Showing posts with label career advancement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label career advancement. Show all posts

Thursday, 1 June 2017

Loads of Links for Student Evals

I have written a handful of articles about student evals and how they can impact things such as contract renewal and bonuses.  Below is a compilation to the various articles I wrote as well as other ones online.

Problems with Evaluations and Their Affects on Teachers
There are many, many problems with student evals. One problem is that students aren't customers even though they may think they own you because of the high cost of tuition. Here are a few more problems. Lastly, here's what teachers think about student evals

Student evals affect contract renewal and this means teachers might do anything they can to increase their evals, including being a dancing monkey.

Sometime you get punished if students don't evaluate you. An easy way to make sure they do is to do the evaluations during mid-term or final exams.

Ideas for Evaluation
What should the standard be for evaluation? Make sure the evals are reliable and valid. Or better yet, stop evaluating and start mentoring.The admin should be supporting teachers.

From stuyspectator.com
Teachers don't get a break. They are always being evaluated. Here are 4 different ways teachers are evaluated. Since the admin evaluates teachers, then have teachers evaluate the admin. It would be a great way to get rid of some of the horrible administrators sitting around. Having teachers do self-evaluations can also be useful.

How to Get Better Evals

More Articles about Student Evals


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Thursday, 1 December 2016

10 Hoops To Jump Through to Get Renewed at a Korean University

Image source
Anyone who has taught in Korea knows that there's a lot of paperwork to go through to get a job. Nowadays, more and more universities are making you do lots of paperwork just to keep your job, especially for those people who have some of the best TEFL jobs in Korea.

Even if you do everything they ask and pass all their tests with flying colors, it's may not mean anything. They can fudge the results or decide they want to have retroactive job requirements. While I don't want to say that it's a farce, most of it is just a formality. They are going through the motions to show their higher ups that they did what they had to do. More often than not it comes down to them liking you and them having the budget to hire you. Below you can find somethings that people have had to do to renew.

  1. Sign a document saying that you know your contract is up: this is just a legal formality. They need to tell you that your contract is finishing.
  2. Sign a document saying you want to renew: this usually states that this is not an offer of employment, but they just want to know if you want to renew. You can always decide later not to sign the contract.
  3. Verbally tell them you want to renew: and you might have to tell multiple people, such as your head teacher, boss, secretary, and/or dean.
  4. Email them and tell them you want to renew: they cover all the bases and this is just another one of them.
  5. Interview: you might have to have an interview with people such as the head teacher, your boss, and/or the dean. It's usually short and less stressful than an actual job interview.
  6. Self-evaluation: this can get lengthy so be sure to ask if there are guidelines. Some places think the more the better, while others think that less is more. 
  7. Achievements: You'll have to list any awards, publications, new degrees or diplomas, committees, or workshops you gave or attended.
  8. Submit proof of your achievements: you'll have to provide originals or copies to show your awards, publications, committees, TEFL certificates like the CCELT or the University of Toronto, new degrees or diplomas, or workshops you gave or attended.
  9. Student evals: You usually just have to list your score but you might have to print off a copy of them as well.
  10. Have your class observed: unfortunately this is not that common since students really don't know much about methodology and most places completely rely on students to decide which teachers should stay or go (based on popularity). If it's done it's usually internal and the people observing you might not know much about methodology either. 
This is not an extensive list since all places are different. This is just a list of some of the more common things that you might have to do to get renewed. Contracts may be signed early, but more often or not they are signed a few days before the semester starts and it's not unheard of for teachers to sign contracts after the semester has started.

NB: I'll be on vacation in January and February and will be publishing guest posts. While I'm gone you can read posts my other blogs. I will start posting again at TEFL Tips in March.

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Thursday, 1 September 2016

11 Tips for Working with People You Hate

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446698490/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0446698490&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=NQSZABOFWGY64RII
Image source
You're not going to like everyone you work with. However, as an adult sometimes you're going to have to suck it up and deal with it. You might even have to work on a project with your worst enemy. Below are some tips to help you work with people you hate, whether it's your boss or your colleagues.
  1. Control yourself: It’s easy to get angry or frustrated. Try to keep calm and not take things personally. 
  2. Keep your lips sealed: Don’t complain, especially to your co-workers. If you need to vent, find a close friend or family member who isn’t in the same field as you are. 
  3. Look within: Maybe there’s something that you do that sets the other person off. See if there are some changes you can make. 
  4. Get to know them: I know that you hate them and don’t want to spend any more time than necessary with them, but if you get to know them as a person, you can find out if there’s some reason they act the way they do. Maybe they had a death in the family or are going through a divorce. Getting to know them personally will allow you to empathize with them. 
  5. Confront them: Sometimes people might not intentionally try to set you off. It might just be their personality or sarcastic attitude. Talking to them directly might make them change. If follow what they say in relationships, to say “I feel ____, when you do _____” you’re just using facts to express your feelings. You could also ask them if there’s something that you do that bothers them. It can be a tough pill to swallow, but they might feel that you’re out to get them. 
  6. Rise above them: Don’t sink to their level. If you do it’ll just make you look immature. Rise above it and colleagues will notice.
  7. Give them reasons: Explain why things have to be done by using because. For example, you could say, “Could you please email me the report by 5pm because our boss needs it on his desk first thing tomorrow?” And mind your Ps and Qs; saying please and thank you always help. 
  8. Kill them with kindness: Compliment them. When they offer a snarky opinion, tell them that that’s an interesting perspective. You could also compliment their hard work and effort. 
  9. Remember that relationships are 50/50: It’s all about give and take. Each person adds something to the relationship; rarely is it all one person’s fault. 
  10. Be aloof: Don’t take anything personally. Sometimes people say something because they expect a certain reaction. If you keep your cool and pretend not to care they might stop egging you on. 
  11. Find a mediator: If nothing works, you might have to take things to another level and get someone else involved. Do this only if nothing else works. As adults, you should be able to manage most work conflicts without mediation. 
Looking for more tips?
Check out these links.

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Sunday, 1 May 2016

3 Reasons Why I Closed My LinkedIn Account

Image source
Last updated 15 September 2017

I opened another LinkedIn account in September 2017. I'm looking into other career options and it seems like LinkedIn is a good way to network. I wish LinkedIn had an option where you could take a break.

Closing my account
I closed LinkedIn in September 2014 wary of what would happen when I deleted over 2,000 contacts and 3 dozen recommendations. Now nine months later, I have no regrets and feel less stressed thanks to backing away from social media. There were 3 reasons why I decided to close my LinkedIn account.
  1. Spam: It came in many different forms. There were people selling gold, asking for dates, and just random "just my business" spam. I didn't want to deal with any of it.
  2. Privacy: Lack of privacy was a big issue. Although I was partly to blame since I had so many contacts and had added my information, I wanted to get away from it and protect myself. I don't think everyone needed to know where I went to school, where I had worked, or what conferences I had been to.
  3. No leads: I had originally joined LinkedIn in order to network and learn about jobs. The only job offers I had were from pyramid scheme or multi-level marketing.
LinkedIn Isn't the End All
Some people never had a LI account. Others have decided that they'd had enough and closed theirs.
  • Chris Brogan closed his in 2012.
  • Doug Belshaw closed and then re-opened his account.
  • Finding the Forest listed a number of issues leading to why they closed their account. 
  • Heather Bussing from HR Examiner closed her account.
  • Simply Zesty closed theirs in 2011.
There are plenty of ways to network and get good jobs without using LinkedIn.

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Tuesday, 1 March 2016

Is Not Getting Renewed the Same as Getting Fired?

Image source
The short answer is no. There are many reasons teachers don't get renewed ,such as . . .
If you truly did something bad, a school wouldn't keep you on their staff and wait for your contract to run out. Don't take it personally. The bubble burst long ago and it's an employers' market.

Pick yourself, dust yourself, and move on. There are better jobs out there (the best TEFL jobs in the world is a good place to start looking) and you might as well get one of them. 

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Monday, 1 February 2016

Retroactive Job Requirements

Image source
About a year ago I wrote about whether Korea was still a good place to teach in. There is an oversupply of teachers and it is definitely an employers' market. Many universities are taking advantage of this and some have decided to initiate retroactive requirements.

Take Sungshin University in Seoul, for example. Many people were hired there with only a BA. However, last year Korea decided to start requiring university teachers to have a BA + 4 or an MA + 2. This meant that they had to have at least that many years teaching at a university or equivalent and preferably this experience was in Korea.

What Sungshin University did was look at what teachers had when they were hired, not what they had then. That meant that even if you had an MA + 2 now, but only had a BA and no university experience when you were hired you weren't allowed to renew.

Having spoken to teachers who worked there it seems like they wanted to clean house. No notice was given and it's simply not logic. Yes, I understand that that's the requirement now, for new teachers. However, you should implement a current rule to teachers that have already been hired.

My advice is to continue to build up your CV. Create material, teach new classes, get an MA, do a TEFL certificate such as the online CCELT or the online University of Toronto certificate, network, attend conferences, and look for jobs every single time you're up for renewal. You never know what will happen plus it's always good to get interviewing experience. 

I'd love to hear your opinion. What do you think about retroactive requirements?

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Monday, 26 October 2015

Life After ESL: Foreign Teachers Returning Home

Jackie Bolen has written a few guest posts for me including how to choose an ESL job wisely, how to advance your TEFL career, and why I love teaching at a Korean university. She's been teaching in Korea for 10 years and has decided to make the move back home to Canada. She's active in a number of Facebook groups and has a few websites including Wealthy English Teacher and Teaching in a Korean University.

Granted Jackie does get some flack, but I believe that's because people are jealous. She's a real go-getter and doesn't waste her time. She uses her free time to build websites and write books. By doing this she's been able to create a substantial passive income stream, meaning that she literally makes money while she sleeps. Here are some of the books she's written and I'm sure there will be many more to come:
While some people will end up in the TEFL field forever and will hopefully advance their TEFL career, sooner or later many of us will go home. We'll have to leave our bubble and face the real world.

Years ago I wrote a blog post about life after TEFL with some advice for teachers going home. While I only skimmed the surface, Jackie has a new book out called, Life After ESL: Foreign Teachers Returning Home that is jammed packed full of stories and advice from teachers who have made the transition from TEFLing abroad to getting a job back home.

Her book starts with the results from a survey she did about teachers going back home. Then she goes on to offer 13 pieces of advice, job options that you will have, her own story, and then what jobs will be in high-demand by 2020 for a handful of countries around the world.

If you're thinking about going home soon or even in a few years, I highly recommend you read Life After ESL: Foreign Teachers Returning Home. Start planning now and it will make the transition so much easier.

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Tuesday, 20 October 2015

7 Tips for Finishing an Online Course

Image source
Whether you're doing a diploma, a masters, a doctorate, or a MOOC, here are some tips to help you finish what you start. This is based on the #ELTchat Summary of 24th September 2014.
  1. Pay for it: Whether it's true or not, people still think that you get what you pay for. If you're taking the class for free you're less likely to finish it. If they have a paid option, such as some of the courses at Coursera, consider paying the fee. 
  2. Know what's expected: Make sure you're able to do the course. That means that you have the appropriate background knowledge as well as the time to devote to it. 
  3. Organise yourself and manage your time wisely: Some courses just have a final project while others will have quizzes and tasks for you to do throughout the course. Make a weekly plan of what you want to get done so that you don't fall behind. It's challenging to juggle your personal life, work, and studies. Make a plan to make sure that you're not stressing out the night before the final project is due.
  4. Make sure it works for your learning style: Some people prefer videos to readings, or many small quizzes compared to a bit final project.
  5. Enlist a friend: Have someone who can keep you accountable. It could be someone taking the course or even a friend. If it's someone taking the course it's even better as they could become your study buddy.
  6. See if it could help you at work: Tell your boss that you're studying. This will keep you accountable and also show her that you're interested in CPD.
  7. Ask yourself why you're doing it: You need to be motivated in order to complete the course. If it's required you still need to find out what benefits you will get by taking the course.

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Monday, 5 October 2015

Poll Results: How Did You Get Your Job?

I asked people how they got their job. Here are the results:
    From rmsbunderblog.wordpress.com
  • Friends/Networking: 14.29% with 2 votes.
  • Online: on the school's website: 35.71% with 5 votes.
  • Online: from a job website: 42.86% with 6 votes.
  • Print: such as a journal or newspaper. 0% with 0 votes.
  • Cold call: 7.14% with 1 vote.
It looks like more and more people are going online to find jobs. Here's a list of great TEFL job sites that you should check out.

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Friday, 25 September 2015

How to Apply for Jobs When Your Current Boss Doesn't Like You

From V Productions
Getting reference letters can be stressful and it can be even more difficult if your current boss doesn't like you. There are a few things that you can do in this situation.
  • Write your own reference letter. It's really a lot more common than you think. Even when your boss likes you they may ask you to write your own reference letter.
  • Ask for proof of employment. Just the facts. Your name, date you started working there, and your responsibilities should be listed.
  • Ask someone else to write a reference letter. It doesn't have to be your direct supervisor. Try to find other people who can vouch for you.

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Saturday, 5 September 2015

Is Getting a Masters in TEFL Worth It?

From New Republic
Many people ask me if I think getting a Masters in TEFL or Applied Linguistics is worth it.

For me it has been. I have two masters, one in TEFL and one in Educational Administration. Without these I wouldn't have the job I have now. However, you have to choose what's right for you.

A Masters in TEFL may not be worth it if . . .
  • You're only planning on teaching for a gap year or two.
  • It wouldn't make sense financially.
  • TEFL isn't your main job.
  • You hate TEFLing and have a definite exit plan.

A Masters in TEFL may not be worth it if . . .
There are a number of masters that can be done online. Here is a list of hundreds of programmes around the world. You'll have to decide if TEFLing is right for you. If it is, I recommend getting a masters sooner rather than later.

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Saturday, 20 June 2015

Tips for Applying to Jobs Via Email

From Pop Sugar
Once you've got your CV and cover letter ready, it's time to shoot off an email, cross your fingers, and hope you get an interview. There are things you can do to better your chances to get an interview. Try these the next time you apply for jobs. Reddit also has some more tips.

Put all your docs into a PDF
There's nothing like having to attach 10+ docs to an email. It's not fun for you or the person getting the email. They have to download everything and it's easy to lose docs. Create one PDF and attach that to your email. Your cover letter, CV, and anything else they ask for should be in it. If you have a Mac it's pretty easy to do through Preview. If you have a PC you'll have to either buy software that allows you to create PDFs or try any one of the numerous websites out there that will do it for you. It looks much more professional to have a PDF doc and you don't have to worry about the other person not being able to open it or the formatting getting messed up.

Make a list of your documents you are attaching
I always, always list out exactly what docs are in the PDF that I attach. Having a list makes it easy for the person reading the email to make sure that you sent everything they asked for.

Limit the size of the attachments
Read the advert carefully. Many places won't accept files bigger than a certain size. Stay within that limit.

Follow directions
Again, read the advert carefully. Many times they will tell you to email one person if you have questions and email another if you want to apply. Don't email your app to the person you're supposed to email if you only have questions. Watch the deadline. Make sure to include all the docs. Be sure you fulfill the reqs, or almost fulfill them. Not following directions is a good way for your app to be deleted.

Put your info in the subject line
I always write my name, how many years of experience I have (either total or at that particular level, depending on the advert), my qualifications, and my visa status. It helps your email stand out and makes it easier to find if they need to.

Address the email to a specific person
Forget sir or madam or hiring committee. Find out who's hiring. Only use a generic greeting if the school you're applying to refuses to tell you who's in charge of hiring, which is always a possibility.

If you're not job searching you should still be networking. Check out how to write a networking email that gets results for more info.

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Monday, 25 May 2015

Are Schools Just Churning Out Grads?

From alfordmedia.com
Many people would say yes. The Independent and The Times Higher Education think that schools and universities aren't doing their job. Thanks to grade curves and students being treated as customers, teachers are being forced to pass students that don't deserve to pass. Business Insider has an article about how As aren't what they used to be.

Teachers that try to stand up for what they believe in are quickly shot down due to student evaluations and not renewed. It's up to the admin to change this. Their goal should be to create better teachers who can in turn teach their students the best they can. They need to realise that quality is more important than quantity and graduates are products that reflect the quality of teaching.


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Tuesday, 5 May 2015

If You Don't Like It, Leave

From Tiger Tribe
Contrary to what people may believe, there is no perfect place to teach English or live. Everyone has bad days and needs to complain once in a while. I live in Korea and am not married to a local. I've found that people who are married to Koreans feel like they're allowed to complain about Korea and people like me, who have fewer ties, are not. They can say anything and if you chide them, they'll tell you that they're stuck and can't leave because they married into the culture. If you complain about any one little thing, they'll tell you to leave.

I have created ties in Korea. I have a job I love, my daughter was born here and goes to school here. She's fluent in Korean. I have friends, I do volunteer work, and get involved in the community.

No normal person would tell a foreigner back home to leave. You wouldn't go into Chinatown and tell people if they don't like it, leave. The same thing holds true here. There is no utopia and sometimes it's better to stay with the devil you know. Everyone is allowed to have bad days and complain every once in a while.

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Thursday, 23 April 2015

Giveaway Grammarly Premium Test Account

Last updated: 8 May 2015

Yesterday's guest post about 3 reasons for learning English was written by Nickola Baron at Grammarly.

The people at Grammarly have sponsored a giveaway for a premium test account. There will be a raffle to choose the winner. The raffle will end at midnight GMT+9 on Thursday, May 7th. A winner will be chosen randomly on Friday, May 8th.

Click here to enter the giveaway.

Edited to add: the winner is John. Congrats!

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Wednesday, 22 April 2015

A Feather in the Hat for English Teachers

The following post is from a guest blogger from Grammarly. They have sponsored a giveaway for a premium test account. There will be a raffle to choose the winner. The raffle will end at midnight GMT+9 on Thursday, May 7th. A winner will be chosen randomly on Friday, May 8th.

A Feather in the Hat for English Teachers
Have you heard students complaining that they will never use what they are learning in class? Regardless of the subject matter, it seems that the future engineers and pastry chefs of America think that they do not need a well-rounded education. Would students be better off restricting their studies to subjects directly related to their future careers? If you teach English, here are three reasons why your curriculum should be a part of every student’s plan of study.

What Would Human Resources Say? 
Often, professionals responsible for hiring evaluate grammar to narrow down the pool of applicants. If they have several candidates that seem equally qualified, they will eliminate the candidates who have glaring grammar mistakes in their cover letters or applications. In a Harvard Business Review article, Kyle Wiens states this about applicants who use bad grammar: “I just think they deserve to be passed over for a job — even if they are otherwise qualified for the position.” If you apply for a sales or operations position at one of his two companies, you will take a mandatory grammar test. If you fail, your application will be discarded.

Grammarly’s Research on Elance Profiles
Do you remember learning about indirect object pronouns and subordinate clauses? Did you take notes in English class? If so, you may earn more than your peers! In a recent poll, a writing software company named Grammarly discovered that good grammar significantly influences the likelihood that you will be hired, as well as how much you earn and how highly you are ranked on Elance. Elance is a staffing platform for online freelance work. Contractors are rated using a system of stars. Grammarly examined the profiles of about 450 professional freelancers working in various categories and found that the highest scorers also had the fewest errors in their profiles.

More Time for Lunch 
According to the article, “The Advantages of Good Grammar in the Workplace”, writing accurately is practical for a number of reasons. First, it saves time. If you communicate well, you will spend less time answering questions from your colleagues. You also avoid giving misleading information that could result in costly mistakes. People perceive you as caring and professional if you communicate well. This may translate to promotions and positive evaluations later in your career. The research speaks volumes about the importance of communication and writing. Students belong in English class so they can learn how to express themselves to others. Even after graduating from high school or university, they need to continue to develop their writing skills. Applicants for jobs or professionals in their careers should make it a regular practice to use an automated grammar checker on their emails, memos, reports, and other communication. Doing so will save you time and effort. It may also affect how much you earn and how people view you. With this information in mind, is it not a good time to thank your English teacher for introducing you to commas?

By Nikolas Baron ------------------------------------------------------//------------------------------------------------------------- Bio: Nikolas discovered his love for the written word in elementary school, where he started spending his afternoons sprawled across the living room floor devouring one Marc Brown children’s novel after the other and writing short stories about daring pirate adventures. After acquiring some experience in various marketing, business development, and hiring roles at Internet startups in a few different countries, he decided to re-unite his professional life with his childhood passions by joining Grammarly’s marketing team in San Francisco. He has the pleasure of being tasked with talking to writers, bloggers, teachers, and others about how they use Grammarly’s online proofreading application to improve their writing. His free time is spent biking, traveling, and reading.

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Monday, 20 April 2015

Better to Stay With the Devil You Know

From Tiger Tribe
I recently wrote about how some people may think that TEFL is a dead-end job and since the grass is always greener they might try to get another job. After sending out endless CVs and going to interviews and doing demo lessons you might finally realise that it's not worth it.

The unknown is scary. Even if you have issues with your job, or your boss, or your co-workers, you know how everything works. That's why some people stay so long at one job or in one country: it's the easy way out. There's nothing wrong with that. People like to stay within their comfort zone.

Other people would disagree and say that if you want to move on, you have to move on. In order to get that fantastic job you have to move outside of your comfort zone. 

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Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Stuck in TEFL: Is it a Dead-End Job?

From Simon Free
Although some people make a career out of TEFLing, many people only teach for a year or two and then move on. For those who do stay in TEFL, it can be hard to move up the TEFL ladder. Many people just teach. Salaries aren't getting better and the bubble has burst in places like Korea.

People continue to teach English abroad for many reasons. For some it's because of the lifestyle. You may only have to teach 15 hours a week and get 20 weeks vacation if you get a university job in Korea.

For those teachers who marry locals and have kids it can get harder and harder to leave, especially due to visa restrictions on bringing your family back home. People say they'll stay for a year or two and that can quickly become five or ten. The prospect of moving back home with a spouse and kids in tow can be extremely daunting. Middle Kingdom Life has an article about a man who has been teaching in China since 1999. It's an interesting read, especially for those who have lived abroad for a while.

All I know is that it's good to have a back-up plan. Nowadays it's easy to supplement your teaching salary or even make money online. There are a number of good books out there about saving money and retirement.

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Monday, 30 March 2015

Quick Tip: Do Student Evals During Mid-Terms

From WISC
At many schools whether or not a teacher gets renewed often depends entirely on student evals. While there are other issues at stake, they aren't that transparent. Although many people don't like student evals and say that students aren't customers, it looks like they're here to stay.

It's necessary to get student feedback if you want to become a better teacher. Student evals are often done at the end of the course. However, if you can get your hands on the evaluation sheet ahead of time and give them out during mid-terms you'll be able to nip any problems in the bud. It may also change your teaching style and help your students out even more.

If you have high student evals, you have a better chance of getting renewed. There are a number of things you can do to help boost your student evals, but I've found the best thing to do is to ask students.

I create an open-ended questionnaire that I give out to students during mid-term week. They fill it out in class either in groups or individually. It's anonymous and I explain I want their feedback in order to make the class better.

I've found it to help out immensely. I'm glad I ask students for feedback and I know that changing my lessons will help make me a better teacher. It has also helped my student eval score so it's a win-win for everyone involved.

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Wednesday, 25 March 2015

Online EdDs and PhDs

Updated 20 March 2017

If you're looking for an online masters degree program, please read this post.

Here are a few programs that offer doctorate degrees that can be earned completely online or only require a few on-campus sessions that are usually held for a couple days during breaks. Some of these universities are B and M (brick and mortar) and others are online schools. Do your research thoroughly before choosing a school. 

Don't just choose a programme based on price! You can get grants for doing a doctorate. Check out profellows for more info. If you're looking for encouragement while drudging through your programme, PhinisheD is a great website with like-minded people. More info can be found at ISR: distance degree programmes. 

Doctoral degrees aren't the end all. Here are some articles against them.

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