ONLINE ADJUNCT FACULTY TIP #31 - Hand-Grading Assignments & Returning Them in a Digital Format

The extended weekend allowed me to catch up on several past-due home projects. I restored the rotting wood pillars on our front porch - although that project was far from predicted as our house was built during the Great Protractor Embargo of 1979 -- hence the house has few right angles. Efforts to hand-miter the framing proved unsuccessful and I had to borrow my neighbor's Craftsman power miter saw in order to complete the project by sunset. The good news is that I now I have the perfect anniversary idea for my wife (our anniversary is June 2). I wonder where I'll put my new miter saw (hint, hint).

In thinking of miter joints, I still prefer to do some things by hand. There's just a certain feel and reward to something that takes elbow grease -- and doing something the way ancestors did it. What's the best part of going to a baseball game at Wrigley Field -- you got it, the vintage hand-turned wood scoreboard... For those of you who answered, "the food" - hmmm. (really?)

For the love of nostalgia, I still hand-grade all student assignments in my college courses. No, I'm not anti-technology. No, my wife is not the heiress to the Pilot Pen Company. No, I don't draw comfort from torturing my printer.

The screenshot above is a page from a hand-graded student assignment. The student's returned paper is a PDF file - and yes, it is hand-graded. It takes a little more time, and costs me a little bit more, but it sets me apart as an instructor - and there are always comments in my student course reviews regarding the appreciation for hand-graded papers.

Maybe this isn't for you - or maybe it is. You could, perhaps, start small and grade only one paper by hand. If you really want to make a contextual connection with your students - I believe that nothing speaks more directly to the student than reading an instructor's handwritten feedback. With all of the "electronic auto-comment" features available today, it is increasingly common for instructors to insert pre-fabricated responses into student papers. When a student sees my chicken scratch, she knows I've taken the time to actually read her paper versus trying to find places to insert rote responses. Trust me, this is important to students!

So, did I convince you? If so, here's what you'll need to do...

Acquire a printer/scanner/copier unit with topload scanner feeder tray. The unit must withstand the rigors of printing all student assignments for your course. I own a HP C7280 and it works fine –

1. Print student papers (yeah, I know this will take ink and paper, but use “fast draft” mode and discount copy paper.
2. Hand-grade papers with purple ink (I like purple – avoid red!)
3. Scan the graded paper and save as a PDF document. I set my resolution at 300 dpi.
4. Return saved file to student

ONLINE ADJUNCT FACULTY TIP #30 - Informing a college of courses you are qualified to instruct

The "Free Checks" promotion at my bank has ended. After 7 years of good times - writing checks at will...knowing that when it came time to order replacements they would be free - well, that Laissez-faire period is over. The counter attendant seemed a bit taken back when I presented my check re-order form. "You know we no longer provide free checks," she stated. Hmmm. If I knew that, then why would I ask for free checks? The attendant, who was nice, although blunt, attempted to smooth the waters by informing me that the replacement box of checks would be just $11.99 -- half the price of the actual cost of the checks. I was still getting a deal. I didn't realize how lucky I was...

Talking about being fortunate - make your own luck by crafting a plan to get your name and credentials on the desk of a university faculty department chair. I have attached a screenshot of a list of courses I am qualified to instruct (per my opinion) for a specific university. I included this 1-page, easy-to-read document with my cover letter and professional vita. Here's a quick overview of the steps I've taken in contacting public and private post-secondary institutions in my state:

• Check if the university has an Adjunct Faculty Coordinator. If they do, contact that person by phone and then send him/her your follow-up materials per their submission guidelines. Ask the coordinator what the university's needs are at present -
• Go online and sift thru the course catalog - making a list of courses that you judge you are qualified to instruct. I suggest keeping the list to no more than 20 courses to avoid making it appear that you are simply applying for every course in the booklet. Sure, I can teach Advanced Physics! Don't accept a course that you aren't qualified to teach!
• Assemble an inquiry packet and mail it to the Chair of the target department(s) - the packet should contain (A) cover letter - start by noting the date you spoke with the person, (B) teaching vita, and (C) list of courses you are qualified to teach (screenshot).
• If you have a strong connection with the faculty chair, you might want to also include your sample syllabus - I've found that artifacts have impressed Chairpersons as they quickly identify quality documents.
• Finally, call the Chairperson in ten days if you haven't received a response - be sure to state that you are prepared to start teaching immediately -- and be persistent!
• One final point - tour the university's website - do they use Blackboard or some other online medium? Did they recently add a new department or program?
• OK, one more "final point" - equip yourself with the Certificate of Adjunct Faculty Educators (CAFE) from http://www.socafe.org/ -- and include it with your inquiry packet. Set yourself apart -- set yourself above!

ONLINE ADJUNCT FACULTY TIP #29 - Posting "The Best" of Previous Students' Posts to Current Discussion Threads

I paid bills a few days ago. I hate writing checks - and I just learned that the price of a First Class stamp will rise again on Monday...how in the world did that slip my radar? I still have Forever stamps - and what I can't dispatch with those I can surely cover with my envelope of assorted vintage stamps of different denominations. Yeah, I could be a wiseguy and use up my 44 one-cent stamps all on one letter. No, won't do that - I like the Postal folks - and our mail service has been tremendously reliable. I've always thought that a stamp was one of the greatest bargains in America - yet with direct e-payment options, I could save about $40.00 a year in postage - and $40.00 is, well, a pair of black dress Dockers for me from Kohls. So, will I make the jump to e-payments and retire pants with frayed cuffs? No, not any time soon. I like the "nostalgia" of stamps and checks. There's some minute sense of control in that process - and who really looks at a man's pants cuffs anyway?

I've instructed some college courses over twenty times. Unlike my wardrobe, I evolve curriculum, and sure...some elements remain relevant and unchanged - just like the Periodic Table. In the past year, I've started to harvest the "best" discussion thread responses from students and compile them into one aggregate document specific to the corresponding thread. Why do I do this? Every once in a while, a student(s) posts something that is like a bulldozer knocking over a sandcastle! Paradigm shift! Wow - and what a waste to not share that creativity, that insight and knowledge, with others in the present and the future. How's it worked out, David? Great! Just super. I wait until one day after the required date that my current students are required to post their responses to the discussion threads - and then submit the compilation post with the heading, "Perspectives from Previous Students" A few rules for the compilation post:

1. Develop a compilation of 3 "awesome" student posts per thread -- and bump out old posts and allow fresh new posts to take over the top spots.
2. ALWAYS ask students for permission to use their posts in this manner and ALWAYS include the student's name with the post. I did receive permission from the student to use her post with this BLOG entry. Most students will feel it's an honor to have their entry added to the virtual Ring of Honor.
3. Never convey that previous students' posts are "right" -- but do convey that they are "though-provoking" and provide a "unique perspective" on the topic. A current student doesn't want to read about how "super terrific" the other students were when they took the course. Reminds me of Jan Brady Syndrome. Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!
4. Finally - check out the screenshot (above) of a post by Marawa regarding how she envisions public school classrooms to be like in the year 2030. The question was for a course emphasizing the inclusion of children with disabilities into mainstream classrooms. Her response sizzled my mind - wow!!

ONLINE ADJUNCT FACULTY TIP #28 - Posting a Peer-Reviewed Thread

I just sneezed. Achoo! There, another sneeze. I feel fine, though -- and although my TV is babbling off to my left, it's not stuck on the instant-celebrity "Pandemic Mania" channel - so I'm not being convinced, and coerced, that I'm much sicker than I really am -- actually, I'm feeling fine. OK, what's on my TV? M*A*S*H (remember that, as it will be a trivia question in a future thread).

Talking about feeling fine, I listened to my students this spring when they asked, "Can we post a peer-reviewed assignment thread?" Hmmm. I had heard of this animal, but thought it was only found in the remote wild. I admit, I wasn't hip on allowing students to review and comment on each other's work, in a public class forum, prior to submission to the instructor. There were risks...an aspiring teacher might kindly rip apart others' work. Tears! A passive student might let others take the lead in posting work, and then copy what's been posted, re-format it in their own wrapper, and call it their own. Yet, before I typed, "Thanks for the idea, but no" -- I paused, and decided to allow the request. At first, it was a trial -- and soon, it was a staple. Of course, I have parameters:

• Students post at their own risk
• I post a peer-review thread for only one assignment per class
• The assignment must be divergent, but the format convergent

Peer-reviewed threads have been popular. They're not for everyone, but they don't have to be for everyone... Go ahead, prep your peer gear and go forth without fear!

ONLINE ADJUNCT FACULTY TIP #27 - Making an End-Of-Course Survey / Soliciting Feedback

There are times in life when feedback is unwelcome. For instance, my golf game. I know its subpar (pun intended), but have no burning desire to be "coached" in the great hopes of earning my tour card. Hey, smacking a plastic Wonderloaf sack full of St. Vinney's re-tread golf balls around the links with friends holds no pretenses of being anything more than a social outing. I don't even keep score, much less replace my divets, but I do abide by clubhouse rules and have the courtesy to move on to the next futile tee box after the approximate dozen strokes that brought me to within sight of the green (not including the standard Mulligan-per-hole).

OK, so when does this instructor want feedback...???

I want, I want, I want...feedback from the students that I've instructed. Good or bad, I want feedback -- I want students to rate my effectiveness as an instructor -- I want students to sing the praises and yell the pitfalls of the syllabus... You might think that an end-of-course survey is an "automatic" with any university. Ironically, it's not a requirement for half of the institutions I work with -- and the places that do require a survey often fail to capture the information I personally want as an instructor.

My survey is 10 questions - with a mix of True/False, Likert Scale and open-ended boxes. I've utilized http://www.freeonlinesurveys.com/ to build my surveys (a screenshot is posted above). The service is easy to use, is free (of cour$e), and provides a postable URL to the created survey. There are more features with the paid version, but the free version will be all that most folks will need to garner core feedback.

Why do a survey? My primary reason for an end-of-course survey is to evaluate the syllabus. The secondary reasons are to assess the classroom (ease of navigation, layout, etc.) and also effectiveness of the instructor. Trust me, I've made several syllabus revisions (improvements) based directly upon survey results.

When should the instructor post the link to the survey? I post the URL to the survey (as a class ANNOUNCEMENT) the second to the last day of the course. In Blackboard, I also click the "Email announcement to all students" box. I allow students 5 days to complete the survey.

I've found that, on average, 50% of students will complete the survey - which I judge to be a solid rate.

Another Thought for the Survey... I've been tossing around the idea of a "Pre-Survey" -- in which I would conduct a brief K-W-L (Know, Want, Learn) activity. I predict that information would assist me in placing emphasis on various discussion questions in addition to seeking and incorporating supportive outside links and resources. This approach would allow the course to be more responsive and dynamic, yet certainly places a greater load upon the instructor and requires rapid turnaround... I'm sure I'll pilot it with a smaller class - and I look forward to sharing my findings in this BLOG.

By the way...I bought my best driver for $2.99 from the local Goodwill - rescued it from the barrel of miscellaneous clubs in the rear of the store. Yet, acquiring clubs in this manner is risky - as how does one distinguish whether a club was originally part of a man's or woman's set? Hmmm...

ONLINE ADJUNCT FACULTY TIP #26 - Having Learning Teams Share Their Assignments with the Entire Class

Thinking back 15 years ago to my college days (as a shaggy-haired student) -- I recall a course in which the instructor collected students assignments, copied them into a booklet, and returned them to each student. The class was about goals for speech-language therapy sessions. I think each student was required to 5 goals per specified format. Hey, it took me a while to pencil out my goals - not as easy as one would think... I wondered, "What's everyone doing?" Then after handing in my assignment, the instructor said, "You didn't know this at the time you wrote your goals, but you were really contributing to a larger collection of goals -- I'm going to copy everyone's goals into a booklet for each of you - and that will serve as an outstanding resource tool when you're out on your first job."

The image above is a screenshot from one of my online courses. In the past year, I've began requiring students to post their team assignments for the benefits of others in the class. Note that each team has a unique assignment related to a specific topic. Only ungraded versions are posted - and students are aware at the start of the assignment that their end product will be displayed for all. This approach allows for a greater sharing of knowledge and allows students to depart class with a deeper toolbox of resources.