OLT provides some easy to access resources for Faculty who are new to teaching in distance education. Here are a couple of resources that you can download or print and save for easy reference:
Category: Print Courses
Weblogs can be used for many purposes. This one is for sharing information relevant to teaching a distance course at UBC. So far, this has kind of been a one way street. But what about you? I’m sure many of you have comments, stories and issues to share with your colleagues, perhaps you’d like to seek some feedback or generate a discussion. One way to do this is through the use of Comments.
Click on the word Comments at the bottom of this entry and try it out! Your comment will appear as soon as it has been approved (annoying, I know, but the approval process cuts down on spam).
You might also want to post an entry on a subject of interest. In this case, for now, please send it to me and I will post it. If you want to post regularly, let me know and we’ll set you up as an author on the blog.
That’s all there is to it! Comment away!
Cindy
Image: “”Studying for class”” by jakebouma. Courtesy Flickr
Some of you are almost full swing into preparations for the fall term. There are a few things you may want to remember when starting off with a section of students in a print based course. Here goes:
- Contact your students right after the add drop period (which is Sept. 19th this year) and introduce yourself. This can be as simple as a group email sent via the FSC. This helps establish a connection with students whose main connection with you will be via email or telephone. It also gives you the opportunity to specify any particular requirements for assignment submission or contact with you. If you are one of other instructors teaching distance sections of the same course in the same term, early contact with your students provides reinforcement that you are their instructor (in case they picked up a course package for the wrong section of the course). This can help clear up any misunderstandings before a problem arises. Waiting until after the add/drop period will help you avoid contacting students who will drop the course and missing students who register late.
- Consider preparing a schedule for students who want to accelerate their assignment submissions to complete the course early. If you are teaching a course that runs over a single term or multiple terms (for 11 month courses), you will likely receive requests to accelerate from students. It is helpful (and easier on you) to be prepared with a schedule to offer those students should you permit the acceleration. Students usually ask to accelerate courses for student loan purposes. They need to complete the course within the session it starts and (for three credit courses) within the term it starts.
- Prepare a spreadsheet for tracking student assignment/exam grades and comments and make this easily accessible for your retrieval. Sometimes, unexpected events (illnesses, etc) occur and instructors need to pass records on to another instructor for a time. It will be less stressful to you (and a new person coming in) if these records are accessible and up to date.
- Follow up with students who are late with assignments or you you haven’t heard from for some time. This is particularly importnat for students who are approaching the halfway point in the course (or later) and are at risk of receiving a failed grade because they are not keeping up with the demands of the course. Intervening early can sometimes result in some advising support that may help a student make a proactive decision.
For more tips, guidelines and key contact information, check out these resources:
Download Tips for DE Instructors: Print Courses (PDF)
DE Instructor’s Guide
photo by Ayat83 – courtesy Flickr.
Most of us usually approach the start of a new fall term with good intentions, hopefully some optimism (and sometimes abject fear)! Here is a handy Term Prep Checklist (pdf) that might help you in your planning prior to the start of each term.