I valued the break of the Thanksgiving weekend, a time to relax and move into the routines of fall.

A longer weekend meant a shorter work week with equally pressing dead

lines. This week felt like I was caught in a whirlwind, with everything taking twice as long as I expected. I’m not sure why; I was focused, motivated. Likely I underestimated the time needed and the scope of the tasks. I’m glad to be back on Curriculum Committee and I’d also forgotten how time consuming it is to go through all the documentation. I do believe though, that the work is better done ‘front loaded’ – the new processes we’re moving toward and in the long run, it won’t take quite so much time. A common thread among the learning outcomes that needed attention was vagueness. And if an outcome is vague, how does an instructor know how to help a student successfully achieve the outcome?

An opportunity to apply for a funding project was an unexpected and exciting addition to my ‘to-do’ list. It may be a long-shot, but ultimately, working on a toolkit for internationalization will tie in to everything else I’m doing. Even if we’re not successful in the application, the work won’t be wasted.

The agenda for the BBA visit is complete, all meetings scheduled and everyone confirmed. That is definitely one of those tasks that I’d not realized take so much time. Given the potential for power outages at this time of year and platforms going down, an extra piece will be ensuring contingency plans.

Having gone through writing the Quick Start Guide to Program Review a couple of times now, it feels good to be immersed in the process. I realize that until I’ve ‘lived’ each step of the way, all I’m reading / writing about remains at the theoretical level. I’m looking forward to getting started on a Review from the beginning. I know there are some  who may feel anxious about going through this process. At at time when so much in all our lives seems precarious,  I empathize. A key piece is going to be holding the space for people, helping them see the value; and there is great value. And I can do that.