Today was the second day of class and I successfully resisted my urge to cram too much into it. I always want to do so much at the beginning of the semesters that the things I try to do suffer and I get too stressed about it. Who would think that after twenty five years of teaching I would finally learn to better pace myself? Anyway, I am pleased with how this course is shaping up especially since it is clear (to me) I have made some blunders with my course design.
One blunder is too many small assignments and not enough larger ones. I will altered the synthesis papers to include them now as take home essays for the midterm and final. A small but smart change that will make a big difference with how the course operates.

I have skipped maintaining this course blog for a couple of years, but want to get back to it.
Today was the first day of class and students look enthusiastic and capable. I lost track of myself a little bit and did not get to everything. But that's okay, will recover on Friday and take another swipe at getting this thing off the ground.
I'm sure aspects of this course and my approach to it will be confusing to them and I need to remember to be patient and take my time to ensure everyone is up to speed and going forward.