Something+I+don't+want+to+write+...but+must+write

Dear ET702 student,

There are now six weeks left in ET702. To help you improve your grade over the next six weeks I am detailing what you need to do. This is not typical behavior from a professor of a 700-level class so you should appreciate that I am doing this for you. If you are angry at me at the end of this letter, then I ask you to question your reasons for being in this program. Are you here to promote strong instructional design throughout the world, research what it takes to do so, and help people use technology to improve education?

I apologize to you for your lack of preparation for this course. I do not think you are entirely responsible for misunderstanding my expectations. As I stated last night in class you are expected to do the following outside of classes when you are in a doctoral program: a. learn technologies such as Adobe Creative Suite, Wiki's, Blogs and anything that is emerging. At this time in history you should be looking at many technologies, if you are taking et695 Emerging Technologies at this time you are right on track b. read everything assigned in classes thoroughly as well as extra research articles on your own, and to use time outside of classes to immerse yourself in the discipline. c. use research articles from journals such as ETR&D as models for writing and conducting your own research d. actively monitor what you are understanding and not understanding to calibrate your performance and seek faculty assistance when you do not understand. Do this with any of the content that you encounter inside and outside of classes e. Practice what you learned in ET502 in every class that has development of an instructional module assigned f. Perform at a problem-solving level, not a procedural level. Take risks. Be creative. Continually ask yourself -- am I thinking at the problem-solving level g. Prepare yourself for you dissertation by all of the above

Typically we have doctoral orientation and in the past two years we have not done so, and I attribute much of what has happened in this class to this omission.

A few things of importance that I will share now that you must be aware of. The dissertation is very hard to complete. ET 782, ET784, and ET702 are the classes that prepare you for the dissertation. Drs. Ku, Gall, and Bauer teach ET782/784. I teach ET702. All four of us form opinions about your commitment by the way you approach these courses. When it comes time to chair dissertations all of us may choose whom we work with. If your work in these classes is not strong, we have the option to decline chairing your dissertation. In other words, these three classes are very important for your future. You should be working very hard.

I have never been the type of teacher who likes to intimidate people, and I have always worked very hard for students. I will continue to do this. But, I expect you to work as hard. I find a yoga analogy helpful, that I hope you find helpful as well. If you have never taken a yoga class, then imagine yourself standing on one leg, grabbing your other leg at the foot, extending it so that your extended leg is parallel to the floor, and holding that position for 1 full minute.

Like a student in a yoga class, you must push yourself almost beyond your endurance. Consider the doctoral program as beginning yoga - very difficult because you are not used to the straining, stretching, or pain associated with doing new things. Five years from now you will advance to intermediate yoga where you are strong enough to move to harder positions. Fifteen to twenty years from now you will be in advanced yoga. You will still be learning. You will be pushing yourself beyond your own endurance at that time as well, as you are seeing me do now. Please push yourselves, it is the only way you can grow.

On the next page I have detailed where I think you are at this point in time in the class. You may add up the points to calculate your grade and determine if you can pull your grade up sufficiently. If you cannot, you may need to drop this class and retake it in two years. I do not think anybody in here is really at that point, but, if you mistakenly took too many courses this semester you may want to consider this an option.

Please do not hesitate to see me. You can schedule appointments with me at Linda.lohr@wikispaces.com. I have many dissertations going at this time, and if you are unable to find a time, I can meet you at times NOT listed on my schedule, but you must let me know that you were unable to find a time on my schedule. My phone number is 970 351 2513 office, 970 324 6686 cell. My email is Linda.lohr@unco.edu.

Sincerely,

Linda Lohr, Professor Educational Technology University of Northern Colorado