I taught four classes online this semester (hello, I am very tired). We're rounding the corner now. I'm going to dump some things I learned in case it's useful. I am not as well polished as those ACUE courses. Anyway, lezz go

First: labor-based grade contracts. I thought I was too lenient and that I was the "easy professor." I have never been accused of this before, but still. Turns out: no. I over-budgeted on absences and late work. People still needed them for legit reasons. https://wac.colostate.edu/books/perspectives/labor/

Being able to tell someone "it's okay to be okay" was the most liberating thing I've ever said as an educator. Because I meant it. We can learn and not be perfect right now, and I think that meets my expectations. Labor-based grading facilitates those conversations.

My assessment is: hands down worth the energy up front to change your syllabi and prompts to grade contracts over traditional grades because assessment and student conversations are way better down the line. It's a positive trade off.

Second: those pedagogy trainings emphasized structure, and it's true. Making assignments and deadline consistent and regular is key. They never have to wonder if something is due on Wednesday. Something is always due on Wednesday. And I know that, too. Because I'm v distracted

I took the structure mandate further with weekly agendas. These linked to online resources and lectures and set suggested time spent for each activity. It took me a bit to get these how I wanted them, but then it was plug-and-play all semester. Posted for each week, each class.

Agendas take time, but again: right now it was worth it. No one asks me what is due or when because it's always the same and always listed in the same place (still can't get them to watch lectures though). Some students love the check boxes. I love that they're reusable for F2F

The last thing that really worked was: class Discord. They can ask each other questions. We share pictures of cats. We chat before "class." I have a class commonplace for Milton with our best work. We miss the community, and we get it on Discord.

THAT BEING SAID, Discord is trash for discussion boards and I hate my life choices in this regard. Slack lets you nest. This does not. And as much as I hate Blackboard, it's 15x easier to grade there. So I'm debating jettisoning Discord for discussion boards.

I was balancing tech hurdles to understanding the course. Consistency is key. It's easier to say "everything happens in this space" and people don't get lost. But grading is a nightmare, and I hate it. So I will have to re-balance those mandates in the spring.

(Btw if you are not using rubrics, better start. It's the only way you will survive. Upfront time cost, but down the line it pays off)

Reading Load: w/e you think your ideal reading load is for a F2F class, cut it at least by a 1/3. If it's reading literary theory, cut it by more. My women writers class is half the normal reading load. They do more with less, and it takes more time to do the less. Cut it.

Lastly, for yourself, do not give them your phone number. Uninstall email from your phone if you can. Turn off all notifications after 6 p.m. Everyone is working at weird hours now and you can feel like you are "on call" all the time. Don't do that. You'll die (see me: August)

We're at home. Most of us don't need email on our phones anymore because we're not commuting or going to meetings anywhere but on our computers. Feel empowered to uninstall that bish.

And lastly: the syllabus. You need stuff on explicitly what tech they need for the class. You need stuff on online privacy and safety. For ex, here's my page. You need stuff on sick leave policies that explicitly say being sick means don't come to class, virtual or not.