Successful Day One of Spring Quarter

The first day of our new approach to classes for Spring quarter went really well.  We have a two-pronged approach to distance learning:  if our online division already had an online class, we put students registered for the onground version into those classes.  But that left lots and lots of classes, and we didn't have time to create all those classes for the online division.

Those classes are being taught in a synchronous distance learning environment--a fancy way of saying that they're set up like a phone conference call.  Each class has its own Go to Meeting recurring call, with the idea that the faculty member will do some combination of lecturing, presenting material, and assisting students with the flipped classroom materials.  In the intervening time between calls, students will read, work on projects, view videos, and work their way through material.

In some ways, it's cool:  these sessions can be recorded, which means that students can go back to review.  Students can tune in from a variety of locations, a help when we're not allowed to assemble. 

I am aware of all the limitations:  we don't all have the same access to the same technology, and even the best technology can fail us.  But it's better than shutting down the school.

Yesterday morning, I hopped from class to class.  Most of them seemed to be going well.  We had a few technology glitches, but we solved them.  We only had 5 students absent, so the attendance rate was 91%, which is remarkable for any first day of any quarter, but really remarkable in difficult times like our current one.

There are questions that shimmer in the distance:  when can we come back to school to do the lab portions of these classes?  If we can do flipped classrooms in a time of pandemic, why are some administrators so opposed to them in "normal" times?  Will there ever be "normal" times again?

Going from class to class did exhaust me.  I find the conference call environment challenging:  there's always one person who forgets/refuses to mute, and there are times when everyone wants to talk at once and then no one can remember what they wanted/needed to say.  In terms of online/distance education, I much prefer asynchronous classes--give me modules that I can do on my own terms and my own timeline.  But I understand why we didn't go that route.

Now it's time to transition from my home computer to my work computer.  Let me go forth in hope that today will be as successful as yesterday!