So, as a way to help cope with the stress and uncertainty, I've decided to build two breaks into the class schedule for Spring: Week 5 is a Break Week, and so is Week 10.
Here's how that will work:
1. Automatic full credit. I've added two items to the Gradebook labeled Week 5 Break and Week 10 Break. On the first day of Week 5, February 22, I'll put 30 points into the Gradebook for everyone; you don't need to do anything.
Then for Week 10, I'll do the same thing again on March 22. You'll see those points show up in your total, and you'll see the specific items at the very bottom of the Gradebook display, labeled "Week 5 Break" and "Week 10 Break" as in this screenshot:
2. Take the week off! The idea here is that you can take the week TOTALLY off during Week 5 and then again during Week 10. That gives the class a good workflow. You can do a Week 1-4 push, and then take a break. Then another push for Weeks 6-9, followed by a break. And then a final push to finish up the class during Weeks 11-14.
3. Take different weeks off if you prefer. You can also do the regular work during these break weeks and use the points to take off some other week that is more convenient for you. All points go into the same total, so you can decide just when you want to take your break weeks. If you want/need a different kind of break schedule, just do the regular assignments for the break week, and take your break when you want. You'll see that all the regular assignments are available in Canvas during the break weeks, and you can do the Declarations as usual; the only difference is that they're labeled extra credit:
4. Finish early. Finally, one more thought: if you want to finish the class two weeks early, you can do the regular work in Weeks 5 and 10, and then be done in Week 13. So, if you know you are facing an intense end-of-the-semester, then you can take your break in this class at the end instead. Just push on through Weeks 1-12, and you're done in Week 13.
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I hope that makes sense! By the time we reach Week 5, you'll have a sense of how your other classes are going and what will be the best way for you to use the breaks in this class.
I spent a lot of time over the holidays trying to figure out the best way to arrange the class this Spring so that it can be a positive learning experience but without being too much stress in the midst of what is already a very stressful time. Please let me know if you have any questions about how this works, and I hope you will find it helpful!
