Thinking Through the First Few Weeks

Starting to think through the first week of classes. Some things I’m tentatively planning to do for my two asynchronous classes (one a lit class of up to 25, the other a creative writing class of up to 15):

1) Record a short intro video that covers basic syllabus and class policies, the sort of thing I’d normally cover on the first day (this might be broken into 2-3 videos, depending on how long it ends up). I’ll also talk specifically about the need for us all to work together to promote engagement and class cohesion in a virtual, mostly asynchronous environment.

2) The class will be asynchronous generally, but I definitely want to meet them all ‘live’ once in the first week if possible. So I plan to contact my classes (the week BEFORE we start), send them those intro videos to watch in advance, and ask students to pick one option for meeting live with me in the first week:

a) join me in a 15-minute Blackboard Collaborate session at one of two times (one will be the scheduled class time on Tuesday, the other will be an afternoon or evening slot)

b) join me on a 15-minute Minecraft session at one of two times (one will be the scheduled class time on Thursday, the other will be an afternoon or evening slot)

c) if none of those times work, schedule a separate Zoom meet-up with me during first week (my schedule will be completely open, aside from the times above, anytime from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Mon – Sun.

******

Does that make sense? Seem okay and fair in terms of scheduling to those expecting an asynchronous class generally? Anything obvious I’m missing here?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *