(Fair warning- this post isn’t all that inspirational, but I think it may be very helpful to some of you out there working from home! :)) When I first started teaching online and working from home, the pros definitely outweighed the cons (great income, relaxation, flexibility, etc.). However, I didn’t necessarily like sitting at my…
How does one begin making their online college course ADA accessible? Oh boy. This was a new experience. I’ve been teaching online college courses for a few years now, but for the first time ever I was responsible for making my upcoming summer course shells ADA accessible at one of my schools. Talk about scary. Some…
What it means to be a work-at-home parent.. I used to love living the ‘laptop lifestyle,’ being ‘location independent,’ and ‘working remotely’ (all those trendy phrases you’ve heard way too much in 2018). I still have the same job, and technically I have the same opportunities, but with a baby, I’m living more of the…
A faculty development lesson in helping college students succeed.. In a faculty development class I took a while back, we discussed the importance of ‘Six P’s’ in determining student success, and I thought it might be valuable to online instructors to see how these can help out in not just the face-to-face classroom, but also…
The benefits of part-time childcare for work-at-home parents.. During the short time I’ve been a parent, I’ve also been working 20-30 hour weeks (with the exception of a few weeks off over the holidays- which was much needed and enjoyed!). I know it’s nothing in comparison to those of you working 40 hours or more…
There are a variety of different ways to teach online.. I often write about my experiences teaching online college courses, and share tips that I feel would help other online instructors. However, online teaching looks different for everyone. I have a friend who works from home leading webinars as her full-time job, another friend who…
The importance of empathy when teaching online students.. It’s that time of year when spring classes have officially started and us instructors are once again trying to bring the best version of ourselves to the classroom and make a difference, especially for those students that may be struggling. I think it’s important to take a…
As college instructors know, winter break typically runs for mid-December to early or mid-January, which means we basically get a month off from teaching, which sounds amazing! However, when teaching online you also have a lot of work to take care of during your ‘break,’ unless you plan accordingly (which is where this blog post…
It’s hard to convey emotion and create a positive environment when teaching online, but I’ve found one way to give feedback that I feel is effective, encourages students, and makes the online environment a more positive place. I call it The Sandwich Method. Quite simply, you construct assignment feedback in the following way: Something (or…
If you teach (and even if you don’t teach), you may have heard of Carol Dweck, author of the book Mindset and a researcher in the field of motivation. I’ve referenced Dweck in the classroom a number of times to encourage struggling students, and just a minute ago the dean of one of the schools…