tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33621501866020109182024-03-18T11:44:17.780-06:00Why Aren't You Studying?A behind-the-scenes look at teaching of psychology at a Canadian university, plus application to learning.Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.comBlogger269125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-24216838760852214082024-02-03T16:21:00.007-07:002024-02-03T16:21:55.790-07:00The SPOT (Fall, 2023): PSYCH 494<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJUDs_pbyi_DQ2v-mQn88_fg2lMXUgW6qs5PZtVcVRrmUqLO1sfAjX8FBgsjKfZNRVeJmTaIFcXZbn-q-2kSuIex7E5mQK9VYI5zVpiI3fXIhaDOLl2-JVKGwtT6RoCiECoBw-Zdy-3dCRJqlqZLiebdrW_w5EA1HpOTsvz0Ew-TvH1QI_MCjnFr5f6s/s2351/1060287-sv2spotstyl090portal8kw3002wdlm-1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2351" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJUDs_pbyi_DQ2v-mQn88_fg2lMXUgW6qs5PZtVcVRrmUqLO1sfAjX8FBgsjKfZNRVeJmTaIFcXZbn-q-2kSuIex7E5mQK9VYI5zVpiI3fXIhaDOLl2-JVKGwtT6RoCiECoBw-Zdy-3dCRJqlqZLiebdrW_w5EA1HpOTsvz0Ew-TvH1QI_MCjnFr5f6s/s320/1060287-sv2spotstyl090portal8kw3002wdlm-1280.jpg" width="174" /></a></div><p>Once more unto the breach--diving into the comments from my PSYCH 494: Human Factors and Ergonomics course. Who knows what they'll have to say...? (If it's not immediately obvious, my comments in parentheses are in full-on sarcastic/snark mode.)</p><p> Once more unto the breach--diving into the comments from my PSYCH 494: Human Factors and Ergonomics course. Who knows what they'll have to say...? (If it's not immediately obvious, my comments in parentheses are in full-on sarcastic/snark mode.)<br /><br />Wait--before I dive in. One of my kids is now in university. I hear every day about things that other instructors are doing (or, in many cases, are failing to do). Here’s a tiny sampling:<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>There is disregard for rules. (For example, one prof tried to hold two final exams. It boggles my mind that they thought this was even remotely a possibility. Shame.)</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>There is disregard for students. (For example, holding exams on a Saturday. I don’t care that they’re consolidated exams that everyone in the course has to take at exactly the same time. That’s bullshit. Closely related is having assignment deadlines on the weekend. Take a damn break and make it due on Monday. It’s not hard.)</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>And there’s being intentionally underhanded. Like a course that marks assignments by giving students a percentage, then converting that to a letter grade. At the end of term, the final grade is calculated by doing a weighted mean of the letter grades. WTF? And none of this is explained anywhere like the syllabus where university rules require it. (I’m looking at you, Department of English.) This also falls into the category of bullshit. Even a high-school level of math can show you how this distorts a student’s true performance. I can’t even.</li></ul><p>I’m listing these things because a) I would never pull anything like that. And b) it makes me embarrassed for my institution. You need to do better, University of Alberta instructors. Whatever criticism I may receive (i.e., see below), I am satisfied in knowing that I am doing better than a whole bunch of my peers. Okay, now let's get into my feedback!<br /><br /></p><blockquote>"one thing i appreciated about lecture notes specifically is the lecture outlines at the topic of every note package. thinking about them now i paid little attention to them but i think it’s incredibly helpful being told explicitly that it’s worth focusing on certain topics that were mentioned in these outlines."</blockquote>(That's great to hear.)<br /><br /><blockquote>"The first midterm caught me by surprise since my expectations of the test format didn't match what was presented. Had I known what to expect my study methods would have differed."<br />"In the short assignment I felt like there was not enough of what you really wanted the papers to be. At least from myself and what I have heard from other students is that it was hard to figure out exactly what we were supposed to write for the short assignment.”<br />“Professor L does a great job of providing clear instructions for assignments and exams.”</blockquote>(I thought I made it clear. I gave examples of questions. I'm not going to give examples of essay question answers, as each one varies from another by a huge amount. There's not much that generalizes.)<br /><br /><blockquote>“Exams and paper often had specific hidden criteria that students were effectively expected to guess (like being expected to guess the conceptual model of the designer of MacEwan, which if you got wrong resulted in a 5% penalty in the grade for that paper).”</blockquote>(No, I’m not asking you to guess. I’m asking you to think, and make a conclusion based on the evidence that I stepped you through in the walkthrough. Yes, it’s difficult! No, not everyone will be able to get it. It should be easy to get 50%, harder to get 75%, and even harder to get 100%. This should be true of all coursework. It’s not a hidden criterion: you were explicitly told to provide the designer’s conceptual model. It’s also not a “5% penalty”--it’s that you did not get the correct answer so you didn’t earn that 5%.)<br /><br /><blockquote>“The blanks gave enough to ensure that I was engaged but not overwhelming that I couldn’t pay attention to what was being actually discussed.”<br />“Fill in the blanks can make the lectures boring and thus I am not engaged in the material”</blockquote>(Gotcha. They’re engaging but not engaging.)<br /><br /><blockquote>“The readings, especially the textbook, were honestly quite interesting to read adn was quite informative.”<br />“I quite enjoyed Don Norman's book. I appreciate how it is not a traditional textbook. It was very readable.”<br />“The book did not really help in my understanding as what we needed to know was discussed in class, a waste of money”</blockquote>(You mean the free ebook available on the library website was a waste of money?)<br /><br /><blockquote>“If you cant recount word for word the lecture slides, then you will struggle with the exam. There was no room for deviation even if it was clear you understood the concept”</blockquote>(My job is to evaluate people’s learning, under the assumption that not everyone will learn everything to the exact same degree. If your answer to an exam question is perfect, you’ll get a perfect mark. If it’s incomplete, you’re going to get a lower mark. I’m not grading you on your understanding, I’m grading you on what you put down on paper.)<br /><br /><blockquote>“I think there could be more material to practice for the midterm and finals, such as more sample questions for the short answer and long answer”<br />“I felt the exam questions were unfair in what the question asked for and how we were marked.”<br />“The midterm was definetely not evaluative of peoples understanding , the average was a 55%. I studied incredbly hard and had memorized the material as wel as understood it yet was docked marks for stupid things”</blockquote>(Literally every single learning outcome can be considered a potential essay question--and there are dozens of them. Also, literally every single term in bold can be considered a potential short-answer question. I haven’t counted, but there are dozens if not hundreds of them as well. That’s a lot of potential practice, but you have to put in the work of doing a self-evaluation. Further, I also said I was willing to give feedback if you tried answering the questions and sent them to me in advance of the final exam.<br />As for fairness, that word means “impartial and just treatment or behavior without favoritism or discrimination.” How was I unfair? Maybe you didn’t like your mark, but that has nothing to do with fairness.<br />The class mean was low, I agree. That’s because performance overall was pretty low. Much lower than in previous terms--with exams having similar content, marked the same way. Maybe you understood the material, but if you write down something incorrect, that’s what I have to mark you on.)<br /><br /><blockquote>“the term paper could be done without utilizing any information from the course.”</blockquote>(That depends on your topic. You chose your topic, not me. If the systems approach applies to your topic, that’s an enormous amount of course content.)<br /><br /><blockquote>“I enjoyed being able to test myself and my research and writing abilities when completing my term paper. It’s by far the largest writing assignment I have done in University thus far and found that I enjoyed being able to research and write about a topic in such depth.”</blockquote>(It’s a shame you didn’t have the opportunity to write more before this course. At least you finally got the chance!)<br /><br /><blockquote>“Only being graded on 4 total assignments (midterm, applied project, final paper, final exam) is extremely punishing and does not give much room for growth if a mistake is made.”</blockquote>(My understanding is that having a greater course load is “punishing.” You want more assignments? Yikes. I agree in principle that more assignments is probably better, but I have a limited capacity to do marking. I don’t get to have a TA in this course; I have a marker, but I have to beg for that every term.)<br /><br /><blockquote>“feel the structure of the midterm & final exams exclude the possibility of assessing all content learned in the course. We were responsible for all course material, but only a few terms would appear on the exam.”</blockquote>(Oh my gawd! You want me to test you on <i>everything</i>? Seriously? I’ve never heard of <i>any</i> instructor doing that on <i>any</i> exam in my 30 years of teaching. The best instructors can do is take a representative sample and test on that.)<br /><br /><blockquote>“The term paper was so much work, which definitely caused a time crunch.”</blockquote>(I think that’s a you-thing, not a me-thing. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it’s a Term paper. Like, you’re supposed to work on it over the course of a term. I try hard to push students to do that--giving a bonus mark when you decide on your term paper topic. If you leave it to the end of term, yup, there’s going to be a time crunch. When I was a student, I had my term papers done two weeks before they were due. And this is in a time before anything was available on the web. I had to physically go to multiple libraries to look up and read my sources. Now, many students don’t even start their term paper two weeks before it’s due.)<br /><br /><blockquote>“Other classes come into play and impact my schedule and how I manage my time for assignments but the course work for this class independently is well spaced out and allows for lots of time to complete the assignments if you manage your time well.”</blockquote>(Yes! Time management skills FTW!)<br /><br /><blockquote>“You’re doing great lol.hats off to you.”<br />“I appreciate all the real-life examples! They really helped me to see the relevance of course content in daily life.”<br />“Case studies were very helpful in expanding the impacts of the topics and how they apply to our environment in practice.”<br />“Excellent use of case studies, very engaging.”<br />“They were EXCELLENT and incredibly helpful! Professor Loeplmann used several examples to illustrate real-world applications of difficult concepts.”</blockquote>(You spelled my name wrong.)<br /><br /><blockquote>“not supplying notes online feels antiquated and infantilizing.”</blockquote>(I have my notes online. On my website. I’ve been doing it for every course I’ve taught since 1995. How’s that for antiquated?<br />Oh--wait. Do you mean that I don’t post my PowerPoint slides? No, I don’t. I am exquisitely mindful of accommodating people with disabilities. PDFs of PowerPoints are crap for that. HTML is still an elegant solution. You can print them out. You can load them into a word processor.<br />Oh--wait. Do you want that I don’t give you full notes and have blanks that you have to fill in? I’ve been saying this--and posting on this blog--for years: You Don’t Have To Use My Notes. You can take everything down longhand.<br />Oh--wait. Do you mean something else? I dunno. I don’t really know what you’re criticizing. Maybe you just couldn’t find my notes online.)<br /><br /><blockquote>“The midterm exam was marked by Dr. Loepelmann himself very quickly after it occurred. :D For both the applied project and the midterm, the instructor provided in-class feedback which was great! No need for extra viewing sessions; efficient use of class time.”<br />“Feedback from the midterm exam as well as the assignments was specific and helpful for future learning. He also gave the option of submitting term papers early for some extra feedback which I found incredibly helpful.”<br />“The early term paper submission feedback was very helpful and was very much appreciated.”<br />“karsten seems to be a cool guy and easy professor to speak to. despite never actually speaking to him.”<br />“Dr. Loepelmann is professional, kind, and knowledgeable. He is also very humourous! One of the best instructors I have had in my university career. If I could afford to gift him an Aeron chair, I would. Thank you!”</blockquote>(Well, it looks like my strategy of “be the worst jerk of an instructor ever” is not working.<br />Anyway, to all the haters: I hope that one day you get to teach a class and get feedback on it.)<br /><br />Why aren’t you studying?<br /><p></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-86388761001194421172024-02-02T20:47:00.006-07:002024-02-03T16:17:25.180-07:00The SPOT (Fall, 2023): PSYCH 367<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJUDs_pbyi_DQ2v-mQn88_fg2lMXUgW6qs5PZtVcVRrmUqLO1sfAjX8FBgsjKfZNRVeJmTaIFcXZbn-q-2kSuIex7E5mQK9VYI5zVpiI3fXIhaDOLl2-JVKGwtT6RoCiECoBw-Zdy-3dCRJqlqZLiebdrW_w5EA1HpOTsvz0Ew-TvH1QI_MCjnFr5f6s/s2351/1060287-sv2spotstyl090portal8kw3002wdlm-1280.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2351" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJUDs_pbyi_DQ2v-mQn88_fg2lMXUgW6qs5PZtVcVRrmUqLO1sfAjX8FBgsjKfZNRVeJmTaIFcXZbn-q-2kSuIex7E5mQK9VYI5zVpiI3fXIhaDOLl2-JVKGwtT6RoCiECoBw-Zdy-3dCRJqlqZLiebdrW_w5EA1HpOTsvz0Ew-TvH1QI_MCjnFr5f6s/s320/1060287-sv2spotstyl090portal8kw3002wdlm-1280.jpg" width="174" /></a></p><p>On, I continue! Slogging through Student Perspectives Of Teaching! This time, PSYCH 367: Perception. (If it's not immediately obvious, my comments in parentheses are in full-on sarcastic/snark mode.)</p><blockquote>“Slides should be relased for finals or atleast sometime during the course to review. Its not fair to have fill in the blank notes and expect everyone to be able to attend classes and never miss one. Students should not be faulted because other students do not attend your classes. The blanks could be provided or the slides to provide extra information. everyclass moved very quickly and would sometimes go on irrelevant tangents.”</blockquote><p>(Me? Irrelevant tangents? I stick really close to my notes. Sometimes I got questions from students that I tried my best to answer. Is that what you mean by “tangents”? You can get any missed blanks from me at the end of class. Or from the Discord.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“The notes and course are really well put together and easy to follow! Notes make sense and are well suited to the material Lectures are the most engaging part of this class. They are fun and interesting and presented in a very easy way to follow with easily understood language.”</blockquote><p>(I’m glad it works for some people.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“Topics not gone over thoroughly enough. major topics are brought up and then dismissed with no emphasis whatsoever”</blockquote><p>(I wish I knew what “major topic” I bought up and then “dismissed.” Being specific here would actually help me. There’s nothing I can do with this vague feedback. You see, it’s really hard to present information to other people so that they can understand it. Was it autism? See, I can't go off on an "irrelevant tangent" or some people won't like that. See above.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“Might have been nice to have a basic rubric or template for labs, just to get any idea of the desired format.”</blockquote><p>(Yup, I know. I’m working on it.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“Your classes are the only classes I have ever taken that require me to graph data. No prerequisites for this course seem to require digital literacy. As such I suggest that at minimum, the requirements for graphing are better laid out within course documentation. Preferably, this would be a skill that you would actually teach us. The references included do not contain sufficient information on what is required to organize the data, and modify the graph to make it do what it should. I genuinely found making a graph to be the most challenging content in the entire class.”</blockquote><p>(At some point, you have to learn how to do graphing. This is that point. I’ve never taken a course in graphing. I’m completely self-taught--in the era before YouTube. In this course you were required to make: two graphs. That’s all. Just two line graphs. I’m happy to hear that you were able to learn how to make graphs in this course. I consider that a success. I mean, are there university courses on how to make a graph? Let me know and I will seriously add that as a prerequisite. Seriously.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“The lectures consisted of tons of information and evidence to back up theories that were both disproven and proven. It was difficult to follow what was the actual theories that are in use present day as we had to also know the false ones.”</blockquote><p>(Er, theories are not “true” or “false” (or right or wrong). That’s not how theories work. We get to better theories by seeing what didn’t work. I showed you the scientific process. There is value in that. This is a third-year course. It’s not about getting the right answer and moving on. There is complexity and nuance to science that you’re only starting to see at this level. Wait till you get to graduate courses. Shit, you’ll start to believe that <i>nothing</i> is true.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“the course website stating how you have never missed a class is not very supporting or accomodating to students. Students should not be faulted because other students do not attend your classes. It is not my problem that people do not attend your classes. Most profs do provide slide lectures.”</blockquote><p>(So my strong work ethic is not “supporting”? You’ll have to connect the dots for me on that one. I try very hard to be present for students in my classes--even when I was feeling ill pre-Covid. Likewise, I expect a level of commitment from students. Missing a class here or there happens, I acknowledge that. But this was an in-person class. So is it now unreasonable of me to expect that students actually attend classes? I guess you don’t have to. But you also don’t have to get an A. No, I don’t provide slides. That’s not my style. I’ve sat in on classes in which everyone has the slides. It's unbelievable how many students were disengaged, on their phones, going through email. Great, they were in class. But they weren’t <i>present</i>.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“It felt like we were often rushing through things closer to exams, not giving us enough time to reflect and learn the information before the exam.”</blockquote><p>(That’s on me and I apologized to the class for it. I’ll apologize again. I am sorry. I know that I need to remove some content. Editing is really hard for me.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“the format of the notes, the epolls during class and the online labs were all amazing ways to reinforce what we were learning and added an active element to classes. 10/10”</blockquote><p>(Thx)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“While the text book was helpful and so were the practice tests that it gave, I would've strongly preferred at least one practice test from the prof. Every prof as a unique way of writing questions and being able to have baseline for what questions to expect make it easier to prepare.”</blockquote><p>(See, that’s where the ePoll questions come in. I wrote those.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“Overall, I liked the textbook! I just wish there wasn't so much extra content in addition to lecture notes - it makes studying a little difficult as I don't know what to really focus on.”</blockquote><p>(I’m glad you found the textbook helpful. I’m ditching it next time I teach this class.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“Labs didn't really help my understanding, personally, and were just more work for grading.”<br />“The labs helped reinforce some important concepts in the course.”</blockquote><p>(Do you see how these surveys don’t really help me do my job? I mean, what am I supposed to do with this information?<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“Both the midterms felt like they tested on material we never covered, and were not really in the lecture notes. Even after studying a lot I still wasn’t prepared because the tests had questions on other material that we didn’t go over.”</blockquote><p>(I have <i>never</i> put a question on an exam based on material that was not in the lecture or textbook. Did you, y’know, read the textbook? That’s where 50% of the exam questions came from. Hmm, I think I may have discovered the cause of your difficulty.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“That one lab due just before reading week was sneaky and mean, especially considering there was another lab due on the first day back after classes. I would pick one or the other.”</blockquote><p>(Not trying to be sneaky or mean. I could, if I tried. Having things due on the weekend, like some instructors do. I try to space out the labs as much as possible, while also trying to cover the relevant background material before you do the lab. It’s very difficult to do this. Keep in mind, the labs are free. If I went with for-pay labs--about $60--I’d have a great selection to choose from and much greater flexibility. But I’d get mad comments from students about having to pay so much to do labs. I know the timing of these labs sucked. But I’ll see what else I can do next time. It's interesting that I didn't get a single positive comment about the labs being free.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“Two midterms I feel is not accurate or conducive to learning. More exams worth a smaller percentage of the overall grade I think would have benefited in this course as there was so much content that was expected to be known and memorized for the exams. More exams allow for most focus on the key concepts.”</blockquote><p>(You want <i>more</i> exams? You, dear person, are in the distinct minority. Don’t tell your fellow students about this!)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“it would be useful to have low stakes quizzes to see if the content was actually being learned after each chapter and to also promote staying on top of the reading chapters from the textbook”</blockquote><p>(So, you want something like, um, chapter quizzes maybe? Like the chapter quizzes that are on eClass? Or are you saying you want free marks for doing these?)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“My instructor provided very helpful examples that made the content interesting!”<br />“The visuals/examples make the class more engaging and are something hat is easy to reflect on when writing the exams/reviewing”<br />“Examples used in class were great.”<br />“Diagrams, videos, interactive activities were a really nice touch to the course material - it helped with staying focused during the entire class!”<br />“Very very very very very good at explaining things and giving help one-on-one if you asked. I wish I had the time to come and ask for help or have the language to get help.”<br />“They explained things very well and would change the explanation from the textbook to help”<br />“I never asked but when anyone asked questions in class he was quick to come up with a different way of putting it aside from the written notes to help people understand”</blockquote><p>(Whew. I’m glad I’m not <i>completely</i> wasting my time. I was starting to get worried!)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“No feedback was ever given by you, by the ta yes but not by you. when the average was 60 all you had to say was that it was consistent with past perfromance which is bull**** and not motivational or helpful at all.<br />* Inappropriate words were found and removed from this response.”<br />“I emailed the prof with concerns on my performance and was replied to with a lengthy email about ways in which I could better my performance of exams and also with what resources to refer to.”</blockquote>(To the first person: I designed the labs that the TA give you feedback on. That's a design choice I made. Also, do you want me to say that the class did badly? And some people did really crappy on the exam? <i>That</i> would be demotivating. Sometimes, classes do better than historical averages, which I take great care to point out to the class. And, see what the second person wrote? I’m here to help. But I’m not going to come over to your house or anything. You have to make some effort. Did you reach out to me at all?)<br /><br /><blockquote>“Not the most approachable.”<br />“the nicest prof i’ve ever had by far!”</blockquote>(*heavy sigh*)<br /><br /><blockquote>“Oh, he makes the class feel amazing with how he talks, jokes, and sets himself up in the class. I love this man so much, and I hope my next class with him is even better (:. He really REALLY reminds me of Wilson from the show 'House, M.D.' and makes me want to watch the show so much every time I have a class of his.”<br />“Very respectful and made the lectures fun to attend due to their sense of humour and this also made the content more enjoyable to learn. They also had amazing examples of each topic to help with learning the material and having those examples be fun made it easier to learn too”<br />“I really like Dr. Loepelmann's teaching style, and the material in the classes he teaches are always fascinating. I was already really interested in perception, and I was delighted when I found out he taught that class! I look forward to taking more classes with him in the future <3”<br />“this is the best prof at the entire uofa he deserves all the praise in the world! he clearly loves his area of expertise and going to his class is always a good experience. obviously the content is hard but he does a good job of explaining the majority of the time.”</blockquote>(❤️)<br /><p></p><p>Why aren't you studying?<br /></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-3249477992517426152024-02-02T19:44:00.005-07:002024-02-02T20:36:48.861-07:00The SPOT (Fall, 2023): PSYCH 282<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJUDs_pbyi_DQ2v-mQn88_fg2lMXUgW6qs5PZtVcVRrmUqLO1sfAjX8FBgsjKfZNRVeJmTaIFcXZbn-q-2kSuIex7E5mQK9VYI5zVpiI3fXIhaDOLl2-JVKGwtT6RoCiECoBw-Zdy-3dCRJqlqZLiebdrW_w5EA1HpOTsvz0Ew-TvH1QI_MCjnFr5f6s/s2351/1060287-sv2spotstyl090portal8kw3002wdlm-1280.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2351" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJUDs_pbyi_DQ2v-mQn88_fg2lMXUgW6qs5PZtVcVRrmUqLO1sfAjX8FBgsjKfZNRVeJmTaIFcXZbn-q-2kSuIex7E5mQK9VYI5zVpiI3fXIhaDOLl2-JVKGwtT6RoCiECoBw-Zdy-3dCRJqlqZLiebdrW_w5EA1HpOTsvz0Ew-TvH1QI_MCjnFr5f6s/s320/1060287-sv2spotstyl090portal8kw3002wdlm-1280.jpg" width="174" /></a>The SPOT are, of course, the Student Perspectives Of Teaching, taking the place of the USRIs. Here are some selected comments from students in PSYCH 282: Behaviour Modification from Fall term, 2023. (If it's not immediately obvious, my comments in parentheses are in full-on snark mode.)</p><blockquote>“I like the organization of the textbook better than the lectures. It seems more logical.”</blockquote><p>(But my lectures follow the chapters of the textbook <i>exactly</i>. I don’t know what else I could do except read directly from the textbook. Here’s what others thought, below.)</p><blockquote>“The lecture material and the textbook aligned extremely well”<br />“The textbook did have lots of overlap but it helped reinforce and strengthen my understanding.”</blockquote><p>💀 <br /></p><blockquote>“It would be nice to have a video to watch that explains the self-management project in a bit more detail”</blockquote><p>(I wrote an 11-page document all about: The Self-Management Project. Is it not long enough? Not detailed enough? I also talked about the project throughout the course in lecture. Sorry if that’s not enough for you, but I’m trying to treat you as adults.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“There were immensely to many terms needing to be remembered for each test. A non-cumulative design for each test would be more conducive to a better learning environment.”</blockquote><p>(The midterms were not cumulative, although this <i>university-level course</i> does build upon itself. All of those terms are part of the course content. Part of learning about behaviour modification is learning the language of the field. This is not part of the “learning environment.” You just want the exams to be easier, right?)<br /></p><blockquote>“notes could've been in greek"</blockquote><p>(Προσπάθησα να κάνω τα πάντα κατανοητά.)<br /></p><blockquote><p>“Class lectures were structured into 3-50 minute lectures throughout the week which felt like a really good pace to go about some of the heavy technical terms, subtopics and jargon that this course involves. The syllabus outlined everything in a very comprehensive and effective manner detailing what topics are going to be covered each week and the major due dates for the self management project."</p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">(See? This person gets it.)</p><blockquote><p>“I think at times the self-management project instructions and expectations could have been clearer. There were a lot of questions asking clarification about a lot of things. I also found the scoring rubric to be confusing. The point deduction and addition system in it was confusing.”<br />“I found the requirements for the self-management project clear”</p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">(These responses were literally one right after the other.)</p><blockquote>“I didn't like the fill in the blank lecture notes. I found it distracting trying to make sure I was getting all the blanks filled in and would miss blanks often when I was trying to pay attention to the lecture.”<br />“The taking of the notes by filling the blanks really increased my in class attention. Was a good idea.”</blockquote><p>(Some like it, some hate it. You don’t have to use them at all, you know. You are free to write everything down yourself. As I said in the first lecture, if you miss some blanks, you can come up to me at the end and I’ll help you out and give you the blanks you missed. Also, I think people were sharing them on Discord. So you won’t miss anything if you just put in a bit of extra effort.)<br /></p><blockquote>“I hate textbook exclusive testable knowledge. Everything testable should be covered in lectures.”</blockquote><p>(Reading is an important skill. Yes, it takes effort. You sign up for my course, I assume that you want to learn things--and develop your skills. No?)<br /><br /></p><blockquote><p>“There were a plethora of resources available on eClass and on the instructor's main course website. Literally everything from supplemental videos, Textbook answer key guides, assignment video tutorials, ePoll question sets, customized worksheets for several of the topics we learned throughout the course, substitution recorded lecture videos for the classes the professor unfortunately had to miss, a Zoom link to access some lectures when the class became a hybrid class, to even appealing, simplified 1 page infographics that made processing certain concepts and topics that much easier.”</p></blockquote><p>(Gee, when you put it that way, it sure looks like I put a lot of thought and effort into teaching this class!)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“Prof posted a recording on zoom but did not give us the password required to access the recording.”</blockquote><p>(When you click the video, Zoom copies the passcode to your clipboard and a message on screen says, “Copy Passcode to Clipboard.” This is how Zoom works, and I can’t change it. Sorry if it was too confusing for you.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“the textbook did not align with the notes in too many instances”</blockquote><p>(“Too many”? There were five. And I pointed each one out to you explicitly. I figure second-year university students can handle that.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“This course has strongly shaped how I see psychology as a field. As well I have made great strides in my own personal wellbeing”<br />“I had no idea about behaviour modification, and despite this being a hard course, I am highly motivated to continue more in this field, especially due to Loepelmann's amazing humour, knowledge, and overall awesomeness.”</blockquote><p>(Well that’s pretty darn cool. You keep me going, people; you keep me going.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“Need to read the textbook if you want to get over 80 on exams”</blockquote><p>(Is this a surprise or something? I did say half of the exam questions are from the textbook. And why are you writing this comment to me? This isn't rmp.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“More practice exam or questions would have been better”</blockquote><p>(So, having dozens of ePoll questions, dozens of worksheet questions, dozens on online chapter questions, and literally hundreds of practice quiz and practice test questions in the textbook are not enough? Really? How many are enough? Thousands? smh)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“had lots of practice exams”</blockquote><p>(Yes. Yes, I did.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote><p>“The one project that got split into 5 parts has a certain amount of points for each section but I found it difficult to tell how you were doing percentage/letter grade wise”<br /></p></blockquote><p>(You just have to do a calculation: the weighted mean. Here’s an online calculator: <a href="https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/math/weighted-average-calculator.html">https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/math/weighted-average-calculator.html</a>. If you are can’t do this, then I am sad that your math teachers have all let you down.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“dont get to keep our tests”</blockquote><p>(Yep, just like every other PSYCH course that has multiple choice exams. However, you could go to the exam viewing and spend 2 hours looking it over, though. You’re welcome!)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“THEY DID NOT MARK ANYTHING ON TIME”</blockquote><p>(I have to stand up for my TAs here. First, what even does “on time” mean? Were there some deadlines to have marked material back? Did I make any promises about when your results would be available? Answer: No. Marking almost 300 completely different assignment submissions is a massive job. It’s not the same as a TA marking answers to math problems in which everyone is supposed to get the exact same right answer. They did a damn good job and I appreciate it. More patience you need.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote><p>“If anything it felt slow paced at times”<br />“Too fast sometimes”</p></blockquote><p>(Ah, a classic complaint from two students in the same course. I go both too fast and too slow. In the same class.)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“I felt that the self management project was useless as we as students are already struggling with the material, we don’t need a full on project that is designed to change one of our behaviours when we can barely keep up as it is with not only this course but other courses as well.”<br />“The test were less about knowing the elements of the course and more about almost tricking us questions as it was close to the material but way to challenging to decifer.”<br />“Midterm 1 was very fair and representative of the course content as well as the self-management project which incorporated the occasional subject content of the course close to the date that it was actually taught.”</blockquote><p>(Maybe--and this is just a thought--maybe different people experience the same course in different ways. Maybe some people struggle more than others. I could simplify my course content to satisfy everyone. But then ? Is my course worse than, say, a second-year CHEM course? Or a second-year ENGL course?)<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“He is a WONDERFUL human and made the lectures incredibly enjoyable to attend!!! I would definitely take a class with him again. He is incredibly funny, engaging, and definitely passionate and knowledgeable about what he teaches!!! Definitely one of the best psych profs I have had, he is so organized and prepared”<br />“Dr. Loepelmann is one of the best professors I have had in university. You can tell that he wants people to succeed and go to great lengths to ensure that people are understanding the content of his lecture.”<br />“Dr. Loepelmann is an excellent professor. He makes the class and the topics more interesting with the videos played to us during class. He explains the topics in a concise way.”<br />“The energetic environment made me excited to learn and I always looked forward to coming to classes.”<br />“The environment wasn't too serious either: the expectations were mostly all clear and he was so incredibly kind and funny.”<br />“This course honestly broke my spirit.”</blockquote><p>(Well, that’s what I’m aiming for.)<br /></p><p>Why aren't you studying?<br /></p><p></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-64288088142313143272024-02-01T13:12:00.002-07:002024-02-01T13:12:30.613-07:00The Remote Delivery - Reviews<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIR3mc3TtGKXCJ5TzodzsZQ4sjA2sO8hA9pGGtzD1jxF3ukyuw8yoSwMv9USMk7DPgliN-VHYzSl333omGMRdvuEGVBxlxj4p3vup4VIQBmpNnrC9m0-trKKDDbVsG2xQ1ZjaoczxtztVwHMRe6jqy88QdMEGhzjhrcSM8TarsHVKGVNdt6xTpK1xrxHw/s1024/OIG2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIR3mc3TtGKXCJ5TzodzsZQ4sjA2sO8hA9pGGtzD1jxF3ukyuw8yoSwMv9USMk7DPgliN-VHYzSl333omGMRdvuEGVBxlxj4p3vup4VIQBmpNnrC9m0-trKKDDbVsG2xQ1ZjaoczxtztVwHMRe6jqy88QdMEGhzjhrcSM8TarsHVKGVNdt6xTpK1xrxHw/w320-h320/OIG2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I'm going through (cleaning out?) some of the stuff I have left over from our abrupt switch to remote teaching and learning due to the Covid pandemic. I was online almost two full years, from March 2020 to the end of February 2022. (I <a href="https://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-remote-delivery.html">previously wrote</a> about that experience.)<br /><p></p><p>(← crappy AI-generated image, thanks to Microsoft Bing Image Creator)</p><p>I never went through my evaluations and feedback comments (partly because the Department of Psychology has stopped giving out in-house teaching awards--which is another topic entirely). So here they are. Sorry, I've lost track of which courses these are from, and exactly which term. It all just blends together now.</p><p>“I really enjoyed the approach he took for the remote learning. Many profs seemed they had no clue how to go about it; some profs didn't even give anything like videos or notes. He was really fast acting in such a stressful and unique situation. I hope he knows that his hardwork and dedication to his students and his classes don't go unnoticed."</p><p>“Thank you for staying so consistent and working so hard. As a student watching and seeing that, it is truly inspiring.”</p><p>“The speed of which the instructor moved his material online. Some of my other instructors took a while to do so (which is understandable since it all caught us off guard) but it is really nice that Karsten Loepelmann had a lecture online the day the in-class lectures closed. He always updated on time as well which helped to keep me on schedule rather than waiting around for the next lectures to come.”</p><p>“The notes with blanks allowed me to listen more in class which helped me with my understanding of the material and concepts. I appreciated the ability to follow along with the PowerPoints while he voiced over the lectures. As well, the introduction and conclusion videos really helped and was something some other professors did not do.”</p><p>“I personally found that I was more motivated to engage with lectures during the set class time when they were initially conducted live, and I think some others may feel the same way. However, in the youtube format, I felt I was able to better absorb and understand the material as I could replay parts that didn't immediately register so falling a bit behind was traded off for clarity which isn't so bad in my opinion.”</p><p>“This course was very well suited to my style of learning and was one of the best classes I have taken in 4 years. The transition to remote learning was very smooth. Thank you for all the effort and enthusiasm you brought to this course, especially when everything went haywire.”</p><p>“The remote delivered lectures were of excellent quality; definitely appreciated the humour in them as well. Whether it's knowing the course material inside out, preparing well-thought out test questions, or editing his Youtube videos, you can tell this guy goes the extra mile and more.”</p><p>“Karsten was an awesome lecturer, he made the online classes probably as entertaining as they could be and he was really easy to stay engaged with. My only complaint is that there was absolutely no way to review our midterm exams and the final is cumulative so it’s impossible to know which areas we need to work on for the final.”</p><p>“Lecturer displayed content in an interesting way. Great quality lectures with great sound. Was pleasing to the ear to listen for more than 3hrs a session. Enjoyed this course overall.”</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">(More than 3 hours? You poor soul! Take a break, for heaven’s sake! Gah!)<br /></p><p>“If you are going to do more asynchronous videos in future semesters, break them into smaller, better focused videos so that each one feels more self-contained and to better space out the watching to execute the spacing effect of learning.”</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">(Excellent application of course content. Sorry about the length. What happens is I get carried away and lose track of time. And I hate chopping a video when I'm in the middle of explaining something.)</p><p>“I was very impressed by Dr. Loepelmann's delivery of this course given the circumstances. The effort put in was noticed and appreciated!”</p><p>“I feel like there is so much content to be covered, and the online videos make are longer than class time would be. It is a lot of information to try to teach myself and remember.”</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">(I didn’t work out if they were longer or not. If there were longer, it’s not because I added more content to the course. I probably talked more slowly than I would in face-to-face classes, because I’m not getting feedback on whether you’re understanding everything so I just go slow.)</p><p>“Absolutely outstanding professor. He did very well at making online courses fun and interactive. Very engaging and well spoken.”</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">(Aw, thanks!)</p><p>Why aren't you studying?<br /></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-24787168998856765742024-01-12T14:36:00.006-07:002024-02-26T15:10:12.148-07:00The New LMS<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCYWiOEkSztBKysmNLfLKrZYQvRnxQpG7U-GHi700eZ-mO7mJKTkp0mhW2FIGfnPsJjSxCLy7dj82S-Hvhv5c8PZ4ZmkhwWU7KjjdOKYJquL_qVHWgUMOOHwvXVe1B_pEWbFGWOnXC2deWH2O8xrSrqPcsybIcxv_VuP4h-l4xVfEs_LLuiBIiC9Mx7E/s301/trash.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="248" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCYWiOEkSztBKysmNLfLKrZYQvRnxQpG7U-GHi700eZ-mO7mJKTkp0mhW2FIGfnPsJjSxCLy7dj82S-Hvhv5c8PZ4ZmkhwWU7KjjdOKYJquL_qVHWgUMOOHwvXVe1B_pEWbFGWOnXC2deWH2O8xrSrqPcsybIcxv_VuP4h-l4xVfEs_LLuiBIiC9Mx7E/w165-h200/trash.png" width="165" /></a></div>LMSs are boring. Or rather, they should be boring--the less excitement, the better. First: What the heck is an LMS? A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_management_system">Learning Management System</a> is used by institutions to deliver courses. They can deliver a course fully online, or be used to supplement an in-person course by hosting the syllabus, allowing assignments to be submitted, and deliver marks. So eClass is the UAlberta LMS. At least, that's our name for it. Our LMS is an instance of the open-source LMS <a href="https://moodle.org/">Moodle</a>. I'm not completely sure why "eClass" was chosen, but it's likely because no one knows what a "Moodle" is. It sounds like a cross between a muddle and a noodle, which makes no sense. So it was probably coined to make it clearer that it's the system for Electronic Class.<p></p><p></p><p>Previously, we used other LMSs: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebCT">WebCT</a> and a later version, called Vista (Microsoft Windows Vista was released around the same time, and boy did <i>that</i> lead to some confusion). At the time, the provincial government bought a license for WebCT for every post-secondary institution in the province. (I know: hard to believe. This was at a time when the government actually gave a shit about post-secondary education.) After everyone had gotten used to WebCT, the company was taken over by Blackboard, who wanted to phase it out. At that point, about 10 years ago, the University of Alberta faced a decision: force everyone to go with a new, unfamiliar Blackboard LMS or force everyone to go with a different, unfamiliar LMS. That's when we Moodled! (Ugh, sorry.)<br /></p><p>In 2000, I taught a hybrid course (part online/part in-person), when we didn't have any LMS. I had to use a lot of hand-coded HTML. There were no lecture videos back then, just online notes and discussion forums. I wasn't interested in continuing that, and had no use for LMSs. I grudgingly learned how to use Moodle, but still relied mostly on my own hand-coded website. Again, this was before assignments were submitted online: students still handed in labs and term papers on, well, actual paper.</p><p></p><p>Grudgingly, I learned how to use eClass, gradually putting more assignments online. Some people used eClass to make MOOCs (massive open online courses) like <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/admissions-programs/online-courses/dino101/index.html">Dino 101</a>. But there was just no need for me to learn more. I mean, it would take something like a global pandemic to make me--and everyone else--re-examine boring old LMSs.</p><p>Oh, right. Pandemic. <i>That's</i> why we need an LMS.</p><p>When Covid hit, many of us instructors were in the same situation: I need to know how to do <i>everything</i> online, and I need to know it <i>now</i>. Lecture videos. Assignments. Exams. Grades. This was one of the most difficult aspects of the abrupt shift to remote teaching and learning. Many of us were constantly pinging eClass support, and when they became overwhelmed, we turned to each other for help.</p><p>By no means do I consider myself an eClass expert, but I was able to help a graduate student who was teaching their first class online. They even bought me a very nice bottle of wine as a thank-you present! So now that I'm fluent in eClass, now what? This is what: the email that sent a cold shiver of fear down my spine in September: "Transitioning to a New Learning Management System." Wha--?<br /></p><p>That's right, starting in Fall, 2024 (and rolling out to everyone by Fall, 2025) is a new LMS. Moodle will be no more.</p><p>There are a few good reasons to ditch Moodle. There were several high-profile outages of eClass during the worst possible time: during online final exams. This even hit me in December of 2020, when eClass crashed right before my PSYCH 367 final exam. (Students were given the option to write the final at another time, or allow their term marks to serve as their final grade: 14 out of 123 students chose to write the final.) Also, even though Moodle is free open-source software, the university has to pay for servers to host it, and for developers to maintain it (fixing bugs, adding new features). All of these costs start to get pretty expensive, so going with a hosted option looks like a better option.</p><p>A company hosts the LMS, running and maintaining the servers. They may add features (maybe). And they will covert existing eClass sections to their new format so we don't have to create new ones from scratch. This last one is a <i>verrrrrrry</i> sore spot for a lot of instructors. We spent so much time over the last 4 years learning the ins and outs of Moodle, and now we have to learn something completely different!? There are some existing custom plug-ins that may not work in a new system. (Departments like math & stats and physics use custom software to manage their grading workflow, for example.) Most other universities in Canada that are similar to the University of Alberta have already moved to other, hosted LMSs. Even UCalgary uses <a href="https://www.d2l.com/">D2L</a>. I mean, c'mon. Even <i>Calgary</i>.<br /></p><p>So, it's going to happen, no matter what. What's the new system going to be? I don't know; it hasn't been decided yet. But the timeline is pretty short--we should all know by the end of the month. And then the new learning curve begins. A note to students: please, <i>please</i> have patience with us. We're all going to be trying our best to learn this new system, and there are going to be glitches.</p><p>(One final thing. The University of Alberta provides tech support to MacEwan University, who are also using Moodle. If we ditch Moodle, it kind of puts MacEwan in a difficult spot. Maybe they'll end up hiring the eClass support staff who will inevitably be let go.)<br /></p><p>Why aren't you studying?</p><p><i>Update 2/26/2024:<br />After much delay, it's finally been announced: we're moving to Canvas. Yay? </i><br /></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-24152797065496406512023-09-28T11:04:00.000-06:002023-09-28T11:04:03.037-06:00The Office (Good News and Bad News)<p>You never want to hear the words "There's asbestos in your office." That was the first bad news. It actually followed the good news of "We're cleaning the floor of your office." It's nice to look forward to a spring cleaning after a long winter of tracking snow, dirt, and muck into my office. But it's not really nice to open the door to my office and see that Bee Clean ripped up the flooring. I complained about this and a guy came and put down black tape. That's it--no fixing or replacing. At this point, I didn't even know that there was asbestos under the flooring; they only told me about that years later.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMowN8Q4a8BjIwNh0lltO4FKOo4kUKpogldUipakalQysBLaq3Um6O__BNYFqr0Je6wcICkXbVXqc4PQ2ya-kn6yuPYv2y0eOHzn_jD_pFJXgtnaC0g6n5Hya0h08LV7N9MwLDitv4lWvc77r9SglcejjKeOwx5QezmK3gNgo3l6nqiFjiYElLjZ9HSU0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMowN8Q4a8BjIwNh0lltO4FKOo4kUKpogldUipakalQysBLaq3Um6O__BNYFqr0Je6wcICkXbVXqc4PQ2ya-kn6yuPYv2y0eOHzn_jD_pFJXgtnaC0g6n5Hya0h08LV7N9MwLDitv4lWvc77r9SglcejjKeOwx5QezmK3gNgo3l6nqiFjiYElLjZ9HSU0" width="320" /></a></div>Does this look carcinogenic to you?<br /><p></p><p><i>"No problem," he thought optimistically</i>.<i> "If it's a hazard, they would do something about it."</i> But then the UCP took office and cut half a billion dollars and counting from higher education. There was no money for anything--not even asbestos abatement. And then Covid hit, and I taught remotely for almost two years. I guess that's good news? The fact that I wasn't in my office, being exposed to carcinogens. Okay, yes. That's good news.</p><p>Remote teaching eventually came to an end and I went back to my office. My asbestos-ridden, cancer-causing office. This spring, though, there was a glimmer of hope. Scarce money was being allocated to asbestos remediation. Yup, offices on the third floor would be completely redone. That's some good news, all right! The bad news is that my office is on the <i>second</i> floor, and there wasn't enough money for those offices. I looked jealously on as my colleagues packed up their offices. They would soon be asbestos-free, with spiffy new university-standard offices. This is the standard offices that new faculty get when they're hired: fresh paint, choice of flooring, new ceiling tiles, new window blinds. But not me: I'm old, not new.<br /></p><p>But then--from out of nowhere--an email. Good news! More money had been allocated to redoing offices on the second floor! Except, as I peered through the documents, it wasn't so good. I'd be getting new ceiling tiles, and having the walls of my office painted. Wait, what? That's it? That can't be right. Every other office on my floor has either been completely redone (for new faculty), or was now on the list to be redone--except my office. That's, well, Bad News.</p><p>(Digression: What's the deal with ceiling tiles? The next time you're in the Biological Sciences Building, look up at all the gross, stained ceiling tiles. This building has leaks. It leaks a lot. When it leaks, it stains the ceiling tiles. Better not to look up. It's gross.)</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjViGU-9oivBnY3U9amwZbnbGnoRc387tOlH6f_POMwTbWN5u1uQJpF0MPkm5Dpo3DzA2QO84HMWKDbSB1euz4oNKTUDzzIG76D70-7kU6EljuMP2NXkHn5biMzPV-0y6-gXTodzW7n9gBdYZMu9S05tWa9ONBEs3SLRd_p0367fCyqrIuud0R_-R99L54" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjViGU-9oivBnY3U9amwZbnbGnoRc387tOlH6f_POMwTbWN5u1uQJpF0MPkm5Dpo3DzA2QO84HMWKDbSB1euz4oNKTUDzzIG76D70-7kU6EljuMP2NXkHn5biMzPV-0y6-gXTodzW7n9gBdYZMu9S05tWa9ONBEs3SLRd_p0367fCyqrIuud0R_-R99L54" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: left;">I firmly outlined my case and eventually received (you see where this is going?): Good News. They would redo my office after all. It's just that, well, the renovations would start in the summer and run pretty close to the start of fall term. But there were a couple of weeks of buffer time in between, so that shouldn't be a problem. Right? Deep breath, and relax...</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguw7FhuGgUgqsD2oK77nSaLnnopkRzxALLItnEvunTJmBecl6k3UDQnK1CLD4TzKUutNvsZ9Fer-7iVQcxCEiRXSAFyIQUIFvXbwCSivXNtRd0R_nNK_yfoMDshHE8jVwmaA8svw8NYn6gjcT4RLqdEM6itg2Fmf6khdY5wc9W-eTtss42mbZv7tTvz9o" width="180" /><br />Packing up the office.</div><p></p><p>It took me <i>four full days</i> to pack up my office. Over 25 years worth of textbooks, papers, and knick-knacks. And an opportunity to pare it all down. (<a href="https://konmari.com/">Marie Kondo</a>, eat your heart out.) I went through every single thing in my office, recycling a few hundred kilos worth of old textbooks and papers, and boxing up the rest. Here's what it looked like:</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbg6D12L9BTXqULNiAmJfGd16FNCygYHC4tB-rIfuHrVfLVPi5CgJ6CYZuulhh0sBYbI9ZaK--KkjqFasSTMEWhTJDLXYZlD5tONPqvmVgMqZrE_2hGHB5wceoYo-gaD9p4jwMDkGOfXj9wPuRoDx5BhsbBtv21bKYNuDvAIuMNFZVWAuAYy8H6KRyrds" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0B-tJ_uUDwKs2YjxcA1MwFFs2-RPns_5fLui6_CCEKiD0bW_-ANySGU_fpar1fouJqD2yWa_oCeTLlqwQviPpLYI8WsqQ-Q-TTrgXTtAjvl1u-B8KWksrIEIKie-KqzdDCVI1vm562qKv4sea-dFHZ3YNxXfbFKYuX7Uk5n-1MMbiAPsssPEowLv9cws" width="180" /></div>Boxes, boxes, boxes!<br /></div><p></p><p>(There was another bad news item that happened. The movers got tired (I guess?) and went for a break, leaving my office door wide open and all my stuff just sitting there unattended. Anyone could have just walked in and taken whatever they wanted. As if we don't have <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/protective-services/information-safety/theft-prevention.html">enough problems with theft</a> as it is. Grr!)<br /></p><p>And then I was done packing. I put it all out of my mind. There won't be any more bad news! Family vacation time in Victoria! Workers would be ripping up floored, remediating asbestos, and generally beavering away getting everything ready well before the first day of class. Except... Except not. Bad news: "delays" in getting the carpet. Which meant delays in getting everything else done, and getting all my stuff moved back. My greatest fear came true: move-in day was scheduled for September 8, with classes starting on September 5. So I'd be without an office for the first week? The busiest week of the year? Time to complain again.</p><p>Kudos to my department's executive assistant, who found me a spare office to use. I'll count that as good news, I guess. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqc2FzrJidaMhe-ogtBLF05_PM1lBkDf3A1S3_pm22L4kOUfGj2RBmgXg9AFWcAwyJf73wOVhNDjDYkdCSEExWgVhIhKa0DADoUTbdKLiE87gaY5IbgEv_oudlm1O320xdDXWvxyHbWZDN8RmNtT2ebWQ8YeFU2Am4D2swzm6grI33hUHWj04TtnDznEY" width="320" /><br />A temporary office is better than no office?</div><p></p><p>And then, at last, finally, it was done.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCaISnHNBTQ1Sfc9WkZkvpmXdSEln1vBv0mkTGANwUDxFWeM1b3Y3ZBnalQP_eNZgYKXkuTTPT7YjDk4LMgPfBtmYp3XV4pr7yMrRUHHtvoRvG8M50kCTArYQdQkSWzFPGrdpV9qqthsGBHsBAFQ69zo30HMnGcKiWXQgCpKSmUaC_o7yT-OogErWQsGY" width="180" /> <img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1Lm0SNgu77803gflzs3w5yh832e2bpibAwBW0a1bj29sia6jOGpumTiN0j7MeD9iiy_ptscv7-YEpLmP8oSfV-1-wb1OdYFGzPtr19xC1hDd4fabvdqUM0EmcT2rsz6MsWVUiOW9HDRL-ofgBXKmAkdmuFYSI3uEXowAYDPS4n3gH1DojyeHkWDRamJo" width="320" /><br />Hmm, stripier than I thought.<br /></div><p></p><p>Move-in day followed soon after. I've spent every spare moment over the past few weeks unpacking boxes, organizing stuff, and reconnecting computer equipment. After hours and hours of work, here's what it looks like now:</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW2d6-VNcnvs1NEMcFo60G7T8D0LGudvruR_U_va_wki1bjokzwIjeekzxjoW6aqx95EWH9gXWoLr0KoKeYDp4tIsOE3IPJN_9qk3jiFqlSCWoQzTReulJb8Qyy45Ej5IsmaYIexviorpkYt3Ry26iCGvObLkPVEqBJQcElorQcpAXmDSijtzm_2jQITk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW2d6-VNcnvs1NEMcFo60G7T8D0LGudvruR_U_va_wki1bjokzwIjeekzxjoW6aqx95EWH9gXWoLr0KoKeYDp4tIsOE3IPJN_9qk3jiFqlSCWoQzTReulJb8Qyy45Ej5IsmaYIexviorpkYt3Ry26iCGvObLkPVEqBJQcElorQcpAXmDSijtzm_2jQITk" width="180" /></a></div>That's more like it!<br /><p></p><p>All done! Good news! But...but wait. I noticed something. I stepped closer. I peered at my blinds. My old, unchanged, not updated blinds. Oh, they'll be replaced "at some point." So, some bad news after all.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9lR9MhYKBbliaTpDrNNzO5DRToDhGB99tJX-ZxYUAKshDPG4Rk2mYxxvm1PFjWD125jAfkst7Y_DyOTbgLjuxgb-f5j3NOlsexts3esB6CTlxT9Qh8dyggOxHD9oyqhTFN5fJiJNMtwBQyE0P-6E5_1mH0M_n8BgR8_wNn8CkmeyH3LZng2kQ8gSpD_s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9lR9MhYKBbliaTpDrNNzO5DRToDhGB99tJX-ZxYUAKshDPG4Rk2mYxxvm1PFjWD125jAfkst7Y_DyOTbgLjuxgb-f5j3NOlsexts3esB6CTlxT9Qh8dyggOxHD9oyqhTFN5fJiJNMtwBQyE0P-6E5_1mH0M_n8BgR8_wNn8CkmeyH3LZng2kQ8gSpD_s" width="180" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>Overall though, I am pleased with the reno. The office looks pretty nice. I finally have carpet like my colleagues have. And the reno gave me the opportunity to get rid of a lot of stuff I don't need. Thing are more organized, and there's a lot more room for my stuff:</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiP_Mdv5hl5_0RNo2b2lJ0R2b1ShtgSvzlghPzjkeWUDx5I66z0-5jWxAuOrkcMurwfOyq4mqs1KDv1EFWacZmuuqXBq77JMk0LQW7G_pgUm8ACfQc7wAkJcEvU81BRurtk3GwHtZx4YCzM9SrbQtAZOawfwpKd_5h68U0pFEyF6Ts4Lte9kw2jQMcaZyc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="2917" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiP_Mdv5hl5_0RNo2b2lJ0R2b1ShtgSvzlghPzjkeWUDx5I66z0-5jWxAuOrkcMurwfOyq4mqs1KDv1EFWacZmuuqXBq77JMk0LQW7G_pgUm8ACfQc7wAkJcEvU81BRurtk3GwHtZx4YCzM9SrbQtAZOawfwpKd_5h68U0pFEyF6Ts4Lte9kw2jQMcaZyc=w400-h140" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Now that's good news! <br /></p><p>Why aren't you studying?</p><p><br /></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-79458228897831974242023-09-05T21:24:00.000-06:002023-09-05T21:24:09.701-06:00What I Did on my Summer Vacation (2023 edition)<p>How was my summer? Busy--even busier than usual. So much going on.</p><p>As usual, I spend the majority of my time prepping for the next academic year. Sigh. Technical stuff: Manually converted all of my web pages to HTML5, and tried my hand at Inkscape to create vector images of the logos and graphics on my web pages. Hopefully, everything looks better on mobile devices now. Content stuff: Developed a new lecture topic on information design, which I should have done long ago. I got three books to get me up to speed (of course!).<br /></p><p>🚙 In the spring, I got a new car: a Hyundai Tucson hybrid. I really wanted the plug-in hybrid but didn't want to wait 2 years (!) to get one. It often takes a while get comfortable with a new car, but not with this one. It's smooth and easy to drive, and it gets even better gas mileage than my old hybrid.</p><p>🔥 Then the wildfires hit--and kept on coming. So much destruction and chaos. My heart goes out to those disrupted and displaced by the terrible fires this year. Yeah, we had a lot of smoke to deal with in the city, but at least we were all safe. I hope the rebuilding goes swiftly.<br /></p><p>🏖 Took the family to Aspen Beach on Gull Lake, as we do every summer. Chased butterflies and ate ice cream.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2971" data-original-width="3247" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEVRkl_jyE0wsL_caVvaw6IC97Eu1TbFVw1tlJuwOdc25MijPqoD9gEHjCHNmHqvee1jnqNLx3es8VjmROGeHeePV5ZQIEMTxKmtu-0WtiWUQGjxpU3Hh6BnfbKJAwABRx0bd-5uDCjHvdzXQn-w6wkaruyvdNegJayRdjb-KyKRyCBVBL1jqHhDgxTo/s320/icecream.jpg" width="320" /><br />It's melting!</div> <p>🦋 Then we headed to the Calgary Zoo for <i>more</i> butterflies. (Clearly, my wife and daughters are big fans of butterflies.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2656" data-original-width="3024" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXzzmp1sBgbyoWhnaRcx0mNb0nwhxy4mbD2kG4pSJhs9gr3PSqE4h9db-wVjfheo_lNILchtqy5lUp-uT-o-ccJNyB3AC4geWzHAYmVjfGLM39Zwryzez6AGedL6uV7OV7DFBtfLOyLTOBrAowCUjgQSAS3YF8-X-ImPdDU4VaLipt57lvoW8DKN2j-I/s320/butterfly.jpg" width="320" /><br />So. Many. Butterflies.<br /></div><p></p><p></p><p>🐱🐉 Next up: Drumheller. It's been <a href="https://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2018/09/what-i-did-on-my-summer-vacation-2018.html">five years</a> since we were last at the Royal Tyrrell Museum; it's always worth the trip. And then: hoodoos.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxAKYSGHbEM4sELwW23SnT73acCYxvrKn30Ht4MQ9R3EzdWLrWJ--Ka6Mr936kT85CfuEYQ4IvOBx9mUi0OECeYGOJnlAJkyXXRf9slomwmlpxy__DbcoQEh21nWvvUBwrXb8MuAIFZTOP4yCUm45SDkEH4Vhn3nRGH8SV3JeiRECkzitHCCMJqpovS0/s320/IMG_4006.JPG" width="240" /><br />Hoodoo?</div> <p>🎬 There were a lot of blockbusters this summer. I didn't get around to doing the Barbenheimer thing. My mission, which I chose to accept, was seeing <i>Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (Part One)</i>. There's a lot of punctuation in that title.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2935" data-original-width="2527" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4umMA2l50X8NKpI5JKEanwdPqPtg9xlX41gm9cyKZSg_DjBRZRJxpn4YKScsenHopOD4IR2T2MNgJLnuPwZJ27-hOXnqZjSLG93qgM58e4tlsJN3xcKF8DPjgw2dKkZt-v87ouWzggDuLXXQgBkme19ldz1wHsFdEMdpfignh0i7zes5JaFFsd3DHGw/s320/mission.jpg" width="276" /><br />Mission: Completed!</div><p></p><p>🎠 I got to spend time with my youngest daughter at K-Days. Thankfully, she's not into rides (me neither). It was all about the snacks and the petting zoo.</p><p>🌷🌸🌹🌺🌼 The highlight for us though was our first real holiday in five years, and the first real summer vacation we've taken as a family, going to Victoria. <a href="https://www.butchartgardens.com/">The Butchart Gardens</a>! (Flowers, flowers, FLOWERS!) <a href="https://butterflygardens.com/">Victoria Butterfly Gardens</a>! (Butterflies, amirite?) <a href="https://thecastle.ca/">Craigdarroch</a> and <a href="https://hatleycastle.com/">Hatley</a> castles! <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frickindelights/?hl=en">Frickin' Delights Donuts</a>! (Owned and run by ex-Edmontonians--given them a try!) <a href="https://www.tourismvictoria.com/see-do/activities-attractions/statues-landmarks/mile-0">Trans-Canada Highway Mile 0</a> and the Terry Fox memorial statue! (Got choked up a little bit.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Bc52n83buWC880B2EvwkN_U2qEDoxELoRyvDfoVD2WuxXm8CeWkUxnLxZwq7EjCUm841M5ukqSdDPgpPJ0pe3krs0zYpNosH9OJiNI2muQxlIHa2eZUodQT0kp5hLu0rkQoLc6TI4o3RDC2cc9wgBsTa8aOx1U0wRdcvG65Ki9xCPa_p_vEQuBfokYg/s4032/IMG_4630.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Bc52n83buWC880B2EvwkN_U2qEDoxELoRyvDfoVD2WuxXm8CeWkUxnLxZwq7EjCUm841M5ukqSdDPgpPJ0pe3krs0zYpNosH9OJiNI2muQxlIHa2eZUodQT0kp5hLu0rkQoLc6TI4o3RDC2cc9wgBsTa8aOx1U0wRdcvG65Ki9xCPa_p_vEQuBfokYg/s320/IMG_4630.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdEhz_KGYY5Kh7u2KqF2Ns-SO7GWrxhooX9huI77HK0akAEbB_q5uOVjuQxj3QwVSPyKA3IDaIsUlZgmVLA8OJTZWxie42Em8-xN8Y4QpT73u147PqnFoXoZkdF_INu_AmvxXdCAwuZO4JxlKEYvoCLEhH0R6Z7ANt7nwmVzQo5PSgWGCgF_JNKwsPec/s320/IMG_4635.JPG" width="320" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(This is a pretty good photo. 😎)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9-zFAEvXbest6TLfYQGQKibn3lQEkXmT5ZVm7ILWCP2DYhNW-u3bzfTMeNyluKSDjaiGGWmHe3LiYlENMvd7O6p5h1up0L0093SihDorN6gbDxhRl_2HIUUDDcxGWqP7FDOSkAkffjcSKiiOFQhaS8qt8v4qPYU_dyjDZjIgKCXeXV1nakuwUXoqyoo/s320/IMG_4649.JPG" width="320" /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3450" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBSI_QSjs0arM2_IleoBTlOW9OvrnLzys3aVkA3qTj3xThLQEdeQCZY_HL4EIeYi5FJklGSrsHqrvGl0y1k-2Oi9_fbC6y0e24po9ft87BT14-tGo4rqt_xOCO2d5AXLjlcJP-7sBuyvDxBgZOshV-O3HTKTNHS0yvrX8fQ4y4p98LXqXmy4LCkdhN8s/s320/frickin.jpg" width="280" /><br />(You think these look good? You should <i>try</i> them. Frickin'!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieEffnBtZsIeOStHj41GcOw3I2DCv8LAHkXvmlX_ycascw_XSk_P_3ctaOYPYygaUcHmNpYygEF7Lm1JpNjeTU_UGB80s-v7pQF34SrlKUyv-hws5OizZeoi-0l543VZBAHhF2gPZEt_uXhEIEYr7COwK-e5TMI7uBnSZQ5wLA-vISZx4h7Hl8t2Ifjg/s320/IMG_4674.JPG" width="320" /></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVo52IJmfMWP5ggq91bkmpx9SOcoWY0DQRY0j78Fnph5oCtwbi_Ju_O70vdL3ULAv54Wu9T-nWZg1mOvhONkPdDrO8LKA9ZsnPklGlc4X-Zqe6Wno-E8Xoh0AkDPX7UYSyMyBkLHlN223y2qzq6s9nVK2m6zgvL6R7h25XwPE8wkm6T-QW5pCMQeLBuo/s320/IMG_4675.JPG" width="240" /><br />RIP, Terry. GOAT!</div><p></p><p>Whew! Lots of fun, and way better than last year when I <a href="https://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-toe.html">broke my toe</a>. Way better. Un/fortunately, I also had some good news and then some bad news. But that's another post.<br /></p><p>Why aren't you studying?<br /></p></div>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-48479162597029258932022-09-20T11:44:00.005-06:002022-09-20T11:44:53.207-06:00The Toe<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEm4nTVSEckiZPgUmwf3aBI_uooAXFQdCfX9yPo74U_ZjiArNjr8V2ygh6Jjd6JlKVVQBkYD6q9ebC_mtnjy419WlRHZkB_hy-fjXU6bsuTHNjYrz1bIL1jz9GNEGhvFARDyJxTypYv98KsxXFAV9e0mLH_W7CKMsT3dQnH9v8QxGYbx2kBFwgTrPO/s4032/unnamed1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEm4nTVSEckiZPgUmwf3aBI_uooAXFQdCfX9yPo74U_ZjiArNjr8V2ygh6Jjd6JlKVVQBkYD6q9ebC_mtnjy419WlRHZkB_hy-fjXU6bsuTHNjYrz1bIL1jz9GNEGhvFARDyJxTypYv98KsxXFAV9e0mLH_W7CKMsT3dQnH9v8QxGYbx2kBFwgTrPO/s320/unnamed1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>The <i>broken</i> toe, that is. Ugh, yes, I have a broken toe: distal metatarsal on the third toe of my right foot. I broke it exactly two weeks before classes. No, there's no interesting story. I'd like to say that it was run over after I grabbed a child out of the way of an out-of-control bus. Like something out of the movie <i>Speed</i>. But no. The real story is, well, pretty dumb.<p></p><p>I came home, took off my shoes, and took a step. Unfortunately, I happened to step with my full weight onto a sharp little rock. This came as a surprise to me, along with the intense pain it caused. I reacted by freaking out and sort-of jumping off the rock and sort-of kicking my leg out. No problem, except that there was a door frame occupying the space where my leg kicked out, and my foot smashed into it. The worst part of all this--aside from my broken toe--is that there was no damage at all to the door frame. C'mon, at least a crack? No?<br /></p><p>(What was a rock doing in the house? My guess is that it was leftover gravel that was on the roads from last winter. The city does a lousy job of cleaning it all up in the spring in my neighbourhood, and there are piles of sand and gravel everywhere. Rocks get stuck in the bottom of running shoes and fall out onto the floor of the house. I found the rock and kept it as a "souvenir" but then my wife threw it away. It was pretty big. For a little rock.)</p><p>The X-ray showed it was broken, so I was off to the medical supply store to get my strappy boot. It's actually pretty comfortable. I may continue to wear it even after my toe heals.</p><p>The worst part was not the pain, but knowing that classes started in two weeks. That's not enough time to heal up. I'd have to hobble around campus. Even worse, one of my classes was in the Fine Arts Building--1 kilometre from my office, door-to-door. Ugh. I timed it: it took me 25 minutes to limp there, and another 25 to shuffle back.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKOJMl-S2yXGGyPBCnUZQ3KuEVmJUSK-tAAoFSomBC7l1sYZwlXVDAHIfiHscm1JQqwAS7vXv1aZQA_iw-JWlv5zD3xBTdRwkISbgl2uNzRARJss9CAgvRvi1bcPTNc_iMT_X-Iljy03WN4sdrg8OvGjVHMiYcz0WPfQi3lc-FGzrvYvVZHPG7xfh/s900/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="771" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKOJMl-S2yXGGyPBCnUZQ3KuEVmJUSK-tAAoFSomBC7l1sYZwlXVDAHIfiHscm1JQqwAS7vXv1aZQA_iw-JWlv5zD3xBTdRwkISbgl2uNzRARJss9CAgvRvi1bcPTNc_iMT_X-Iljy03WN4sdrg8OvGjVHMiYcz0WPfQi3lc-FGzrvYvVZHPG7xfh/w548-h640/Untitled.png" width="548" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;">(Yeah, Google Maps says 850 m from building-to-building, but my Fitbit says 1.0 km door-to-door.)<br /></p><p></p><p>The prognosis is 4 to 6 weeks for recovery. It's already been 4 weeks, and I am starting to feel better. I know this because the other day, on the way to that faraway class, I actually passed a couple of bros in HUB Mall. Sure, they were wrapped up in their conversation, but this was the first time I passed another human being in a month!</p><p>I'm actually supposed to be doing better than this, but my medical advice was to "stay off your feet." Ha! As if. Tell that to the people in Exams and Timetabling who assigned me a classroom on the opposite side of campus. Here's a typical result from my Fitbit:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwk4B5IeCDraAdqRW1gN_p5oPwuwXAc7wb6SKML_LW4-N2ZDrlueQS1ARxYq6tG8oFdOaeeeMBNULWrOmchXTAGWvTp9CmbhZ7WG1PiS8j1vjxGX5Hv1iwclUHn4rEg7ZWel3dEfDK3Poi35iopMZoJ7G3yWjy-U-wYw3At2FAGH_R-oq2OO5CYME/s826/unnamed2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwk4B5IeCDraAdqRW1gN_p5oPwuwXAc7wb6SKML_LW4-N2ZDrlueQS1ARxYq6tG8oFdOaeeeMBNULWrOmchXTAGWvTp9CmbhZ7WG1PiS8j1vjxGX5Hv1iwclUHn4rEg7ZWel3dEfDK3Poi35iopMZoJ7G3yWjy-U-wYw3At2FAGH_R-oq2OO5CYME/s320/unnamed2.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(14,641 steps is not exactly "staying off my feet.")<br /></div><div><p>Being temporarily disabled, however, has given me perspective on what mobility challenged people face every day. There are a lot of stairs on campus. North Campus is pretty spread out. And even just psychology courses are scheduled in buildings all across campus. It's really opened my eyes.</p><p>So if you see someone who has a mobility aid, or is just hobbling along maybe hold the door open for them. Some people may not want--or need--any help. But a limping guy in a fashionable boot would appreciate it.<br /></p><p>Why aren't you studying?</p><p>(P.S. In a weird twist, I'm not teaching in FAB anymore. But that's another post...)<br /></p></div>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-80444194999516386382022-09-01T12:14:00.000-06:002022-09-01T12:14:21.129-06:00What I Did on my Summer Vacation (2022 Edition)<p>With COVID-19 on the decline, I was looking forward to my summer vacation this year! So my family and I...well, um. We did a bunch of things that we do every year. <a href="https://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2019/09/what-i-did-on-my-summer-vacation-2019.html">Home repairs</a>. <a href="https://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2018/09/what-i-did-on-my-summer-vacation-2018.html">Calgary Zoo</a>. (We were in Calgary during the Stampede--and we did not go to the Stampede. Kinda tells you a lot about us...) <a href="https://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2020/08/what-i-did-on-my-summer-vacation-2020.html">Cannoli</a> from Sweet Capone's. Lake. Here's a photo from Gull Lake:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EXU9d2zAKhHzYKBhPArKqpXKlb9wR1Q-t6Jwqrkwa312GcFEhMz3-J3F79NdqYWy7PsQZLuF5G_jZ1qSf_sW_5k5gHgM8WPp1snYUGjs_SlM6kdlTKiot1nBhTrl2DRv0GIoJZHRN6BOosr_04hgXszf5izxgh-xQh-jMQhopW72V_QsP4gVdTmx/s4032/unnamed%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EXU9d2zAKhHzYKBhPArKqpXKlb9wR1Q-t6Jwqrkwa312GcFEhMz3-J3F79NdqYWy7PsQZLuF5G_jZ1qSf_sW_5k5gHgM8WPp1snYUGjs_SlM6kdlTKiot1nBhTrl2DRv0GIoJZHRN6BOosr_04hgXszf5izxgh-xQh-jMQhopW72V_QsP4gVdTmx/w400-h300/unnamed%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I mean, look at it. Wow, what beautiful...mud? And this photo has most of the beach/shoreline cropped out. Gull Lake is shallow to begin with, but I don't think I've ever seen it this low. Anyway, I'm not much of a beach person. I'm a sitting-in-the-shade-and-reading person. So that's what I did. No photos of that.<br /></p><p>At least Bow Falls is same-old-same-old gorgeous:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso0aMIGQ32l3E23kMcSCwSVRdHkYgw1oNMJ--PiWIxhHLHuurF1hfYwwL8T9xsgmrebvGfeLjphvNtQsiN1iFOEjFOaoPgTvb7-tfTujlyqelIqAWrLscwUI53ze0gQAriTJ2njzPrqcjVqVfBcOYvf_zSxBWUyq-ZH1pbpO9UUtWdhxjXFfsNRwl/s1800/unnamed%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso0aMIGQ32l3E23kMcSCwSVRdHkYgw1oNMJ--PiWIxhHLHuurF1hfYwwL8T9xsgmrebvGfeLjphvNtQsiN1iFOEjFOaoPgTvb7-tfTujlyqelIqAWrLscwUI53ze0gQAriTJ2njzPrqcjVqVfBcOYvf_zSxBWUyq-ZH1pbpO9UUtWdhxjXFfsNRwl/w320-h400/unnamed%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>But honestly, this photo could have been from any day over the past 20 years or so. Sigh.</p><p>Look, I'm trying to give you insight into my life and the things I do over the summer. At final exams in April, some students say "Have a great summer!" on their way out. That's nice, but first I have to teach a spring class. And then I end up spending almost every day of my actual summer catching up on improvements to my courses that I haven't been able to do for the past three years. (I think I made more changes/updates/improvement this summer than I've ever made before.) But do you want to hear about that? Probably not.</p><p>Okay, but! There is something new. My eldest daughter graduated high school, got three scholarships and is now a student at the University of Alberta!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHwl_MLm7zAKTHnjXyuqD9LvcC1vv7BX83cXRy-Yh_Bq1ARgqFVtvmV771QLPABqGMTNbP_LZAo5-cI5pmyKxi8jrz9CFFrwrXzdhb3ruyMZuVAJ5EI4x3auIHzPIFLr91iWxVybgril78fiDTy0SSdrYXm5-Qq5zAHZxLxVNwWO6jV-JEETnBM6u/s3088/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHwl_MLm7zAKTHnjXyuqD9LvcC1vv7BX83cXRy-Yh_Bq1ARgqFVtvmV771QLPABqGMTNbP_LZAo5-cI5pmyKxi8jrz9CFFrwrXzdhb3ruyMZuVAJ5EI4x3auIHzPIFLr91iWxVybgril78fiDTy0SSdrYXm5-Qq5zAHZxLxVNwWO6jV-JEETnBM6u/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Yeah, that's most definitely something new! (If you see her on campus, be sure to...not say anything to her. If you do, she'll complain that I put her picture on my blog without telling her. Shhh!)</p><p>Anyway, who has time to read (or write) a blog post when the new term has started?</p><p>Why aren't you studying?<br /></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-62624544912038930242022-06-24T12:30:00.003-06:002022-06-24T12:30:38.571-06:00I've Taught My Last PSYCO Course<p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpfQumJ1f7tA5oFAD886NZgN_XE0_miIdUXwqyKwspT-xbReX6KCT8yalu3Ck477p5sjME9XHQrgu9qVb5iNeSRVr3cTURj_GaWMJ1DLrUbaVBvTAZnm4D7DPeH9qjTz7bpLXxRy0O3P1EhE3rhJVt4dWzh2JVu8SlBsG3_gpMBV6B1aAZ1IKALYM/s500/Drake-meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Drake meme" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpfQumJ1f7tA5oFAD886NZgN_XE0_miIdUXwqyKwspT-xbReX6KCT8yalu3Ck477p5sjME9XHQrgu9qVb5iNeSRVr3cTURj_GaWMJ1DLrUbaVBvTAZnm4D7DPeH9qjTz7bpLXxRy0O3P1EhE3rhJVt4dWzh2JVu8SlBsG3_gpMBV6B1aAZ1IKALYM/w320-h320/Drake-meme.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>So, that's it. I've taught my last PSYCO course--ever. I taught my first in 1994, and I just finished my last one, 28 years later. I've taught a bunch of them: PSYCO 104, PSYCO 105, PSYCO 258, PSYCO 233, PSYCO 267, PSYCO 282, PSYCO 323, PSYCO 354, PSYCO 365, PSYCO 403, and PSYCO 494. But, no more.</p><p>Wait--do you think I'm retiring? Nope, not me. Instead, the UAlberta Department of Psychology has "retired" the PSYCO designation for psychology courses. From now on, they're all going to be PSYCH. Psych!<br /></p><p>It was felt that calling our courses PSYCO was too much like calling them <i><a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=psycho">psycho</a></i>. This is not a good look for a department of psychology. None of us ever actually pronounced it like "psycho"; we all said "psych" anyway. So in Department Council meeting on February 12, 2021, we voted to change the designation (96% in favour with one abstention). Usually, change to things in the UAlberta Calendar take a loooong time to change, so having it take effect in Fall, 2022 is pretty fast in terms of University-level speed.</p><p><span class="VIiyi" lang="fr"><span class="JLqJ4b ChMk0b" data-language-for-alternatives="fr" data-language-to-translate-into="en" data-number-of-phrases="1" data-phrase-index="0"><span class="Q4iAWc"><b>Etymology moment</b>: in Greek mythology, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyche_(mythology)">Psyche</a> </span></span></span>was a mortal woman who became the wife of Eros (the Greek god of love and sex) and the goddess of the <b>soul</b>. The word <i>psyche</i> means "the human soul, mind, or spirit." None of this is what psychology is about.<span class="VIiyi" lang="fr"><span class="JLqJ4b ChMk0b" data-language-for-alternatives="fr" data-language-to-translate-into="en" data-number-of-phrases="1" data-phrase-index="0"><span class="Q4iAWc"></span></span></span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><b>Trivia moment</b>: some psychology departments around the world <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/when-it-comes-to-department-names-psychology-is-1">have changed their names</a> to "Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences", or some variant thereof. But "psychology" is still #1 by a wide margin.<br /></p><p>Be careful not to confuse PSYCH with PSYCI (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry psychiatry) or PSYCE (Faculté Saint-Jean <span class="VIiyi" lang="fr"><span class="JLqJ4b ChMk0b" data-language-for-alternatives="fr" data-language-to-translate-into="en" data-number-of-phrases="1" data-phrase-index="0"><span class="Q4iAWc">psychologie) courses.</span></span></span></p><span class="VIiyi" lang="fr"><span class="JLqJ4b ChMk0b" data-language-for-alternatives="fr" data-language-to-translate-into="en" data-number-of-phrases="1" data-phrase-index="0"><span class="Q4iAWc"></span></span></span><p></p><p>I hope you're as psyched for the change as I am!</p><p>Why aren't you studying?<br /></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-19655437379709079772022-05-16T14:34:00.005-06:002022-05-16T14:36:00.369-06:00The Comments: Winter, 2022<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXimj7d6_KyujrvU7L5h-_ejLeNshhxgUg1kyJBz19w0fdS11NnvJxPvQaoVxL74wyLLZir3fUP18cya9b7URJo-WPILqYF3b3OTJML--CKddknfRUTW6ahfOo7JKhayMoSdoQ2i7OhAdJZge3aXk2cnPN5-zLBtnwuUE1R9bJpXtaWpFBBDhv_Dd/s411/Stanley-Cup.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="294" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXimj7d6_KyujrvU7L5h-_ejLeNshhxgUg1kyJBz19w0fdS11NnvJxPvQaoVxL74wyLLZir3fUP18cya9b7URJo-WPILqYF3b3OTJML--CKddknfRUTW6ahfOo7JKhayMoSdoQ2i7OhAdJZge3aXk2cnPN5-zLBtnwuUE1R9bJpXtaWpFBBDhv_Dd/w143-h200/Stanley-Cup.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>Wow, it has been a <i>long</i> time since I <a href="https://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-awards-fall-2017.html">last posted responses</a> from teaching evaluations. Partly that's because the Department of Psychology paused the Teaching Honour Roll about 4 years ago and hasn't started them up again. (Why? The criteria for being put on the Honour Roll require that a certain percentage of the class must respond to the end-of-term evaluations. Since moving <a href="https://tsqs.srv.ualberta.ca/cgi-bin/usri/usri.pl">USRIs</a> online in Fall, 2014, response rates have plummeted from 80% to just over 50%. And that's where everything has been stuck since 2018.)<p></p><p>During the first term interrupted by Covid, there were no formal USRIs. (I still sent out a Google Form to my class because that feedback is important to me--especially during the difficult shift to remote teaching.)</p><p>Anyway, here are written comments provided by students this past Winter term from my PSYCO 282 course. Enjoy--but remember that my responses (<b>in parentheses and in bold</b>) to these comments may have an extra dash or snark and a pinch of sarcasm!</p><p></p><blockquote>- Probably best prof I've had so far<br /><br />- It's clear that Dr. Loepelmann cares about teaching and his students. He makes every lecture enjoyable on top of being well organized, well spoken, and overall a great professor.<br /><br />- Psyco 282 with Professor Loepelmann was one of the most enjoyable and well-organized courses I took this semester. Whether it was online classes at the beginning of the term, or in-person classes later on, Professor Loepelmann made the lectures clear, interesting, and easy to understand. The self-management project was engaging and applicable to our daily lives. I have already recommended this course and instructor to multiple other students and will continue to do so.<br /><br />- It was a pleasure being in Karsten Loepelmann's class this semester. He was engaging, knowledgable, and funny in a cheesy way. His lectures were often thought-provoking and made me think critically about why people behave the way they do. Overall, I enjoyed his class which made me more knowledgeable in the field of psychology.<br /><br />- Instructor was equally enthusiastic in both online and in person lectures.<br /><br />- I love u leopelmann <3</blockquote><b>(C'mon, tell me how you really feel! 😊)</b><br /><br /><blockquote>- this professors conduct was completely unacceptable. Regardless of ones views on class matters, I don't believe that for a PSYCH course a professor should be so vocal about their political and social views. This professor even went to the extent of trying to enforce his own mandates in a public university. Now I don't disagree for or against policy as I understand this is a difficult time, the way he went about sending multiple emails and constantly giving his opinion made this feel like a political science course rather than being about behaviour change. At the start of the semester he was an average prof doing his best but towards the end he constantly made people feel uncomfortable and even made scenes during class regarding mask debates. I know many people that didn't attend class including myself for his antics. For a tenured and self proclaimed "great" professor, he should understand how to conduct himself in a professional manner and focus on course content.</blockquote><b>(Just to be clear: I am not tenured, and I do NOT--and never have--declared myself to be "great." In certain circumstances, the real world invades into the classroom. I did not give my political views; I commented on how the UCP government overreached itself by secretly demanding that post-secondary institutions follow its policies to remove mask mandates. (Yes, it was the government. No, I won't tell you how I know--but I do know.) The governments of other provinces did not meddle like this; most other universities across Canada kept their mask mandates in place--some of them until June 30, 2022. My classroom is my workplace. I resent anyone telling me what to do or how to do it. The fact that the extremely well-paid people who work in central admin did not step up and support front-line workers is appalling. Like it or not, my political and social views seep into everything I do (and they, clearly do the same to you, judging by your comments). It's too bad that my "completely unacceptable" conduct upset you. It's important to me to keep myself safe and healthy, and students in my class, too. I will never apologize for doing that.)</b><br /><br /><blockquote>- instructor was slow at times when back in person.</blockquote><b>(Slow? Like, speaking slowly? Or, like, in the pejorative sense?)</b><br /><br /><blockquote>- No feedback on the student’s performance on the course. Need to learn from our mistakes on the midterms. When TA asked for clarification during the midterm viewing, he did not offer any assistance. Not familiar with the material? Told to refer to Prof.</blockquote><b>(Wha-? No feedback? You mean the ExamVis for midterm 1 and the in-person exam viewing for midterm 2 were not feedback? How about the feedback you got on the quiz questions after every lecture? How about the feedback on each assignment? As for the TAs, I wish they could have been more prepared, but I did answer any questions that were referred to me.)</b><br /><br /><blockquote>- Lack of enthusiasm from the instructor, especially when we went back in person<br /><br />- Class lectures were basically a regurgitation of the textbook - we all know how to read - please make it come alive.<br /><br />- I also really enjoyed his obvious enthusiasm many of the topics and I thought the supplementary videos he provided were both interesting and informative. Cheers!<br /><br />- Personally, I really like how Professor Loepelmann actively engage in this class. I can easily understand his teaching and he is accessible outside the class even when we're online. I will definitely recommend his class to anyone who is interested in this subject.</blockquote><b>(*Sigh* Just, *sigh*)</b><br /><br /><blockquote>- I found in his feedback he was overly condescending and as a result I had no desire to seek extra help.<br /><br />- I wish I saw more compassion from him. It did not seem like he was ever happy to answer questions from students. This is why when I was unsure of something, I would resort to a classmate or even Google because I would get too anxious to ask him anything, afraid that he would be snappy with his answer (as he often was when answering questions on the discussion board). Wish he was more approachable in this way.</blockquote><b>(I'm sorry if that's how I came across to you. It was probably the most difficult term I've ever had in over 25 years of teaching. Posting videos online while also teaching in person was immensely draining, to say nothing about the existential threat of Covid and the war in Ukraine. If you're referring to my responses in the discussion forum, I tried to answer questions as quickly and concisely as possible. It can be frustrating if someone is asking--yet again--a question that I've answered before, or is answered in the syllabus. I would <i>never</i> be "snappy" with any student in person. Here are some other perspectives:)<br /></b><blockquote>- Dr. Loepelmann is an incredibly passionate professor and made this course extremely engaging and enjoyable. He treats all his students with respect and it is evident that he knows this course inside out. I would recommend both him and this course to everyone.<br /><br />- His presentations are clear and interesting, he never goes over the class time , and shows a clear respect for his students. I took this course as an option and I am so glad I did. I would 100% recommend this course and Dr. Loepelmann to anyone and everyone<br /><br />- This class was absolutely phenomenal. The content itself was all extremely interesting and I was never left wondering how it would be applicable in the real world, as research and examples were consistent throughout. Although we did watch many videos and interpreted plenty of graphs, it never felt excessive. The self-management project was the perfect assignment to aid in course knowledge. Each section of the project felt appropriately spaced, and no part of the assignment felt too big to comfortably complete within our busy schedules. It truthfully felt like a learning opportunity rather than a tedious project with no purpose. Finally and perhaps most importantly, Professor Loepelmann was absolutely fantastic. Although we began the semester online (where many professors tend to flounder) Karsten made every effort to make the content enjoyable and accessible. And he exceeded all my expectations. He continued to post online resources even once we moved online because he understood that with COVID people’s situations readily change. Our abundance of resources (ePoll quizzes, and textbook quizzes) that we were able to access at any point throughout the semester were irreplaceable. It is very apparent that he genuinely cares about the quality of learning we receive. This has honestly been the greatest class I have ever taken at the UofA. Give this man another teaching award please!</blockquote><p></p><p><b>(Thanks!) </b></p><p></p><blockquote>- I wish we were given some practice midterms and finals to prepare better for the exams. Also, not being to able to get our exam copies back was a horrible experience.</blockquote><p><b>(You got:<br /> - dozens of poll questions based on lectures<br /> - five worksheets<br /> - multiple-choice questions from the textbook posted on eClass<br /> - dozens of practice tests, quizzes, and application/misapplication exercises from the textbook<br />But you still want more?<br />No, you did not get midterm 1 back. Sorry if that was, er, "horrible." But you did get extremely detailed feedback from ExamVis--more feedback than students have ever gotten in person. And there were multiple exam viewings for midterm 2.)</b></p><p><b> </b><br /></p><blockquote>- Dr Loepelmann was literally my favourite prof this entire term. He's enthusiastic about this subject and it shows in his lectures and interactions with students. I will forever remember hearing Dr. Loepelmann screech when he got Big Mac sauce on his keyboard during a Q & A for this class. 100% comedy gold.</blockquote><b>(That's your takeaway from the course? *sigh*)</b><p></p><p>Why aren't you studying?<br /></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-12481957626279637922022-02-05T14:27:00.001-07:002022-02-05T14:27:16.179-07:00The Remote Exams<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDzWCDQIUoUQ-iP1iwELOUC_QUa7YvYkjDKc6HgsCEbCo6jYTSUFdP493oAIRgFXpTAP8_GtB17OEF83uLIEp-HUctMKcPx_0zud24Zi29U8rVSCNIX1Qbb50w3TBPyPCuC8U147zhVAK08jzr2LHpEW8hT-5dK29wKreUSa2j9CErpxA3OM3KBdkf=s653" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="653" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDzWCDQIUoUQ-iP1iwELOUC_QUa7YvYkjDKc6HgsCEbCo6jYTSUFdP493oAIRgFXpTAP8_GtB17OEF83uLIEp-HUctMKcPx_0zud24Zi29U8rVSCNIX1Qbb50w3TBPyPCuC8U147zhVAK08jzr2LHpEW8hT-5dK29wKreUSa2j9CErpxA3OM3KBdkf=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div>I’m coming down to the last remote exams I’ll ever have to do. (I hope. I really, really hope.) If you’ve been in any of my remote classes, you’ll know that I have closed-book exams and use exam proctoring software and exam integrity software, and you’ll also understand the reasons why (I won’t go over them again here).<br /><br />I don’t go through all of this hassle because it’s peaceful and relaxing. It is super stressful for students, but even more so for me. There is a lot that I have to do to prep, and I feel the weight of responsibility for each and every student on my shoulders. Here’s what’s involved behind the scenes.<br /><br />At the start of term, I have to register the dates and times of my remote exams with eClass support so they can arrange to have support staff available. A couple of days before the exam, they’ll also check my <a href="https://edufide.com/#/smart-exam-monitor">Smart Exam Monitor</a> (SEM) and ExamLock settings to make sure everything is okay. SEM is the proctoring software that uses AI to monitor students’ cameras and mics. It uses really, really bad AI. Shockingly bad. It flags almost every student for a violation. It takes an excruciatingly long time to go through each flagged student and make sure they are not actual violations. ExamLock is exam integrity software that takes screenshots of students’ screens to make sure they’re not running Google searches in another window. ExamLock is crashy, but seeing students’ screens can often help me troubleshoot problems--which are frequently caused by: ExamLock. It also flags around half the class for (nonexistent) violations, which means even more time clicking and clearing flags. It takes 2-3 hours overall to go through the software and clear all the flags.<br /><br />A month before the exam, I have to coordinate with my wife. Yes, with my wife. She and I share parenting duties, including picking up and dropping off our kids at school. Well, schools actually--two different schools, which is why it takes both of us. This family coordination is required because some of my students have academic accommodations, most commonly that they receive extra time on exams. So even though an exam might start at, say, 2:00pm, it is possible that some students will still be writing their exam at 5:00. I’ve had a student who got 7 hours to write a 2-hour final exam. That’s right: 7 hours. This is why I have to coordinate schedules with my wife. She’s a family doctor, so she has to change her schedule and end her workday early enough to pick up both of our kids while I’m staring, sweating, at a computer screen. It’s hard enough for her patients to get an appointment to see her, but if I have a lot of exams, it’s even harder for them because of all the child-picking-up. So online exams require a lot of planning in my household. (Oh, and that 7-hour student? They didn’t show up for the final exam. So we had to rearrange our lives again around the 7-hour deferred exam. Which the student didn’t show up for either.)<br /><br />First, I have to create an exam, for example a multiple choice exam, using my exam management software. I have to export the exam, then import it into eClass. For some reason, eClass does not keep the order of questions intact, but instead sorts the questions alphabetically. Yup, alphabetically. Questions that start with “A person experiences...” come first, and “Zookeepers demonstrate...” come last. (Why...just why?) I have to spend 20-60 minutes manually rearranging questions, depending on the number of questions on the exam.<br /><br />Each student, though, gets the exam questions in a random order. Why do I have to rearrange them? In order to keep track of which questions are from chapter 1, chapter 2, etc. This lets another piece of software in eClass called ExamVis produce a detailed visualization of each student’s results. Without the proper sorting, nothing will make sense and ExamVis is useless.<br /><br />Next, I have to set up a session for ExamLock, and another one for Smart Exam Monitor (SEM). Actually, I have to set up two SEM sessions: a regular one, and a backup in case someone encounters problems or accidentally closes out of the exam.<br /><br />Then, I have to send out instructions to everyone on how to take the exam, even though I’ve made a video on how to use SEM with ExamLock. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9uvh8yDVfE">This video</a> is now used by eClass support in their knowledgebase article as a how-to. It’s my most popular video, with almost 5,000 views. I’m a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTuber">YouTuber</a>!) For those students who only have access to a ChromeOS device, I have to send out a different set of instructions, as ChromeOS cannot run ExamLock.<br /><br />On the day of the exam, I have a whole checklist of things to do:<br /> _ have phone ready (a shared, on-call phone--not my personal cell)<br /> _ open SEM session (done manually, about 20 minutes before the exam is to start)<br /> _ hide lecture videos in eClass (no cheating!)<br /> _ remove lecture notes from my website (no cheating!)<br /> _ check <a href="https://status.eclass.ualberta.ca/">eClass status</a> (see below)<br /> _ check <a href="https://status.aws.amazon.com/">AWS status</a> (Amazon Web Services is a cloud service that provides back-end storage and processing for eClass)<br /> _ check <a href="https://support.shaw.ca/t5/service-updates-outages/tkb-p/service-updates/label-name/northern%20alberta">Shaw status and outages</a><br /> _ check <a href="https://www.telus.com/en/ab/outages">Telus status and outages</a><br />Those last two are to see if there are any local internet outages. They are surprisingly frequent. Unfortunately, this only helps me see if there are local students who have problems. Some students are overseas with sketchy internet connectivity.<br /><br />eClass never goes down, amirite? Cough. There was a <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/news/media-relations/statements/2020/dec-11-eclass-disruption.html">major outage</a> on December 11, 2020 that affected one of my classes. eClass was down for so long, the exam was eventually cancelled. Helpfully, every single student in the class emailed me to inform me that eClass was down. There is <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/registrar/media-library/faculty-staff-resources/protocol-for-exam-disruptions.pdf">a protocol</a> on what to do, given an exam disruption. Basically, the Faculty will move the exam to a Saturday. Needless to say, this is not a popular choice--with students, or with me. In the case of my class, each student was given an option to either retain their term mark and skip the final, or go ahead and write the final. In the end, 14 of 123 students actually decided to write the final exam.<br /><br />When it comes to remote exams, some students are fully prepared--they’ve watched my explainer video, set up the software, and tested everything by running the proctoring trial (for which I typically give a 1% bonus mark). If these students encounter an issue, they know what to do and can handle it well. Other students are not so prepared: they haven’t watched the video, set up the software, or tested it out--but they manage to successfully complete the exam. The issue for me is the small number of students who don’t know what to do or how to do it, are not prepared--and run into problems. What do I click? Where is it? What software? Who do I call?<br /><br />I want to ensure a smooth process for everyone--even if they are a mere 1%. So I have given IST/eClass support some pretty harsh criticism over the past two years. There are problems like the “Black Screen of Death” that they say affects only 1-2% of students, so it’s not a big deal (this issue was not even described in any of their troubleshooting documentation). They got quite an earful from me about that. If you can’t fix a known problem, at least acknowledge that it exists and how to handle it.<br /><br />The recent (and, sadly, continuing) brutal budget cuts have had negative effects across campus; the IST/eClass support team has not been spared. They have lost a great number of people. I get it. To be fair, they have responded to my complaints, even going so far as to set up Zoom meetings with me, and reaching out to my students who were affected by software problems in order to understand them better.<br /><br />I know students <a href="https://thegatewayonline.ca/2020/12/burlap-sack-smart-exam-monitor-sem/">don’t like proctoring software</a>. I don’t either. I hope we’re all done with it for good.<br /><br />Why aren’t you studying?<br /><p></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-13246900571588480222021-08-16T19:43:00.005-06:002021-08-16T19:43:50.663-06:00The Zero Textbook Cost<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNc5Xsib1iSBmEaM73hYhwFcDCfKOLZAUZHhXckipc112hKUXOZ33hDY4nLeo_jOQxmRndcEecDusIsH7MvyeSZ8oMhxKIJUw72JmYBnfIz-_OIdcxsumQr2n2UZopjUfZGmqaxyyDwjE/s282/ZeroTextbookCost.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNc5Xsib1iSBmEaM73hYhwFcDCfKOLZAUZHhXckipc112hKUXOZ33hDY4nLeo_jOQxmRndcEecDusIsH7MvyeSZ8oMhxKIJUw72JmYBnfIz-_OIdcxsumQr2n2UZopjUfZGmqaxyyDwjE/s16000/ZeroTextbookCost.gif" /></a></div><p></p><p>There's "free" as in speech, and there's "free" as in beer. Or, according to Wikipedia, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratis_versus_libre"><i>gratis</i> versus <i>libre</i></a>. This post is about free as in beer. (Sorry, no free beer will actually be made available. 🍺)<br /></p><p></p><p>You might be familiar with the UAlberta SU's <a href="https://www.su.ualberta.ca/services/bebooksmart/">Be Book Smart</a> initiative; this grew out of a national campaign years ago, protesting the high prices of textbooks. ("Grew" is probably not the right word, as the current initiative is much smaller in scope than the ambitious national campaign that kind of sputtered out.) Be Book Smart helps students know their options when it comes to textbooks (e.g., sharing books with friends, or looking for textbooks in the library). But it also provides information to instructors to raise awareness about the high costs of learning materials, and suggests lower-cost alternatives (e.g., using coursepacks, putting textbooks on reserve in the library, etc.).</p><p>Textbooks, however, are only one cost borne by students. Other learning materials also have a price. For example, some instructors require students to use online homework systems hosted by a commercial publisher. Of course, students have to buy an access code--just to do required homework! This strikes me as a bit of an over-reach.<br /></p><p>I am mindful of the high cost of education. For 20 years, I have been using low-cost or no-cost alternatives in many of my courses. For example, instead of for-pay publisher-hosted online experiment websites, I have managed to find free alternatives like the <a href="https://opl.apa.org/">American Psychological Association's Open Psychology Laboratory</a>, which lets students run experiments and gather data--completely free. In some of my other courses, there is no required textbook, just a collection of readings in a coursepack. Even better, due to recent changes in copyright, I can make pdfs of these readings available to students for free.<br /></p><p>An idea in academia that's gaining traction is that of Open Education Resources (or OERs). According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_educational_resources">Wikipedia</a>, these are "freely accessible, openly licensed text, media, and other digital assets that are useful for teaching, learning, and assessing as well as for research purposes." OERs include things like, well, Wikipedia. Completely free and open, and you can learn things from it.</p><p>In educational circles, however, OERs are most frequently brought up in the context of textbooks. Some people, out of the goodness of their hearts, have written textbooks--and have given them away, free. I have used one of these, by <a href="https://openstax.org/details/books/psychology-2e">OpenStax</a>, in my introductory psychology course (PSYCO 104). Although students were very happy to have a free textbook, I was disappointed in its quality. Sure, under the terms of the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/">Creative Commons</a> licence it was published under, I could have rewritten it--if I had a spare year or three. And although there are OER textbooks for introductory psychology, developmental psychology/lifespan development, abnormal psychology, research methods, cognitive psychology, and social psychology, OER textbooks are not available for all courses and topics. An increasing number of my colleagues are adopting OERs instead of commercial textbooks, and I'm on the lookout for high quality OER alternatives in the courses I teach.<br /></p><p>Recently, the Office of the Registrar contacted instructors about a pilot project for the 2021-2022 academic year. They want to indicate to students in Bear Tracks which courses offer Zero Textbook Cost. I went through all six of my upcoming courses, and surprised myself to find that all of them qualify as ZTC. I do not require any paid online homework systems. I have coursepacks instead of textbooks as much as possible. And any required commercial textbooks in my courses have print copies on reserve at the library, or have ebooks available via the library website.</p><p>My hope is that by working towards Zero Textbook Cost I can help make education more accessible, and decrease financial strain on students. Do you have any other ideas that I can implement to save students money?</p><p>Why aren't you studying?<br /></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-74885379284685339312021-04-08T11:35:00.000-06:002021-04-08T11:35:07.948-06:00The Fall and Winter Terms: COVID-21?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20xoScyzHWn1Md7itV-7hBsT3GUrY6dbWKcMhX-m9JHsSc7LRZehVu3_tydMoxMmCcxPp8Zg2SWEq7sQMmkdzDYnHDynQyINqF7AANQFwYZG2CgtvYfefrGzlFnVLKQKog327skD4JN4/s645/Coronavirus-CDC-645x645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="645" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20xoScyzHWn1Md7itV-7hBsT3GUrY6dbWKcMhX-m9JHsSc7LRZehVu3_tydMoxMmCcxPp8Zg2SWEq7sQMmkdzDYnHDynQyINqF7AANQFwYZG2CgtvYfefrGzlFnVLKQKog327skD4JN4/s320/Coronavirus-CDC-645x645.jpg" /></a></div><p><br />Are you going back in person in the fall? This question has been on my mind a lot recently--likely on yours, too. As with everything COVID-related over the past year, I’ve been (hyper-)alert to changing conditions.<br /><br />The Minister of Advanced Education (Alberta’s Quietest Cabinet Minister<span>™</span>) issued a <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=77755C91FDF52-0C5E-0A7E-1D3ADD6948792C4A">press release</a> on March 18 to “encourage all post-secondary institutions, students and families to prepare for a full return to on-campus learning this September.” Oh, but there wouldn’t be any extra funding or anything. How encouraging.<br /><br />In response, the UAlberta President wrote a brief, vaguely worded <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/the-quad/2021/03/preparing-for-fall-2021-an-update.html">blog post</a>, emphasizing the importance of safety in the return to campus. Previously, the Provost made a more concrete commitment on February 23, promising that Bear Tracks would reveal which Fall classes would be online and which would be in person on April 26. In other words, not all classes would be in person.<br /><br />The problem is that there was a bit of a gap: Who would be making the decision to be in person or not? Would individual instructors get to decide? Or would there be some kind of formula, like classes larger than 100 would be online, whereas smaller classes would be in-person in a big room to space people out? No information was provided to front-line instructors at all. No worries, though, I’m sure that would get sorted out in time. Right?<br /><br />I found that the Office of the Registrar’s website made some promises on behalf of instructors in their <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210224003939/https://www.ualberta.ca/registrar/registration-and-courses/fall-2021-in-person-courses.html">2021-22 Academic Year FAQs for Students</a> (archived; originally posted February 24): “We know that there may be circumstances that prevent you from attending in-person. If this is your situation, please contact your instructor to make alternative arrangements to allow you to complete the course outcomes.”<br /><br />Er, what? I’m going to digress on this for a bit. If I’ve committed to teaching in-person classes and a student gets sick with, oh I dunno, some kind of nasty virus, I would have to accommodate them. How exactly? One option is that I would then--in addition to teaching the course in person--also record separate lecture videos. That’s a big nope. There’s no way I would have enough time to do that. Then the only other option would require some capacity to record the live in-person lectures and post them online.<br /><br />I had heard some rumours that classrooms would be outfitted with equipment to do this. It would require a webcam and microphone, as well as some video capture software. Just to be sure, however, I contacted IST about their plans for this. No one at IST knew of any plan, so my inquiry was bumped up until it reached the Associate VP and Chief Information Officer. (For some context, low-level people like me do not routinely have direct contact with people so much higher than my pay grade. So you can imagine my surprise.)<br /><br />I was glad to hear that there are plans to outfit some classrooms with a camera, mic, and document camera, which would allow Zoom or Stream2 to record and/or stream content. However, “the actual timing is uncertain because the work requires time and effort by tradespeople, and their ranks have been decimated by the cuts. I wouldn't want to have you plan all summer for hybrid delivery, only to have those plans wrecked by labour uncertainties.” So, thanks again, Minister of Advanced Education, and the Government of Alberta. Thanks for nothing.<br /><br />(I contacted the Registrar about the promises their FAQ made on my behalf, and two weeks later finally got a reply. The FAQs were being re-worded. As of this writing, the promise about “alternative arrangements” has <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/registrar/registration-and-courses/fall-2021-in-person-courses.html">been removed</a>.)<br /><br />In the meantime, I received an email from the person who coordinates teaching in the Department of Psychology. I had a week to decide (by April 1) which of my Fall <i>and</i> Winter term courses I would like to be in-person, and which would be taught remotely. I reached out to the Associate Chair of the Department, who didn’t have any more information to go on.<br /><br />But what about students? It’s well-known that many <a href="https://campusmentalhealth.ca/resource/covid-19-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-student-mental-health/">students are struggling</a> through the pandemic. (Hey, I know all about the struggle.) Yet, what if everyone wanted to continue remote learning? Or the opposite? This information would help inform my decision. I set up polls for my classes and asked if students wanted to go back a) in person, b) online, c) it doesn’t matter, or d) don’t know. Here are the results: </p><p><img alt="" height="254" src="data:image/png;base64,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" width="400" /></p><p>Ok, so it looks like a fair number of students would still accept the remote/online option. But an almost equal number would not.<br /><br />This is like trying to solve one equation with 100 unknowns. For me, one issue is the painstakingly slow vaccine rollout (<i>The Atlantic</i> referred to it as “<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2021/04/canada-vaccine-rollout-problems/618516/">Canada’s Vaccine Mess</a>”). If everyone could be fully vaccinated by September 1, this would not be such a concern. Another issue is the greater virulence of the <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/younger-healthier-people-need-intensive-care-quickly-with-variants-of-covid-19-tam-1.5376666">COVID-19 variants</a>. How effective are the vaccines against the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variants_of_SARS-CoV-2">variants</a>? Another unknown. What about my kids? Will they be vaccinated by the fall, and should they go back in person? Unknown.<br /><br />For what it’s worth, I made my decision: Remote teaching in the Fall (due to my inherent pessimism); in-person in the Winter (due to my inherent optimism).<br /><br />Why aren’t you studying?<br /></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-17591400697723267682021-03-12T10:31:00.001-07:002021-03-12T10:31:24.313-07:00The COVID-versary<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3V1P7r6xk76s-qPsUlq7FZYmcysy0R27iLn6zZ8u9f0_1EBbiJy07KU-Eu-EHqmSfMHyWxdVABhNC8kjyll7D4rjBRWKz3Bs5oM4BRRhzxGOC-XgvaLf3Knp3Tjc0syhxnN6R6twgy2E/s276/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3V1P7r6xk76s-qPsUlq7FZYmcysy0R27iLn6zZ8u9f0_1EBbiJy07KU-Eu-EHqmSfMHyWxdVABhNC8kjyll7D4rjBRWKz3Bs5oM4BRRhzxGOC-XgvaLf3Knp3Tjc0syhxnN6R6twgy2E/s0/index.jpg" /></a></div>Today is March 12. It’s my COVID-versary. Like an anniversary, but with 'rona. (I’ve been lucky and careful, and have so far avoided actually getting COVID-19.) Thursday, March 12, 2020 was the last time I taught classes in person, on campus, in an actual classroom. Nothing special happened. My advanced perception class did not have a quiz (it was a skip week); I lectured on face perception. In my human factors and ergonomics, I lectured on APA style (boring) and groupthink (much more interesting). I picked up my eldest daughter from school, and asked her if she minded of we went to Best Buy on the way home. I had picked out a nice microphone and was getting worried that I’d need it soon--you know, with the way things were going. In fact, I’d need it the very next day.<br /><br />On Friday, March 13 (ugh, Friday the 13th) at 12:33am, the University of Alberta sent out an email announcing that classes would be “temporarily suspended” that day. After fiddling with the setup of my mic--it did not like one of my USB ports--I recorded and posted a lecture video to YouTube in time for my regularly scheduled behaviour modification class. I was off and running. And it feels like I’ve been running ever since. On the morning of Saturday, March 14, the inevitable happened and classes were moved to emergency remote delivery. And that’s where we are today, a year later.<br /><br />Looking back, here are some numbers that summarize my past year:<br /><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>lecture videos recorded: over 300</li><li>emails handled/received/sent: ~9,600 (Probably over 10,000 if you include automated notifications about meetings, exams, etc. That's more than two dozen emails a day, on average.)<br /></li><li>Zoom meetings, seminars, and webinars attended: ??? (A lot. Really, really, a lot. I don’t even want to know how many. Got pretty familiar with all the video meeting software: Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, Webex, Facetime...)</li><li>major awards won: 1 (<a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/the-quad/2020/04/congratulations-to-the-2020-teaching-excellence-awards-recipients.html">William Hardy Alexander Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, 2020</a>)</li><li>awards that I nominated someone else for: 1 (my colleague Dr Jennifer Passey, who won the <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/the-quad/2021/03/meet-the-remote-teaching-awards-recipients.html">2020 Remote Teaching Award</a>)</li><li>professional haircuts: 0</li><li>haircuts by my wife (who is not a trained barber): like, 10? (I am NOT complaining. I think it’s amazing that in addition to being a physician, wife, and mother, she can also cut my hair so I look like a normal person.)</li><li>things ordered online: around 100 (Not all from Amazon. I ordered most things from local businesses online that I picked up in-store or curbside. I try to buy local first if I can to support local businesses.<br /></li><li>online orders gone wrong: at least 5 (Just about everything that could go wrong did, with one exception: to my knowledge, no porch pirates stole any of my packages.)</li></ul><p>Although I did pop in to my office a couple of times last spring, that was apparently prohibited (oops) so I have not returned in 11 months. There are no plants in my office, and on my last visit, I took home any perishable food. The last thing I want to see when I eventually return to my office is some infestation, like sentient plants, or sentient chocolate bars--or sentient plants that have survived by eating sentient chocolate bars. (Don’t laugh--I once had a <a href="https://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2010/11/mouse.html">mouse in my office</a>.)<br /><br />In the <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheBeforetimes">Before Times</a>, I had a certain routine. I liked my routine; everything was...predictable. When the pandemic hit, that routine went out the window. Although we never had a true “lockdown” (just various restrictions), life was turned upside down. What to do but make a new routine:<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>get up and make coffee (priorities, people!)</li><li>get my kids up for online school</li><li>shave, personal hygiene, etc. (It’s important--it makes you feel like an actual person. In the short term it depletes your willpower, but in the long run it builds it up.)</li><li>get dressed: no sweatpants, no pajamas, no underwear-only days--ever! (Again, doing things like getting dressed signal that things are happening; it gives you some purpose.) On the other hand, I don’t wear ties anymore. (Ok, just on special occasions.)</li><li>get to work: check email first for fires that have to be put out, and disasters that have erupted overnight; send messages that I forgot yesterday (oops); check eClass message forums</li><li>then, it’s lunchtime, signaled by one of my daughters arriving at my desk announcing “Lunchtime!” Yes, lunchtime. That’s how long it takes me to deal with email: basically the entire morning.</li><li>Spend lunch with kids. Difficult times can create opportunities. I don’t want this all to go by and all I have to show for it is...work. We eat and talk and joke. Then, back to work!</li><li>record lecture videos: I try to be ahead by a class or two. Some of my colleagues have recorded lecture videos for an entire course over the summer. I thought I would do that, too. Ha! is all I have to say to that.</li><li>Throughout the day, there are problems. There are always problems. (Like the day the power went out. Hey kids, no school! Luckily, I had already uploaded my lecture video for the day and just had to flip the switch to activate it, using my cell phone.) Over the months, the technical issues have decreased, but there are phone calls to make or answer, appointments to take kids to, snow to shovel/grass to mow.</li><li>My wife will come home in the late afternoon, which is my signal to log off for a while. Mostly, it’s a signal to WHERE IS DINNER!? WHAT are we EATING!? Oh, the <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/8-brutally-honest-truths-about-cooking-dinner_n_55bb6e59e4b06363d5a1adbb">drudgery of making dinner</a>. I don’t mind cooking, as long as it doesn’t take hours of standing and washing/peeling/chopping. Most days, I’m a put-the-ribs-in-the-oven-for-3-hours or slow-cooker-meat-and-veggies guy. Or, “It’s only -10 C out, that means firing up the grill outside!” When you’re at home all day, your spouse may come to the incorrect conclusion that all you’re doing is cooking dinner all day. You must disabuse your spouse of this notion. I wish she read this blog. Sigh.</li><li>After dinner is another bit of routine. We go for a walk as a family. After sitting on my butt for literally hours, my back is aching and I need to move around. There is a pack of coyotes living in our neighbourhood, so we try to go for our walk as early as possible. Sunny summer days are great. Dark, cold, snowy winter evenings when the windchill is -20 C are not so great. Any colder than -25 and I’m staying inside with my sore back and a mug of hot something with a splash of adult beverage in it.</li><li>Fridays we order takeout and have it delivered, again to help support local businesses. We don’t want our favourite restaurants to disappear! <a href="http://codohue.ca/">Cố Đô Huế</a> forever!</li><li>Sometime we have family game night. I don’t think that would have happened had there not been a pandemic. (Silver linings?)</li></ul><p>My kids have, by objective measures, been doing pretty well with their online school. Some members of my family have concerns about COVID-19 due to certain health conditions, so we all decided together that the kids would not go in person when the schools reopened. Subjectively, though, it’s been hard. Motivation is tough. Not seeing peers is tough (there’s only so much interaction you get playing Among Us for the millionth time). My eldest daughter has now been doing high school at home for longer than she was at her actual high school. Will that be something she will look fondly back on in 10 years? Doubtful. On top of my IT duties and role as cook, I also have to be the family psychologist. Unfortunately, I’m not a “real” psychologist, so this is one of the most difficult aspects of this WFH situation. I do what I can. Sometimes it’s just sitting and talking. I hope it’s enough.<br /><br />I’m not a teaching robot. (Once I was called a “teaching ninja” by my Department Chair which was pretty cool.) All of this is wearing on me, too. I have to plan, record, and upload videos. I have to answer the never-ending flood of questions. I hear from students who have gone through all kinds of unimaginable difficulties, including death, disease, and abuse. There are days when I can’t even. <br /><br />And I’m not alone. This <a href="https://connect.chronicle.com/rs/931-EKA-218/images/Covid%26FacultyCareerPaths_Fidelity_ResearchBrief_v3%20%281%29.pdf">recent report</a> done by <a href="https://www-chronicle-com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/article/were-here-now"><i>The Chronicle of Higher Education</i></a> reveals that most faculty are feeling anxiety, frustration, and stress. More than half are considering changing careers, or even retirement. Me too: one of the seminars I signed up for over the summer was retirement planning. The way the Government of Alberta is funding (or rather, NOT funding) higher education, I may have to retire sooner than I expect.<br /><br />Now there’s the imminent prospect of vaccination and the hope for a return to normal life. It can’t come soon enough.<br /><br />Screw you, COVID.<br /><br />Why aren’t you...oh, nevermind. I’m sure you’re doing your best.<br /></p>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-51011546683784740832020-08-28T16:09:00.008-06:002020-08-30T09:25:26.831-06:00What I Did on my Summer Vacation (2020 COVID Edition)<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxmaGyqPh4eScLRSYXgQ3TsMqKV4GJY_BEoBOzX7uZGogsGcknmiSe-Yx7xq0eJ1dgVw3fLfMhDQBV6fppwZxYPQvWP5AyXABol-l55xvJm-6SeVjWmsgMMI8DDj_7HKNhQuLTnY9kn4/s282/5e6a906507f13.image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxmaGyqPh4eScLRSYXgQ3TsMqKV4GJY_BEoBOzX7uZGogsGcknmiSe-Yx7xq0eJ1dgVw3fLfMhDQBV6fppwZxYPQvWP5AyXABol-l55xvJm-6SeVjWmsgMMI8DDj_7HKNhQuLTnY9kn4/s0/5e6a906507f13.image.jpg" /></a></div><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">I write these “what I did during my summer vacation” posts every year, and I know there’s a certain sameness to them. Well, not this year! *heavy sigh*</p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">To a large extent, I was ready for the pandemic. The first mention of an “unusual flu” caught my eye in the news in late December. I had paid close (horrified) attention to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002%E2%80%932004_SARS_outbreak">SARS outbreak</a> almost 20 years ago, and lived through the (fairly frightening) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_swine_flu_pandemic">H1N1 pandemic</a> (yes, it is classified as a pandemic) in 2009. During the latter, I stood in a line of hundreds of people for hours with my family to get immunized. My youngest daughter was still a baby. It was a sobering experience.<br /><br />After that, I made sure we had a good supply of hand sanitizer, much of which I still had when it was otherwise impossible to find this spring. I dug into closets and cabinets, surprised to find how many containers remained after 10 years. I even had the foaming dispenser in my university office. So when the situation began spiraling out of control in China, I began to prepare. Let me be clear that I did stockpile important supplies, but I did not hoard anything. (What’s the difference? Stockpiling implies that you are storing things that you will later use; hoarding suggests that you have so much, you will never need or use them.)<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://roselinlin.com/products/short-sleeve-casual-t-shirts-tops-8493162"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWVnTAkpFq0vtcHEbIaPnc_A8t85oo1mbJC53hsefkm2vIwfVGoGsmr0Om67uOnBsvFCmALhz3PbOkRwnzrTSSiJZZLNrEGaNHeGCUO_tnivqBFNC3jB-dUvgo7qhBKmO8ohLtFX2jcY/w230-h307/va54y9elyxj-1588487182125.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Remember the whole toilet-paper shortage thing?</div><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">I spent early March getting ready for remote delivery, reading reviews of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-usb-microphone/">high-quality mics</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-webcams/">webcams</a>. By the time in-person classes were “<a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/covid-19/updates/03/university-remains-open-friday-classes-temporarily-suspended.html">temporarily suspended</a>” on March 13, I already had a lecture video ready to go for my class on the 13th. How seriously did I take this? Let’s just say that some people treated the movie <i><a href="https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/contagion">Contagion</a></i> as entertainment--I took it as a training film.<br /><br />Being the designated household IT guy, I had to help my wife set up her Zoom meetings and troubleshoot my kids’ Google Meetings for school. I upgraded our home internet, doubling the speed. Knowing that I’d be spending even more time than usual sitting at my computer, I tried to make my setup as ergonomically correct as possible. (Are you feeling sore after being at your computer for too long? Check out the recording of the Faculty of Rehab Med’s webinar on <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/rehabilitation/news/2020/april/working-from-home-here-are-five-tips-to-create-a-healthy-workspace.html">five tips to create a healthy workspace</a>.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XkWljRt6G-Qb0PwrlfePRvgRybaXsYWxBNFg9qeRvl1Au_gQMGi8hIfOxCg1JDQPcSS07z70kl-VklRpQiuNE8VyqDgHulb9d0f6sd8jqv8K-9xkqWQV4uX2O22Of1Y5ztBEXxVfnlo/s1997/Untitled.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1411" data-original-width="1997" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XkWljRt6G-Qb0PwrlfePRvgRybaXsYWxBNFg9qeRvl1Au_gQMGi8hIfOxCg1JDQPcSS07z70kl-VklRpQiuNE8VyqDgHulb9d0f6sd8jqv8K-9xkqWQV4uX2O22Of1Y5ztBEXxVfnlo/w328-h232/Untitled.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is what you get when you leave your phone <br />lying around and tell your kids not to touch it.</div><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">After rounding out the challenging Winter term, I was plunged immediately into Spring term with only a day or two to prepare. I learned a lot, very quickly, from being dropped into the deep end. My colleagues also rallied in an amazing way. I’ve been in more teaching-related meetings via Zoom in the past two months than in the past two years. (Thanks, too, to students in that spring term class who were incredibly patient, understanding, and gave great feedback.)<br /><br />With spring term over, I could finally relax, right? Do what I heard that other people were doing during the lockdown? Binge-watch <i>The Witcher</i>? Learn how to knit? <a href="https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/periods-genres/opera/quarantined-barcelona-singer-puccini/">Sing opera</a> to my neighbourhood? Nope. As usual, I worked. Among other things:<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>learned about and prepared for more remote teaching (note that there is are <a href="https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning">important differences</a> between emergency remote teaching and online learning)</li><li>served as external examiner for an MSc student</li><li>Zoomed (it’s a verb now, right?) with colleagues across the university on an interrupted research project evaluating and redesigning a cognitive aid used in neonatal resuscitation</li></ul>It has been a difficult time--for me, as for everyone. What do you do when the daily routine you have relied on has been shattered? You mourn the old one. And you create a new one. Having a defined structure to the day helps. You don’t have to decide what to do. You don’t have to burn through your precious, limited motivation and willpower. You just follow your routine. Every day, I get out of bed, shave, get dressed, have a coffee (not in that order). Spend the morning working. Take a break and make lunch for my kids. Eat lunch standing up. Go back to work. After the first wave crested, we were even brave enough to order food delivery (however, we treat the packaging like it’s radioactive).<br /><br />Although I had a lot of work to do, I didn’t want life to pass me by, either. I won’t have this opportunity together with my kids again, so I wanted to make the most of it. In the evening, after spending too much time at our computers, we’d all go for a walk as a family. (There were so many great supportive chalk messages and pictures on driveways.) Then we’d watch a movie together, like <i>Trolls World Tour</i>, <i>Onward</i>, <i>Hamilton</i>, <i>Batman Begins</i>. Or play board games. Or <i>Animal Crossing: New Horizons</i>.<br /><br />My memories of this time will include making <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gTXH1yBHL4">Dalgona coffee</a> (a.k.a. quarantine coffee or covid coffee). All the baking (pretzels, cupcakes, cheese buns, banana bread, nalysnyky, green onion cakes, and so many cookies).<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsXI5QL88ZSLqz_vcV4h5quqM3zxjX1HWRXLUGIaE7Vf8bL3KMggcTX1GPyOFni4tHqxpDVvvprx25Q6FLWo2UrCxaeEyt7Xi0ApUzmlw3-N8-Gpr9I_y7tHKJyBBG1N2cGaZ3lr1HyQ/s2048/IPH_2730.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsXI5QL88ZSLqz_vcV4h5quqM3zxjX1HWRXLUGIaE7Vf8bL3KMggcTX1GPyOFni4tHqxpDVvvprx25Q6FLWo2UrCxaeEyt7Xi0ApUzmlw3-N8-Gpr9I_y7tHKJyBBG1N2cGaZ3lr1HyQ/w246-h328/IPH_2730.JPG" width="246" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nalysnyky: Ukranian cottage cheese-filled crepes. </div><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">And the “vacation” we had: a day trip to Lacombe. My old home town only had only <i>one</i> active case of COVID-19, so it felt very safe--like we were on a pandemic-free planet. (Yes, we all wore masks the whole time.) We did some shopping at the Lacombe Centre Mall, including scoring two dozen cannoli from <a href="https://sweetcapones.com/">Sweet Capone's</a>. It turns out that after five months, the whole family was shopping-deprived.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-MU0P6IhDGcSV0u08NhDkaFXqUecJumAD7jDJjW8OIeQWT3MUSCbPSvYeyErvSyIuE-I5uLUjK0B3eGX3jBjA-djnPW9pZv6X7Cdo4Zc_LKVsqNX89W_breH_zKiQiuulzV1BZUfN4YU/s2048/IMG_2934.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-MU0P6IhDGcSV0u08NhDkaFXqUecJumAD7jDJjW8OIeQWT3MUSCbPSvYeyErvSyIuE-I5uLUjK0B3eGX3jBjA-djnPW9pZv6X7Cdo4Zc_LKVsqNX89W_breH_zKiQiuulzV1BZUfN4YU/w328-h246/IMG_2934.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cannoli: Italian cream-filled pastries.</div><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Now, I can feel the weather turning cooler. There are more leaves on the ground. Yeah, it’s time. Time to go back to work and school. But it’s going to be strange going back without leaving the house.</p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">I know that many people are struggling--emotionally, financially, and not least of all, health-wise. My family has been lucky, and careful. I now have five different face masks, among them an X-Men one and a Ravenclaw one. I don't have these because they look cool. My wife is a front-line health care worker who is concerned for her patients' health, and for her own and her family's. My kids haven't given their auntie a hug in five months. I haven't come closer than 2 metres to my elderly parents; I don't want to give them a virus that could kill them. We've all lost things this year, but maybe we've also gained some perspective...on what's important.</p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Stay safe, everyone.<br /><br />Why aren’t you studying?</p></div>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-63638439668190864132020-04-06T11:52:00.002-06:002020-08-28T15:59:11.941-06:00The Remote DeliveryWhat a long strange trip it's been. TBH, it hasn't even been that long--just 3 weeks at this point. But it seems like forever ago that UAlberta announced that it was "preparing" to move to online delivery of courses (it was actually March 12). To show how fast things moved, literally the next day it was abruptly announced that classes were suspended, and then the day after that we were told to move to "remote delivery" of courses. (Note that remote teaching is <a href="https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning">not the same</a> as online learning.)<br /><br /><div>Although it was announced that in-person classes were suspended on "lucky" Friday the 13th of March and were to resume with remote delivery on Tuesday, March 17th, I was prepared for this. Having kept an eye on the effects of COVID-19 across the world since late December, I already had a webcam for my office computer, and bought a new microphone right before they sold out across the city and online. My mic is a Blue Yeti Nano. (It's not <a href="https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-usb-microphone/">the Wirecutter</a>'s top pick, but it's cheaper, smaller, and still pretty good--and way better than a crummy cellphone or laptop mic. Why spend money on an expensive mic instead of an expensive HD webcam? Research has shown that impressions of content are <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1075547018759345">strongly influenced by audio quality</a>.)</div><div><br />
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The green ring means we're go!</div>
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Because I've never recorded my lectures or taught an online, <a href="https://www4.uwm.edu/ltc/hybrid/about_hybrid/index.cfm">hybrid, or blended</a> course before, I also had to decide on lecture capture software. The plan was to go through some of the different options, evaluate them, and pick the best. But because the landscape was changing so fast, I wasn't able to do that--I just went with the one recommended by my colleague Dr Jenn Passey: <a href="https://screencast-o-matic.com/">Screencast-O-Matic</a>. I bought it the day before Loom (one product on my shortlist) announced they were <a href="https://www.loom.com/blog/coronavirus-response">offering their product for free</a> to educators. The day after that, IST announced that they were making some lecture capture tools available for free: Stream2 (which I had never heard of), and Zoom (which I knew had serious existing privacy and security issues). Again, things were moving fast.<br />
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If I had waited, I wouldn't have had to spend any money and I could have carefully weighed the pros and cons of all the options--but I couldn't wait. It was important for me to have continuity for my classes. In a time of uncertainty, I wanted students to be able to rely on me. I hope I've been able to make the transition from in-person to remote teaching as smooth as possible.</div><div><br />
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Note to my kids: daddy's busy!</div>
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UAlberta's The Quad blog recently featured some <a href="https://blog.ualberta.ca/this-month-in-photos-work-from-home-edition-cf11c7b23202">work-from-home photos</a> of UAlberta employees. It was interesting to see the diversity of setups people have. I'm lucky to have an actual home office. Some people are working at their kitchen table, rec room, or in their windowless basement. Although that might get the job done, the ergonomics of it makes me cringe. (Here's a <a href="https://www.ewiworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/EWI_WorkstationSetupCheck_171201.pdf">checklist</a> for your desk setup, courtesy of Edmonton-based ergonomic company EWI Works.)<br />
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I miss being in front of a class, experiencing the energy of students. One law professor went viral with the Zoom videos of him <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8147627/73-year-old-UNC-Law-professor-goes-viral-teaching-Zoom-lecture-Pinocchio-doll.html">teaching to a Pinocchio doll</a> in an empty classroom. I'm comfortable doing my lectures in front of my computer, but like the law prof I'm not alone. Somehow I've managed to accumulate a variety of, um, companions? Apparently my wife has a thing for buying me cute hedgehogs (no, I don't know why). The blue M&M on the right is actually a computer screen cleaner. And then there's <a href="https://www.rebootrevival.com/?page_id=23">Hack & Slash</a> for some '90s nostalgia.</div><div><br />
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Say hello to my little friends.</div>
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Next up, I'm teaching a spring class that's going to be <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/covid-19/instructors/spring-and-summer-2020-move-to-remote-delivery.html">remote delivery</a>. I don't know what's going to happen come September. That seems too far in advance to even consider. Until classes resume in person and life gets back to normal, take care of yourselves!<br />
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Why aren't you studying?</div>Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-20729650046921174182019-09-03T12:35:00.000-06:002019-09-03T12:35:06.809-06:00 What I Did on my Summer Vacation (2019 Edition)One of the challenges I face when I write this post every year is how to tie together a bunch of very different things with a common theme. I think I've actually got one this year: fixing things.<br />
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One of the things I've fixed is: myself. Summer is when I try to schedule all of my medical checkups (complete physical, dental checkup, eye exam, etc.) so they don't get in the way of teaching. This year, I had even more substantial things on my schedule: gastroscopy and gum tissue graft surgery (yup, that's exactly as much fun as it sounds--good thing I like soup and pudding). So hopefully I'm patched up enough to keep going for another year.<br />
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My house is also starting to show its age; problems are sprouting up everywhere. Last year, we needed a new roof--class 4 impact resistance, because we kind of get hail every summer. This year, in no particular order, I had our new furniture fixed (after waiting 10 months for parts), replaced the seals and springs on a leaky bathroom faucet, replaced a malfunctioning toilet, got our wonky garage door adjusted, found out our electronic air cleaner was dead, repaired a hole in the siding of the house that was letting in water, replaced the front panel and igniter switch on my grill, installed a dryer vent cover (stupid birds were nesting in the vent--again), reattached a broken closet bar, replaced my ergonomic computer keyboard, fixed a shower head, replaced our dead microwave oven, replaced the sump pump hose that my neighbour ran over with her lawnmower (?), replaced our old vacuum, got the piano tuned, tried (unsuccessfully) to have Rogers fix a problem with my cell phone call display, got my soffits repaired, and replaced the expired CO detectors in the house. Whew!<br />
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Yup, it's a toilet. Bonus: it uses much less water than the old one.</div>
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Bird nest remains. Stupid birds!</div>
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In terms of work, I fixed things by rebuilding my PowerPoint slides from scratch for my behaviour modification course. I had already decided to switch my slides to widescreen format. Unfortunately, it wasn't as simple as clicking Design - Slide Size - Widescreen (16:9). Sigh. That meant I had to do it manually, with hours of copying-and-pasting. As I was going through every single slide, though, I was able to notice some content that needed updating, or could be worded better, or images and videos that should be replaced with higher-resolution ones. I also modified the slide theme (what can I say, design is important to me). I'm happy to say that my slides have never looked better--and I know a lot more about structuring PowerPoint slides for easier changes in the future. (Like what, virtual reality slides? I dunno.)<br />
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I also had to prepare for the changeover from iClickers, which are no longer officially supported on campus, to the IST-designed <a href="https://epoll.srv.ualberta.ca/">ePoll</a>. I ran a pilot in my spring PSYCO 367: Perception course with no major problems, so I will be rolling out ePoll this fall in my big classes. I'm a little bit nervous about that (fingers crossed!).<br />
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There were also a few teaching-related seminars I attended in August, including the CTL Teaching Institute, and the Faculty of Science's Back to Teaching seminars. <br />
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Happily, my summer wasn't all work. Sadly, the summer <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5757818/edmonton-summer-weather-sad-moods/">weather was crummy</a> in Edmonton. We tried to escape it by going on family trips, but the cold and rain followed us. I'll skip the boring details here, and leave you with these pics. (If you want the boring details, be sure to ask me in person!)</div>
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Mountain trip! Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, the view down Banff Avenue (in Banff, FYI)<br />
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<a href="http://www.reddeer.ca/recreation-and-culture/outdoor-recreation/warm-weather-activities/outdoor-water-fun/discovery-canyon/">Discovery Canyon</a> in Red Deer (too cold & rainy to try it). Wildlife.</div>
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Treats! The yummy cannoli at Sweet Capone's (Lacombe), <br />
and the ice cream selection at the snack bar at Aspen Beach (Gull Lake).<br />
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Why aren't you studying?</div>
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Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-13485344210568881812019-07-29T12:30:00.000-06:002019-07-29T12:30:04.204-06:00The Academic Misconduct<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For me this past academic year was a bad one for academic misconduct, a general term that refers to a number of violations of the Code of Student Behaviour. These include <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students/academic-resources/academic-integrity/cheating">cheating</a>, <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students/academic-resources/academic-integrity/collaboration">inappropriate collaboration</a>, <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students/academic-resources/academic-integrity/plagiarism">plagiarism</a>, and <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students/academic-resources/academic-integrity/substantial-assistance">substantial assistance</a>. This year, I had three cases that were sent for review (the most I’ve ever had in one year).<br />
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I am obligated to send these cases to the Faculty because making decisions about academic misconduct (and academic sanctions) is beyond my pay grade. When I notice something suspicious, I am required to document my findings and send them to a higher authority. No, not God: the Faculty of Science Associate Dean (Undergraduate), who then forwards the case to the discipline team, which includes a Special Advisor (Discipline) in the Faculty of Science, to determine whether there has been a violation of the <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/governance/resources/policies-standards-and-codes-of-conduct/code-of-student-behaviour">Code of Student Behaviour</a>.<br />
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<b>The Academic Offenses</b><br />
Obviously, for reasons of privacy, I cannot say much about the particular cases, or give any information that may identify the offenders. However, it is informative to look at what got these students into trouble. In all three cases, the common thread was that students misrepresented others’ work as their own. More specifically, in all three cases, there were passages from published works that the student either failed to attribute to the original authors, or did a poor job of attribution.<br />
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In all three cases this year, there were numerous incidents of direct quotes (or poorly paraphrased near-direct quotes) from other sources that appeared in the student’s written work. Including direct quotes is not inherently bad, and won’t necessarily get you in trouble. (In scientific writing, it is considered poor practice to include direct quotes; in a paper for an English class, on the other hand, direct quotes from the source material are used to support an argument.) When a student submits a paper, it is assumed that they are handing in their own work--with the exception of passages drawn from external sources, which must be clearly indicated as such. It may be that it’s an <i>oops!</i> moment. A student just forgets to put in quotation marks, or misses citing a source. You know what? That’s still academic dishonesty. If it happens once in a paper, it’s more likely to be forgiven than when every page contains substantial passages from someone else’s work that are not cited. In the cases I dealt with, there were many, many problematic instances--dozens, in fact. Don’t underestimate your instructors; we are pretty finely attuned to the difference between the writing of an undergraduate and that of a career academic, and the more there are, the more likely we are to find them.<br />
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<b>The Academic Sanctions</b><br />
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In two of the cases, the penalty was that the students were given a mark of zero on their assignments. In the other case, however, there was a particular combination of factors that resulted in a harsher penalty of a failing grade and a comment of Failure Due to Inappropriate Academic Behavior added to the person’s transcript. This is not something you want on your transcript, whether you’re applying to graduate school, or for a job. It does not look good.<br />
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Although I don’t have any insight into the mind of the Deans, some factors that are known to affect the severity of academic sanctions include:<br />
<ul>
<li>previous history of academic dishonesty</li>
<li>the level of the course and student (first-year vs. fourth-year; the latter are expected to be fully knowledgeable about what constitutes academic dishonesty and how to avoid it)</li>
<li>the nature of the offence (a couple of slip-ups, or widespread copying-and-pasting)</li>
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<b>The Prevention</b><br />
One reason why cheating occurs is that a student doesn’t know they are doing it. An easy way to address this is to develop skills in citing, quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing. The Centre for Teaching and Learning has a collection of brief videos to help you learn these skills, and introduce you to <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/centre-for-teaching-and-learning/grants/tlef/tlef-deliverables/academic-integrity">academic culture</a>.<br />
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Another reason given for cheating is that students run out of time to do a proper job. To avoid a time crunch, start early. There’s loads of good advice on how to <a href="https://www.collegexpress.com/articles-and-advice/majors-and-academics/blog/top-10-ways-avoid-procrastination/">avoid procrastination</a>. Students in my classes know the details of every assignment in the term on the first day. You could start working on your end-of-term paper on the first day of classes! Okay, I realize that’s not practical. So I gave my class a soft deadline: they are to email me their choice of term paper topic by the mid-point in the term. In this way, I am making them start to think about their paper well before it’s due. (What’s a soft deadline? There is no penalty for not submitting it--but students will get an annoying reminder from me.)<br />
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Cases of academic misconduct make me cranky, for different reasons. First, in cases of willful misconduct, the student thinks they can get away with it. That’s a gamble I wouldn’t take. My teaching assistants and I are pretty sharp--and TAs get a mercenary glint in their eyes when encountering suspicious activity.<br />
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Second, it take a lot of time to write up a misconduct report. Two of the cases this year took me 10 hours just to go through the papers line-by-line and determine which sentences were plagiarized. Then it was another couple of hours to write the letters to the Dean. All this took time away from marking term papers, which is literally my busiest time of year. I will not be feeling any kindness or sympathy when I write up the academic misconduct report.<br />
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Finally, thanks to the vast majority of students who maintain their academic integrity, and earn their grades the hard way!<br />
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Why aren’t you studying?Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-13924713828310254262019-03-21T10:13:00.001-06:002019-03-21T10:13:13.654-06:00The PodcastsIt is an amazing golden age of podcasts. By <a href="https://www.podcastinsights.com/podcast-statistics/">some estimates</a>, there are over 660,000 shows, and 28 million episodes. (Ironically, iPods themselves are fading away, with only the 6th gen iPod Touch left.) There's a lot of content to choose from, and I definitely have my favourites.<br />
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<td>Far and away, the best podcast out there is <a href="http://freakonomics.com/archive/">Freakonomics Radio</a>. It's a podcast, it's a radio show, it's a blog, it's books--all about the hidden side of everything. Yes, it's about economics, but it's not boring. Topics frequently intersect with psychology (think <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_economics">behavioural economics</a>). Okay, sometimes the business-centred episodes drag a bit. I just listen to them at 2x speed.<br />
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<td>Next, the <a href="http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/podcast_transcripts/default.aspx">Jim Hill Media Network</a>. The man himself is a walking encyclopedia of Disney/theme park/media history--his knowledge is astounding. Reflective of that, he does <i>six</i> regular podcasts:<br />
- Disney Dish (fantastic podcast with Len Testa, the algorithmic wizard behind <a href="http://touringplans.com/">TouringPlans.com</a>)<br />
- Universal Joint (all things Universal Studios theme park-related) <br />
- Fine Tooning (on animation media)<br />
- Marvel Us Disney (an uneven-quality podcast on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, due to Hill's often ill-prepared co-host)<br />
- Looking at Lucasfilm (pretty mediocre look at Star Wars and Indiana Jones, again mostly due to a sub-par co-host)<br />
- I Want That (on Disney merch, which I am not into) <br />
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<td><a href="https://www.theringer.com/binge-mode">Binge Mode: Harry Potter</a> is a podcast that has been going through the HP books, movies, and other media in excruciating detail--just the way I like it. The co-hosts Mallory and Jason are entertaining and emotional (in a good way). This isn't just another boring podcast of a couple of people chatting aimlessly; they are literate and have done a stunning amount of research. Re-reading the books? This is your perfect companion. I have <i>not</i> been binging on it--the sheer volume of information requires some time to think about. They've finished with Harry Potter now, and have returned back to being about Game of Thrones, if that's your thing.<br />
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<td><a href="https://gastropod.com/category/podcasts/">Gastropod</a> is a podcast about food through the lens of science and history. Although I'm not super-interested in history, if it's about food, I'm in. (I've even read some of their suggested books on food and history, OMG!) Plus, of course, the science. Kudos to Cynthia and Nicola on their meticulous research. Wouldn't you want to read about The Secret History of the Slave Behind Jack Daniel’s Whiskey, or The Truth is in the Tooth: Braces, Cavities, and the Paleo Diet? How about Who Invented Mac and Cheese? Yes, please--I'm having seconds!<br />
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<td>Podcasts are obviously about sound, so how about a podcast all about...sounds? <a href="https://www.20k.org/">Twenty Thousand Hertz</a> is about the sounds that surround us; the ones that we probably don't think a lot about. From the Emergency Alert signal to the THX Deep Note (a two-parter!) these short episodes will make you think more about your everyday soundscape (although it would be kind of ironic if you're listen to this podcast walking around with earbuds in).<br />
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Did I mention that I'm not really into history? I'm not. But I am a big fan of journalist Malcolm Gladwell's <a href="http://revisionisthistory.com/">Revisionist History</a> podcast. What that means is that I am into entertaining stories, told well. Gladwell is a consummate storyteller, so this series on overlooked stories-behind-the-stories plays to his strengths (as opposed to his frequent mangling of science in his books). Some of the stories he deconstructs are familiar, some are obscure, but all are worth a listen.<br />
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<td>Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to listen to <a href="https://www.lightthefusepodcast.com/">Light the Fuse</a>, a podcast dedicated to all things Mission: Impossible. I've written before about my fondness for the James Bond movies, but a lot of them haven't exactly aged well. There are many cringeworthy moments of cultural and sexist inappropriateness. So M:I fills the void nicely. I loved the 60s and 80s TV shows (not to mention the movies), and this podcast has rekindled that. The hosts are a journalist and a director whose enthusiasm is contagious. Plus, they've managed to get interviews with some amazing guests, like Brad Bird (director of <i>M:I - Ghost Protocol</i>.</td>
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What are your favourite podcasts? <br />
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Why aren't you studying?
Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-22710496777276442702019-02-04T10:56:00.000-07:002019-07-19T21:05:06.453-06:00The Classroom Technology<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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See this screen? I have come to hate this screen. Let me take you through the journey of why...<br />
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I teach in “smart” classrooms. (Ugh, I hate that term. It just means there are computers and projectors. Computerization should never be touted as “smart” or “intelligent.”) Classroom computers are vital to teaching, allowing instructors to run PowerPoint, use iClickers, show videos, and a myriad of other things. If there are problems with the classroom computers, it impairs the classroom experience for everyone. In the worst case, it brings everything to a crashing halt (foreshadowing).<br />
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Having used computerized classrooms since they were first introduced, I have a lot of experience with them. That means having a lot of experience with failures, as they’re called in the human factors literature. Here’s an example. In recent years, the classroom computers were not set up to boot like the normal computer you have. At boot time, the classroom computers load an “image”. That is, they do not load Windows 10 from a hard drive inside the computer, they load it completely from scratch over the local area network. There are a number of reasons for doing this, including security. (We wouldn’t want another <a href="https://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-computer-breach.html">computer security breach</a>, would we?)<br />
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But here’s the problem with this approach. If (when?) the local area network goes down, the classroom computer will freeze. Now, if it was a typical computer, it would still run. That is, I would still be able to continue showing PowerPoints and keep on teaching--I just wouldn’t have Internet access. But with the network image approach, the classroom computer is dead, and basically class is over. (Or I could use the whiteboard, in classrooms that actually have one. Or I could use the document camera. These options are awkward, and obviously very limiting.) <br />
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In July, <a href="https://ist.ualberta.ca/blog/news/lab-and-classroom-upgrades-happening-summer">IST announced</a> upcoming “summer upgrades” based on <a href="https://www.vmware.com/ca/products/horizon.html">VMware Horizon</a> to classroom computers. According to the blog post, these so-called were being done “To improve efficiency and effectiveness...faster boot times for users, provide access to current technologies (Windows 10, Office 2016), and provide increased security.” First, I hate when a change is called an “upgrade.” This was not going to be an upgrade; really, it was a downgrade. Here are some of the specific issues:<br />
<ul>
<li>The computers were already running Windows 10 and Office 2016, so the upgrade was not going to provide something that previously did not exist.</li>
<li>Applications would now be run not on the computer in the actual classroom, but on a virtual computer running on a server across campus.</li>
<li>Classroom computers would no longer be able to play actual DVDs, despite having a DVD drive. If you want to play a DVD, you would need to ask for a portable DVD player to be brought to the classroom. (Not all instructors know exactly when they will need to play a DVD; some of us play things off DVDs in nearly every class. This is an inelegant, cumbersome workaround, known in computer jargon as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kludge">kludge</a>. It is a derogatory term.)</li>
<li>Using “large files such as video clips... through their USB key will experience extremely poor playback performance and is <b>not advised</b>” (emphasis in original). Er, WTF? I spent hours over the summer converting my content on DVDs to digital files, and now they won’t work? And how large is “large”? I asked that question, and never got a response.</li>
<li>IST recommended playing videos off YouTube. So I spent more time uploading my DVD video files to YouTube, only to have them rejected because they contained copyrighted material. No shit.</li>
</ul>
In August, I tried out their new system in a computer lab on campus. It did not go well. Even though I followed their recommendations (which now included Google File Stream, which streams content from Google Drive), videos stuttered and audio was out of sync with video. The iClicker application just crashed over and over.<br />
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Last semester did not go well. Almost every video I showed in class stuttered--some just froze completely for a solid minute, as did even PowerPoint. (There’s nothing like twiddling my thumbs in a class full of hundred of increasingly restless students staring at me while I nervously mumble, “It’ll start up again. Soon. Probably.”)<br />
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Every colleague who I talked to complained about the new system--they brought it up even if I didn’t. Not a single person liked it; not a single person had anything good to say about it. I guess some feedback made its way back to IST, who finally released an email on September 14:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
IST has made technical changes to the way we deploy operating systems and applications to centrally booked classrooms and computer labs, and we apologize for the frustrations the issues have caused. We are working diligently to find solutions to common issues that are impacting podium computers in the classrooms. We do have mitigation strategies in place and want to ensure we apply the right solution going forward.<br />
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Due to technical complications uncovered during the upgrade, we will be restoring a number of <b>targeted classrooms</b> back to their original state starting Friday, September 14, 2018, in order to improve the instructors’ overall teaching experience in these classrooms.<br />
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We are aware there are still ongoing issues arising in classrooms. We are actively working on solutions to ensure you are able to utilize classrooms to their full capability.</blockquote>
The rest of the email is basically a list of the problems with either a) we’re-working-on-it language, or b) claims that everything should work. Both of these are, obviously, not helpful in any way. And sadly, the “targeted classrooms” did not include rooms for my two biggest classes.<br />
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That is why I hate the VMware login screen at the top of this post. First, I have to log in with my UAlberta credentials, then I have to enter my UAlberta email address, then I have to log in to Google Drive with my UAlberta credentials <i>again</i>. And if I want to get into eClass, I have to log in one more time. That's four times that I have to enter my UAlberta credentials. (If I look stressed and frustrated at the start of class, now you know why.)<br />
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Despite my complaints and kicking and screaming about how awful they've made the workflow, IST did...nothing.<br />
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But then, at the end of November, IST did something. They sent around a Classroom Technology Survey. From the email:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This survey provides an opportunity for you to help influence decisions as IST plans for the future needs of our centrally managed classrooms. In particular, we would like to know how you use the technology in the classrooms and what technology issues you encounter while teaching.</blockquote>
What is this? At long last, IST has actually started to consult with stakeholders on the deployment of classrom technology. By January, IST had compiled a list of “<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bnz1KwLLyHbyWfLRPF9SIYsKzWjfwy2v5c9fACh3h9o/edit">functional requirements</a>” based on the survey results, and I was asked to meet with the Manager and Project Coordinator. This is the first time in 25 years of teaching that I’ve been asked to provide my input on the technology provided in classrooms.<br />
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There were some issues with their requirements. Like “Ability to set up and be ready to teach within the 10 minutes between classes”. Sometimes I have to run to class from a seminar or meeting; often the previous instructor has not logged out and is still standing in front of the computer. I need the computer to be ready in 5 minutes--no, less than that. Another one: “Having the latest version of MS Office”. Classroom computers currently have Office 2013 installed; the “latest version” is Office 2016. Or actually, the continually updated Office 365 <a href="https://blog-insider.office.com/category/windows-desktop+word+excel+powerpoint+onenote+outlook+insider-fast/">insider fast build</a> is. (No, I certainly do not want to be running beta builds of software in a classroom.)<br />
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The bottom line for me is that I just want the classroom computers to work. The best technology is the one that gets out of my way and lets me do my job. As part of my meeting with IST, I suggested that they should also consult with another important stakeholder group: students. We'll see what happens with that. In the meantime, your continued patience and understanding during in-class technical glitches are appreciated.<br />
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Why aren’t you studying?<br />
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<i>Update: 7/19/2019</i><br />
Just got a memo from IST. They're rolling back the classroom computers to the way they were before, effective this September. That means all the time and effort I spent to make my lectures work with VMware is now out the window. Argh! So now I have to go back to using a USB drive?<br />
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I have mixed feelings about this. Clearly, rolling out VMware was a mistake. (Whose mistake is not clear. Would IST buy this enterprise solution without planning its capabilities in our IT environment? Would the vendor oversell its capabilities?) I'm glad I won't have to deal with the embarrassing freeze-ups in the middle of class anymore. But I did like using Google Drive as a sort-of backup (which I will continue to do). Now I'll have to run my lectures from my USB drive. I just better not forget it in my classrooms (again). But that's another story...Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-55524835300101574502019-01-26T19:22:00.000-07:002019-01-26T19:22:24.374-07:00The 25 Years: The Skills<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I taught my first class 25 years ago: it was <a href="http://www.bcp.psych.ualberta.ca/~mike/Pearl_Street/PSYCO354/">PSYCO 354: Foundations of Cognitive Science</a>. The regular professor, Dr Michael Dawson (who was also on my PhD advisory committee), was going on sabbatical and chose me to teach his course. My emotions included surprise (that he didn’t pick one of his own graduate students) and terror (at having to teach an actual course in front of actual students). Lots of terror.<br /><br />Fortunately for me, Dr Dawson generously gave me the slides that he used to teach the course. Back in 1994, “slides” did not mean PowerPoint--it meant actual slides. Like in a slide projector. I remember lugging the 20-pound projector to and from the classroom in Tory twice a week. But carrying heavy objects was the easiest part of teaching the course. I was completely on my own in terms of teaching--I hadn’t taken a single seminar, read a book, or anything related to teaching. In fact, I figured/hoped that teaching would NOT be a big part of my future.<br /><br />Cut to today. Aside from the occasional research study, teaching is what I do. It’s <i>all</i> I do. Wanting to do the best possible job, I have invested a lot of time and effort into developing my skills. Being a half-decent instructor at one of the top 5 universities in Canada takes a lot of work, and an incredibly diverse set of skills. Here are some of the tools in my toolbox:<br />
<h4>
The Content:</h4>
As a psychological scientist, I have to know what’s what in the field of psychology--not an easy thing when global scientific output <a href="http://blogs.nature.com/news/2014/05/global-scientific-output-doubles-every-nine-years.html">doubles every 9 years</a>. In fact, it’s impossible: there is too much to know. Although a lot of my knowledge is targeted to the courses I teach (behaviour modification, cognition, perception, human factors & ergonomics), there still is the moving target of introductory psychology.<br /><br />The PSYCO 104 course cuts across most (but thankfully, not all) of the field of psychology. How could I possibly consider myself an expert in the history and methods of psychology, neuroscience, behavioural genetics, and consciousness? At least there’s overlap with my knowledge in perception, perception, and memory from my other courses. But I still struggle to keep up with current thought in motivation and emotion.<br /><br />Albert Einstein was reported to have said, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.” That’s how I feel--even about subfields in which I’m supposedly an expert. There’s always more to know...<br />
<h4>
The Pedagogy:</h4>
Pedagogy, according to <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b&q=Dictionary#dobs=pedagogy">the Google</a>, refers to “the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.” In other words, How do you teach? As a scientist, the way is clear: apply evidence-based pedagogy. Of course, that means keeping up with another whole set of research literature. I am thankful that psychology intersects with learning theory directly, so it’s not too much of a stretch. But understanding how teaching and learning work is not exactly “my area.”<br /><br />Over the years, I have applied all kinds of pedagogical best practices. Active learning? Check. Hybrid learning? Yup, dating back to 2000 in fact. Learning outcomes? Ever since day 1, back in 1994. Way ahead of the curve on that one. I don’t think of myself as a leader when it comes to pedagogy--I’m just trying to be the most effective instructor I can be. But I’m getting to an age where people are starting to see me as some wise old sage. If I can pass on my knowledge to help my colleagues, so much the better. I have tried to do some original experimental research on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholarship_of_Teaching_and_Learning">scholarship of teaching and learning</a> myself, but it’s hard to find the time. Which reminds me, I need to write up some of my research into a paper when I have a spare moment...<br />
<h4>
The Presentation:</h4>
Both behind and in front of the scenes, I rely on <a href="https://www.office.com/?omkt=en-ca">Microsoft Office</a> to help me get the job done. I start with Word, developing learning objectives, writing outlines, and then lectures. It seems silly to say that “I have Word skills.” It’s taken over 20 years, but I am finally able to grasp the subtleties of styles, headings, and macros.<br /><br />Next come the two formats students see: I convert lecture content into both HTML and PowerPoint, formatting as necessary. I use <a href="https://notepad-plus-plus.org/">Notepad++</a> to hand-code HTML, with CSS and some limited Javascript. I’m on HTML 4.01 (strict) now, and am contemplating the pros and cons of moving to HTML5. Although I’m still struggling with PowerPoint (especially customizing slide masters and layouts), I’m able to embed Flash objects <br /><br />For some technology components, I’m at the mercy of third parties. In many of my courses I use <a href="https://www.iclicker.com/students">iClickers</a>. The software that runs the polls has changed a lot since they bought <a href="https://app.reef-education.com/">Reef</a> and integrated it into their existing software. I have to keep on top of what has been updated or changed. Likewise, UAlberta’s eClass (running the open-source <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_management_system">LMS</a> <a href="https://moodle.org/">Moodle</a>) gets regular updates, which rework the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_interface">UI</a>. Yup, I’ve got to learn how that works, too. Just when I think I’ve know how to use something, it gets changed. iClickers will no longer be supported later this year, so there’s a replacement I’ll have to spend my summer figuring out. Yay.<br />
<h4>
The Everything Else:</h4>
The final component is the glue that holds all of the above together: organizing and planning. If I cannot organize all of the above in a coordinated and comprehensive way, and if I cannot formulate a plan to deliver on my learning objectives, I will not be an effective teacher. There are a lot of great tools that help me with time management, from checklists to online calendars to an early PDA back in the day (a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handspring_(company)#Visor_and_Visor_Deluxe">Handspring Visor</a>, which I still have somewhere).<br /><br />This list is not meant to be a boast about all the mad skillz I have. Partly, it’s a reflection on all of the skills and abilities that I have developed over my career. But I also wanted to show a behind-the-scenes look at the work and effort that goes into delivering a course that students may not realize.<br /><br />Why aren’t you studying?Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-70062078109550580912019-01-24T13:32:00.004-07:002019-01-24T13:33:25.780-07:00Where are they now? Part 3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2Vjuov-sZq2vUDLzBOq1OEUmXJm6hTS4oTB67HdiKupDI8hqB7ofbDnqx5eYzvcAzgtAFO2pYQIE1ziVOBddKXqal7YboPtf6K5n-zi7Cf6Rtsm_I1piFvWZFYqmVRllfTMAX24EI2k/s1600/update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="381" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2Vjuov-sZq2vUDLzBOq1OEUmXJm6hTS4oTB67HdiKupDI8hqB7ofbDnqx5eYzvcAzgtAFO2pYQIE1ziVOBddKXqal7YboPtf6K5n-zi7Cf6Rtsm_I1piFvWZFYqmVRllfTMAX24EI2k/s200/update.jpg" width="200" /></a>It's been an embarrassingly <a href="https://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2012/08/where-are-they-now-part-2.html">long since I've written</a> an updated "Where are they now?" post. Partly, that's my fault--but it's also partly other peoples' faults. I don't often hear from students after they graduate; mostly, it's people for whom I've written a letter of reference telling me about their success. So, if you've graduated, and want to share your story with current students (you know, to give them hope that there's life after university), drop me a line!<br />
<br />
(To keep your identity private, I just give initials here.)<br />
<br />
- L.B. was accepted into MSc SLP program<br />
- S.H. got accepted into graduate school<br />
- J.A. is in graduate school working on her PhD in pediatrics<br />
- A.B. was accepted into a Master’s program in medical sciences<br />
- A.K. is Assistant Grand Moff at a library in the Edmonton area, and has a cat (I am allergic to cats)<br />
- B.N. is working at Bioware <br />
- C.H. got his Bachelor’s degree in applied arts specializing in animation, and has a unique visually based blog, called <a href="http://www.skrowl.com/">SKROWL</a>. In his words: “Skrowl is a sort of combination of scrawl and scroll, with a little stank on it... I pronounce it like owl, prowl... skrowl. I think it has enormous potential as a storytelling tool of all sorts”<br />
<br />
Go out into the world and do amazing things!<br />
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But in the meantime...<br />
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Why aren't you studying?Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-59912032424223092182019-01-05T16:24:00.001-07:002019-01-05T16:24:35.773-07:00The 25 Years: The Numbers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year marks my 25th year of teaching. Over that time, I have taught:<br /> • 12 different courses (2 were co-taught)<br /> • about 200 classes<br /> • over 20,000 students<br /> • at 3 different institutions<br />In a typical academic year, I teach seven classes, and about 1,000 students.<br /><br />I have been fortunate to have been given awards for my teaching, including:<br /> • Instructor of the month (Faculty of Science)<br /> • Kathleen W. Klawe Prize for Excellence in Teaching of Large Classes<br /> • Instructors of Distinction Honour Roll, Faculty of Science<br /> • Instructor Appreciation award from the Interdepartmental Science Students’ Society<br /> • Teacher Excellence Award from Delta Chi fraternity<br /> • Department of Psychology Teaching Award<br /><br />In addition, based on USRIs, I have been placed on the Department of Psychology Teaching Honour Roll 20 times, and the Honour Roll with Distinction 144 times.<br /><br />As I reflect on all of these numbers and awards, I wonder what they all mean. Am I bragging about them? (No. Seriously.) Am I a good teacher? Students often give feedback that they enjoyed my course, which is all well and good. But did I teach the material effectively? That is, did I do something to help students learn the material well? And to what do I compare these outcomes--to myself 25 years ago, or to other instructors now? There’s no way to know. So I went to the research literature (you probably saw that coming, eh?).<br /><br />A study by <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797617744517">O’Connor and Cheema</a> (2018) found that when a course was offered several times, grades given by the same instructor increased (from about a B+ to an A-). That sounds good, but this finding can be explained a number of ways. Is it because instructors get better over time, leading to better student performance? No: much research (e.g., Marsh, 2007) shows that teaching effectiveness tends to decline with age and years of experience--unless there is “systematic intervention”. Maybe it’s because students are getting better, year over year? Nope again: no significant effects were found on GPA as a factor of calendar year.<br /><br />So what is responsible? The authors could not say for sure, but suggested that with increasing experience, the decision-making process “contaminates” evaluations--and seems to contaminate them in the upwards direction.<br /><br />Well, that sucks.<br /><br />Of course, I’d like to think that I’m the exception to the rule--that I don’t give higher marks now just because I’m older and have all this experience. I’d like to think that all the time and effort that I’ve put into my courses over the years has not been for nothing. But what can I do? Well, there is that “systematic intervention” business. The research on that indicates that using student evaluations of teaching along with consultation actually improve teaching effectiveness. The consultation is based on the ratings, and is used to target specific areas for development and selected strategies for improvement.<br /><br />So, at this point in my 25-year-long career, it’s not time to sit back. It’s time once again to roll up my sleeves and dive in to some hard work.<br /><br />Why aren’t you studying?<br /><br /><br />References<br /><br />Marsh, H. W. (2007). Do university teachers become more effective with experience? A multilevel growth model of students’ evaluations of teaching over 13 years. <i>Journal of Educational Psychology</i>, <i>99</i>, 775-790. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.99.4.775<br /><br />O’Connor, K., & Cheema, A. (2018). Do evaluations rise with experience? <i>Psychological Science</i>, <i>29</i>, 779-790. doi:10.1177/0956797617744517Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362150186602010918.post-79266428706672822632018-09-24T09:54:00.000-06:002018-09-24T09:54:21.666-06:00The Edmonton Expo (2018 edition)And that's a wrap for the <a href="https://www.edmontonexpo.com/en/home.html">Edmonton Expo</a> 2018! For me, it was 2.5 days, 36,795 steps, 25.74 km (according to my Fitbit), and all things geeky.<br />
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Things were a bit different this year. First, the Expo was smaller--fewer halls, and fewer exhibitors. (That's probably because the Expo is now owned by Fan Expo HQ, the company behind Fan Expo Canada, among others.) There were also some notable cancellations: Jason (<i>Aquaman</i>) Momoa, Karl (<i>Judge Dredd</i>, <i>Star Trek</i>) Urban, Katee (<i>Battlestar Galactica</i>) Sackhoff, and Katie (<i>Arrow</i>) Cassidy. Cancellations always happen, but these were some pretty big names.<br />
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On the bright side, I got to see two of my all-time favourite voice actors, <a href="https://twitter.com/MAURICELAMARCHE">Maurice LaMarche</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/RealKevinConroy">Kevin Conroy</a>. Conroy is, of course, the definitive voice of Batman, going back to <i>Batman: The Animated Series</i> in the 1990s. If you don't know the name LaMarche, you are nonetheless familiar with his work if you've ever watched <i>Animaniacs</i>, <i>The Simpsons</i>, <i>Futurama</i>, or <i>Disenchantment</i>.<br />
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The panels with <a href="https://twitter.com/IAMRayPark">Ray Park</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentSpiner">Brent Spiner</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnBarrowman">John Barrowman</a> were also highly entertaining. Barrowman's dress, in particular, was stunning. (Sorry, you hadda be there...) I also learned that moderator <a href="https://twitter.com/tannerzee?lang=en">Tanner Zipchen</a> is originally from Saskatoon and does not go around giving out <a href="https://www.scene.ca/en-ca/">Scene points</a>. One of the most fascinating panels for me was hearing how junior high school teacher <a href="https://www.mrhebert.org/">Scott Hebert</a> has completely transformed his classroom into a medieval realm using the principles of gamification--something I've been interested in for a while. His talk was titled, "Press start to begin: How turning a class into a live action game changed everything." (And no, that doesn't tell you everything you need to know.)<br />
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In previous years, I unleashed my wallet, buying goodies like autographs, toys, and original art. I tried to rein it in a bit this year, buying some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Universe">Steven Universe</a>-themed items (pins, art, etc.) for my two sweet daughters who did not attend with me. (Don't tell them, but I held some items back as stocking stuffers!)<br />
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As usual, I got the Premium Package which includes a bit of swag: comic book, poster, lanyard, and TARDIS lunch box. You could also go around to vendors, getting stamps in a passport. When completed, you took your passport and got to spin the big wheel to win a prize. The result? An Expo sweatshirt (size medium). Check it out:<br />
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Would you like to have this swag package? Of course you would. Like <a href="https://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-edmonton-comic-and-entertainment.html">last year</a>, I will give this prize package to the person who pledges to give the most items to the <a href="https://campusfoodbank.com/">UAlberta Campus Food Bank</a>. Make your pledge in the comments below. The contest closes on <b>Monday, October 1 at 12:00p.m. MDT</b> (that's noon). Whoever has pledged the most number of items wins. (You have to show me a picture of you actually donating the items to the food bank upon pickup.) Even if you do not win, I would encourage you to still donate your pledged items to the food bank.<br />
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Why aren't you studying?Karsten A. Loepelmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444048964547117014noreply@blogger.com2