Isn’t it amazing? one month has already passed since we started classes online using Zoom. I would love to have time and put everything we have learned and experienced in a paper, or some sort of tutorial so other people could learn and avoid making the same mistakes. Yes, maybe that is the way to go: a Zoom best practices in online education. Well, not sure if this idea will fly, but definitely enjoying the experience.
Blog
Senior Thesis Management
After thinking a lot about how to manage the thesis grades of our students, I have decided to use a course in Moodle. It seems as a natural choice since all our instructors and students have access to it. To avoid confusion, I am planning to split students into groups depending on their advisor, what will allow faculty to see their tutees directly. As a side effect, we get fast feedback to students and better visibility for administration. I am Read More …
Classes to start on April 20 (online)
That’s right, classes were pushed to April 20 and we will officially start it online. We will be doing it for a month and see how the corona virus situation develops. We are all working really hard to make sure we can offer good classes to our students. Many faculty members are running workshops and getting together (online) to discuss and learn how to use new tools and adapt their activities.
Getting ready for spring semester
One week for the beginning of the semester, and we are all in a mix of excitement and apprehension because of the novel coronavirus. This March has been very dynamic: we have shortened our graduation ceremony and now just canceled the entrance ceremony. Although things are changing fast, one thing is certain: we have to be keep all options on the table.
Second year of the ARC program
One month into the new year, and students are already making use of the ARC. Our assistant is working hard on the new TOEIC workshops and the schedule should be available soon by email to all students. For more information about the program, here is the official page: https://www.mic.ac.jp/student/ARC
After Golden Week…
… we will have tests!!! That is he bad news for all my students in the first year (Intro to ICT), and in the upper division (Algorithms). This year we are having a holiday for 9 days straight, and I want to make sure students do not forget about the first 4 weeks, otherwise we will loose too much time on reviewing content. I believe (and I hope), that because we have a test after the holidays, everyone will study Read More …
Two good news in one day
Today I got two surprises, both of them academic ones. The first one was a package from the SUTLF team. My paper from the 2017 conference was selected for publication in a book. No big deal, except that only 4 papers were selected. I feel really honored and happy for their selection. The second one was an evaluation copy of a book I am co-authoring. I haven’t got the evaluation copy myself, but the publisher was distributing it during the Read More …
The New ARC Program
Since the beginning of this semester we are starting a new program for our Academic Resource Center (ARC) in which students get assistance with homework and some guidance studying for the TOEIC test. April was a little slow due to book purchases and setting up of computer and printers, but in May we saw some students visiting the ARC regularly and asking assistance from our TA (who has been hired with the main duty of conducting this program). Well, last Read More …
First classes DONE.
The first classes o the ICT course were done already. Wow, it was really exciting to enter the classroom again and see the new faces. Unfortunately, due to the size of the computer classroom, I got two huge classes. A big change from the small classroom sizes I had last year. The good part is that I got an assistant this year, and he is really working hard. This makes a huge difference because he also helps me keeping control Read More …
Too busy to be true
Tomorrow is our 21st graduation ceremony and today everyone is very busy preparing and rehearsing for tomorrow. Also, we will have TC certificates handled to students in a small ceremony and later, thesis highest honors certificates. Of course these are not the only things going on. Today students will be trying the gowns and filling up an exit survey among other things. I am sure a lot of people will be crying tomorrow, so I hope I can write a Read More …