Lesson Builder

Yesterday, I went to a class on Lesson Builder software put out by soft chalk. It looks fun and very easy. I might try to do something like that for my classes next semester. I also want to incorporate a WebCT component. Both of my classes are night classes, and those students don't usually have a lot of time to come to the lab. They still need the extra practice and the instruction that the lab provides, so I'm trying to see if there is a way to handle that. The Lesson Builder software is supposedly located on a couple of computers here. I'll have to see if I can have it put on my computer. Check out the demos on the web site. They're pretty nice.

Ingenuix II

The session was great, and Ingenuix gives us a lot of options. I'm so excited about using it, but I don't have any time! I took on three prep English courses as an adjunct and added 9-12 hours to my work week. Next semester, I'm signed up for 2 classes and 1 might not make, so I hope I'll have more time. The site is up for loading information, but it probably won't go live until spring. We were also given an Ingenuix playground to learn the new system and try out new things. I haven't done much in it, though.

PantherTrail

Our new student tracking system changed from PantherTrac to PantherTrail since some college publication had the same name. As always, when you start something new, there are a few difficulties to overcome. Since whoever operates PantherTrail will have access to student information such as picture, student ID, and current schedule, all the tutors and learning specialists had to receive security clearance. Everyone had to retake the FERPA training (some of us had to take it several times for some reason) and get cleared by several people. That took several weeks. We had a few initial obstacles with the card scanners, as well. The system now works fine, and students are used to signing in with their PantherCards. The reports are the current obstacle. We print reports for various reasons: to show students their lab hours, to see our peak times, to note participation in various events, to track student progress, etc. The reports are currently done in excel, and are very confusing. The old Accutrack gave a lot of hassle at the front end, but the reports were nice and easy. I definitely can't say the same for these. Hopefully, a better system will emerge. It took me half the day to print reports for one math class. I'm not prepared to invest that much time in printing reports for every prep class scheduled.

Ask Online III

The online tutoring component for our lab has really flopped. I still believe this has a lot of potential, though. I attribute the failure of this program mainly to the "marketing" I haven't done. I tried to target classes given out at the high schools for students who don't actually come to the lab at all. While that idea worked in theory, it was hard to implement. I relied on an instructor to relay the information to the students. Since the instructor doesn't know much about the online tutoring, he was not able to promote it very well. Only a couple of students signed up, and I just couldn't see having a tutor wait online for a couple hours each week for three students who may never use the program anyway. Last summer I had 20 some signed up, and none of them used it either. I will continue to think of new ways to promote the online tutoring.