Welcome Email to Online Students

Things that surprised me when I started teaching online:

• Some students email you weeks before the class starts. They want to get the materials and a syllabus before I'm done creating it.
• Some students need you to remind them when the class starts and what to do or they waste a week of class not logged in and missing the orientation activities.

So I decided several years ago to send out an email to all students registered for the course a week in advance. I tell the first group that the email is coming soon and stay posted. And most of the second group has a better idea of what to do.

I send out the letter below with a detailed instruction sheet for how to access the course website and a copy of the syllabus.

Here's the letter:

Hello students!

If you are receiving this email, you are registered in one of the online courses I am teaching in the Fall 2012 semester! Class begins Tuesday, September 4th! 

Class Meetings: Math 125 does not meet face to face at all as a class.

Books and Materials you need:We will be http://pearsonmylabandmastering.com/using a website that includes an online textbook, videos, homework, quizzes and more. I will provide you with access information on the first day of classes - TUESDAY via the BCC eLearning website. (bristolcc.angellearning.com).  The information is also in the second attachment.
You will need to purchase access to Course Compass. Unless the price has changed, access is $78 and can be purchased with a credit or debit card or PayPal. You can also buy the code in the bookstore, but they have added an additional mark up to the cost. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE A HARD COPY OF THE TEXTBOOK, BUT YOU CAN IF YOU WISH TO HAVE ONE. (Since you have any updates on the website, an older edition is fine).

Textbook for Math 125:  A Survey of Mathematics with Applications (9^th Edition) by Angel, Abbott, Runde.YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE A HARD COPY OF THE TEXTBOOK, BUT YOU CAN IF YOU WISH TO HAVE ONE. (Since you have any updates on the website, an older edition is fine).

What will it be like to take an ONLINE MATH COURSE?   I will use a mix of video mini-Lessons, readings from the textbook, concept activities with discussion board responses, and an online homework and quiz management system. In Math 125, you’ll be writing two brief papers about Mathematics/Mathematicians and taking your exams online.

 WARNING: Online mathematics courses are intended for students with high-speed internet access.  You can use campus computers for high-speed internet access if you do not have it at home.

Another WARNING: During a standard 15-week semester, an online course requires a minimum time commitment of 12 hours per week. If you do the math, 12 hours divided by 6 days (one day off for good behavior), you will see this works out to at least 2 hours per day.  If you do not have this time in your schedule, you may want to consider signing up for a face to face section of this course. Of course, time will vary due to your own ability with mathematics, connection speed, etc.

You’ll find some system requirement information here: http://pearsonmylabandmastering.com/system-requirements/ 

I’m looking forward to starting the new semester with you.
Inspired Math Professor

Any comments and suggestions are welcomed! 

Clickers in the Math Classroom

At Day 2 of MCC Math & Tech, the Adventurers learned about Clickers from Derek Bruff, Assistant Director at the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching and Senior Lecturer in the Vanderbilt Department of Mathematics. Derek is author of the blog Teaching With Classroom Response Systems and the book Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments

Derek was not in Michigan, but presented remotely to the group. I first heard of clickers about 8 years ago and heard about problems with signals and receivers that made me shy away from trying them at that time, but according to Derek, clickers now use radio frequency and those problems have disappeared.

There are a number of clicker vendors and he suggested that when exploring we consider: i>clicker, turning technologies, eInstruction, Interwrite PRS, and Quizdom.

In terms of cost to college and students, there are two distribution models. In the first the college buys the system and a classroom set of clickers is distributed to students at the beginning of each class and collected at the end. This is often done at a college that is new to clickers. It saves cost to the student who is likely only using a clicker in one class. Th second model is usually used when clickers will be used across the campus. Students purchase one clicker that they use in multiple classes and the college purchases the receivers and installs them in a number of classrooms for multiple users.

There is also a way to use clickers without clickers and receiver with polleverywhere.com where students use their cellphones and the instructor uses a website to collect responses. This might be a good product to try for a single professor working at a college where all the students have cellphones available in class. There are also models used where each student has an accessible computer - perhaps in a computer lab, and some that use iphone apps.

Derek then spent time showing us how to use clickers in math classrooms and how to get clickers to help students: move beyond common misconceptions, find error in problems, and think more deeply about mathematical concepts. You can also use clickers to motivate interest in a topic.

Derek is a great presenter and I am going to spend more time on his website and seeing what clickers are available on my campus.

Do you use clickers in your teaching? Tell us about it in comments.

Is it malpractice if you teach the same way year after year (after year)?

Did you hear about the article in the Chronicle of Higher Education? Well, it's summer - so maybe you missed it. In  "Reaching the Last Technology Holdouts at the Front of he Classroom" (July 24, 2010), Jeffrey Deeds reports that Chris Dede, Professor of Learning Technologies at Harvard University argues that clinging to outdated practices is malpractice. 


We all know some faculty, usually close to retirement (but not always) who roll out the same syllabus, lecture notes and box of chalk each semester. They rarely think about practices for effective learning and are sure that students don't work hard enough, so that's why they don't do well. For those folks, I'd agree with Professor Dede. 


But, there are some faculty who don't think much about student learning because they're too busy getting the newest gadget to work in their classroom. They flit from one technology to another as if though the shiny objects are the key to teaching. And when they don't live up to their claims, then they try something else. 


While I like to dabble in technology, I try to remained focused on using technology that will help me meet certain learning objectives. And I force myself to only use one new tech toy in any given class.


I also know faculty who have yet to dive into tech use like me. Like some swimmers, they prefer to go into the water one toe at a time. So you might not think they use much tech at all - and you'd be right. But they keep their focus on student learning. And they are excellent teachers.


It's the old saying: To thine own self be true.