Sabrina SegalCHEP

Computer issues abound. Most recently, a spate of Excel errors sought to derail (Statistics) students in Week 5. An add-in called Data Analysis tools was malfunctioning. Three faculty members reported the problem to the lead and each came up with different possible solutions to mitigate the technical issue. In this case, if each one had failed to communicate to the lead, there would not have been a pattern and odds are it would never have been addressed on a universal level. Several sets of workarounds were established for the particular tech issue. In a proactive move, the Statistics team is… >>>

Every corner of the globe will one day be accessible by a single keystroke. The known world has become closer through the technological linkage with language less of a barrier. Technology has converted many activities of life. It is communication, socialization, entertainment, work, a friend and a teacher. As online education matures and learns from experience so too does classroom technology . Since a degree program is as much about learning from an academic standpoint as it is professional development, it makes sense to treat the encounter from the latter perspective (at least as far as team development). One faculty… >>>

Generation X & Y and Millenials are offsprings of a digital birth, a fast-paced childhood, and a solitary existence strive to utilize its skills and creativity to control their environments. The solitary nature of life is both increased and decreased with each computer link. The known world has become closer through the technological linkage. Students are drawn in by the sights and sounds of the AIU Online classroom. The layout is slick, professional and visually stimulating. Do your announcements, chats, and emails fit in? Online students are most likely heavy internet and computer users and their visual tastes have been… >>>

Creativity is thought to be a foundation skill in effective leaders. Creative leaders are able to solve problems that have plagued an organization and successfully navigate the unexpected --“someone who can see old problems in new ways and new problems with fresh perspectives.” Creativity is derived from the socio-cultural environment, personality, and motivational variables. A creative instructor is one is does not focus on barriers, but can smooth the journey across stumbling blocks. Teaching creativity fosters engagement in the learning process. Students who are actively learning and are satisfied with the quality of contact in the classroom are more likely… >>>

Shifting Power Away from the Instructor Instructors have all the power in the classroom. We apply late deductions, the academic honesty policy and interpret a student's mastery of materials. We encounter students who recognize their shortcomings and take responsibility for learning, aka lower maintenance students, and those who prefer to blame others for their limitations: students who need extra care and attention from us. Keep the message on point with regard to work in general vs. the student's work. This way the inferior work is not a reflection on the student, but a general discussion that will help the student… >>>

Answering Unpleasant Emails Students send emails that can hurt our feelings or offend our sensibilities. While many of us agree that the tone and level of disagreement rarely happens in a campus-based classroom, we need to remember that communicating over the Internet via email and discussion boards isn’t something everyone is proficient at. Sometimes students can be quicker to act before they think on email, or may be having personal or professional problems of their own that we don’t know about and having little to do with our performance as faculty. Either way, we must not respond to aggressive emails… >>>

Instead of asking a student about his/her previous class experience, some faculty members require a CREATIVE initial post. Here is an example: MOST INSTRUCTORS ASK YOU TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF UPON ENTERING A CLASS…WELL, SINCE I LIKE TO DO THINGS A BIT DIFFERENTLY, I AM GOING TO ASK FOR A VERY UNIQUE “HELLO” FROM YOU! WHAT IS YOUR MISSION STATEMENT? OK…I HEAR YOU OUT THERE…NO I AM NOT NUTS. COMPANIES HAVE MISSION STATEMENTS, SO DO PEOPLE. PLEASE SHARE YOUR SCHOLASTIC/PROFESSIONAL MISSION STATEMENT WITH THE CLASS. (Try to keep it around 50 words) I WILL START… MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE PROFESSOR I… >>>

Focus on the Negatives: Technology We've all gotten emails about students who end up with no working computer, internet cut off due to non-payment, you name it. Some students even start school with no computer and use a public PC, or one at work. This is a fact of our academic life. While not having internet or a computer at home may not be the best scenario for an online student, we need to make solid suggestions on how students can accomplish course tasks – NOT berate them for not having a computer. The student is already enrolled in your… >>>

An Invitation to Student Creativity Focusing on creativity in student assignments has been found to elicit a higher level of concept application with regard to making connections between diverse information and new contexts. Instead of asking a student about his/her previous class experience, some faculty members require a CREATIVE initial post. Here is an example from a class: MOST INSTRUCTORS ASK YOU TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF UPON ENTERING A CLASS…WELL, SINCE I LIKE TO DO THINGS A BIT DIFFERENTLY, I AM GOING TO ASK FOR A VERY UNIQUE “HELLO” FROM YOU! WHAT IS YOUR MISSION STATEMENT? OK…I HEAR YOU OUT THERE…NO… >>>

When Failure is Imminent A certain number of students fail classes every session. This is a hard fact. While we do everything in our power to help students succeed in the early weeks of class, some students will arrive at a point of no return where they no longer can pass a class. Our messages now need to shift. Confronting failure is a serious blow to a student’s ego, make no bones about it. How can an instructor mitigate the circumstances and nurture a failing student's willingness to take the class again next session? And feel good about doing it?… >>>