Any other UoP instructors out there familiar with the New Classroom? I just started a workshop on it today, and it's boggling my mind. I can't seem to follow how this is organized at all. Am I alone in this? -Matt
I am teaching a class there right now in the New Classroom. I teach my one course every six months at UoP to stay on the books and this is my first class in the New Classroom. I took the online training on it last year and a refresher earlier this year. You are not alone. It is horrible in my opinion. It is not intuitive and very difficult to find information. Every day it seems like I am answering a student question about how it works and many of my students are on the verge of quitting because of it. Messages do not show up as read, new messages do not show up as unread, readings are not linked, no ability to use tabbed browsing, and on the list goes. I know the issue is not on my end because the faculty have little to no opportunity to change any of the structure of the pre-built content. Things from the old classroom like gradebook auto-comments do not come over so you will have to re-create all of that. Read the comments on the discussion boards on Phoenix Connect - page after page of angry student complaints about the system. This may be the final straw I have been looking for to sever ties with the UoP. Mike
When I was with UoP, the online program was taught through Outlook Express. No Blackboard, no Moodle, nothing. Just text-based discussions with attachments not allowed. It was like sucking an elephant through a straw. You'd think the largest online program in the U.S. could have partnered with some company to deliver either a less-expensive off-the-shelf version of their virtual classroom software or....a customized learning environment specifically designed to facilitate the learning team approach used by UoP. We attributed it to their massive and sudden growth--this was in 2004. But now? What's the excuse? This could do serious damage to their retention numbers.
Rich - when I started at UoP I used the Outlook Express classroom as well. I would take that over this new system in a heartbeat. At least you could follow along in a discussion with the OE.
Yes, when I took classes through them about ten years ago, they used Newsgroups. Ugh... After going through this training, I can see the benefits of the New Classroom. It has some neat features, but I'm still concerned about how it will actually work in a classroom. -Matt
Why "yuck" on the classroom course? Those are so much more interesting than the online courses. (I've taught both for UoP.) As an instructor, the only "yuck" I ever experienced (besides being treated like chattel by the administration) is grading assignments. Oh, and intervening in team-centric disputes. But the teaching was a lot of fun.
Um, I was referencing the "New Classroom" part of the online program. I also teach residential (not for UOP).
I'm in the process of teaching my first class using the New Classroom. Now that I'm actually using it, I think it flows rather nicely. I'm actually getting more discussion than I ever did in the previous classroom. -Matt
