After the Snow Days

Wednesday the students submitted the first three surveys: Digital Literacy, Composition, and Research Skills.  This will give a baseline for their comfort levels regarding technology, writing and typing skills, and prior research knowledge.

After taking the surveys, I realized two of the three did not have names for pre- and post semester data comparisons. Since the students would have to take two of the surveys again, Composition and Research Skills, the snow days provided an excellent opportunity to revisit and correct the details I missed from the start. The Research Skills questions were changed to get short, one or two word answers, and the Composition survey answer scale was reversed to make sense [least to greater, instead of greater to least - a course of student negative comments the first time]. 

We are still using the old technology of plug-in laptops that lock up frequently, repeatedly causing frustrations with the students. Links cannot be seen in their class Site and the connection drops without warning. I am still unsure when the new equipment will arrive, and whether I should to go back to the paper format. The grant was given to me for 10 Chrome Books at a December 20th faculty meeting. MMmmmm.