A few people I have spoken to about the ocTEL course are feeling a bit overwhelmed and behind already, (me included). I think there are a few things worth remembering:
- Everyone will engage differently. Don’t compare yourself with some of the more prolific bloggers or contributors. Some people will just read the materials and listen in to some of the webinars, and that is totally fine, they will still learn a great deal. Others will not blog at all but may part in the discussion in the forums or on Twitter, – that is ok too. Some people will do a lot one week and nothing the next: still absolutely fine. There are no strict rules with MOOCs, no right or wrong ways to engage and no one will chase you up.
- No one can engage with everything. Not even the course leaders and tutors. It is impossible. Do what you can, when you can. Some engagement is great. Don’t feel guilty about not doing everything.
- If you miss a week for any reason or don’t do much one week, don’t worry, just move on. If you wait until you catch-up to move on, you never will. You can always revisit the earlier materials later or after the course has finished. If you move on when the next batch of resources come out you will keep up with the discussions etc.
- Don’t give up even if you have done nothing or very little yet, it is not too late to join in. Perhaps do the ‘if you only do one thing this week’ in the sections you haven’t engaged with yet then move on.
Academic Development Advisor - based at the University of Huddersfield. I promote, co-ordinate and support staff in the use of learning technologies. I am interested in online teaching and learning and have recently completed an EdD exploring tutors' early experiences of teaching online.