It has been 24 hours since my class officially launched.
I'm confident of one thing: there will be something fairly big that I've overlooked this week. I know this because every class I have launched so far has had something go wrong - to various degrees - in the first week. Most likely, I will not prevent this future error from taking place in the coming days, but I will turn that angst into empowerment.
I keep a checklist of everything I need to do to launch an online course. I started list-making long before the World Health Organization launched their 19 point pre-surgery checklist in 2009, but I feel validated in my approach by their findings. If you've attended my summer Introduction to Online Teaching course, you've got a copy of my checklist. I crafted another one for the Launching a Course Online with Canvas, and gave it some functionality (save a copy and test it for yourself!)
The list grows each year because technology changes, my course changes, and I get a bit older and need to remind myself of a few more things than I once did... but there it is, each start of class, like an old friend gently nudging me along.
And speaking of nudges, I've just checked my roster and noticed there are a couple of students who have not yet logged in to class. I can tell in Canvas who has arrived and who has not, so I sent two students an additional welcome and encouraged them to come join us. By the end of this week, I'll send additional nudges to those who have not yet completed our first introduction post assignment (I'll nudge them about 2 hours before it's due!)
I hope I've checked everything, but even if I've overlooked something I will laugh at my goof and let my students know that I am only human. This week, especially, I will give them that same grace if they goof.
I'm confident of one thing: there will be something fairly big that I've overlooked this week. I know this because every class I have launched so far has had something go wrong - to various degrees - in the first week. Most likely, I will not prevent this future error from taking place in the coming days, but I will turn that angst into empowerment.
I keep a checklist of everything I need to do to launch an online course. I started list-making long before the World Health Organization launched their 19 point pre-surgery checklist in 2009, but I feel validated in my approach by their findings. If you've attended my summer Introduction to Online Teaching course, you've got a copy of my checklist. I crafted another one for the Launching a Course Online with Canvas, and gave it some functionality (save a copy and test it for yourself!)
The list grows each year because technology changes, my course changes, and I get a bit older and need to remind myself of a few more things than I once did... but there it is, each start of class, like an old friend gently nudging me along.
And speaking of nudges, I've just checked my roster and noticed there are a couple of students who have not yet logged in to class. I can tell in Canvas who has arrived and who has not, so I sent two students an additional welcome and encouraged them to come join us. By the end of this week, I'll send additional nudges to those who have not yet completed our first introduction post assignment (I'll nudge them about 2 hours before it's due!)
I hope I've checked everything, but even if I've overlooked something I will laugh at my goof and let my students know that I am only human. This week, especially, I will give them that same grace if they goof.
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