Hello Online College of Humanities and Sciences faculty members,
April 8 to 12 is faculty appreciation week here at University of Phoenix! I, along with all of the Online College of Humanities and Sciences, would like to thank each of you for always working tirelessly with your students. Teaching online is not easy but it is your efforts that help students achieve their learning goals and graduate with a degree from University of Phoenix.
The college would like to highlight faculty members who sent in submissions answering the question: “What is it about your role as a faculty member that inspires you the most?"
KacieMcCollum & Natasha Bryan
Bjorn Mercer
Appreciation Week @ Faculty Matters:
hwww.facultymatters.com/appreciation-week/
Bjorn Mercer
Appreciation Week @ Faculty Matters:
hwww.facultymatters.com/appreciation-week/
Bjorn Mercer, DMA
Associate Director of Academic Affairs
Online College of Humanities and Sciences
What a wonderful week! Notes, pictures and a cool key chain made an impact. Knowing one is appreciated puts a skip in the step - reminds me of the saying that angels can fly because they take themselves so lightly. As we take one another in the appreciative (and even humorous ways), it can make the day much brighter. Thank you so much! Diane and staff...way to go!
ReplyDeleteSandra Jenkins, PhD, CPC
Doctoral Chair, I/O
First off, may I say that I love my job with Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I find something odd. In the same week that instructors are being 'appreciated' and I received a nifty little key fob, I encountered something that made me feel that I was not really a part of the UoP team. An outstanding student asked me to write a letter of recommendation for her. In my five+ years of teaching, this is only the second time I received this request. I contacted UoP to figure out how this letter could be put on letterhead, as I was writing the letter in my capacity as a UoP instructor. Well folks, it can't.
I fully understand that each of us can't represent and speak for the university. Yet, there must be some way to get a letter of recommendation on letterhead.
One idea would be to submit the message to a UoP office. Someone in that office would review it to insure that nothing 'wrong' was said. Then, the office would print the letter on letterhead and mail it from that office.
Does that sound like a possibility? I teach critical thinking, so could easily generate more ideas, but don't see the point if this issue is not open to discussion.
But again, thank you, UoP, for my UoP 'Faculty' key ring.
Since I teach human resource management (HRM)and would offer the perspective of wanting to give a recommendation officially from the university as a liability issue. The trend in HR today is not to give recommendations, irrespective of the classroom setting, because the endorsement might be challenged should the candidate proved to be dysfunctional or destructive. There could be litigation resulting from comments made and most organizations will avoid this. One approach that has worked for me is for the instructor to give a recommendation through LinkedIn. Social media sites are gaining more professional credibility since such endorsements occur at Level 1 (friend-to-friend), and the public disclosure of both sender and receiver credentials is open for scrutiny. This procedure reduces harm to the organization.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read that UoP would be sending out a token of thanks during Faculty Appreciation week, my initial thoughts were, well, how can they do this with thousands of faculty members? When I opened the package and saw the UoP logo I thought,"Well this is nice", but when I flipped it over and saw the word, "Inspire" I literally had a profound moment of an insight in our purpose as facilitators. Not that I haven't been trying to touch the lives of GEN200 students, but it really made me pause and examine exactly what am I trying to do in my classroom. Yes, I encourage newbies, offer insights for those trying to find their way, etc. But I think the reminder to "Inspire" offered all of us to remember what we really are trying to do in all of our classes. Educate - sure. Prepare for the workforce - a given. Inspire - gives all of us a sense a purpose in a world that sometimes just doesn't make sense at all. Thank you UoP. You have lit a fire within me!
ReplyDeleteGreetings,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I would like to say that U of P is a great place to work and that students are the primary concern. With that said, some classes are very confusing in how they are structured and have more than one submission for assignments. Students get very confused by this and they only submit one assignment and not two as required. I believe that only one assignment along with DQs, Participation and Quizzes is enough. Please check on this as soon as possible. Especially, the classes in the Humanities discipline.
Thank you for your time:)
Hello,
DeleteThank you for the post and sharing your thoughts. Feel free to contact the college at online.humanities@phoenix.edu and a staff member will follow-up to help you adjust your syllabus. Remember you can edit/create/change any part of your syllabus except week one and the weekly topics and objectives.
Bjorn Mercer, DMA
Associate Director of Academic Affairs