A common misconception we encounter in the FTC is that one needs Acrobat Professional to comment on or review a PDF. That is simply not the case. If someone sends you a PDF that has been properly review-enabled, you can add your comments and edits using any recent version (7 or 
of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Archive for the 'Best Practices' Category
One of the issues we see frequently in the FTC is with instructors who can’t see files their students have added to the digital dropbox. When the student logs in, the file is there. When the instructor logs in, it isn’t. The problem is students not understanding how the dropbox works. One of the dropbox’s functions is to allow students to submit datestamped files to instructors, but it also allows students to store files for their own use for the duration of the semester. Sometimes, students don’t realize there are two buttons on the dropbox page, and just click the “Add” button. The “Add” button, though, just uploads the file. It doesn’t actually send the file to the instructor’s dropbox. To do that, they need to use the “Send” button, and it’s worth reminding them of that from time to time.
Today’s tip: if you need to revise materials you have posted to a Blackboard course, attach the revised material to your course item, and then delete the old version. You’ll have two copies of your materials posted for a few minutes, but you’ll have insurance if you have problems uploading the new materials. If you delete the old materials first, and something goes wrong during the upload, you won’t have a backup online.
Despite the date, today’s tip is no joke: it’s often best not to answer your students’ emails as soon as they come in. This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s usually a good idea to let student emails sit in your “to-do” box for a while before you answer them.
Too often, student emails generate a false sense of urgency. If you are like most faculty, though, the bulk of emails you receive–at least the ones that aren’t last-minute pleas for extensions–are requests for clarification about some aspect of the course. If you are teaching online, you probably also get frequent technical questions about Blackboard and other technology. Whatever the case, the first student to email you with a question probably won’t be the last. Waiting to respond gives you the ability to assess the situation and respond appropriately. If a number of people are having the same problem, you can address your response to the whole class using Blackboard or a group email, instead of sending essentially the same email response 20 or 30 times. On the other hand, if only one student is struggling, you can work with him or her just as effectively in a few hours as you can right now.
Of course, sometimes things arise that do require immediate attention, but if you are following our previous week’s advice and not encouraging students to wait until the last minute to get their work done and contact you, you should be able to give most issues raised in student emails an appropriate, considered response. That will be better for you, and your students.
Students need boundaries, and so do you. This is as true online as it is in the classroom. At the same time, students need feedback and a stable, responsive learning environment. All too often, though, email presents an obstacle to creating both boundaries and responsiveness. As users of email, we often get into the habit of checking our email whenever we happen to be online, and answering whatever message happen to be in the inbox when we log in. For teachers interacting with students online, however, that behavior can be detrimental to both the learning environment and our peace of mind.
In the first place, answering email intermittently creates false expectations and frustrations. Sometimes students get a response almost instantaneously, but sometimes they don’t. When they don’t, they feel ignored. This quickly leads to multiple emails from the same student asking the same questions over and over, prefaced with phrases like “I’m not sure if my last message went through,” and “I think there may be something wrong with the system.” Nine times out of ten, the problem isn’t with the system, it is with the student’s unrealistic expectations. In such a situation, the instructor is put immediately on the defensive, having to reassure the student, and perhaps even justify his/her time away from the keyboard.
Instead of creating those unrealistic expectations, set some firm ground rules at the beginning of the semester. Instead of saying things like “email me any time,” or “I’m up late,” give the students some online “office hours” that you will check your inbox, and set a response window. For instance, you could say that you check your email most days between 10:00am and 6:00pm, and that you will try to respond to all emails within 24 hours (this is the currently accepted best practice rule for returning emails). If you don’t answer emails on weekends, or are going to be out of town or otherwise AFK during your normal “office hours,” let your students know that in advance.
Most importantly, once you set the ground rules, stick to them. Even if you are online late at night, don’t answer your student emails. If you feel like catching up on work after hours, save your replies as drafts, and send them during your next response window. That way, your students won’t come to expect responses at 2:00am Wednesday or 9:00pm Sunday night, and when you go out of town for vacation or a conference you won’t come back to panicked, frustrated students and a hundred emails wondering why you haven’t responded to questions.
