Jeffrey Pomerantz

Pomerantz

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Thoughts on group projects

Posted on 18 October 2013

I’m teaching the Library Assessment course for SILS this semester. The major assignment for that course is one large semester-long project: the students work with a client library on an actual evaluation project, usually one that otherwise might not get done at all. Thus, hopefully this project is a win-win: the students get experience working on a real project, and the library gets some free labor. But the point is,.. Read More

Metadata MOOC in the news

Posted on 9 October 2013

My Metadata MOOC has been receiving some publicity recently, and I wanted to dedicate a post to documenting it. Not just because I have a big ego –- though I do –- but also because it’s good publicity for UNC and SILS. Honestly, this MOOC is probably the most high-profile thing I’ve ever done professionally. And on that note, I would like to point out that I’ve brought more attention.. Read More

MOOC Forum video: A period piece

Posted on 23 September 2013

This Friday, an open forum will be held for faculty members at UNC to keep faculty informed about Carolina’s involvement with MOOCs and Coursera. This video was produced as a promo for the MOOC Forum. I’m posting it here because it seems to me that it nicely captures the state of the union, so to speak, of the public face of this initiative at Carolina. Which is to say, very.. Read More

If you want something done right, do it yourself

Posted on 15 September 2013

We’ve had two issues come up in the MOOC in last few days that I think are worth discussing here, as they’re both related to the issue of relying — or not — on other people’s resources. First: For some of the Unit 2 homework questions, I had pointed to students to a metadata record from Europeana, and asked questions like “What’s the name of the property in such-and-such property-value.. Read More

Thoughts on ILS curricula

Posted on 5 September 2013

The Provost’s office at UNC issued a call for proposals for MOOCs back in November of last year. I’d been wanting to teach a MOOC for some time at that point, having taken 3 or 4 as a student by then. So I submitted 2 proposals, one for a Metadata course & one for an XML course. Obviously the Metadata course was the one that the selection committee liked, and.. Read More

On teaching an overload

Posted on 3 September 2013

I’m teaching my regular 2-course load this semester. Of course, because I’m in Seattle, I’m teaching both courses online. But that’s no big deal: I’ve taught online several times before, though never 2 courses at the same time. But I’m also teaching my MOOC –- in fact it launched just yesterday –- so I’m effectively teaching an overload this semester. (Though not getting paid for an overload, I would like.. Read More

Reflections on visiting Chapel Hill

Posted on 22 August 2013

Part of the arrangement with my Dean that enables me to work remotely for this academic year was that I would return to Chapel Hill for the beginning- and end-of-semester faculty planning meetings. I returned from visiting Chapel Hill a few days ago, for the beginning of Fall semester faculty meeting. Since these bi-semesterly trips East are part of the deal, I wanted to comment on them here. First of.. Read More

On finding a place to record videos

Posted on 18 August 2013

The first thing I want to report on, in my new series on working remotely, is the problem of finding a place to record videos for my MOOC. If I were in Chapel Hill, I could use the studio that ITS Teaching and Learning has set up for us MOOC instructors. Heck, I could even set up in my office. But I’m not in Chapel Hill, and I no longer.. Read More

Reporting on being remote

Posted on 16 August 2013

As you probably already know, if you know me well enough that you’re following my blog, we’ve moved to Seattle. And you probably also know that I’m still employed by UNC, but obviously doing everything remotely. Well, part of the arrangement that my dean and I worked out, for the duration of this academic year, is that I will report back about being remote. What is the impact on the.. Read More

MOOCs and OA

Posted on 25 February 2013

One of the FAQs on the course description page for my Coursera Metadata MOOC says: Will there be a required textbook? No. Readings will be selected from freely available articles, web content and open access scholarly literature. When I teach a classroom-based course, I can easily assign subscription content to my students: articles in journals or chapters from ebooks that the UNC libraries subscribe to. As I understand it, all.. Read More