Online courses can be addictive!

Hi all,

As our Fall I courses get into full swing, I am sure we are all quite busy reading introductions, posting replies, responding to student questions, and making sure that everything is working correctly in our courses. It seems that just as we catch our "wind" in the Fall I session, it will be time to get ready for Fall II.

One of the things I'd like to comment on before my blog-time wraps up is how "addicted" I've become to teaching the online courses. When I first started teaching for CCCOnline (gee, was that really in 2002?), I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into. I thought of my computer as a giant paper weight on my desk that was great to type tests on. However, a few semesters later and I realized just how enjoyable it was to have the opportunity to be able to reach a much broader group of students than was possible in my F2F courses.

I enjoy the discussions tremendously in the online courses and I have yet to come away from a semester without having learned something new in every section I teach. The critical thinking that is going on is truly enjoyable to watch and when you see a student "get it," the feeling is great. You feel as if what you are doing as an instructor is really "worth it."

I hope all of you are getting off to a good start during this first week of classes and I hope you will enjoy your students as much as I enjoy mine. Thanks for reading.

Holly DB