Juggling Act
I have accepted my third teaching position at another online university. I will be teaching an associate-level course on billing and coding. The university is on the quarter system and the course will be taught over a 5-week period. The curriculum will have the students engaged with critical thinking by conducting research on the issues surrounding health care. There are individual and group projects that will require students to really focus on how to work as a team and understand group dynamics. The discussion posts will also involve research and forming opinions based on credible sources to support their claims. The course is accelerated and jam-packed with a significant amount of course material that must be covered in a short period of time. Although I teach at another online university, the platform is entirely different. I will have to learn my way around the online course room all over again.
The last week has involved an extensive orientation for new faculty. I am required to complete a 2-week orientation class. This orientation class is not just fun and games but I have to complete assignments by a certain date. If that wasn't enough fun, I also have a group project due by the end of next week. The training for new faculty is designed to simulate the virtual world of the online course room. Part of the orientation involves attending six weekly live chat sessions facilitated by a trainer from the university. The live chat sessions involve audio and we can actually interact with the trainer.
When I wasn't working on my mandatory orientation assignments, I was exploring the course room. I played around in my live chat room and had fun with all the cool features. I am a little freaked out by the audio for the live chat sessions. I am required to facilitate two live chat sessions a week and record them for archives. The audio classes will help me to improve my skills as a facilitator.
I am exciting by challenge of the course and the opportunity to improve my teaching skills. I feel extremely fortunate to have three teaching contracts at the same time. This will certainly keep me busy.
The scary part is keeping track of the courses and figuring out what planet I am on. How will I ever keep everything straight? How will I get all the assignments graded on time? I am sure there are plenty of technical gadgets that can keep me organized. I am working on completing a PowerPoint for the first week of class. The course starts on July 21 and I am sure that I will be stressed out until I facilitate my first live chat.