The past couple of weeks have been a blur . . . just pushing forward, mostly focusing on getting students enrolled in classes if that works for them and giving them support should they feel taking a semester off is the best option. The power-outages in the area wreaked havoc in most areas of the state, but I was fortunate enough to be spared. That didn't stop me from helping family who were affected. Living in a rural area I am able to understand the challenges many of our students, faculty, and staff have when bad weather hits. No matter how many alternate plans are in place, mother nature can find a way to disrupt them all. Hopefully the move to HyFlex will alleviate stress overall and allow for deeper learning. As if the pandemic wasn't enough, it is predicted we are in for a number of hurricanes this season adding another level of challenges on so many levels.

Some courses are full already, a majority are closing in on filling up, and a few are demonstrating low enrollment. There are still a couple weeks before classes start, so I anticipate that quite a few of them will gain enough momentum to get into the double digits. there are one or two that may not, so it is important I look at who is registered in those classes to offer them alternative choices (that will help earn their degree/certificate) in a format that will lead to successful completion. I have emailed, virtually met, or spoken to well over 50 students in the past month, and more appointments are set to come. This outreach has lead to increased enrollment and, even more importantly, students that will be earning their degree this semester or making steady progress to that end.

• Read, Responded to, and initiated emails
• Revised program outcomes
• Revised certificate outcomes
• Revising course outcomes
• Watch course enrollment numbers
• Meet by phone or "virtually" with advisees
• Continue to work with HyFlex to be ready to train DAT/GRA staff
• Working with IT to verify computer updates/settings

Since I have switched gears and am doing the remaining paperwork (a great deal still faces me) for the program redesign along with advising/preparing for the fall semester on so many levels, I have decided that I will not be reporting the particulars of what I am doing on a weekly basis any longer, thus skipping a week. I will try for every two weeks now as I am doing variations of the same things each day, which I will list below.

Using multiple sources of information to guide the redesign, I have finally been able to flesh out the new program to visualize how it will meet multiple needs and eliminate redundancy. Sources that I have looked at are program structure/syllabi from similar programs at the CT state colleges along with a select few programs I was able to connect with during my travels, conversations with graduates that have entered into their respective fields either post two or four-year degree, a collection of job requirements gathered (by a DAT student worker) of numerous postings in related vocations, and input from individuals likely to hire digital creators.

I believe the current data that exists by doing an environmental scan at this point is not very accurate, as the pandemic has opened up so many more opportunities for trained digital artists. This data probably won't be available any time soon. A majority of the fields that DAT serves have decent growth as it is, but a couple areas are stagnating according to the information available. Re-imagining broadcast to include web delivered small crew visual media may have an unexpected growth spurt in the very near future. Technical writers may also see a comeback since so many people don't know how to use the current technology available to them and prefer to have a written document to take them through step-by-step.

• Read, Responded to, and initiated emails
• Revise(d) program outcomes
• Revise(d) certificate outcomes
• Revise(d) course outcomes
• Finalized side-by-side comparison of new and old program
• Watch(ing) course enrollment numbers
• Meet(ing) by phone or "virtually" with advisees
• Continue to work with HyFlex to be ready to train DAT/GRA staff
• Put video(s) on hold

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blooms_rose.svg, this is not my art and I can honestly say I am having the hardest time figuring out who to credit, so I have simply included the link to Wikimedia. Click on the link that says Original File, as that is what I used. If anyone wants to enlighten me on how I should attribute this, I would be very grateful.

This week I had TEAMs meetings Monday and Wednesday, which allowed me to complete the rough draft of the course redesign. I hope to revise all 18 courses outcomes next week to closer to a final draft. I have decided I am going to pilot an additional course, so in reality I haven't finished the rough draft, but I think I might save that for the spring or following fall semester. It will be mentioned in the proposal, but the timing is off right now.

The strange times have affected so many areas of the college, so when I state this is should not be construed as complaining. Unfortunately the budget has been delayed so the plans for having the DAT EA start on July 1,2020 to handle advising so I could concentrate on sabbatical and other things has fallen through. I won't leave the students hanging, so I have decided to open 16 half hour advising (office hour) slots up beginning next week. I don't believe I will fill them all, but I want current and prospective students to have the option. I have also decided to make appointments in setmore to keep track of responding to student email request (advising and general information). After doing this a few times already this summer, I realized with research (opening multiple screens to get relevant information) I am easily spending 30 minutes per request. As you can see from my blogs, even when I try to be general it seems to get very detailed. I am very confident that the redesign will alleviate a lot of the minutiae that is involved with the current configuration.

• Read, Responded to, and initiated emails
• Number of emails opened from blast email for DAT advisees went up to 15%, still not great
• Sent a follow up email blast
• Attended remaining meetings covering courses to redesign
• Explored options for working in HyFlex
• Completed rough draft of 100% program redesign outcomes and course descriptions
• Revised my advising appointments through dat.setmore.com so the start on July 13
• Worked more on the video(s); need to get a microphone from school or our audio instructor
• Worked with photography instructor to help unify the course's rubrics for all sections
• Analyzed job outlook information compiled by one of the DAT student workers (great job!)

This week I had in person, safe social-distanced meetings Tuesday through Thursday. I am so thankful for the wonderful adjunct faculty that comprise the DAT program. Their interest in what is best for the students, while at NVCC and beyond, is incredible. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with. Meeting with me on their summer break just shows the level of dedication they have. I feel very confident in what will be put forward for review this fall.

I am having some trouble focusing on both getting ready for fall and completing the work from sabbatical, but I am steadily moving forward. It was great to take some time with Jas, our volunteer web-master, to get the courses link up onto the site. It is great that I can put my money where my mouth is . . . I teach students the importance of being organized and having files formatted correctly so the person that has to deal with them doesn't have extra work to do. If that was the case, the student wouldn't have that job for long. It is great to get feedback that I did an excellent job providing the content to him. I was willing to do more, but it wasn't necessary. Getting it to look and function exactly how I envision (even better actually) took us less than 30 minutes back and forth via text, and honestly I think both of us were multitasking at that time.

The videos are taking longer than I wanted, but not longer than I expected. They will get there, but I have other priorities at the moment. Next week should have me wrapping up the rough draft of the courses for redesign, then I can move onto the program itself. One day at a time!

• Read, Responded to, and initiated emails
• Worked with "web-master" to get courses link (web page) functioning
• Created content for web page that will be linked in blast email for DAT advisees
• Attended meetings covering the majority of courses to redesign
• Met with key player to work out implementing HyFlex course design for all DAT and GRA courses
• Completed rough draft of 80% program redesign outcomes and course descriptions

I started the week on a high note, buckling down pretty early and calling it quits for the day quite late. I was busy on the computer beginning around 11 AM Monday, after taking some time to gather equipment and figure out the location to make a rough cut video. After doing the first three items on the bulleted list, I retired for the day at 8:30 PM. I did take a few short breaks to have a bite to eat and stretch, but I would say I put forth a full 8 hours of activity.

Tuesday was much like Monday, but I started earlier and ended later. Wednesday I spent less hours working on school things, but what I did get accomplished was substantial and necessary. Time sensitive advising requests (things that cannot wait until mid-August) are being addressed. This is determined by email, a time is settled on and then a special appointment is entered into dat.setmore by me.

Thursday was not as long hour-wise, but again work was accomplished. The web-page is complete, it just needs to be uploaded by our DAT web master when he can fit it in. This student is not taking classes at the moment, so he is donating his precious time to take care of it. I would do it if it wasn't as sophisticated a setup as we went through for this site. I am not familiar enough with php to have the confidence I won't mess something up. I have supplied the content and basic formatting so the next steps should not be too involved . . . unless I ask for something that hasn't already been built into the design.

So at the end of this week there are a lot of balls in the air. I need to reassess and reorganize as I am feeling a bit overwhelmed as usual. It is like I have two onions now that I am slowly peeling away layers (sabbatical work and program coordinator work),while trying not to cry! I look at lists and it seems like my priorities are ever shifting. Then I abandon the list and do what I feel I can focus on, while keeping it in some type of priority order. I have a feeling my peers are feeling this way a lot of the time too. As long as I am moving forward, I will continue to stay positive and feel accomplished. It is hard to do that, but it is what MUST be done.

• Read, Responded to, and initiated emails
• Shot and edited video (rough cut) for fall semester important info
• Created content for web page that will be linked in blast email for DAT advisees
• Set up meetings that will cover the remaining courses to redesign
• Used rough edit to experiment with captioning and "quiz" function in Kaltura
• Made script from the rough cut (not a traditional way to work, but the best way to get my thoughts out completely)
• Called Dell, Lenovo, and HP regarding laptop buying options for students
• Made "storyboard" from script
• Began gathering b-roll for video
• Crafted email to send out to all advisees who have registered for classes over the past year
• Created survey that is included in email
• Rough edited second video, meant to be sent to area high school guidance counselors

Well the wrench got thrown into the mix. Focusing on my sabbatical project was going very well, albeit drawn out further than expected with all the changes and distractions along the way. I chose the spring semester so that I would have the extra time during the summer to wrap up everything in a neat package without being distracted by other things school related. This week that option went out the window.

While I had been attentive to things during the semester that required my attention, our DAT EA served as gatekeeper, only having those things necessary make it to me. It was more than I really felt I should have dealt with, but this program and my students being important to me there really wasn't a choice. Up until this week, our student worker was able to point students in the right direction. All this help did take a lot off my mind, allowing me to focus on the program redesign.

Now though, I have to do double duty. I must finish the sabbatical project and I must tend to the needs of the DAT program. As the semester details unfold and somewhat solidify, I will be reaching out to all my advisees and also people interested in the program. This happening, dividing my focus, truly is upsetting to me. I will do what must be done, as I will always do what is in the best interest of the students.

Trying to put in words what having to do both things at this time is doing to me without sounding like I am whining is near impossible, so if the next parts come off as such, so be it. I had been trying to redesign the program for years while teaching and leading the DAT program as the coordinator. There are just too many things to do during the semester that I just couldn't give it the attention it deserved. There is so much to do every semester that I pretty much work year round, allowing myself to travel a week or so in the winter and a month or so in the summer. Funny thing is, while I am traveling I am still checking in.

Sabbatical meant I could put all my focus on the redesign. The research is done and things are falling into place, but now what I have the most problems with and what needs my utmost attention is paperwork. And it is precisely at this time that my attention needs to return to full-fledged coordinator duties. Until I can work out a balance, I just feel like a deer caught in headlights, not knowing which way to go. I was balancing summer home projects, socializing, and the redesign pretty well. I would say I earned a 95% if I were to grade myself. I may have to forgo the rest of my home projects and some socializing to make room for the unexpected early return to the fall semester. Perhaps we could say I am a bit bitter about this, or maybe just hit with being overwhelmed, a feeling I know many colleagues and people in general are feeling. I will get over it. I write this so that should my students find themselves bored enough to read this, they will realize I am human and struggle just as they do. We are all more alike then we ever see!

• Read, Responded to, and Initiated quite a few emails
• Set up meetings that will cover 10 of the courses to redesign
• Inquired about technology solutions for the fall 2020 semester and beyond
• Set-up (phone) advising appointments
• Rearranged schedule to accommodate pressing program related items

On a more positive note, the photo on this blog was taken from my living room window onto the porch. We watched this hawk watch us (and the cats) and look for prey for a good 20 minutes. This is the first time we have seen it hanging out there. I was re-roofing my house many years ago when one landed about an arms length away from me. It spooked me and therefore I spooked it, so that was a very short-lived interaction.

I am much more on track than I have been and things seem to be going forward nicely at this time. I have decided to return to the idea of weekly blogs as the number of entries is getting quiet large at this point. I will continue to denote daily what I do, but I am opting to post less frequently.

As promised, a little bit on the adoption of Pita and Piper. It is really difficult to get them in a photo together, as they are adjusting after moving to a new home and being spayed; they don't really like to be around each other at the moment. I also think there is something wrong with my phone camera, as every photo I take is not very clear. I do have the DSLR, but trying to grab that in time to take a photo would be near impossible.

So our intention was to adopt an older bonded pair to give them a nice home in their latter years. I worked with Passion 4 Paws to find the right pair. After well over a month of not finding a match for our personalities and really lack of bonded pairs, a unique and urgent situation presented itself. Pita (the tiger) and Piper (the tortoiseshell ) are 1.5 years old. I knew I couldn't handle kittens and the idea was to rescue cats that had less of a chance of finding a home. These girls had a loving owner that fell on some hard times and needed to re-home them. I can tell this because, as they continue to adjust, they are becoming more glued to us and sometimes become temporary lap cats.

I was not sure I could handle the youngsters, as they posed quite a challenge the first days, especially Piper. Piper is an escape artist that had me nearly to the point of tears. There are many nooks in crannies in this older home and she managed to find ones I forgot about. The first night she managed to escape into the basement through the laundry chute. We no longer have a laundry chute. The second night, after a valiant try opening the sealed laundry chute, she decided to go upwards. If it wasn't for Pita pointing me to the bathroom closet both days, I wouldn't have believed it. There she was on the top shelf. When I went to fetch her she managed to find an access point to the drop ceiling. That was a fun job getting her out of there. So lesson learned, bathroom door stays closed. I relaxed a little and forgot to close the door at one point. There she was again on the top shelf. This time though she didn't fight to get taken down. Progress! It took a few days for the anesthesia to wear off, but since then, the girls have been great with us, just not so much with each other. We'll give it some time and I am sure they will become best friends again.

• Read, Responded to, and initiated loads of emails
• Held extremely beneficial phone meeting with Graphics Chair at CCSU
• Phone meeting with Audio Instructor to help flesh out Audio courses
• Phone meeting with Animation Instructor to help flesh out 2D and 3D Courses
• Follow-up emails to key instructors/chairs at multiple universities
• Began setting up meetings for redesigning courses with DAT adjunct faculty
• Researched and requested information regarding fall 2020 semester classroom, hardware, and software concerns
• Placed book overdue orders for summer and fall classes
• Dread set in while thinking about filling out all the new CEAC paperwork - best option is to bill it as a new program

There was no way I would have ever been able to redesign this curriculum without sabbatical. The courses contained in the program overall have weathered the two decades relatively well. Only some have changed significantly enough to warrant a new course name and over 20% of the content. All the ones that have not already gone through review (DAT 101, 102, GRA 150 have been completed) need a complete update on the course outcomes. Course descriptions will need changes, some more than others. So that is only 19 courses, one unified program instead of three options, and the alteration of the four current certificates into five distinct ones. That translates to paperwork for everything I mentioned in the last sentence plus paperwork to discontinue the three options and whatever paperwork is necessary to change/add certificates. Thankfully the amount of assistance I have received from colleagues (faculty and staff), other CSU staff, faculty and chairs, and universities faculty and staff across the country has given me solid information to influence the changes being made. It is horrible, but the redesign has come at the most opportune time, as DAT students are uniquely positioned to respond to the needs that have blossomed due to COVID-19 forcing so much to be handled digitally these days. This redesign prepares all types of students to create high quality digital content while allowing flexibility for them to follow their unique paths. More on this in the future.

Well the exercise routine has been put on hold for this week. We have adopted/rescued two kitties (1.5 years old - photo to come shortly) which are a bit of a handful. More on that lately, but they are my focus this week so their adjustment will be as painless as possible.

Today I had done a lot where I thought that would just use the bullet list to keep track this time. Well, I am thinking the universe doesn't like it when I try to plan. I will keep plugging away at following it, but today was an epic fail. I was on a roll from 10:30ish until 3:15 or so, when I stopped to take care of some computer-based things for my wife (she is NOT computer savvy).

I took a break and then was just getting back to it when I had to stop what I was doing to take her to Urgent Care. She is fine as far as we can see now (no breaks or stitches in her cut pinky), but we still need to watch for possible loss of feeling which would indicate a bigger problem. Very painful for her and I am not one to have great constitution when it comes to looking at gashes on appendages, but we managed. So, three hours later I was able to get back to work after finishing her project that caused the injury.

As soon as I got back to that, the phone calls started coming in and there was another thing that needed my immediate attention. My fault really as I had neglected to take care of the bookkeeping regarding my uncle's care. It was sheer laziness to do the catch up that I attributed to the computer re-install a couple weeks ago. I could have caught up much earlier, but something always took priority. Luckily, my aunt is very on top of things old-school accounting method. We just like to have it digitized for two reasons - a checks and balance system (everyone makes mistakes) as well as ease of end of year tax accounting.

I won't get discouraged and will get back on track by Wednesday.

• Read and Responded to loads of emails
• Read an interesting journal article sent from a colleague (will help a lot in program redesign)
• Checked in with summer teaching faculty

Today started with coffee, like any other day. I decided a few days ago that it is time for an "exercise" routine. I got together with friend and went for roughly a 4 mile hike/walk. It was great. After that, I help "fix" his driver's window (which was stuck down). Let's hope it holds as I am not a mechanic.

After I ate lunch I realized what day of the month it was and had to make sure I paid all my bills. I got that out of the way after a decent clip of time then had to mow the lawn. Closing in on 8:15 PM, I finally finished and was able to get to work. So needless to say, I didn't get much done.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Got distracted organizing personal inboxes
• Finished organizing new TO DO list

So I took a few days off to take care of myself and connect with my parents up in Cape Cod. For people in their late 70s/early 80s, they are a force to be reckoned with. One thing they aren't too fond of these days is getting up on ladders. I prefer they don't anyway. So I went to help them with that kind of upkeep. I got a lot accomplished there . . . gutter cleaning, roof cleaning and minor repairs, ceiling washing and staining, electronics configuration. I played a few games; losing more than I won. Since I took a couple of days, I also was able to get some bike riding in, totalling close to 50 miles in three days.

I had spent a couple hours Saturday updating the progress I have made on the program redesign. Never again will I let my reporting go more than a day. I had to research a lot to see what I accomplished each day. Thankfully I had been distracted with so many things that I hadn't done as much as I had been the past few weeks. I warn students to stay on top of things, now I have definitive proof that it is necessary. It was brutal trying to recount accurately the completed tasks. It takes moments to jot bulleted lists items down at the end of the day; much more palatable so lesson learned! (Even though this paragraph is second, I typed it up after I finished updating all the blogs.)

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Organized inbox
• Downloaded and skimmed 35+ syllabi received from ECS
• Began organizing new TO DO list

It is so great to have my home computer back. I spent quite a few hours getting it set up just so. Now I have an ergonomically correct multi-monitor setup that allows me to be more productive.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Socially distanced and masked, met with a colleague for a visit and to have a sounding board for programmatic changes
• Picked up my home computer
• Reinstalled the software needed (this time everything authenticated - problem fixed!)
• Configured the programs and interface so it works most efficiently for me

Today got a little turned around. Things weren't falling in place as they should (not directly related to me, but a task I had taken out to help a family member). Other things came up, nothing too serious but time sensitive, so that forced me to request pushing my rescheduled meeting a half hour to an hour later in the day. Thankfully this was not an issue on the other person's schedule. Once settled in for the day, things were very productive.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Spent 1.25 hours explaining my needs, asking and answering questions, and getting much of the info needed to present the program changes to CEAC in the fall - thanks to a patient CEAC chair
• Began to flesh out a spreadsheet with the side-by-side comparison of course titles/pre-reqs/descriptions/outcomes of the current courses and proposed ones

I don't love working from a laptop as it is not ergonomically designed and I have noticed my body is at odds with all the computer work I have been doing. I left the small piece of hardware in my computer which would have allowed me to use my wireless keyboard and mouse on the school laptop. Thankfully I do have another wireless mouse so I didn't have to use the touchpad the whole time. I managed to get a little more done today than other days.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Reduced list for ECSU of requested syllabi (narrowed down to 40, but interest in 72)

p>Since I had to make the trek to the Waterbury area I decided to enjoy some nature and get some important work done, so I made it a nature walk working meeting with a colleague of mine. I had some other errands I wanted to run while in the area, but unfortunately time was not on my side. I will take care of them when I return to pick up my computer.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Socially distanced and masked meeting
• Rearranged schedule based on colleague request and other variables

I ended up "skipping" work on Friday as I had a lot of personal things to attend to and the weather was just too right for me to accomplish other things. So Monday I was back at it, a bit!

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• After a gentle reminder of a missed deadline, filled out and submitted overlooked paperwork
• Prepared home computer for trip to the computer doctor (C&M Computers in Oakville, CT)

I managed to fall behind on two things, keeping track of what I have been doing on a daily basis (work days) and following my task list. I wanted to berate myself for this, but I opted not too as I know I am human I will readjust at some time in the near future.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Sent a reminder email as requested
• Took care of some program coordinator time sensitive items for staffing
• Worked on reviewing and organizing some syllabi received from the Art program at WCSU

This beautiful weather makes it hard to stay inside to do computer work, but I managed to get things done today despite that fact.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Fleshed out the revised DAT degree program
• Created advising sheets for a general DAT degree and five more that were certificate based
• Selected the elective pool (60+ courses)

I decided to enjoy some nature today and the few hour afternoon exploration turned into a good portion of the day. I managed to get a bit done all the same. I went a little off track, but what I found proved very useful.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Used info from the links of CIP codes to check out the job market
• Created pdfs of select job markets which contained valuable information about each field
• Watched about 15 different videos (1.5 minutes each) about each career path
• Fleshed out the five certificates (18 credits each) that will accompany the DAT degree

I got more than I expected completed today. I tasked myself with getting CIP codes (basically identifiers used to track educational programs which helps link to the job market), which turned out to take a bit more time than I planned.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Went through old emails to get valuable info sent to me as spreadsheets from IR
• Used info from internet search and speadsheets to make comprehensive list of CIP codes with definitions
• Created links within spreadsheet

Since I had been so behind, by choice, I needed to play a little catch up on the weekend. I didn't get too much completed, but I did continue with forward momentum. It takes me a few hours to compile course list for each school. Going through the lists of six schools thus far has given me good insight on what courses will best benefit dat students when transferring.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Compiled a list of transferrable courses (Gen Ed and Program courses) to Morgan State

Today was a great day again which I used to do a few things outdoors for my family and also did some shopping for my aunt and uncle when I got invited by a friend to go to a food co-op. It was both a pleasant and fruitful visit. When I got home around dinner time, I cracked down and got quite a bit done that was on my schedule. I still have a lot to go though.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Printed and reviewed syllabi from Morgan State University
• Compiled a list of transferable courses (Gen Ed and Program courses) to University of North Georgia
• Fielded a phone call

The day was so gorgeous today that I could not bring myself to come inside until close to 8 PM. I was able to enjoy the day and get a lot accomplished as well. Unfortunately this has caused me to fall behind in the schedule. Do not fear, I will push the work I didn't get to into tomorrow and push tomorrow's work into Saturday. All will be right again soon.

• Read and Responded to a few emails
• Sent out emails to each CSU representative with corresponding spreadsheet

Since I worked ahead so much on my list, I dedided to take it a bit easy today. I met up with a friend/former grad and took a long walk (about 3.5 miles). We spent a little time talking about the work I am doing on the program redesign. The sounding board/insight was very helpful and it was great to have a visit. I also did a few errands for family members and myself. It was a beautiful day and I am glad I got to enjoy it.

• Read, Organized, and Responded to emails
• Cleaned up the compiled a list of Courses of Interest from the CSU's
• Seperated the list into a spreadsheet to send to each CSU representative (tomorrow)
• Created outline for DAT 108
• Fielded a phone call

An extremely productive work day, so much so I am a little ahead in tasks on my production schedule. I even got outside to mow the lawn; getting about two hours worth of exercise.

• Read, Organized, and Responded to emails
• Worked on advising strategy for summer - still fleshing out details
• Compiled the list of 52 Courses of Interest from CCSU
• Worked ahead and compiled a list of 115 Courses of Interest from SCSU and 99 from WCSU
• Created outline for DAT 106
• Fielded a few phone calls

Productive work day and I was able to again help out my family with an unexpected "thing" that came up as well. It was a very rainy day, so it was nice to have all the indoor work to keep me busy.

• Read, Organized, and Responded to emails
• Completed the Task List for WS student
• Compiled the list of 141 Courses of Interest from ECSU
• Emailed list to ESCU IR contact who will get me up to date info on those courses
• Created outline for DAT 104
• Fielded a few phone calls