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Contents

Acknowledgements
Foreword
Using This Resource

I. Preparing to Teach
Planning a course
--Defining Instructional Objectives
--Teaching and Learning Styles: The   Academic Culture
--Choosing and Using Instructional   Materials
--Writing a Syllabus
--Syllabus Checklist
--Using the Syllabus in Class
--Summary of Course Planning
Addressing Students' Needs
--Importance of Knowing Your   Students
--Planning Considerations
--Getting to Know Your Students
--Students of Different Backgrounds
--Students with Disabilities
--Teaching Strategies: Non-Native   Speakers of English
--Creating a Learning Environment
--Dealing with Disruptive Behavior in   the Classroom
--Common Disruptive Student   Behaviors and Possible Responses
--Dealing with Apathetic Students
--Cultural Differences for International   Instructors
--Summary of Addressing Students’   Needs
Teaching Tips
--Organizing Class
--Ways to Be Accessible Outside the   Classroom
--Six Common Non-Facilitating   Teaching Behaviors
--Wireless in the Classroom: Advice   for Faculty
--Summary of Teaching Tips

II. Teaching Methods
The First Day of Class
--When the Class Meets You
--When You Meet the Class
--Diversity the Instructor Brings to the   Classroom
--Conversing with Students with   Disabilities
--Moving Forward
--Summary of the First Day of Class
Lecturing
--Strategies for Effective Learning
--Advantages and Disadvantages of   the Traditional Lecture Method
--Enhancing Learning in Large   Classes
--Chalkboard Technique
--Writing Assignments in the Lecture
--Engaging Women in Math and   Science Courses
--Formulating Effective Questions
--Summary of Lecturing
Discussion
--Brief Overview
--The “Nuts and Bolts” of Discussion
--Facilitating Discussion of Sensitive   Issues
--Encouraging Student Contributions
--Alternative Instructional Methods
--Potential Problems in Discussions
--Summary of Discussion
Expanding Teaching Strategies
--Practical Examples
--Show and Tell
--Case Studies
--Teaching with Case Studies
--Guided Design Projects
--Brainstorming
Group Work
--General Information about Using   Groups
--Group Work in an Introductory   Science Laboratory
Science Labs
--The Role of the Lab Instructor
--What Do the Students Need to   Know?
--The First Day
--Planning and Running a Laboratory
--Safety Procedures
--Summary of Science Labs
Teaching Outside the Classroom
--Tutoring
--Office Hours
--Teaching Students to Solve   Problems
--Advising and Extracurricular   Activities
--Summary of Teaching Outside the   Classroom
Overcoming Misconceptions
--Societal Attitudes and Science   Anxiety
--Misconceptions as Barriers to   Understanding Science
--Common Difficulties and   Misunderstandings

III. Teaching-as-Research
Assessing Student Performance
--Establishing Objectives for   Assessment
--Assessment Primer
--Formulating Effective Methods of   Assessment
--Helping Students Succeed on   Assignments and Exams
--The Why and How of Tests
--Grading Lab Reports, Problem Sets,   and Exam Questions
--Grading Checklist
--Grading Specific Activities
--Grading Writing
--Summary of Assessing Student   Performance
How to Evaluate Your Own Teaching
--Evaluating Your Own Teaching
--A Note on Teaching-as-Research

IV. Appendices
Inspirational Essays
--Mathematics: The Universal   Language of Science
--Transforming Quizzes into Teaching   and Learning Tools
--Teaching My Students to Fish
--Chemistry: The Other Foreign   Language
--Teaching to Different Modes of   Learning
--Notes from a Career in Teaching
Additional Resources
Websites
Graduate Assistant Handbook Outline
--Department- and Institution-Specific   Information
--18 Questions to Have Answered

Works Cited

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Bringing “Real-Life” Scenarios into the Classroom

A case study  is an account of an actual activity, event, or problem containing some of the background and complexities actually encountered by a practicing person in the field. Since cases are accounts of “real-life” activity, they help the students to better relate theory to the “real world.” Cases often involve concepts from other disciplines like marketing and management, concepts that a professional needs to know anyway. In addition, the case method promotes discussion in class and feedback from the students.

Scope

Engineering case studies can be included at all levels of the engineering curriculum. The hardest part of using case studies is finding cases that fit with the class material. This, however, should not deter you from using the case method, as there are many texts on case studies. Professors, other TAs, or contacts in your industry are other great resources for finding cases. With a little work, it should not be too hard to find a good case for any class.

Strategies

Students are usually given written material regarding a case, and are asked to read it and answer a series of questions pertaining to various aspects of the case. The students can be required to work either individually or in groups. The following are some tips to remember when using a case study:

• The case study questions may increase the amount of work the students have to do outside of class. Care must be taken to balance this extra workload with other homework assignments.
• When using case studies found in the library, do not stick to using the questions given with the case. Generate new questions that fit the topics covered in class directly.
• While the questions that are assigned form the basis of the discussion, be prepared with other questions to guide the discussion.
• The goal of the class’s use of the case should be kept in mind at all times. Keep the discussion from drifting away from this goal.
• Above all, be thoroughly prepared for the discussion. Poor preparation will lead to frustration among the students.

Example: Design Change for a Walkway

The following case study was used in a design course taught in the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering. The case helped students discuss how changes in a design during manufacturing and construction can affect the safety of the overall design. The students considered the following problem:

The on-site engineers want to know if they can change part of a design to ease construction. As head engineer, would you allow the change? Why or why not?

The case material described the failure of the walkway in the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

The collapse occurred due to a shear failure of the beam when a large group gathered on both the upper and lower walkways to watch a band playing in the courtyard below. In the first design, the beam holds the weight of only one of the walkways. In the modified design, the section of beam between the rods carries the weight of both walkways. The failure occurred in this section of the beam. The TA did not disclose the effects of the design modification while handing out the case materials; the students were simply asked whether or not they would allow the change, and to include any calculations to support their claims.

About a quarter of the class decided that they would allow the change, while the rest decided that they would not. However, the students who would not allow the change produced a variety of answers, not all of which were close to the right answer. These students who produced the right answers were asked to describe the failure mechanism to the rest of the class. The TA graded the students’ work more on the amount of thought put into the case rather than on getting close to the correct answer. The whole exercise took only one full class period in addition to the time required for grading.