Thanks to everyone for feedback about the technology problems my intro students are having. I've formulated a "plan of attack" for the coming week: I meet with the students tomorrow. Before class, I'll make a list of those who have not successfully gotten into the system. I will express deep sympathy with the students about how frustrating last week was, and let them know that I *believe* in their ability to figure out how to use the system. I'll let them know that our servers were crashing all over the place last week, which created problems [especially relevant for thsoe who got in once, but couldn't get in again]. At the end of class, I'll give them an assignment: post to the discussion group once by Wednesday. For those who haven't been able to figure it out yet, I'll have a computer in the class so I can work with each of them at the end of the class to help them make it in. I'll set appointments for Tuesday afternoon with anyone who is still having problems. [This is the hand-holding approach suggested by many of you. I'm not that great at "nurturing" but am good at showing people how to do stuff.] If, by the end of the week, there are still problems, I'll consider dropping the web-based component of the class entirely. I am reluctant to do this for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that the students are going to be expected to do this sort of assignment in most of their classes. Bentley is repositioning itself as "The Business School for the Information Age" and the computer-literacy expected of students has increased exponentially in the 3 years I have been here. We are getting better students now, but there is still a fair number of students who are underprepared. I also have had success with the discussion group previously, and colleagues have raved about the quiz system as a way to get students to do the readings before class. Bentley students are not readers, but the way I do my classes makes reading the text [not even a text, really; I am using the New Psychology Today Reader] essential. The quizzes are easy, open-book, and worth enough of the grade to make it worth cracking the book and looking for answers in the articles. ------------------ Ann Muir Thomas, Ph.D. http://erebus.bentley.edu/empl/t/athomas "The Accidental Jewess" Bentley College, Waltham, MA "You aren't belittled by being little. Only by acting small." --- Red
