back to school

Well, the summer semester has ended, and the fall semester starts in three days. I am teaching three online classes this fall, one is a new prep. I'll admit to feeling slightly overwhelmed with the idea of how much time I'll be spending online, but I also have the tingly feeling of anticipation that comes with the beginning of a new semester. The good news is I still enjoy teaching a lot--and after 20 years of teaching, I suppose that's a good sign I'm doing what I'm supposed to do.

This week brings the tasks of recycling old courses. After five years, you'd think I had this down to a science--what really works best for recycling? Sometimes it seems easier to just recreate the entire class from scratch, instead of modifying assignments, discussion boards, announcements, etc from a recycled class. What about you? Do you have any preferred approaches for getting started on a new semester when reusing old materials?