Teaching At The Speed Of Life
Creating Margin In Your Teaching Routine
My morning routine last Tuesday went something like this: I taught a 9 AM face-to-face class, rushed to my office to log into an 11 AM virtual session, and then dashed across campus for a 2 PM HyFlex course. Somewhere between gulping down a snack and juggling multiple course shells in the LMS, I realized something had to give.
If you teach across multiple formats (and let's be honest, who isn't bounced back and forth between online and face-to-face these days?), you know the struggle. It's not the students or the subject matter that overwhelms us—it's the logistical gymnastics of managing different teaching modalities, sometimes within the same day. After one particularly chaotic week of forgetting which announcement went to which class, I decided to be strategic about my approach.
The game-changer? Creating systems that work across all teaching formats. I aim to streamline as much as possible, from student communication to feedback delivery.
Let's start with communication. Rather than juggling different schedules for each course format, I created one central system that works across all delivery methods. The key? Monday magic. All new content goes live, and all previous assignments wrap up on Mondays, creating a natural rhythm that my students (and my schedule) can count on. Whether they're logging in from home or sitting in my classroom, everyone follows the same clear roadmap.
Best of all, I've learned to let my LMS do the heavy lifting. By setting up automated reminders and announcements before the semester starts, I've eliminated that late-night panic of "Did I remind my morning section about tomorrow's deadline?" The system keeps track so I don't have to, and my students get consistent communication no matter which format they're learning in.
Grading used to be my biggest time sink, especially with multiple sections in different formats. Now, I use simplified rubrics that work across modalities. Instead of complex point scales, I create straightforward complete/incomplete criteria based directly on assignment instructions. For more detailed feedback, I've even tried embracing voice recording. I was skeptical at first, but now I save hours by speaking my thoughts instead of typing them. I'm unsure if this will become my standard practice, but I’m sticking with it this semester.
Perhaps my most powerful cross-format tool is surprisingly simple: a community discussion forum. Yes, even in face-to-face classes. This digital gathering space has transformed how my students seek help and share knowledge. Instead of answering the same questions through endless emails, I now direct students to this central hub where answers live permanently. The best part? Students often jump in to help their peers before I even see the question, creating an organic learning community that works across all teaching formats.
Before Your Next Class:
Choose one communication or grading task that you repeat across different teaching formats. Create a template or system that could work universally. Remember, you don't have to revolutionize everything at once – start with one pain point and build from there. Your future self will thank you.
Share this with that professor who treats their calendar like a game of Tetris (and always wins), and SUBSCRIBE for bite-sized strategies delivered straight to your inbox. We're in this semester together.
