When students need a break

Reading your audience is something we teach in communication courses. As teachers, we are constantly scanning for understanding and confusion on faces or Zoom screens — gauging our audience. So when a more vocal student tells you that students are tired and you see an entire class or screen of nodding heads, you listen.

This happened in a recent graduate seminar. At about the 10-week mark, students were stressing beyond their normal stress. A student messaged me that they needed a break. So, during class I asked them how the semester was going and they said they were exhausted. I felt it, too. The ongoing pandemic and a drama-filled semester can do that. 

I thought about just canceling a class meeting to give them time for self-care or whatever they most needed. Instead, I offered them brief one-on-one consultations over a two-week period. They could use that time to chat about their final project, vent, or just pick my brain. They selected their time to Zoom in on a Google Doc. They received individualized instruction and got some time back to handle however they most needed. It was wonderful to have focused time with each one of them and get a truer sense for what they needed related to our class, our program, and their career path. 

Sometimes, we just need a switch-up, something different for a class. Maybe it's a break or maybe it's one of these ideas:

• One-on-one consultations--This works well for courses with a large project or with seniors or graduate students who may also be seeking career and program advice.
• Guest speakers--Sometimes, the constant that needs to change is us. A new voice, even if it's saying the same words we say, can resonate. Or have students step into the role of the professor. My daughter's kindergarten teacher used this tactic and it made my little feel so important. 
• Change your modality/location--With so many schools set up for an easy pivot (you're tired of this word, I know), you could meet online for a class. Make a quick trip to the library for APA review. Or did you ever have a teacher who would take you outside? I loved that. I have designs on an evening sunset meeting at our Fort Worth campus where grad students bring lawn chairs and we have a "campfire" class. It's such a beautiful view on the prairie and lends itself to a philosophical chat about communication ethics.
• Change your format--Do you normally use a lecture method? Switch to a facilitator model or open discussion format. One evening I simply ditched my PowerPoint and started a discussion. Our grad students found the change of pace refreshing.

What do you do when you or your students just need a break?

<<Written in a past semester>>

Educational Excellence Week - Notes and Takeaways

I love a presentation with takeaways I can implement immediately. If your campus has an Educational Excellence Week, your fellow teachers will load you up with their favorite tips and tricks to improve your teaching right now.  Scott January, an instructional designer at Tarleton, had me taking all kinds of notes this morning at our EEWeek in his presentation for making courses more accessible.

Photo by Elizabeth Woolner on Unsplash

• Use Headers in blocks of text. This helps those using a screen reader to jump from header to header. In Canvas, you can find the set headers under the Paragraph section. In Word, you're looking for the headings in the Styles gallery.
• Customized hyperlinks prevent a screen reader from having to announce a horrible list of characters and letters. Just highlight the words in a sentence you want linked to and engage the link system in Canvas or Word. See the last bullet for an example. And it makes the page look cleaner for everyone.
• Accessibility Checkers: Canvas has an automatic ADA checker; it looks like a circle with a body inside. Word has one, too! Look under the Review Tab.
• In Word and Canvas, use the list function to create lists so a screen reader will acknowledge the list.
• Alternative Text or alt tags are easy and make a huge difference for someone listening to a screen reader. It's basically an embedded description of a visual. Did you know Word lets you add alt tags?

Scott called it "Digital Equity" and using Universal Design can help all learners. 

Panel Power!

 

The 2022 Texas Women in Higher Education conference was a great event! I was especially proud to present on mentoring with Dr. Therese Pennell, Skyla Claxton, and Dr. Rochelle Gregory. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?! You never know if a panel will gel and this one did. 

Our participants really open up and shared their challenges and mentoring successes. It was as good as you could hope for -- when time is up and no one wants to run to the luncheon immediately. 

In the "it's a small world" category, we discovered that each of us had Tarleton State connections. Dr. Pennell and I know each other and teach in the same college. Skyla and Dr. Gregory have Tarleton master's degrees.

After two years of virtual-only attendance, I found the renewal and networking of a face-to-face conference to be exactly what I needed for the end-of-the-semester slide.

Until next year, TWHE! See you in Denton.

Resource Share - AHB's Manuscript Recipe

One of my colleagues has launched a website full of resources that can help us all. Dr. Amber Harris Bozer is one cool cat. I love this neuroscientist's passion for sharing and learning! As Associate Editor for the Journal of Social Media in Society, she created an entire how-to manual for our editorial team. And now, she's creating and curating how-to's for researchers at all stages.

Dr. Harris Bozer's ability to organize and outline processes is one to emulate. On her website, she has a Manuscript Recipe that might help you as you revamp an article or strike out on your first one, step by step. You'll also find a timeline for thesis/dissertation committees that will guide chairs and students alike. She has it all for you to download, adapt, and share some more. 

Commencement 2021 - New MAs

 

Don't you just love Commencement!?! It's such a happy time and one of such pride. Pictured here are our master's students who graduated this semester and my colleague Dr. Paul Stafford. Comprehensive exams were bad enough in a regular year, but can you imagine tackling graduate school hoops during a pandemic? These grads have such bright futures and that's what commencement is about for me -- the next step and more possibilities, from pursing doctorates to launching new businesses to new discovering locations! Onward, Texans! 💜

Free Article: Stakeholder Expectations for Social Media Listening

Dr. Chris Gearhart and I merged our research interests to tackle what stakeholders expect in listening (and responding) in social media dialog. We found that higher active-empathic responses were rated as more competent and offer some ideas for social media managers. 

Here's a link to free copies of our research. Enjoy!

https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/PMVI4NAQXJRYRICJH8GK/full?target=10.1080/10904018.2019.1602046

Gearhart, C. C., & Maben, S. K. (2021). Active and empathic listening in social media: What do stakeholders really expect. International Journal of Listening, 35(3), 166-187. DOI: 10.1080/10904018.2019.1602046

Summer of...

When I think of summer progress, I first consider items marked off a to-do list and manuscripts shipped off for publication consideration. But progress is also the things we've learned along the way. 

• This summer I dove into Nvivo with a friend's help. We are analyzing social media messages from a particular hashtag campaign. Being in the role of the learner is wonderful because we need reminders of what our students feel like when they start a new endeavor in our classes.
• I jumped into literature about academic mothering and life writing. We are told to find our research areas and not to stray too far, but there is something refreshing about striking out into a new area. 
• I am reminded about how much I love to write and design. Writing makes me feel like myself and designing gives me a creative outlet. I tend to forget to cultivate these areas in the long semesters. 
• I tried a new mantra...finish three main to-do list items. For me, it worked. I was able to disconnect at the end of my workday more easily than before.

While it's great to complete grant work and set lofty goals for the next academic year, taking a little time to reflect on what I've learned about myself is valuable as well. 

With only a week left, what are you learning this summer?