- January 8, 2015
- 2:38 pm
- Mary Ann McGrath
- no comments
Teaching and Learning During J-Term
It is -2 degrees with a snow squall visible from my window. In a short time I will have my daily online meeting with nine brave undergraduates who are scattered throughout the globe and completing their basic Marketing course during our 2-week intensive J-term.
Of course, after a relatively balmy December, few may have anticipated another polar vortex. But on days like this, I for one am happy not to be making my way to campus for our class. Seated in the cozy comfort of my own home, headset in place and clad in sweats and slippers, I may be the antithesis of a business school professor.
Do not be misled about how hard we are all working. My own days include preparation and then class sessions. The students are doing homework and taking tests online, as well as preparing cases for presentation and discussion. It has been a very busy few weeks. My hope is that the students are not only engaged, but also finding benefit from our joint experiences. Taking only one course, as opposed to their normal load of four to six, may give them a different perspective on the course itself.
But this is enough from my side of the desk/computer. For most of the students, this is their first online experience, as well as their first attempt to take an encapsulated two-week version of a course. I have invited them to comment on this blog and I hope that viewing their comments on this experience will help others decide if such a venture would work for them.
Mary Ann