Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Gordon, It can be very stressful to continuously accommodate students who miss tests and ask to reschedule. You are likely busy enough without these inconveniences. Setting student expectations by implementing class policies and procedures is a great way to elicit good student testing behaviors and therefore to reduce your stress as an instructor. As you have probably discovered, the key is to be consistent when applying your policies and procedures with students.

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Streamlining the Grading Process

Gordon, Moving toward computerized testing is a great way to streamline the grading process. There are so many computerized testing and grading programs to choose from. They make grading quick and easy. You are right. It does take a little time and effort to set up computerized exams. At first, tt may even feel like it is easier to just continue administering the pencil and paper exams. That's why many instructors choose not to do computerized tests. But as you will soon see, computerized testing is a great investment toward more free time in the future.

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Coping with Stress

Tina, Writing in a journal is a great way to deal with stress. I am so glad that you mentioned this on our forum. 'Journaling' is a great way to vent your frustrations without worrying about what someone else might think.

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Streamlining the Grading Process

Tina, It sounds like you are already implementing many of the strategies outlined in this module. Keep up the great work! You had mentioned that your students grade their own exams and then, later, you double check their grading. This sounds like a good strategy to confirm that your students are giving themselves accurate assessments. However, this strategy could also be time consuming because, effectively, your exams are graded twice. If you find that you are short on time, you might ask your students to grade an exam that is not their own. Using this method, student grading may increase… >>>

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Task Prioritization

Hi Tina, What a thoughtful response. You bring up an interesting point about work and household responsibilities. Some people deal with work and household responsibilities differently. For example, you seem to be relying on immediacy to accomplish tasks at home but seem to have a more balanced approach when accomplishing tasks at work. You might find that creating a to-do list that includes both work and household responsibilities can help. With this type of list, it might be easier for you to prioritize tasks because you will be able to see the whole picture. This type of list might also… >>>

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Task Prioritization

Samuel, I am glad to hear that you plan to use a "to do" list. You are right in that these lists really can help us accomplish our priorities. It is amazing what can happen when we write our priorities down on paper. Our priorities are more likely to be accomplished if they are written down. But there is another great benefit too. When we write our priorities on paper, we can put them out of our minds. This makes our priorities less distracting and can help us focus on the tasks at hand.

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Coping with Stress

Ricky, I like your description of coping mechanisms as "healthy trade offs." On one hand, coping mechanisms like exercise and spending time with family can take time away from your work. On the other hand, these things can bring you the health, energy and perspective you need to keep working.

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Coping with Stress

Samuel, I like the "everything in moderation" approach. Instructors spend such large portions of their days working and teaching -- often leaving no time for other important things. Incorporating exercise and family time into your daily schedule can be a great way to restore the balance. Exercise is a great outlet and spending time with family can really help put things into perspective when you are stressed out about things that happen at work. Finding balance in your life can help you cope with stress.

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Streamlining the Grading Process

Ricky, Yes, similar to Samuel's idea about grading oral presentations, hands on competency assessment can also occur during class time. There are so many ways to incorporate in-class assessments.

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Streamlining the Grading Process

Samuel, You bring up a great point! Oral presentations can be efficiently graded because you can grade them in class. When class is over, your grading is done.