The prepping thread

[ciao_yall]

After moving back from an admin role to teaching, I have new classes to teach and old ones to update.

I like to get as much prep done as I can before the term begins.

For today, the goal is to get...

Class # 1

• Prepped to Week 3/18.

Class # 2

• Choose textbook and get order in to bookstore.
• Establish basic weekly assignments and syllabus.

Classes 3 and 4 will get attention in the next few days. They are repeats from last semester so more about just updating the cases and copying over the Canvas shells from old to new.

[mamselle]

When's your first day of classes?

And, as a very-long-ago-once-and-former textbookstore employee, getting in your order is a great holiday gift to them, your buyers will love you.

M.

[Chemystery]

I suppose it says something about the year that we're in that I expected this thread to be about stocking up on canned goods, bottled water, bug out bags, etc.

Our semester just ended.  My grades are in.  My goal for today is to write the syllabi for all of my courses for spring semester and make sure I am squared away with the publisher of my online homework system.

[apl68]

Let's see...two cords of firewood, a good supply of stabilized fuel for the generator, year's supply of peanut butter, garden ready to be planted this spring, firearms...

Oh...that's not what we're talking about here, is it?

[sinenomine]

Getting back on track... :-)

I normally prep Spring classes over the Winter break, but this year, the powers that be decreed that faculty have their materials ready by early November to allow chairs and instructional designers to ensure all the online versions of regularly on-ground courses are ready to go. So my classes are all set, and those I oversee are in good shape as well. I look forward to a couple relaxing weeks!

[Larimar]

I'll be teaching a course that I like and haven't gotten to teach in 3 years. Yay! It's going to take a ton of work to get ready though. I have to redo the whole course both for going online and for using a new edition of the textbook. So far I have accomplished: arranging to get the textbook, and starting on the syllabus.

[polly_mer]

Let's see...two cords of firewood, a good supply of stabilized fuel for the generator, year's supply of peanut butter, garden ready to be planted this spring, firearms...

Oh...that's not what we're talking about here, is it?

If you're only just now buying firearms instead of continuing to work on the materials to reload, then you're already wrong.

[OneMoreYear]

Getting back on track... :-)

I normally prep Spring classes over the Winter break, but this year, the powers that be decreed that faculty have their materials ready by early November to allow chairs and instructional designers to ensure all the online versions of regularly on-ground courses are ready to go. So my classes are all set, and those I oversee are in good shape as well. I look forward to a couple relaxing weeks!

I'm curious about this policy.  Which course components had to be ready and submitted in November? 

I am revising course-that-should-never-be-taught-online for the Spring online iteration and working to improve components of course-that-everyone-hates using student feedback from last Spring when students got half the course remotely.

[sinenomine]

Getting back on track... :-)

I normally prep Spring classes over the Winter break, but this year, the powers that be decreed that faculty have their materials ready by early November to allow chairs and instructional designers to ensure all the online versions of regularly on-ground courses are ready to go. So my classes are all set, and those I oversee are in good shape as well. I look forward to a couple relaxing weeks!

I'm curious about this policy.  Which course components had to be ready and submitted in November? 

I am revising course-that-should-never-be-taught-online for the Spring online iteration and working to improve components of course-that-everyone-hates using student feedback from last Spring when students got half the course remotely.

Faculty were asked to have complete syllabi and assignments, links to materials, quizzes/tests, and all discussion prompts.

[ciao_yall]

Decided to keep my old textbook which means the syllabus is pretty much done. Wooohooo....

Goals achieved for the day. Time to start drinking.

[Parasaurolophus]

I'm finally gonna have a semester with no new preps. I only have 3/4 pf the lectures recorded for one class, but the other three are good to go. At some point early in the semester I'll record the missing lectures (my slides, at least, are done).

[Liquidambar]

Okay, you have inspired me to do some prepping today.  Since I have to overhaul one of my courses for remote instruction anyway, I'm taking the opportunity to flip the class.  And I'm adding in some hands-on activities that will provide students with useful skills, so I should get rid of a corresponding amount of other material.  And instead of a spring break week, we have isolated spring break days scattered throughout the semester.  Due to all of that, I'm having trouble just figuring out how to update the schedule.

[ciao_yall]

Today's goal: All four Spring 2021 classes prepped to Week 3.

1) Some tweaking on a typo on the syllabus
2) Update to new textbook, syllabus, update cases, 3 weeks of PPTs
3) Copy to new Canvas shell, syllabus, update cases, 3 weeks of PPTs
4) Copy to new Canvas shell, syllabus, update cases, 3 weeks of PPTs

[Biologist_]

Getting back on track... :-)

I normally prep Spring classes over the Winter break, but this year, the powers that be decreed that faculty have their materials ready by early November to allow chairs and instructional designers to ensure all the online versions of regularly on-ground courses are ready to go. So my classes are all set, and those I oversee are in good shape as well. I look forward to a couple relaxing weeks!

I'm curious about this policy.  Which course components had to be ready and submitted in November? 

I am revising course-that-should-never-be-taught-online for the Spring online iteration and working to improve components of course-that-everyone-hates using student feedback from last Spring when students got half the course remotely.

Faculty were asked to have complete syllabi and assignments, links to materials, quizzes/tests, and all discussion prompts.

This policy sounds absurd. When were faculty supposed to do this work? What is the typical teaching load where you are? Who are these "instructional designers" and what is their role in things?

[Liquidambar]

Okay, you have inspired me to do some prepping today.  Since I have to overhaul one of my courses for remote instruction anyway, I'm taking the opportunity to flip the class.  And I'm adding in some hands-on activities that will provide students with useful skills, so I should get rid of a corresponding amount of other material.  And instead of a spring break week, we have isolated spring break days scattered throughout the semester.  Due to all of that, I'm having trouble just figuring out how to update the schedule.

I think I figured out this class's schedule for spring.  Progress!