Faryl,
It takes time and experience. We don't balance everything the first time we begin teaching online. That's for sure. Keep it up!
samia,
Me too. FAQs have reduced my email overload and helped students more quickly as other students respond many times faster than I do. They learn from each other.
samia and Detra,
Finding that balance is important. It's great that you see how students can learn from your feedback. It's so important that the students understand that as well. Thanks!
Donna,
I agree with the need to limit distractions when grading assignments. I choose a time when I can be totally alone and in the quiet so I can focus on the student work. I use the coffee shop time for emails and participating in discussion. It is so interesting how each person views distractions.
Faryl Moore
I have gotten better at balancing the workload to life scenario. My only concern is the changing expectations of the instructor. When I began teaching online it was very different from how it is now. Many adjustments have been made to accommodate the newer expectations.
Faryl
Dr. C
I am a firm believer in FAQs and I find that learners do use them on the whole but in some instances they want that 'e-mail one on one' security blanket. I tend to be flexible with my schedule in undergrad classes and a lot firmer with my graduate classes.
I do check my e-mails once a day and do respond within 24 hours. I have 3 specified office hours per week; these steps have given me a good work life balance.
Detra, you have always been a strong work and ife balance person. I like you try to get my grading in early on in my online week to ensure that my learners learn from the feed-back before they begin work on the new unit.
Best regards
S
Louise,
We do have to strive to bring the imbalance into balance. We have to work hard at this and help students do the same. Thanks for the thoughts.
Honestly, I feel there is an imbalance between work and life. While I do set some limits, such as I do not work online on Sundays, due to the amount of tasks we are assigned it seems that I am constantly working. I have given students my cell phone number so that they can call with issues - and I have walked around a grocery store explaining the monetary and fiscal responses to inflation to a student. (The bright side - all the customers move away from you so you actually get around the store more easily - lol).
The online chats are not an issue, however, the grading seems to take quite a bit of time. Perhaps I take too much time grading, but I do want to be thorough. In addition to preparing for the online lecture and grading, I am constantly contacting students who have not submitted work. We also must provide status updates to all students at midterms. Like many others have mentioned, I do receive numerous emails from students. The idea of a FAQ page sounds nice, however, even when I provide detailed instructions (both on the assignment and in chat), I receive questions from students that make it apparent that the student has not read the entire question or has listened to the chat.
Am I the only one?
Marco,
"Earlier per day that I 'pot'? Please clarify.
Thanks!
I use time, for instance, waking up an hour earlier per day that I pot, in order to look at discussions and questions from students, for example.
Shenita,
Balance - what we all seek! You bring up a good word - prioritize. Many people believe that time management is not the key - but priority management is of the utmost importance. Thanks!
When trying to balance work and life when teaching online, I prioritize my tasks. I like to wake up early and take care of the things that MUST be completed today or as soon as possible. I think work on other tasks.
Cindy,
Sometimes we really have to pull up our "organizational gene" to get everything done. We also have to help our students do that. Keeping a day for family is essential. Excellent!
I try to be very organized. I set aside specific days for the live chat sessions as well as grading. I also have my Saturdays free for my family. I don't even log onto my computer. I am sure to post this in all of my classes that I am unavailable on that day.
Patricia,
Scheduling the daily or weekly tasks is important to keep yourself and students on track. I think as we are better organized, it also affects our students' learning. Nice job.
Hi Dr. Tena,
I have to make sure that I have a schedule in order to keep up the daily task that I have to do. I definitely have a plan for everyday and I make sure that my family is taken care of first and then I begin working in my classes. I try to take at least one day off a week in order to do some fun things and spend some additional time with my family and taking care of my other obligations. Sometimes it can be challenging when you first start out teaching online especially if you have a full time job in addition to your online classes. But when you are organized and have a schedule it is do able.
Patricia
Mark,
Good idea. Don't become a 24-7 "email checker." You have to shut down. I actually put in my syllabus when I check email and Blackboard - specific times throughout the day - not all day long. I also have students use the FAQ Discussion Board instead of emailing me all questions pertaining to the course. That's very helpful. Hope this is helpful.
this is a difficult subject because my office is in my house and it is always tempting to "just check my emails one more time" no matter what the hour of the day or night is. I have found that a simple way to help a little bit is when I am done is to shut the computer down all the way. that way I am less tempted to wait for it to boot up all the way again. I would love to read about other tricks that others may try to employ.
Renee,
Schedules help us schedule our lives - work and play. We do have every day tasks and then weekly or semester duties. It's good to keep up with them in a timely way. Thanks!
