Hi 杏吧原创 instructors,
It鈥檚 us again, your Teaching and Learning Services team. We鈥檙e still here鈥攈ere to talk, here to listen, here to help you sort out issues, here to help you bring your teaching to the next level.
Maybe you love teaching online (or you’re at least cautiously optimistic about it), or maybe you feel like you鈥檝e spent the past month patching one hole after the next in a leaky boat that you鈥檙e desperately trying to row to shore. Either way, we鈥檙e here for you. We (still) offer workshops, mentorship, course design support, tech support, and more.
Before you tackle that pile of midterm grading or switch into full hibernation mode during this Fall Reading Week, take some time to rest and reflect.
- Check your bandwidth. Are you struggling to keep up? If your course is feeling overwhelming, try to cut down/out any content or ungraded activities that don鈥檛 contribute to your learning outcomes. An empty 鈥渃atch-up鈥� class at the end of the semester might give everybody some much-needed breathing room.
- Check your students鈥� bandwidth. Are you assigning multiple hours of lectures, dozens of pages of readings, and multiple assessments every week? Be realistic about your . If your course outline allows for it, make your assessments more flexible (e.g., 鈥渂est of鈥� structure). And remember to keep recorded lectures short!
- Pay attention to what鈥檚 working. Have you noticed your students are contributing to discussions more than in face-to-face classes? Are cuLearn quizzes saving you time and energy? Get feedback from your students or do a to help you pinpoint what鈥檚 working (or not) so you know what to keep and what to toss. Consider sharing your successes on our blog.
- Make necessary changes now. Are you flooded with emails from confused students? Is your weekly marking unmanageable? Take action sooner rather than later. Clarify assignment descriptions or add an 鈥淎sk your Instructor鈥� forum to keep your inbox clear(er). Use a rubric or marking guide to grade assignments鈥攊t’ll pay off, we promise. If you鈥檙e not sure what to do, sign up for a one-on-one consultation with us or attend one of our drop-in sessions or workshops. We have tips, tricks and tools galore to help make your life easier.
- Winter is coming. We don鈥檛 want to stress you out, but the winter term is coming and it鈥檚 going to be online. Be strategic鈥攚hat have you learned or done this term that you can integrate or copy to next term? Use our handy course design guide to get a head-start on winter planning and this checklist to gauge your progress. Our top tip: keep it simple.
- Remember, you鈥檙e not alone. Teaching can be isolating in 鈥渘ormal鈥� times鈥攖hese days even more so. Talk to us, your colleagues, or your Faculty Teaching Mentor, or join a Welcome to My Online Classroom session to meet and learn from other teachers. If you鈥檙e struggling, or see a peer or student struggling, please prioritize getting the support you need.
With more virtual hugs,
All of us at TLS
Interested in contributing to our blog? Please email聽tls@carleton.ca聽to find out how.