There's more than one Otherworld series--this one is by Yasmine Galenorn - these are the paranormal romance/action-adventure I've been borrowing from my colleague's wife so we have things to talk about. I have to admit, they're a bit trashy but they grow on you after a while.
The icon is for your instructor situation. I don't know the whole story, so I'm not in a position to judge this particular case, but in general: 1. Changes to the syllabus, other than minor rescheduling, are strongly discouraged EVERYWHERE that I have taught. The syllabus is popularly regarded as tantamount to a contract that is binding on the instructor and the institution; whether it really is one or not, students depend on it and it needs to be trustworthy. Changing a solo-or-group-option project to a group-only project is a HUGE change and without some sort of exculpatory information I would be inclined to say that your instructor is acting improperly and unprofessionally. (That said, it wouldn't get you anywhere to say so . . . I'm very sorry you've been put into this position.) 2. I hate group projects. They're becoming more and more fashionable, as the current craze is that students learn more from each other than from the degreed professionals who were hired to teach them, but that's another rant. I am only willing to use group discussions in my online classes because I can track who does what. I've recently had to institute a policy where people who don't participate by a certain date get locked out, because I'm tired of freeloaders who wait until the last minute and piggyback on the conscientious students' work. So I *totally* sympathize with your frustration!
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Date: 2013-03-28 04:20 am (UTC)The icon is for your instructor situation. I don't know the whole story, so I'm not in a position to judge this particular case, but in general:
1. Changes to the syllabus, other than minor rescheduling, are strongly discouraged EVERYWHERE that I have taught. The syllabus is popularly regarded as tantamount to a contract that is binding on the instructor and the institution; whether it really is one or not, students depend on it and it needs to be trustworthy. Changing a solo-or-group-option project to a group-only project is a HUGE change and without some sort of exculpatory information I would be inclined to say that your instructor is acting improperly and unprofessionally. (That said, it wouldn't get you anywhere to say so . . . I'm very sorry you've been put into this position.)
2. I hate group projects. They're becoming more and more fashionable, as the current craze is that students learn more from each other than from the degreed professionals who were hired to teach them, but that's another rant. I am only willing to use group discussions in my online classes because I can track who does what. I've recently had to institute a policy where people who don't participate by a certain date get locked out, because I'm tired of freeloaders who wait until the last minute and piggyback on the conscientious students' work. So I *totally* sympathize with your frustration!