Mike Calendine

Consistency is your friend.  I want to make a class that students feel comfortable in, that they they do not get anxiety in looking for stuff, yet intrigued enough about that they want to discover.

Faculty have got to give students a chance in multiple modalities to show critical thinking is enhanced.

Your safety net is your rubric.  If you decide to just use quantitative scoring and no comments, you will have nothing to fall back on when students questions your grades.  You have got to use the comments!

The biggest limitation is the students' beliefs about what is necessary  to learn and what is not.  They do not like discussion boards.

Please do not use the same comments for the students papers.  They will talk...you will feel silly.  Example, one time I called 3 people Steve...ugh.

Students need to understand the difference between their social networking and your professional networking....and the boundaries.  Also understand there will be some students (usually older) that do not want this in their class what-so-ever.

Just because students come from a digital generation doesn't mean they know how to accomplish things in an online course.

How do you like to be treated? Why is that?  These should always be treated both ways.  You have to give to get.  And they will NOT meet you half way...you are going about 95% of the way and looking for them to take a chance to meet you the other 5 %.

What is your hook?  Every great instructor has a hook.  It is something the students come to realize exists and maybe they even look forward to it...BUT, that hook has to lead to results.  If you are funny and friendly...and they don't succeed, it isn't going to matter. 

You are like a musician at a concert....you CANNOT have a bad day.  I know that sounds harsh.  Yet, you have to be able to pragmatically separate things when you teach.  It has become the most difficult thing for me in 25+ years of higher ed...but, I believe it to be true.  The classroom is NOT your therapy session.  You are there to help students...it is NOT about you.