is going for a walk. Exercise does wonders for my attitude. I can go back to work refreshed and ready for the next challenge!

So, today I needed to be refreshed and this cobbler was just the ticket!

Tolerance and Patience

This post was supposed to be about making online classes personal. That will have to wait until another time. As I write this, my tolerance level is at an all time low. Students are asking me questions as if they are in 6th grade, not college level.

I do not know about anyone else, but sometimes my tolerance and patience level goes WAY DOWN. When I get the same excuse over and over again, or things like “I am just now being able to read my e-mails”. Whatever it is, I sit at my computer and shake my head.

I find keeping my patience and tolerance after years of teaching is one of the most challenging thing. We all love the bright, disciplined student that gets their work in on time, or early; responds to all e-mails, discussions, and the like. What about the others? The ones that drive us crazy?

Students are our customers. They all need to be treated with respect and courtesy. The challenge for me it to keep my cool, and not reply with the “snippy” answer that I want to send. Examples:

Did you follow the directions?
Can’t you read the lecture notes?
Do you realize how much time and effort I put into this class to provide helpful notes?

Instead, I sit back, and take a deep breath before responding to a student. I cannot take out my frustration on the next person with a problem just because they are the 15th one of the day.

My frustration is at an all time high this week. I look forward to others comments. Mary

Summer session challenges

The summer sessions certainly have their challenges. The main challenge I see is the shortened schedule. We have to fit a full semester’s work into just 10 weeks. Motivating students to keep them on task is a big challenge for me.

Each week, I post what is due in the News and then send an e-mail to everyone as well. In my post, I stress working early in the week to avoid the weekend rush, to avoid Internet problems; and other problems that can arise on the weekend (files are due on Sunday). At the beginning of the class, they are encouraged to print a copy of the schedule and put it in their textbook. I do these same things for spring and fall semesters, but it is even more important during the summer session.

I am anxious to hear what others are doing with their classes to keep students on task. Should I include some kind of game or reward? What do you think?


Next up: making it personal

Cheating

Some human beings have been cheating ever since someone learned how to do it. It does not meet with my approval, but I do not get too uptight about it. My feeling is that students who do cheat on their schoolwork are only hurting themselves. In the end, if they do not know a subject, they will not do well at their job. That will be punishment enough as far as I am concerned.

I believe it is difficult to prove cheating so I have developed ways to try and detect this kind of behavior. One thing I look for are files date stamped the exact date and time. Friends working together, or husband and wife combos, frequently make this error. Another thing I do is grade all of one chapter at a time. Small errors can be seen repeated over and over again, but exact duplicate files really catch my attention.

When I discover this, which is rare, I give a zero for a grade. Then each student receives a carefully worded e-mail requesting an explanation.

Next up: summer schedule difficulties

Late homework

Accepting late homework, that is the subject of today’s blog.

It has always been my policy to accept homework one week late with a point’s penalty. I know some instructors would adamantly disagree with this policy. Fortunately, we do have some academic license to make this kind of change in our classes.

I have been teaching computer programs for over 20 years. For10 of those years they have been online classes. Most of my students are working adults, hence the reason they are taking an online class. They cannot attend a face-to-face class due to many reasons. I understand that “life issues” arise, and sometimes homework can be late.

I am particularly lenient if someone alerts me ahead of time that they are having a problem. Depending on the problem, they might get more than a week to turn in their work, and without a points penalty. I treat every situation differently depending on the circumstances.

That said, it is posted in my classes that things like a power outage, computer failure, “the dog ate my homework”, and such, happening on the day work is due, are not acceptable reasons for late work. Every student has the opportunity to work early in the week to avoid these types of last minute problems.

On the other hand, students are not allowed extensions in my courses. They are advised that they will receive the grade earned at the end of the semester. If they wish, they can have up to one month to complete the course after the end date. Upon completion I will send in a change of grade form. So far, in my 10 years of teaching online classes, only a handful of students ever completed after the end date. I believe this saves us all a good amount of paperwork and the student still has the option to complete the course if they are truly sincere about do so.

Next up: cheating and how to deal with this issue.

E-mail issues

“What I will do differently next semester regarding e-mail.”

We moved from the student’s personal e-mail, to the e-mail within D2L. I thought this would eliminate the problem of students not reading messages. This was a mistake on my part. Even though it is in the syllabus, students continue to either not read my e-mails or send questions to my personal account. I like having the correspondence within the class for many reasons, not the least of which is organization. If a student cannot access D2L, then of course, I appreciate the correspondence to my personal account.

Every week, I post what is due in the News item on the Home page of the class, and also send an e-mail to each student. This helps with the “I didn’t know” excuse for late homework.


Next semester I will add two things: Within my first quiz, there will be a question about what e-mail account to use. Then, I will post that no homework will be graded until a student sends me an e-mail within the system.
This move will not take care of all problems with e-mail, but I hope will greatly reduce aggravation on my part.

Next up: accepting late homework, yes or no.

Grading files

This is my first time blogging, so hopefully I will provide some helpful information for my fellow instructors.

I teach the Microsoft Office Suite, and Adobe Photoshop. In my classes, many of the mistakes on the files are the same. I believe students benefit from knowing exactly what they did wrong. I made up a Word document with the common responses I give to students. Common being the key word, as my responses are always in flux. The only trouble I have is getting students to read my comments. Don’t we all!

Mozilla Firefox will not let you use the traditional Copy and Paste feature by right clicking in the D2L gradebook. So I use Ctrl + V to insert some text copied from my Word document as a response in the gradebook. This saves a lot of time, plus typing errors. This is my form of a rubric. Each error is worth 2 pts. off the total.

My next post will be changes I want to make for next semester. Stay tuned.

Introduction

Hello to everyone at CCConline. To introduce myself, I hope you will visit my web site. Maryhomepage
I am excited to blog for CCConline and hope my posts will be interesting. Happy Fourth of July Weekend. Have fun and be safe.