Category Archives: Qualities

Expectations

As we begin to transition from one semester to the next, my mind is teeming with things I want to change, improve, and do differently in my courses.

Our Quality Teaching webinar on Developing Clear Expectations couldn’t have come at a better time, as I’m in the midst of compiling lists and resources for how to improve the way I communicate my expectations to students in the coming semester.

While I love the gadgety-ness of teaching online, I still can’t resist writing out my lists. I can’t give up the satisfying feeling of ticking off the items with a highlighter and filling a whole page with completed tasks. As such, my work notebook (complete with a cover of space-exploring cats) is filling up with notes to myself on how to improve the way I convey my expectations and instructions to students in the future.

 

Some of the things I’ve been thinking about are how I communicate my expectations in Digital Imaging–grading art is always subjective and tricky, and it’s so important that the student knows what you’re looking for. I want to stress, this coming semester, that as the course progresses one thing I’m looking for is a polished, finished, and professional looking image.

But I also know that even that isn’t very clear. What makes something polished?

I’ve begun compiling examples of student work, examples I’ve created, and (the most fun) youtube tutorials.

While this semester I shared youtube tutorials weekly as a sort of inspiration/jumping-off point for portfolio work, I want to use them next semester to challenge the student and force them to think about what makes that image look “finished.” I also want to stress the importance of “visual research” in art practice: for example, in ourĀ  magazine mock cover project, about 40% of students turn in a square or landscape oriented image. I have an oft-used comment in my feedback repository asking them to imagine a physical magazine in this shape: is it easy to read? is it easy to mail? is it recognizably a magazine?

I want to bridge these gaps by communicating better with students about the artistic process. After all, I know that the first step in creating a mock magazine cover should be to google image magazine covers–I may think I know what they look like, but until I’ve looked at them critically, I’ll never be able to make one that looks convincing. I need to communicate that process with students, rather than assuming that they’ll go through those currently unspoken steps.

Another area I’ve been working on communicating these expectations is in improving and overhauling my welcome letter–moving it from a static pdf file to a Google Slide that includes links, gifs, and a full page of in-depth instructions for completing that pesky course contract that had so many students hung up this semester.

My teaching style and the way I communicate with students has historically been to be frank and honest. I want them to know that we’re on the same team, and we’re working together. I value open and honest communication very highly, and I know that the easiest way for a teacher to alienate me was by speaking down to me, so I work hard never to do that.

It’s a little harder for me to implement that in the online context, because I’m also chronically long-winded, and I’m afraid that students will stop reading or watching anything I post after a certain length–unlike face to face, where they have to just sit through it. In a video I recently made, my first attempt was 6 minutes: I tried to cut it down to 3, and ended up recording a second attempt that went over 7 minutes.

This is something I’m continuing to work on. I want to be open with my students and explain the reasoning behind my expectations: if I can’t, then it must not be a great expectation. I feel that if they understand why they should do something, they’ll have the knowledge to do it to the best of their ability–and the context to do it in a creative and original way that I haven’t even thought of.

I know that I’m a work in progress, as is the way I communicate with students–but I’m excited for a new semester where I implement what I’ve learned, and where I learn more to put towards the future.

Inspiration

Last week’s webinar topic (Instructor Showcase) was such a great learning opportunity: I loved seeing what my colleagues are doing in their courses and sharing tools and resources.

I love that through these tools, we can teach the same subjects and the same courses, but remain unique and provide our own version of an awesome experience for students by creating a genuine connection that grows from who we are. Each instructor’s persona was so unique and accurate to how I’ve been growing to know them–it was wonderful to see that reflected in the way they design their classrooms.

It’s so vital that we find ways to show students that we’re not a computer program that spits out grades–just like in a face to face context, building relationships with students is an important (and rewarding) part of the education process. By sharing some of ourselves, we encourage students to share some of themselves in return, and we’re able to forge connections and relationships.

What’s more, I’ve seen through my focus on engagement that students seem to be paying more attention to my announcements–which is a relief, because I do actually have some vital information in them. I get a little sigh of relief from each student that acknowledges the things I share in the announcements.

While there are areas that I’ve grown so much in this semester when it comes to announcements, I’m still very new at this, and being able to see what my colleagues are doing gave me so many ideas for how to improve my own classroom.

For example, some of the instructors who shared have been so successful in padlet: I used my first one just last week, and didn’t get a single post. It was a little disheartening.

It got me thinking about the importance of a classroom routine, and establishing it from the get-go. I had to swallow that failure, but it’s had me thinking about how to incorporate sharing of that nature in all my classes from day one at the new semester. While I’ve been successful in getting my Art Appreciation and Digital Imaging kids to share, I think the discussions would be a lot more robust if it were a familiar process from day one.

I also loved seeing how other instructors are using digital tools to help teach their content. Animoto, for example, is one tool I’ve never used, but I can imagine it being very useful to explain certain art and compositional concepts. Many of the things my colleagues shared left me feeling inspired and energized.

I left the instructor showcase webinar with a lot of ideas and a new to do list–I’m excited to plan and create my courses for the next semester, and to find ways to continue to grow in my classroom.