My Freshman Year - Blog #11

First off, I would like to say I was not sure how much I would enjoy this book since the assignment was not that appealing to me. Once I started reading the book however, I had a hard time putting it down. I found the information Rebecca gathered fascinating and I give her credit to be willing to go back to college as a freshman when she was in her 50’s. I know I would not have enough if me to follow-through with such an ambitious study. Her comments related to her experience during orientation, welcome week, and even life in the dorms was interesting. I have never lived in the dorms, but feel I now have a little taste of what freshman dorm life is all about. I will focus the rest of my blog on answering the questions posed by Dr. Platt.

What was the most surprising aspect of the book?
I was most surprised and somewhat concerned with the lack of community Rebecca noticed at AnyU. As mentioned in the book, and what I witnessed as an employee and student at NDSU, college presidents preach “we are a community” referencing the campus as a “family” . As the book mentioned on page 43, is this done to help retain freshman as paying students? I would like to think this is true in many universities (if not all universities), especially in these economic times. But are we really a community? There are many “communities” on campus, but as the book mentioned, they center around choice and freedom. The college culture to many students means to keep your real life private and inside, certainly behind closed doors. The book mentioned how often times small groups of students would meet in door rooms “behind closed doors” even through it was recommended that doors be open unless a student is studying or sleeping. The book mentioned how often times, hall mates were like “ships in that passed in the night. Students tend to be more private instead of living life in more public areas. I found it interesting that students would often choose to socialize in smaller groups and in areas not typically open to the public (dorm room verses the common lounge area). Even during movie night or Super Bowl Sunday, people would choose to watch in smaller groups than in large groups. I liked in the book where it mentioned that students generally want to have a close community, while at the same time, they resist the claims that community makes on their schedule. I thought that most students (but not all) would enjoy larger group events.

One thing I was not surprised about was the lack of knowledge faculty and staff had regarding services and organizations for students. I know this was even brought up in COMM 702 regarding services (such as counseling services) and how people do not know they exist. It just seems like to me that even faculty and staff are so focused on their own areas that most people do not venture out to see what is offered for students at their universities. I feel it is important to know what services are available to students so faculty and staff can make appropriate referrals to the student health service, counseling service, disability services, and even where to go for tutor help.

I was not surprised by the author’s reference to American students being disrespectful. Mandatory is mandatory. When there is a mandatory hall meeting, everyone needs to be there. Most often this was not the case. I found this to be true when I worked at NDSU, and students would sign up for a program that I was leading, and often times more than half would not show up. Even “pizza” and other goodies would not entice students to show up. Nathan, mentioned that rules that were developed during these dorm meetings were not followed long after they were initiated. Eating, sleeping and leaving class early were examples that were witness then Rebecca was at AnyU.

Lastly, I liked the area in the book titled, “Who Eats with Whom: A study of Student Dining”. When tracking almost 1,500 examples of dining behavior, the author found an overall lack of diversity. For example, only 10 percent of white men and 14 percent of white women ate at a table where there was anyone of a different color from themselves. I thought at an institution of higher learning, people would "break bread" with people from different cultures. In contrast, 68 percent of women and 58 percent of men ate with mixed groups. Why is that? I am wondering if it is because many minority students tend to spend more time in larger groups and learn to “tolerate” or appreciate different people’s opinions, ideas, and cultures. In other countries when it is time for lunch, everyone goes together. When someone asks “how are you”, people tend to give an honest answer. The book mentioned that when some minority people give out their number to an American student, often times they do not call or are “we are roommate, nothing else”. Many of the minority students would choose to eat alone or in their rooms, maybe in fear to invade the “white space” our society has created. I find this to be concerning.

What advice would I give to new college instructors?
My Freshman Year has brought to my attention a variety of things I could share with a new college instructor. Overall, I would remind them that students today are different than when we were in college. Students are busier than ever with school, work, and all the groups they are associated with. It is important to space assignments out and to keep in mind that many students have other classes to prepare for.

Another piece of advice would be to break up students into groups rather than having them break up in their own groups. It is important that students learn to appreciate differences in group members. If students choose their own groups, I wonder if minority students would continue to be in the same groups, or be “left out”.

Be sure the syllabus is clear and detailed since it is (as the book puts it) somewhat of a contract so students know what to expect. Policies related to eating, sleeping, and grading could/should all be included in the syllabus.

Has this book changed your perspective on undergraduate students?
I think the book has changed my perspective of college students slightly. I have worked at NDSU for four years, currently a graduate student, and taught a class less than a year ago. The book helped me obtain a slightly “clearer picture” of today’s undergraduate students. I also need to continue to keep in mind that each person is unique and might not fall into the stereotype or same behaviors described in the book. When students do not attempt to learn about different cultures and “communities, they are missing out.

Blog Entry #10

Using Existing Knowledge - Before reading this section in McKeachie, I never realized that instructors find it more difficult to teach introductory courses to students that teaching more advanced courses due to lack of prior knowledge. This totally makes sense. This helped me realize it is important to assess student knowledge in upper level courses early on during the semester. I am going to assess students prior knowledge during the first day of class. This will be considered a "pre-test". The results will help me identify as an instructor what areas to focus on during the semester. At the end of the class, I would like to have students complete a "post-test" to assess learning. Thomas Angelo and Patricia Cross gave excellent examples of how to assess college students. The Background Knowledge Probe is located at: http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/assess-2.htm

Teaching Learning Strategies - McKeachie mentioned that different disciplines have different ways to approach and solve problems. This really hit home to me when I started my PhD Program. The Human Development Program focuses a great deal of attention on the interdisciplinary approaches to Human Development. Many of the courses I have taken had wellness, gerontology, and counseling students. It was interesting how McKeachie was correct when stating that different disciplines have different ways to approach problems. In many graduate level courses within the department, we would do small group activities in which we needed to have at least one wellness, one gerontology, and one counseling student per group. Activities and discussion tended to be interesting and caused me to think outside my "wellness box". I liked the suggestions and am going to consider providing students with anonymous examples of past student's work and explain the "Do's and Don'ts". I also liked the suggestion of providing students with past tests as a review guide. I plan on doing this because if the students do not have a strong understand of the way I test, this could cause a great of anxiety a poor outcome.

Online Lessons - I liked this section in the book due to the fact that I have taught an online course in the past and plan on teaching an occasional online course in the future. Online courses can be a nice option for many students, but can be more of a challenge for certain students. As the book mentioned, some students can have a difficult time meeting commitments, managing time, and keeping students motivated. Tips that I found useful and plan to incorporate in my own teaching include:
Be sure students understand how to use the technology. For example, instructors use BlackBoard differently, and it is important to be sure that students know how to use BlackBoard and what is expected in the course. Do students know how to assess the discussion board, add to the discussion board. Before using the technology offered by the university I am teaching at, I need to be sure students know how to use the features and at the minimum I need to be sure to give good instructions/directions on use.
Time Management - Many students have difficulty with this while taking an online class. I plan on spacing out my assignments so students do not wait until the end to complete large assignments (which could mean feeling overwhelmed and not doing well).
Providing feedback - I need to keep in mind how important it is to provide feedback to students related to assignments and online discussions. This can help students stay motivated and decrease possible anxiety of the students due to uncertainty. An excellent online source on developing an online course is from the University of Michigan. The site describes various tips such as evaluating and designing an online course, delivery, and technology is listed. The site is: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no18.pdf

Making Ethical Choices - I wanted to list the following reminders so when I go back to my blog, these can be refreshed in my mind.
Autonomy - Am I acting in ways that respect freedom and treat others as autonomous?
Nonmalfeasance - Am I causing harm through either commission or omission?
Beneficence - Do my actions benefit the other person rather than myself?
Justice - Do I treat those for whom I am responsible equitably?
Fidelity - Do I uphold my part of any relationship?
Acting consciously - What are the assumptions on which I base my actions, and are they
valid?

Blog Entry #9

Feedback - I feel feedback is extremely important when being a college professor. Students should be able to feel comfortable giving feedback related to assignments, concerns, or how the professor is doing. The information provided early in a course can help turn things around for a student(s) before it is too late. When I taught a class last summer, I was encouraged by my advisor to send out an anonymous mid-term survey. I have never completed a mid-term survey for any of my classes, so it seemed odd. I was able to get a couple constructive points (such as spacing out assignments more) that I incorporated right away. I notice in COMM 702 we are going to submit mid-term evaluations, so I believe this is the right thing to do for the students as well as for myself. When I teach my next college class, I will ask the students to complete a mid-term evaluation and a end of the course evaluation. This will more than likely be done on blackboard. I like the idea of asking open ended questions rather than asking for simple "yes" or "no" responses. I do not like the idea of formal feedback (such as having one-on-one conferences). I feel students (especially undergraduate students) would not be willing to share if they had any major concerns or suggestions for improvements. I would thing you would get your occasional student who would provide honest feedback, but at an undergraduate level, this would be rare (in my opinion). At a graduate level this would be different. I can see have formal feedback sessions with graduate students. The time commitment would be an issue. To do a good job soliciting feedback during one-on-one sessions would take a great deal of time. I am not a supporter of have small group feedback sessions for the sack to save time. The only way I would use this type of approach would be for graduate level students with classes of no more than 15-20. A nice rubric for online instructors is: http://www.csuchico.edu/celt/roi/rubric/fsf.shtml. This should prove to be helpful since I plan on teaching online courses in the future.

Reading Feedback - Initially, I use to cringe when I had to read feedback I received from people. In my "past life" I needed to ask for feedback on my presentations and programs I coordinated. As time when on, I was more comfortable reading the feedback and deciding if it was worthwhile to make changes. When I taught my class last summer and had students complete a mid-term and final evaluation, I was OK with the constructive comments and were able to make changes the students felt were necessary. I like the suggestions the book made related to related to reading evaluations. I agree with not reading the evaluations before teaching a class since it could cause a a person to lose focus on the teaching topic and make it obvious that the comments affected the professor. Reading evaluations with a friend for moral support is also a good idea (especially if the class was somewhat difficult). I would imagine the person you are reading them with (if they also teach) have had similar comments. Lastly, I plan on rereading the positive comments since often times people forget the positive comments and well only on the negative ones. This would be helpful to be sure I stay positive and constantly grow as a college instructor. I know there are many sites online that asks for professor feedback. Apparently, students can look up a certain profesor to see if they would like to enroll in the professors class. One such site is Know Your Professor (http://www.knowyourprofessor.com/). I wonder if any professors check out this site to see what students write about them. Is this feedback helpful? I am not sure. I looked for Dr. Platt's name, but no luck. I think I would check out the site and take the information with a grain of salt. Some of the information might be helpful.

Teaching Large Classes - I would like to think things have changed since my very first class I attended when I was a undergraduate student (739 students). This class was strictly lecture with very little interaction with the professor and no small group discussion. If you had a question, the professor asked for your social security number and did not care about your name. I am not sure how many large classes like this still exist, but I do know the professor cannot ask for your social security number. As the book mentioned, due to decreasing government support and increasing enrollment, some universities still have large classes without small group discussion. I would be fine with have the lecture part of my Wellness undergraduate course having 150-200 students, but at least one a week, they need to meet in small groups (less than 10 students) to discuss the material. I liked the idea ad plan on incorporating "study groups" so students can work together outside of class if small group sessions during class time is not possible. Getting students to interact in large classes is important (as mentioned in the book). They discussed using technology since many student might not feel comfortable answering question in a large lecture setting. This technique would be helpful in the field of wellness since many topics covered are somewhat sensitive (such as STDs, Drugs, Alcohol, Mental Health Issues, etc.). NDSU has the Personal Response System (PRS) which some classes use. It is my understanding that many students have these devices. I have been through training related to PRS, but never used them in a class (as a student or instructor). I also plan on using the "Poll Everywhere" Internet program shared in COMM 702. It seems like at least 95% of students have a cell phone and can text their responses to the site. I have never used this as an instructor, but as a student, I found this a great tool to use. I am not sure what I would do if a student or two did not have a cell phone. Barrow a friends? Use mine? I guess I will cross that bridge when I get there. I liked the article from the University of California, Berkley "Tools for Teaching" (http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/largelecture.html). Tips suggested include: Change the pace of the lecture every 15 minutes due to the students attention span. Prepare a detailed syllabus for student's and to visit the classroom before the first class. Many of tips are mentioned as well.

Blog Entry #8

Low-Stakes Writing - I like the suggestion of allowing students to do low-stakes writing in a mode of free writing. This skill is important to allow students to be creative and not to worry so much about grammar and sentence structure. This activity does not how to take a great deal of time (just 5-10 minutes is sufficient). When I taught in a public school setting, I would have students participate in free writing about once a week. The topic typically dealt with the topic at hand and usually centered around an ethical issue. A simple example could be, "do you think people without insurance should receive the same quality health care as someone with insurance"? I can see myself using this in a wellness class a few times during the semester. This would allow students to express themselves on a wellness topic. A topic in an introduction wellness course could be, "Which dimension of wellness is most important and why". This should prove to be beneficial for students who do not like to speak up in class. A nice site to get ideas related to low-stakes writing is: http://pages.cms.k12.nc.us/gems/bfghs/lowstakeswritingassignments.pdf

Peer Learning - It appears that most students enjoy working with students on assignments, but not all students. I remember some of my high school not liking to work in groups because of past experiences when someone did not "pull their weight". I believe I would make them work in a group using the analogy that they need to learn how to work in groups in "real life". I feel that most college students are able to work in groups. I could honestly see group activities as part of my course objectives. I like then tips noted in the book such as:
*Give students a few minutes at the end of class to make plans.
*Move around and listen to be sure students are not lost and confused.
*Have students discuss what contributes to effective group functioning.
*Set short and long-term goals.

The Learning Cell - I really liked this idea and feel this would be an effective way for students to learn. I like when students read the same materials and ask each other questions. I have personally participated in this type of activity when I would read a chapter, and two others would each read a different chapter. In groups of three, we would then teach each about the chapter we read. I found this activity fun and a nice way to learn. I can see myself using this technique in my classes, but would be sure as an instructor to hit the "high points" of each chapter to be sure nothing was missed.

Games - I am a strong believer in games in the classroom. Games can not only teach important concepts, but can also make the class fun. In the past, my high school students have participated in "pictionary" and "family feud" type games to help them learn about health topics. There are "buzzers" and other devices that can be purchased to be used in class. I have used "buzzers" in a workshop when the instructors wanted to assess learning. It was really fun and helped to reinforce what the presenters taught. I plan on having games and maybe even using "buzzers" a few times during the semester when I teach at the college level. Buzzers can be found at: http://www.trainerswarehouse.com/products.asp?dept=122

Blog Entry #7

Social Goals and Motivation - I really liked the section of the reading. To be honest, I never read any research related to this concept, but it makes sense that it would be extremely important. Having a student work briefly with another student and helping them form study groups is a great idea. Not only does this concept help students to get to know each other, but it also should prove to help learning be more enjoyable. Even though I have never read any research related to this, when I taught in a high school setting, I would often have students would together for these various reasons. As I look into future college teaching experiences, I would like to incorporate small group activities. Also, as the reading indicated, this will help with the social aspect of the student. With mental health issues being a concern for many students and universities, this approach could help strengthen their social dimension of wellness and increase learning. A nice article printed on August 27, 2009 in the Los Angeles Times describes the prevalence of mental illness in college students. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/08/college-students-pack-a-heavy-bag-of-mental-illness.html

Teaching Culturally Diverse Students - I found this area was important with many culturally diverse students attending NDSU. Some tips that I will need to keep in mind include:
Eye Contact: I always new some students do not have good eye contact. As the reading mentioned, some ethnic groups looking away may be indicative of careful attention. In fact, the book mentioned that in the Asian Cultures, staring at a person of higher status is considered rude. I am going to keep this in mind when teaching. I honestly have not taught many people from different cultures, but in the college setting, this would be a different story. So, note to self, "lack of eye contact does not mean the student is not listening".

Reluctant Speech: I agree with the section related to building trust with students so they feel more comfortable. For many students (not only culturally diverse students), it will take some time to build trust so they feel comfortable speaking up. Instructors do not know the backgrounds the students come from, so their could be a variety of reasons they choose not to speak up initially. As a future college instructor, I need to be aware of my nonverbal cues (stance, body language, facial expressions), and how I word my questions I ask my class. When a student answers (as mentioned in class a couple weeks ago), I need to find at least the "kernel of correctness (even if the answer was wrong)" and build on each student response so hopefully toward the end of the semester, they feel more confident in speaking up. Providing a follow-up response to the student's response and being positive should prove to be beneficial. A nice site listing tips related to teaching culturally diverse students is: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/resource/6039.html

Lastly, I liked the comments toward the end of the reading related to taking time to chat. I feel it is important (if at all possible) to come to class a few minutes early to "chat" with the students and show them they are human. Talking about the football game, current events, or even the weather should show students the professor is a real person. I also plan (if possible) to not be in too much of a hurry to leave the classroom so students can come up after class to ask questions or to share concerns they may have. Hopefully this approach will show my future students that I care and am willing to take time for them.

Blog #6

Meeting with Students - I never thought too much about office hours and locations until the this weeks reading. I strongly recommend meeting in the departmental office rather than a coffee shop or other similar location. I feel this causes some possible boundary issues and might even lead to uncomfortable situations. I feel in this day and age that a professor needs to be very cautious and not cause any reason for rumors or accusations. This would not help the professor, especially a new one. Also, the book brings up a good point related to privacy. It would be hard to ensure privacy in a coffee shop or other venue. I again would not need with students outside of the office and outside of business hours.



Plagiarism - In many ways, I feel plagiarism is a sign of disrespect. Granted, there could be many reasons why a student chose to plagiarize, but if a student had respect for the professor, I do not feel they would plagiarize. I would like to think that a college student should have a decent idea of what is plagiarism. Am I wrong? I like the tips suggested in the book related to signs or signal's of plagiarise. I like the example in the book related to the professor handling two students turning in the same paper. The professor had to change his decision after discussing the situation with another professor. That professor felt like his authority was lowered after that. I guess I would agree. It would be important to find out right away if the university or department has specific ways to handle these types of situation. What is NDSU's policy on such behavior? When a situation occurs, the professor should discuss the issue with the student, and not just give them a lower score. I have noticed that there are online sites a professor can use to help detect possible plagiarism. One such site is copyrightspot (http://copyrightspot.com/). Another such program is Copyguard (http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=11466). Regardless of what software (if any) a professor uses, they still need to discuss the issue with the student and think of plagiarism as a learning opportunity.



Student Complaints - I honestly feel that if someone has enough time on their hands and a little negative energy, they will find fault in anybody. The key issue is if the complaints are persistent. I think students need to understand chain of command and know where they can go if they disagree with a professor. I liked the suggestion in the book related if they threaten to go to the professor (if you are a TA) or the department head, encourage them to do so. Often times, this will not take place, and the student will focus on their studies. It would also be important that the professor and the department head are on the same page so the student does not manipulate a situation.



Letters of Recommendations - I liked this section in the book because I have had issues with this in the past. I enjoy writing letters of recommendations for students who deserve good ones, but what do I do if a average student or poor student asks? I hate this. I have done what the book has said (be honest), and it has cause some hard feelings. Maybe it was what I said to the student. I feel, it is not what you say, but how you say it. In the future, I plan on informing students to be sure to ask right before putting me down as a reference and that not everyone will get a "glowing recommendation". About.com has some excellent sample recommendation letter a faculty member can use. I have not had to write a great deal of recommendations, but will use the site as a guide when needed. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay also has a nice site for faculty and staff to assist with writing letters of recommendations (http://www.uwgb.edu/careers/Recommendation_Letters.htm).

Blog #5

Testing - I like the examples in the book related to tests should not just be a means for assigning grades and should be used to assess what the instructor hoped to achieve. I feel writing an exam is a skill and should not be taken lightly. In the future when I write an exam, I plan, for the most part, assess what the students have learned and if I will need to go back and reteach something if the students did not get it. Although tests are a way to assess learning, this is not the only way. I understand that many students do not test well, so oral reports, papers, and other assignments can and should be used. When teaching in the future, I am planning on not having many exams in a semester (maybe 1 or 2), but assess in activities, homework, and outside class projects. If possible, I also like having one-on-one conversations with students to assess learning. An excellent site on how to write tests to assess learning is from Indiana University (http://www.indiana.edu/~best/write_better_tests.shtml). This site breaks down a variety of testing options to get the most from your exams. I feel if a professor is going to administer an exam, it should be of top quality. True/False, essay, and multiple choice suggestions are provided.

Online Testing - I have used and plan on continuing to use online testing. As I mentioned in the above paragraph, I do not believe in administering a great deal of "formal tests" to assess learning. The 1-2 test a semester should not affect a student's grade too much since 75-80 percent of their grade will come from other sources. I understand that there are security and integrity issues related to online testing. I guess, I do not get too worked up worrying if a student is cheating or not on an online exam. Is that wrong? I hope not, since I like to look at the "big picture", and if a student needs to "cheat" to pass one of my classes, there must be other issues they are dealing with.

Constructing an exam - The strategy that was shared in the book that I really like is to pass out several questions a week before the test and tell the students that these are the sorts of questions I will use in the exam. Great idea, especially since students tend to study more efficiently for essay-type exams. Students then can study the 7-8 main essay topics, and be tested on 3-4. I would not use this on an online exam, but an exam in class, would be perfect. The only negative about this type of exam is the amount of time it would take to correct them. True-False exams are easy, but do not truly assess learning (in my opinion). If I would (but I don't plan to) use true and false questions, I would ask the students to state what the question is false. Lastly, when grading the essay exam, I like the tip of having a scale so student's know who their answers will be graded. I think I would include the scale in the course syllabus when describing the exams. This would help to prevent some confusion by students when they receive their exams back. The Center for Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning proves an excellent sheet on why it is important to test students (http://www.indiana.edu/~best/write_better_tests.shtml). Although the information appears to be geared more toward the elementary and high school level, the understanding of why assessment is important can be carried onto the post-secondary level.

Blog #4

Grading Papers - I liked this section of the reading because I rarely find instructors doing this for their classes. In fact, when I taught my college level class last summer, I did not do this, and I should have. I guess I thought I explained what should be included in their papers, which most students included and received a high grade. There were however a couple students that did not get the grade they thought they earned. Maybe if the grading criteria for papers were spelled out more in detail, those couple students maybe would have done better or at least would have a better understanding up front what they need to do to earn an "A" on their paper. I noticed that my couple students did better during their second paper (since they understood the expectations). I will do a better job with this issue by putting the paper grading criteria in my syllabus.

Providing Feedback - This is extremely important for students. It was amazing how much the students I had last summer in my class appreciated the feedback. With all the comments I received from the students regarding feedback, I believe not all professors are giving students feedback. I feel if students are putting in the time to complete an assignment a professor assigned, the least a professor should do is take the time to read and provide feedback. I will continue to provide feedback to the students, which in my opinion is the ethically right thing to do. As the book mentioned too, I need to remember to also include the positive comments and not only the things that are confusing or not correct.

Allowing Paper Revisions - The first thing that came to my mind was, "no way". This may be a little selfish, but I found it difficult to keep up with the regular assignments students turned in. I do not have time look though the paper again. Now, honestly, I can see how it would benefit some students if they did not fully understand the assignment or major concepts. I think if a student would talk to me outside of class and gave a good reason why they should re-write their paper, I think I would allow it. Is that fair? I am not sure, but I think it would be the right thing to do. The book mentioned that students should be aware that their grade could go down on a revised paper. That would be a major issue if the student's paper was worse. Regarding grades, I like how the book mentioned the importance of handing back papers at the end of class versus the beginning. If a professor can prevent a negative student attitude or "protest", that is best.

Cheating - I believe cheating is extremely common in college. I was somewhat surprised that the book mentioned 75-98% of college students cheated in high school. That seems a little high, but with the Internet and other ways to gather information quickly, cheating is maybe on the rise (as the book mentioned). With the high demand for grades, many students feel they need to get these high grades at any cost. The book mentioned that many colleges have "rules" on how to handle cheating. Does NDSU have such rules? McKeachie did not give a great deal of advice related to how to handle cheating, only the basics such as following policy, not embarrassing the student, and talking to the student outside of class to maybe assess underlying issues. I feel classroom management ideas such as discussing "cheating" with the class, walking around the room, and maybe sitting in the back of the room so the instructor can "watch" the students. Collegecheating.com provides some basic tips to discourage, detect, and prevent cheating (http://collegecheating.com/). Mikaela Bjorklung and Claes-Goran Wenestam from Finland found that cheating among undergraduates is common and mainly is a problem of ethic character. The study can be found at: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00001364.htm

I also like giving different exams (same questions, but different order). I had one professor that submitted our papers to an online site to assess for plagiarism. I am somewhat surprised more professors do not do this. If I would submit papers to this site, and possible plagiarism is identified, then that would warrant a discussion with the student, and not an automatic grade reduction.

Blog Entry #3

I feel that many good points were brought to light in the readings. One of the first paragraphs mentioned something along the line that this is not the only class the student has. I remember thinking that as a undergraduate student and would be somewhat disappointed when a professor would give an overly aggressive amount of work for one class. I tried to keep that in mind when I taught a 2 credit class this summer. I liked how the chapter addressed "fairness" when it comes to grading. I am a strong believer that students should not spend a great deal of their energy focusing on grades and should channel their energy on learning. When setting up a course, I feel a professor needs to ask the question, "is this fair". When I created my syllabus, I took a great deal of time to be sure assignments were spread out and the point values were appropriate for the amount of work required. I liked the examples of how to phrase question to the class to assess learning and to check to see if they are reading the assignments. It is important to be sure questions are open ended rather than simple "yes or no". It is also important to keep in mind that the materials assigned to a student needs to be worth the time it takes to read it. I feel some professors assign all this reading, but never ask about it, or ever reference it. I can see where a student would think, "why bother". I remember teaching in the public school system and having silence. As mentioned in the readings, 5-10 seconds of silence would seem like forever. I would make myself wait, and usually, someone would at least attempt to answer the question, especially if I rephrased it. I thought the idea of group testing was an interesting one. I do not think I would ever use this technique in class or at least give a score. Often times however, I find that students are extremely interested in how they did on a certain test. By doing the group activity, so they know what the answers are would help them gauge how well they did. My fear using this as a way of assessment of grade would not truly reflect knowledge gained. If a student scores a 65% on the written test, but was in a group with student who really knew the materials, and the group grade was 98%. The student would then average a "B" in stead of getting a "D". I do understand that some people do not do well on tests and would do much better with an oral exam versus a written one. I just get "paranoid" of students getting a grade they did not earn. Barbara Gross Davis provides some good suggestions on grading and things to keep in mind. I like the section where she describes ways to limit students complaints about grading. I plan on using many of her suggestions in my future courses. The information suggested can be found at: http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/grading.htm.

Blog #2 - Additional Thoughts

I liked the information related to facilitating a discussion. Typically, I find that many graduate level classes do this nicely, but undergrad classes tend to be more traditional. I liked having students sit in a circle during discussions versus straight rows. This tends to be more comfortable for most students. I feel however that maybe some students would be somewhat uncomfortable sitting in a circle since this might be new. Hopefully the uncomfortableness is short lived and helps to facilitate learning. If possible, I rather create an atmosphere that helps to facilitate learning. I also liked how the book focused on the importance of small group activities. I use to have students work in groups all the time when I taught in a small high school. This helped students get to know other students and helped them learn skills that should prove to be beneficial later in life. The importance of open-ended question is also critical. Instead of asking students "Did you like the readings", ask, "what did you like about the reading materials". This should help to facilitate more discussion during the class. Lastly, I enjoyed the section in the book that discussed "Why some students do not talk". I related this to myself. I sometimes feel uncomfortable talking in a large class in fear I might take over the conversation or cut someone else off when they are trying to speak. I need to learn to be able to discuss things in class without fear of the above mentioned things. I have had students in my classes I taught before and I tried to pair them up, or provide activities to help build their confidence and allow them to talk in class. There can be a number of reasons students do not talk in class, but hopefully by building confidence and taking "baby steps" the student will feel free to share. I liked the idea of having debates. I feel debates allow student to share their opinion and also hear another point of view. I tried having a debate in a high school class, but it did not go real well. The students took the information personally and it was not as educational as I hoped it to be. I would like to try a debate in a college setting where the students should be more mature and be able to handle such an educational experience. The guidance of the instructor and clear "ground rules", this should prove to be a fun way to learn. Topics could include second hand smoke, physician assisted suicide, or the drinking age. I found a nice debate rubric online that I could use the the college setting (http://mh034.k12.sd.us/classroom_debate_rubric.htm). Another rubric (that is not so good because it is too subjective) can be found at: http://712educators.about.com/cs/rubrics/l/blrubricdebate.htm

Blog Entry #2

I liked the suggestions provided in Chapter 3. Having 1-2 goals set for each class period is an excellent idea. It reminds me when working with media, I always learned to be sure to get 1-2 main points across during an interview. When my students walk out of my classroom, I hope they can remember at least one major theme, idea, or concept for the class. Lesson plans was something that I did not enjoy doing when I taught in the public school system, but remembered that those lesson plans helped to keep me focused and on task. To be honest, I never thought college professors wrote lesson plans, but if they are as helpful to me in the college setting as they were in high school, I better get use to doing them. Incorporating writing into the class is important. It is amazing to me the number of students who struggle with writing. Writing assignments can help students organize their thoughts and put down ideas on paper. If students are expected to complete writing assignments, I feel it is important to provide feedback to the students. I liked the suggestions on time management. Class needs to start on time and a professor needs to be sure to prioritize information to be sure information or goals of the class period are taught. Alicia McKenzie provides some good classroom time management tips (http://www.utoronto.ca/tatp/timemanagement.pdf). The three main focus areas she describes include basic principles of classroom time management, assessing time demands, and writing the lesson plans. The last couple topics I liked in the book was the importance of having a united front and always being professional and not criticizing other professors. The tips on how to answer and handle situations should prove to be beneficial. I liked how it was noted to not embarrass students if there are issues (such as a student being late for class everyday), but rather catch the student after class and find out what the issue is.

Blog Entry #1 - Additional Thoughts

Teaching tips from McKeachie made me think of things to keep in mind before I teach my next course. It seems the majority of classes use some type of textbook. I like using textbooks, but like having recent articles from professional journals to supplement the textbook. A big issue tends to be the cost of such textbooks. With that in mind, I believe that if students need to purchase a textbook, they need to get some use out of it and maybe be able to use it in other classes or in their professional career. The New York State Consumer Protection Board put together many tips/suggestions for faculty before ordering textbooks. The document can be found at: http://www.nysconsumer.gov/pdf/facultytextbooks.pdf. The syllabus needs to be taken seriously. I feel the syllabus needs to be as specific as possible and leave little room for "gray areas". A couple nice sites to get tips and suggestions regarding writing a college level class syllabus are:
www.oberlin.edu/stuorg/exco/instructors/syllabus_tips.doc
http://www.contracosta.edu/AdjunctFaculty/syll-how.htm
http://eduserv.ku.ac.th/eduserv/cademic/seminar/How%20to%20Write%20a%20Syllabus.pdf (nice PowerPoint).

Lastly, I feel it is important to be sure students participate in an appropriate amount of learning outside of the scheduled class time. Hands-on activities along with reading outside of class should help support classroom discussions. I will need to keep this in mind when creating a syllabus.

Blog Entry #1

The tips provided in Chapter #2 (First Day) should prove to be very beneficial. Planning ahead and being prepared are important. Getting the class list is a great idea. I taught a class last summer and was able to get the class list. It would have been nice to find out their majors and year of school beforehand so the class could have been tailored somewhat to their needs. Knowing where the classroom is and how to use all the equipment is important. If a professor is late or cannot use the computer or other supplies, credibility can be lost early on. I like how Southern Utah University has some tips for first year professors. The sheet is titles Ecology 101, but can be used in other disciplines. The tips can be found at: http://www.indiana.edu/~halllab/GradRes/Wilson&Hampton_BESA.pdf

I believe it is important to dress professionally so students take the professor seriously. The class I taught was online, so I could wear pajamas if I wanted, but I feel when I do teach "live", I would feel better if I dressed a step above my students. I had a professor recently who dressed in jeans everyday, and I thought that was odd. Since the class I taught was an online class, student communicated with me by email. Lucky for me, the communication did not get out of hand. Students also had my cell phone number, but I did not give them guidelines related to when to call. I only received two calls from students regarding computer trouble while taking an exam. I now realize how important it would be in the future to provide clear guidelines to prevent over use and possible boundary issues.