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Typical Day for an Online Teacher

It is Saturday. I woke up early, made a big pot of coffee, and updated the second module of my online class. It is the third time I've revised this module in 3 months, and it is the fourth year I’ve taught this course. Nothing stays put in this field. Two of the key sources I cited are now defunct; one a victim of a massive hack, and whose host now resolves to a porn site. I am incredibly grateful for my QA approach.

Once class starts, I prefer to focus on the students and discussions, which means all material has to be complete prior to the launch of the course. Right now I'm simply reacting to recent changes in a small percentage of my course content while answering student questions and trying to gage the level of tech expertise in this particular group.

I had made two notes to myself in the module in a bold, red font: "this part needs to be updated for newer technology." This is a Multimedia for Web course, and standards change constantly. I did the research, and with the new updates I will need to re-write my quiz for this section. Did I mention the module opens on Monday?

I cannot imagine what it would be like to put off course design until the month prior to the start of class. This is as close to the edge as I will live…

I have 8 AWOL students at the start of the second week. Two contacted me today saying they've had technical difficulties. I directed them to re-read the email I sent at the beginning of the week that spells out the directions, and sure enough they were both in class by noon, feeling sheepish. At this point, the stragglers are on my drop list, and the present students have my full attention and energy. My Droid phone is tied to my Blackboard account via my campus mail: when a student emails me, my phone sends me an alert so I can respond immediately and from my phone if I am not at my computer. My students are convinced I live online.


It is now 8:20 on Saturday night, and I have worked almost all day. Of course, I also worked on my F2F class, housecleaning and laundry, and did a bit of shopping. My students are fitting my course content into their busy lives as well. It is a tremendous amount of work, but worth it for the young mothers, the job-seekers, the housebound, the fully employed, and anyone else who finds it difficult to conform life around a seat in a classroom on a campus for an hour or four every week.

Definitely worth it.
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