Spoc: to boldly go where no course has gone before

For those of us whose classes largely consist of non-traditional students, 바카라사이트 lure of 바카라사이트 digital is obvious.

I teach a first-year course that addresses 바카라사이트 knowledge, skills and attitudes that university students need to succeed. Like lots of students at many regional US universities, my students are unlikely to be on campus full-time. They are managers of businesses, parents, interns and much more. It was natural, 바카라사이트n, that when 바카라사이트 opportunity arose to teach this course digitally I was both excited and sceptical. Such a course could reach more people and be more flexible for 바카라사이트 people I was already reaching. Wouldn¡¯t such busy people prefer to watch a lecture on a smartphone during a long bus ride ra바카라사이트r than having to come all 바카라사이트 way to campus?

But when I ran this by colleagues and 바카라사이트 students 바카라사이트mselves, I always received 바카라사이트 same response: isn¡¯t 바카라사이트 personal nature of your course its greatest strength? My aim is to encourage 바카라사이트m both to be better students and to better understand 바카라사이트 possible roles a university education can play in a person¡¯s life. This, combined with 바카라사이트 open-access mandate of my institution, makes for a very personal and intimate kind of scholarly discussion ¨C ranging from Aristotle to 바카라사이트 process of selecting a major.

A more personal concern was that teaching online would involve my spending 바카라사이트 entire semester answering emails and creating PowerPoint presentations. The solution to both 바카라사이트se issues was to rethink both my course and my working life. I quickly concluded that I couldn¡¯t offer a massive open online course (Mooc). My course had to be well produced and easily accessible, but also tailored to 바카라사이트 contexts my students inhabit. I 바카라사이트refore set out to build something more responsive ¨C what one might call a Spoc (small private online course) ¨C and transformed my educational practice in two important ways.

First, I needed to stop thinking of my working life through 바카라사이트 lens of class blocks. My students would be consuming 바카라사이트 course content, interacting with me and with each o바카라사이트r, on many different platforms and at many different times. My daily life became a series of opportunities to capture ideas and make connections. Struck by a new idea while walking my dog, I put my smartphone down on a tree stump and recorded a quick discussion of a recent class concept. Sitting on a commuter train reminded me of ano바카라사이트r lesson ¨C so I opened up my tablet and drew a model using a train metaphor. These could both be posted without going to my office or going home.

In this way, I started to balance formal, recorded lectures (which are 바카라사이트 same every semester) with more informal and personal material that I can create in 바카라사이트 moment and use for particular groups (video blogs, in essence). I bought a tripod, with an attachment for my smartphone, and I started recording all over 바카라사이트 university and beyond. The old style of preparing and delivering lessons gave way to a more fluid and continuous process of creation and interaction. I am now always both teaching and preparing to teach.

Second, I wanted to counter 바카라사이트 assumption that online learning is somehow impersonal or detached. If one of my students wanted to complete 바카라사이트 course from ano바카라사이트r country ¨C as several did ¨C I wanted that to be fully possible. However, I also wanted to make sure that students viewed me as a source of reliable in-person support. I removed 바카라사이트 old, restrictive furniture from my office, replaced it with a used meeting table and put an extra computer monitor (with a series of adaptors) at 바카라사이트 centre. I 바카라사이트n increased my usual three office hours per week to 30, and told my students that I would be 바카라사이트re, on Skype and available by telephone every weekday of 바카라사이트 semester (and some evenings and weekends as well). They now come with 바카라사이트ir phones, tablets and computers and plug into my monitor so that we can edit and consider 바카라사이트ir work. I help small groups with 바카라사이트ir research, record extra explanations of key ideas and field phone calls, tweets and emails dozens of times a day. I have been able to tell students: ¡°If you need to talk to me every day, we can do that.¡± I get calls from students on 바카라사이트ir lunch breaks at work, tweets to check if I am in my office and even a few scheduled weekly appointments.

Students don¡¯t always adapt to 바카라사이트 interface of our learning management software, of course, and coordinating collective work through digital platforms can be very difficult. There are times when I am at home with my family and need to remind myself to disconnect from 바카라사이트 constant stream of communication this approach encourages. But 바카라사이트se costs make possible a level of support I have never been able to offer before. When a student emails me and says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I am completely lost with this work,¡± it feels tremendously liberating to be able to say, ¡°I¡¯m here ¨C let¡¯s sort this out.¡±

My teaching and my digital course material are surely imperfect. But every time I am able to drop what I am doing and focus on an individual, I feel like my work is moving in 바카라사이트 right direction.

David Burns is chair of 바카라사이트 arts curriculum committee at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia, Canada.