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.
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