Explore, Create, Inquire, Seek, Share, Learn

During this past week in Albuquerque I had the opportunity to work from the UNM Zimmerman Library and the SUB (Student Union Building). Walking familiar paths through campus, to Central, visiting my old office space in Woodward Hall, riding the amusingly speedy bus named ART, I was reacquainted with the University’s welcoming community.

Nob Hill looks the same as it did two years ago when I moved north. Many of the same cafes and boutiques are still thriving. New businesses have sprung up while others have moved on. Traffic is intimidatingly swift in this buzzing district. The corner coffee shop remains, students and locals sharing patio space.

Albuquerque has such charm, diversity, and culture. Music, art, theatre, film, history, geography, geology, spirituality – there is something to see, something to do, something to learn every moment here. Aside from all this, Albuquerque holds my favorite yoga studio, Hot Yoga Downtown. Sure – you might ask, “How can you do hot yoga in the desert in the Summertime?” and I would reply, “How can you NOT?” Tell ’em Megan from Colorado sent you.

My lovely friend, Greta, allowed me to park outside her home, hang out on her couch, pet all of the pets – Cinnamon, Sparky, Jack, Cleo, and Freddie – and work in her office for hours and hours of my stay. It’s been a wonderful visit. Thank you, Ms. Greta!

Thank you also to my UNM colleagues who took the time to chat, have lunch, and share some trade secrets – ok, not secrets. One of the things I appreciate about working in higher education is the opportunity to collaborate with people outside my own organization. Our mission is all about serving students. Dawn, Marie, Rob, David, Amanda, Lisa, Julia, Dean, Lael, Jon and other friendly faces welcomed me during my visit. It was great to reconnect there, meet a few new designers, and take up space for a bit.

We discussed the ways in which we work with faculty to prepare them for online teaching. As Instructional Designers we guide instructors to develop and deliver fully online courses including research-based best-practices that support students in meeting clear learning objectives through active and interactive learning endeavors. We model these principles in workshops, training, and online courses that serve as professional development opportunities for faculty. UNM and CSU offer instructors and faculty the opportunity for their courses to be reviewed using the Quality Matters rubric, as well as internal online course standards, which we believe expand upon the nationally-recognized principles of QM. I so appreciated this opportunity to discuss what each of our departments has implemented, what has worked well, what we’ve changed in response to surveys, and how things are going. Again, everything we do ultimately serves the mission of educating our students, which, I believe, keeps us all striving for continual improvement of our systems and educational offerings.

Also – spicy food! Nowhere else can you find the enchantingly spicy, rich, red chile, or sweet, pungent, green chile offered in Albuquerque. I could write a whole other post on Southwest cuisine. In fact, I’m certain there are better blogs for that.

UNM has a spectacular campus, filled with culturally-inspired art. For examples, the wolf sculptures and a wide variety of public art decorate the grounds. The university is also seeking to update it’s university seal so that it more appropriately represents the wealth of culture and deep historical roots of all New Mexicans.

CLICK HERE for more information about online education at the University of New Mexico.

CLICK HERE for more information about online education at Colorado State University – CSU Online.