I have been utilizing Blackboard a lot in my classes. My students take in class exams online, so the grading is done for me, and they submit all of their assignments through Blackboard. This saves cabinet space and time. They also have access to a preview of my lecture which will help guide them in their reading. I think most are finding this delivery efficient.

one thing that on occasions has stressed me out is when Leadership gives me conflicting directions.generally this happens when you have more then one boss. quite often you then have to spend extra time to sort things out. this happens quite a bit in work places also.

Is it possible that by eliminating an unhealthy coping mechanism I have created more stress? I quit smoking and used to feel that it relieved stress. Once I quit, I thought it would be healthier for me, but I actually feel more stressed -- perhaps because I haven't found another healthy outlet to replace smoking. Thoughts?

I have a 45 minute commute and it is a source of stress, in that I have to drop off my daughter at school on my way in and barely arrive on time in the morning. On the way home, it has me coming home after 7PM, which eliminates the possibility of eating family meals or spending much time with my wife and children. I often arrive home achey and irritable, and this is clearly attributable to stress (particularly from the commute).

I use a variety of exams, depending on the subject matters. For certain classes, multiple choice and true/false makes the most sense but for a couple classes I teach I almost have to use essay exams. These classes are more on industry trends and opinions rather than concrete right or wrong answers, and an essay exam helps me evaluate how well students are truly comprehending the material and applying critical thinking. I know they take longer to grade, but I think they are far more accurate in assessing retention of material.

I just can't get in the habit of writing things down on a "to-do list" and find it difficult to adapt. I know I'm a bit of a procrastinator, but if things always get done on time and are of good quality, I find it hard to change my ways. My work seems to be better when I work under pressure. What difference does it make whether I have free-time now or later?

I find what stress me out is that I dont have enough time to get my on line stuff done. Once I finsh one item someone needes smoething right know. These people need to know that we need a little time to respond, to what they request. Like for example we finsh one paper and they e-mail us & say we need to do this paper by the end of the week. Sonetimes it is tuff, when you also have to teach.

Do you ever have problems putting things off till tomorrow? If you do, how do you handle them and still ensure the quality of the work? I do not have problems doing things well, but I drive myself crazy doing everything before the deadlines, and so on. Sometimes I wish I could procrastinate. :)

As discuss in the module, I faced the stress of not having experience teaching classes in a classroom setting. My main stress factor as a new instructor was that I expected far more from my students then they did for them-selves. I wanted them to care for my class as much as I did. It my have been too idealistic for me to think that way, but I have been a passionate instructor and student. It was hard for me to realize that for some of my students even after all my hard work to make the interested in the subject the hardest they would push would be for passing grade. The way I relieved my self from that was to realize (as a good friend told me) that I can not be responsible for other people’s thoughts, feelings, and views. The only ones I can control are mine. That has relieved stress from many situations. Such as friends and family members feeling neglected, etc.

Realizing that you can not know everything. One is going to make mistakes.

It is true that you never can get rid of all stressors, but for me, the outdoors really help me to relax. Camping and fishing seem to be the biggest helps for me. There is nothing better then sitting on a boat with the rocking of the waves or staring at a camp fire.

Working as an instructor can be extremely stressful! This quarter I have to produce a brand new class that I for one have never taught and 2 have never started from scratch to make a brand new class. I am really stressing because I feel, what if I do something wrong, what if I am not teaching them what the college exactly wants, etc. Please help me find ways I can "chill out" and try and find a little sanity in my life!

When giving exams, what do you feel are the best teaching and learning techniques for giving exams? I use a combination of short answer, true/false, multiple choice and matching. Most of my students cringe when they see short answer, but I truly feel in giving these questions, they have to remember and learn the material.

I use task lists all of the time. If I didn't, I would not know where my head is half of the time!! It helps when I can pull down a note knowing I completed a task or erase something on the calender. That is the best way I have found to stay somewhat organized!

I recently had a situation in which I was discussing the respiratory system with students and a student may a very racial-laced comment. I just stated that I had never heard that and moved on with my lecture rather than give the student more of the attention. Later, however, another student approached me and said she felt that since I did not make a bigger deal out of it, that it had offended her. How can I effectively deal with this situation without losing the entire day of material?

I'd be lost without my do-to -lists! Sticky notes work great for reminders & there is such a feeling of accomplishemnet incrossing the items off. Having a list allwos me to prioritze things and stay focused.

I will prioritize what are my main important topics that I want to discuss in the class room. When I have my topics, I organize a complex outline that will help me to get the class situation and prepped out. The better organization I have, the more comfortable I am with the material at hand.

I have a student that is late to class everyday due to dropping her child off at school. Her child cannot be dropped off at school any earlier, thus her arriving to school late everyday. My class is only offered in the morning, 1st period. Moving to another class time is not an option available. How might you handle this?

It is important for people to have some sort of outlet in their lives that they can turn to to help decrease stress in their life. For me, it is music, for others it might be running or working out, or for others it might be a craft or hobby. The point is, we all need something to take us away from the stress.

There can be many stressors in the life an instructor. One of the big ones for me is not having enough time to be as fully prepared as I would like. When I walk into a classroom and I don't feel prepared, then I become stressed, and I feel like the class doesn't flow the way I would like it to. We have also experienced some changes to our curriculum recently, and I think this had created some increased stress, for me anyway. This means that even subjects I have taught before now need to be redone to accommodate the new curriculum. What I find helps me de-stress is using guided imagery techniques I have learned, listening to music for a bit, playing the flute and piano, or going for a walk. Getting away from the class preparation for a while clears my head and makes me ready to take on what needs to be done again.