Went into campus on Tuesday, and it totally freaked me out. No real reason, except that it was the first time I'd been there since they all but fired me. The dinosaurs are assuming some advising duties (amazing), New Hire (hereafter simply VAP) still thinks I'm chair. The Acting Chair/Assoc Dean is up to hir ass in work and hasn't make some easy decisions, much less executed what needs to be delegated. Nor does s/he know what I am teaching this term if my two under enrolled classes are canceled (as I suggested in May, so that we could come up with alternative scenarios; it's now very late and unlikely to work).
I have spent a couple of days trying to sift through the vast info on the internet on the recent literature for my Methods class topic. And related topics. Huge literature since the last time I really looked into this topic. Lots of reading to catch up on, and some really interesting new directions. And many hours how to move iWeb files from desktop Mac to MacBook Pro laptop. Which I am unable to figure out and unwilling to screw up. Logically, I should be able to copy/drag from x to y. However, if that doesn't work, I might have to recreate twenty-five web pages. And I really don't want to do that. So I am stuck waiting until the IT people can get to me. Sigh. That may be weeks.
Did get the syllabus done. Not the schedule - yet. Generally, I do them backwards, but this one... this one is elusive. That's for the one class I know that starts in less than 2 weeks. The other for-certain class doesn't even start until mid-October. So I can wait on that one for a couple of days, right?
Rethinking my approach on all teaching. For seven years, I've focused on engaged, active learning. I changed everything, went with both gut and scholarly stuff on teaching & learning. You know, the evidence on learning? Every term, I've had successes and failures, but the last two years... it's been 90% failure. Time for 'failure analysis' is long overdue. Not that I have't worried & thought about it - but I've been very busy juggling chain saws and torches. Now I have some time. Hopefully, the energy. Meanwhile... not sure what to do. Do I return to the tried-but-trite (and ineffective) lecture method that students prefer? Passive reception of information presented, assessed by ability to regurgitate via exam/paper. Students actually like that, not knowing any better. But these students have witnessed my 'revised' methods during these past two failure-plagued years. So does that make them a better bet for the 'traditional' lecture method, or a good experimental group for a new approach? And what might that approach be???
Very glad the chain saws and flaming torches are somebody else's problems now. All I need is some advice, recommendations and luck. Got any?
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