I have news and a question

[apageor2]

Hopefully that is an okay way of starting this. Before I begin I must also say thank you because without the help of everyone I would not be where I am now and with that being said, thank you from the bottom of my heart. As of this past week I was asked by my Graduate Dean to begin teaching as an MBA instructor with them and I did accept the position.

I am quite proud to be now in this job position and have many thoughts going through my mind about working with the students to ensure they are given the best of success. I would like to know if there is anyone here whom I can speak with that can share his or her experiences with students when teaching adjunct.

I recently started to think about ideas how to build motivation in the distant learning classroom and was curious how others have done this when it comes to being a part of higher education and teaching adult students. I appreciate any thoughts that are shared. 😃  

[awilliams]

Hey  @apageor2 ,

First off, big WOO HOO for the new position!! I am going to defer to others with direct teaching experience on your question, but I am excited to see where the discussion goes and what people have to say about engagement and incentivization or gamification when it comes to discussing motivation.

[Stef_retired]

This is wonderful news,  @apageor2 ‌, and I feel privileged to have been able to witness your success through our involvement in the Community. I was an adjunct professor for many years--I taught philosophy and humanities courses online using Canvas for five of them--and for me, nothing beats engaging with students with frequent and relevant bits of communication, both individually (through messages and assignment comments) and collectively (announcements and discussions), always being mindful of how much time you're asking students to devote to a task (think attention span) and how much space is required to view it (think mobile).

We've got a CanvasLIVE‌ presentation coming up this week (on Tuesday, February 7, 2017) that I think will give you lots of ideas: Inspire Greatness with Canvas Feedback Loops , presented by one of our awesome trainers, janiesolinski-ruddy‌. Just have a look at the cool table she created: Feedback Resources in Cavnas 

And this is by no means meant to stop the discussion in its tracks! I hope you and others will not only have a chance to watch the presentation or its subsequent recording but also to share your ideas for creating a warm welcoming environment in a Canvas course.

Congratulations, Sue!

[apageor2]

Thank you so much for your thoughts Stefanie, I've just finished up on paperwork over the weekend while dealing with this massive head cold *sigh* so it has been a bit difficult to get things accomplished but I am determined so things will get completed even if it takes me awhile. Thankfully this head cold is just about gone so I continue reading when this head storm calms down. I do appreciate all of the insight provided as it is quite helpful. 😃

I have another question that has come about since I will be working from home, do you know anything of the vendor VariDesk? This allows you to stand up and use your desktop or laptop when desired. I have been seriously considering the option as it looks quite inviting. Thanks so much for any information that can be provided. 😃

[Stef_retired]

I don't have personal experience with VariDesk,  @apageor2 ‌, but have been eyeing various standing desk options myself, so I'm looking forward to seeing where this discussion goes.

[scottdennis]

Here is the standard "lifty desk" that we use at Instructure.  I crawled under it looking for brand names.  I found "Ergo" on the bottom of the up/down switch but I'm not sure if that is the maker of just the switch or the whole desk.  At any rate, they are very nice to have and if I had to buy my own office equipment I'd have no problem with ponying up for one.  I've heard people in our #remote channel say that you can buy kits that just have the legs and motor in case you want to supply your own desk surface (which I may do when I get around to setting up my home office).

[kbickell]

I use a Varidesk and love it! I have back & hip problems so standing or sitting too long is uncomfortable. I bought this brand because of the quality - I've had it a few years and move it up and down a few times each day and it still works great. I would highly recommend it!

[apageor2]

Thanks so much for replying Kris, that is great to hear. I have done serious damage to my lower back via car accident and it has me in a pickle to where the nerves are forcing me to get up and walk around a lot. I feel that having something like this will be better to use as I can get the best of both worlds and it would be a good investment for as far as I've gotten with recovery. Great to hear that they are good quality, that puts my mind at ease. 😃 It might take me a little bit of time but this is a website I have bookmarked and I have one already picked out for placement of my laptop. 

[sethgurell]

I have a Varidesk and enjoy it. The conventional wisdom is to invest in the padded mat to go along with the Varidesk. That helps minimize foot discomfort as you stand.

[awilliams]

VariDesk is a popular brand with quite a few products. Here's a decent set of reviews on standing desks though, and it was updated last December so still pretty fresh. Maybe it will help out on what else is out there and what factors reviewers are considering: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-standing-desk/ 

[hallmans]

We had one person who needed a standing desk for back problems and we purchased a VariDesk. Since then we have purchased several more as word spread and the positive reviews came in. Its got a pretty attractive price point and so far after 2 years, no mechanical failures. I agree with IDS ID2 would strongly recommend the standing mat. I'd go with the dual monitor setup initially as well even if you think you wont need it. We've learned that people at some point always want that extra space.

[jbuchholz]

VariDesks are one of the better standing desks and I also like their convertibles that sit on a traditional desk but transform it into a standing desk. I have heard some chatter about grants that are available for funding pilot studies with faculty and I would be curious is know if anyone has seen where these are possibly available? I was thinking about writing a grant to a few local foundations, but I was wondering if there was something larger that may be able to provide more for a larger faculty pilot?

[kmeeusen]

Hi  @apageor2 

I would like to echo stefaniesanders‌ and awilliams‌ hearty congratulations!

I have been teaching online for way too long! Stefanie's comments about engaging with students through communication are spot-on. Instructor presence in an online classroom is the #1 indicator for student engagement and success! Students will forgive a great many other faults - course design, missing assignments, incorrect due dates and the like - if they know their teacher is there working in the course, grading submissions, answering questions, sharing information, participating is Discussions etc.

You can find some great information here The Importance of Instructor Presence in Online Courses , and here Instructor Presence in the Online Class – Key to Learner Success | Online Learning Insights 

As for course design advice, I would say keep it simple. You want your students challenged by the curriculum, and not by the technology used to deliver the curriculum.

Feel free to contact me anytime for more specific advice, that's what we do in here but you already knew that.

KLM

[apageor2]

I have saved this email and bookmarked it. The information is greatly

appreciative. Thank you! 😃

-Sue

On Tue, Feb 14, 2017 at 5:17 PM, Kelley L. Meeusen <instructure@jiveon.com>

[artistworksonli]

Although this may seem a bit off topic Sue, I would highly recommend the book "Hooked".  The thesis is how to encourage repetitive use of any resource - how to get people habitually connected and coming back.  This idea can seem off-putting at first, but if your students find themselves drawn back to the course for any reason, their engagement will increase.  Part of the feedback loop "Hooked" advocates is the idea of variable reward.  When people expect some element of the experience to change in a pleasing or helpful way, they come back for that reward.  They'll keep checking to see what it is, just like people check their email and cell phones for texts.
Courses online tend to be static - every time they are accessed, nothing has changed and the students know it.  If you can post a video on the home page once in a while or post a relevant and interesting/valuable blog, add pertinent photos once in a while, the students begin enjoying that variable reward and will look for it more often. Obviously this requires a bit more work on the part of the teacher, but if student engagement increases, outcomes improve.  

[kmeeusen]

Hi artistworksonlinemusiclessons 

This is a truly awesome coincidence, as I was just exploring ArtistWorks early this morning based on a recommendation from another Community Coach. Your site Rocks!

And thank you for your pedagogically sound advice to Sue, and everyone else who reads her posting in here. The concepts from "Hooked" are very closely associated with the pedagogical practice of Instructor presence. Yes, online courses do tend to be very static, and that presents a challenge to student engagement. There are so many little simple things we can do as instructors to make them less static, and many of these can be built into the course design, making them easy to implement during the term. For example, I use Front pages I design myself, and I frequently change them out. They are all pre-built, and in fact I built them quite awhile back, and it is now so simple to rotate them out  as  desired each quarter.

I was very impressed by your novel use of Canvas to provide music/art training, and was wondering if you have ever considered doing a CanvasLive presentation to talk about what you have done? I think it could be a real eye-opener for some folks, and especially for those who only see the limitations of an LMS rather than the potential.

KLM

[artistworksonli]

Hey Kelley,

Thanks for checking out ArtistWorks!  If you'd like to start learning, please just write back and I'll post a promo code for anyone in this forum to get a discount when joining. I'm curious as to why you exploring us, but regardless of the reason, I'm pleased to know you found us. 

So few world renowned musicians are comfortable with recording their life's work. It breaks the tradition of learning music in a room, on a specific schedule with another human being.  We break that paradigm and bring the music learning online, yet keep that one to one learning with Video Exchange. 

We feel privileged to have found those artists who want to pass on their art through teaching.  They have a legacy to share. We've found that listening to music is much more prevalent with this generation, rather than actually playing it. We want to Teach the World Music, so we hope to reach a few young players through Canvas.  We've had to learn how to get and keep their attention and give them incentive to put down the phone and take out the earbuds - hence the book "Hooked" recommendation.

I think the schools that don't have world-class caliber music faculty are most interested in our online music courses.  Although Carnegie Mellon was our first pilot partner in higher ed, their music faculty are performance luminaries and Grammy winners, just like ours.  Their classical music students valued having the online lessons at their fingertips to reference, like a virtual textbook for music lessons. They used them for audition preparation and for summer study - always trying to get that competitive edge.   But we are seeing higher interest from the regional colleges and slightly smaller schools as well as extension programs and high schools.  

As to the CanvasLive event.  We are doing a webinar on April 19th I believe.  Are they the same thing?

[kmeeusen]

artistworksonlinemusiclessons 

Thank you for the offer, but I have discovered, much to my dismay over the very long years of my life, that my musical talents run to playing a mean stereo! Sad but true confession of an avid music fan of all genre.

I looked up your site on the recommendation of a fellow Community Coach who had discovered that you use Canvas, and in a very novel way. Being an advocate of online learning, and of Canvas, I just had to go check it out.

Keep up the good work, and I will recommend your services to all and sundry who might have talents beyond the operation of amplifiers, receivers and tuners!

KLM

[apageor2]

Thank you for the suggestion of the book as I will begin searching for the Kindle version and add it into my collection. 

ArtistWorks Online Music Lessons wrote:

Although this may seem a bit off topic Sue, I would highly recommend the book "Hooked".  The thesis is how to encourage repetitive use of any resource - how to get people habitually connected and coming back.  

[siouxgeonz]

I've also found _Hooked_ to be very useful (though the credibility of it went into the toilet when he stated that you get the same results w/ Google and Bing and it's only 'habit' that keeps people going to Google).   

[apageor2]

siouxgeonz@gmail.com wrote:

I've also found _Hooked_ to be very useful (though the credibility of it went into the toilet when he stated that you get the same results w/ Google and Bing and it's only 'habit' that keeps people going to Google).   

Speaking from a business writer perspective many persons do use Google and Bing both as resources for verification of documentation because there are constant updates that have taken place the new year due to the algorithm update search engines put in place. I am highly involved with the search engine matter and am aware of how they work so this does not surprise me as many writers do use this credible information when writing to provide their readers with helpful documentation.

It is your choice to not follow the information that is given to you but personally I would not of given up on this so quickly but again that is your choice. For what it's worth, I have been involved with the world of web development for over 20 years and seen the many changes including writing so the combination does go hand in hand for good reason. That is just my .02

I wish you well in finding your resources to help further your studies and needs. 

[laurakgibbs]

Congratulations,  @apageor2 ‌ !!! I have been teaching fully online classes for 15 years, and I still love it. I'm adjunct faculty, but (thankfully!) my contract has been renewed year after year. And the whole experience gets better and better every year as I learn more, and also as new tools become available to help us explore the Internet together with our students. I usually don't say "distance learning" because I end up feeling closer to my students online than I ever did in the classroom.

A few links:

Beautiful interview with  @michelle_pacans ‌ here; she is always so inspiring, and you will find links there to her Humanizing Online Learning:

How One University is Working to ‘Humanize’ Online Teaching | EdSurge News 

For me, the best way to talk with students about learning and motivation has been through the concept of growth mindset; I'm doing a CanvasLIVE about that next month:

5 Ways to Weave Growth Mindset into Your Courses 

... a fun way I do that is with my collection of Growth Mindset Cats, and I made a Canvas widget of those that anybody can use and/or adapt for their own purposes:

Widget: Growth Mindset Cats: Laura's Widget Warehouse 

And I'm always pondering student success strategies, feedback, motivation, etc. etc. ... I'm trying to remember to crosspost my blog here in Canvas Community, but you can also find the blog itself here:

Teaching with Canvas – confessions of an LMS minimalist 

I hope you have a great adventure in your teaching! Just speaking for myself, I love the Internet classroom and would find it very hard to go back inside the four walls ever again. 🙂

[kmeeusen]

Hi laurakgibbs

Bravo!

I have been teaching online for 18 years now, and would feel very limited and restricted in a traditional classroom. While I recognize the need for traditional classrooms for a lab course, or the lab component of a course, my mantra for many years (and it is actually the tag-line on my emails) is "Perhaps not all courses can be taught online, but all courses can benefit from an online presence."

I see so many online teachers, even in this Community, who still hold some sort of reservations about online learning. I also get many students who will tell me at the start of the term that they wish the course was traditional, because they "need" the interaction of an F2F course. I always respond that they will get more access to me and their classmates in my online courses than they ever would F2F, and usually by mid-term I hear back from many of them that I was right and how much they love the course.

When done right, online learning can greatly improve student retention and completion rates, and our school has the statistics to prove that! So I guess the qualifier is, "when done right"!

I am guessing, just from her inquiry, that  @apageor2  will be one of those who does it right!

KLM

[laurakgibbs]

Absolutely agreed,  @kmeeusen ‌!!! It's a bootstrap problem given that most faculty have 20 years (or more) of experience learning in classrooms as students, and then years of teaching in classrooms... while they might have little or no experience in formal online learning (even though, of course, they might be learning informally every day online). So, I figure that those of us with experience should sing it out loud, letting people know that online spaces really are great for learning... and for some purposes, they can be even more powerful spaces than the classroom.

In my case, for example, I teach writing: so, by doing that online, with writing and images as our media of communication, we learn with every interaction more about ourselves as writers and digital communicators, unlike the weird paradox of talking about writing in the face-to-face oral classroom.

Maybe we should try to popularize that as a WDR acronym to use whenever we are talking about online: When Done Right.

And, at least for me, doing it right is not hard because doing it right (with lots of student presence and instructor presence) is way more fun! 🙂

[apageor2]

Kelley L. Meeusen wrote:

"Perhaps not all courses can be taught online, but all courses can benefit from an online presence."

I see so many online teachers, even in this Community, who still hold some sort of reservations about online learning. I also get many students who will tell me at the start of the term that they wish the course was traditional, because they "need" the interaction of an F2F course. I always respond that they will get more access to me and their classmates in my online courses than they ever would F2F, and usually by mid-term I hear back from many of them that I was right and how much they love the course.

When done right, online learning can greatly improve student retention and completion rates, and our school has the statistics to prove that! So I guess the qualifier is, "when done right"!

I am guessing, just from her inquiry, that Sue Elvins will be one of those who does it right!

KLM

I love the statement and fully agree with you. It is is very difficult to provide online course capability for some of the course study because there is so much that is there to learn. I can think back to a course I was learning during my doctorate study and because it was so intense they actually took the class structure and divided it into a two-part intentionally for students to easily follow along with building their project writing and learning the core curriculum, The Dr who taught the class was fabulous, as I so appreciated the time spent in our discussions both in class and during office hours about building my project. 

There are many things I have learned over the years while in graduate and post-graduate school on my own and from other students. I have discovered beneficial needs to every student from the instructor must always begin with open listening and interaction. Yes, college students are expected to perform the assigned work without needing a hand hold but because this is an online course setting it is viable for college instructors to provide the above as mentioned including helpful dialogue to students they can rely upon when in need of assistance. Lastly, it is valuable an online college instructor always provide one-on-one time to the student for office discussion about the course and to always provide motivation for their success throughout the course. Just my .02 and how I view being a new online instructor when assisting students. 😃