Been a while..

I’ve been pretty absorbed over the last few months with teaching a Geology course (thus the Rock Blog) fully online for the first time ever… the Online Freakout Party Zone** has languished…

Teaching certainly is not over yet… I’m still grading, the students will be taking the final this week…

However, just a few thoughts: Teaching online was and is the rich, rewarding experience I suspected it would be, and the kind of reality check that is good for a “Director, Learning Technology” to have…

Although I have been working with people who were teaching, or supporting teaching and learning in the online environment pretty much everyday since I last taught (face to face) in Fall 1999, it is certainly not the same as actively teaching…

Not surprising when you are teaching, everyday was a learning experience – for me, with the fully online environment as the newest part of the equation, particularly interacting with a mix of students — some who were taking both online and face to face classes, as well as those that were only taking “distance” courses.

I had forgotten so much about the experience of teaching (nothing like reactivating prior knowledge and experience, eh?) …

– How revitalizing it is to interact with students on a daily basis

– The challenge of carefully shaping your responses to student questions to guide learning, as opposed to providing the ready answer… a challenge that is magnified by needing to do this in writing, instead of speaking…

– Wondering why I was feeling especially wary/alert this fall, and realizing that that feeling was, for me, a normal part of teaching — the ongoing stress/tension of knowing that there is a group of people that rely on you…

– Grading [*shudder*]

And some new things..

– Fully using many of the tools of WebCT, like student tracking, the assignment drop box and discussions, for the first time. Being able to recognizing their strengths (–> selective release is your friend, –> who knew the Clipboard could be so useful?), as well as getting frustrated with some of the “time intensive” quirks (–> moving Discussion Topics — ack!, Why can’t I sort mail by reverse date? Hmm… or can I?).

– Affirming my respect for those that support instructors in their roles – and a new appreciation for the expertise of instructional designers… (thank you, Karen Belfer!)

– Realizing just how much I have to learn about this profession, and being very excited about getting the chance to do this again.

Most of all, part old, but always new — a strengthening of my respect for the UBC student population, including our Access students. Bright, creative, motivated, respectful and supportive of one another…. and their instructor (thank you, class!)…

What an honour to be able to do this…

Speaking of grading, work, etc… must get back to it..


**For those of you who have never seen this weblog — the name was provided by Brian Lamb almost two years ago (I think) as a placeholder – but it somehow stuck…

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