Back to School!

A new school year is upon us! I hope everyone (students, parents, teachers, educators, and instructional designers) has had a chance to recharge over the summer and is ready for a new academic year.

The past year was certainly challenging for many, and while I hope this year is much better, there is still quite a bit of uncertainty as the pandemic continues to unfold.

In this time of year, I always think back to the feelings I had as the new school year approached when I was a student and later in life as an instructor, and recently as an instructional designer. Regardless of my role, this time of year for me is always full of excitement and hopes mixed with a little anxiety from the unknown.

As I see family members, friends, and coworkers getting ready for the school year, I decided to ask each of them to share with me a tip that they found immensely helpful. Here are the top 10:

Tip 1: “Remember to activate your course shells before the first class!” SF

Tip 2: “You can create your welcome announcements several days or weeks before the start of term and use dates to release them before the first class.” NS

Tip 3: “Before you choose a digital tool you’d like to use in your lesson, think about how it will impact the task.” KH

Tip 4: “Sometimes it’s easier to give feedback in a recording than text, and this option on Brightspace Assignments makes life much easier.” EF

Tip 5: “To all teachers: remember it’s all about the students not the lesson.” LG

Tip 6: “Buddies are important whether you’re a teacher, instructional designer, or student, so reach out to your buddies and appreciate them because many gloomy days have brightened because of their presence!” JH

Tip 7: “Remember to celebrate small successes and positive achievements – Intelligent Agents are not just for highlighting the negatives!” AC

Tip 8: “Small things like an image, icon, or a GIF can spice up a lesson. As a teacher you might be focused on the content, and while this is very important, these small things make all the difference to your learners as well.” CA  

Tip 9: “There are many creative ways to use checklists. If you’re not using checklists, you need to reconsider.” NI

Tip 10: “Always remember that even if what you’re doing seems insignificant, you are contributing to the learning of this world!” JB

I hope you found these tips/reminders useful. What are your tips for a great start to the new academic year? I’d love to hear from you!

Wishing everyone a safe return to their classrooms (in-person or virtual) and a happy and prosperous academic year.