Submit Feedback

Resource Book Home

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

Submit Feedback

Students often complain about their grades when the basis for their assessment is unclear to them. Clear communication also makes courses more inclusive for students from underrepresented groups, such as international students, who might otherwise misunderstand unspoken expectations. Students’ ability to “guess” what they will be assessed on does not indicate mastery of course content.

Day-to-day class activities and assignments should reflect the instructor’s assessment method. This is not to say that the assessment must be a “regurgitation” of class work and readings, but it should fall within the same general framework of the course. Un-graded trial tests can be useful tools both to alert the instructor as to the students’ abilities and to provide the students with an understanding of the assessment method.

There are many methods of grading. Numeric methods are not necessarily more “objective” than those that rely on written comments or holistic approaches. It is important for instructors to think through their grading philosophy and purposes before deciding on a grading scheme. Before selecting a grading method, it is also advisable to check relevant course or departmental policies.

Letter Grading

Letter grading should be familiar to anyone who has attended a traditional high school, college or university. Defining what constitutes each level of performance is the responsibility of the instructor.

Advantages

• Letter grades are convenient for determining levels of competence for future employment and advanced education.
• Letter grades provide feedback.
• Alternatives to letter grades may not result in more effective assessment.

Disadvantages

• Grades can be determined by mixing factors that have various weightings.
• They can divide students into discriminatory and often competitive groups.
• They can foster dependent, conforming, unimaginative behavior in students.
• Letter grades can emphasize hierarchy among students. This can have an adverse effect on learning.

Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory

Satisfactory-unsatisfactory systems are based on one cut-off point that determines whether the student has passed or failed the course.

Advantages

• This system can be more relaxed and less competitive.
• This system can provide a better atmosphere; students may be willing to take risks with the teacher.
• Cheating may be reduced.
• Some students do more work when freed from the pressure of a letter grade.

Disadvantages

• A passing grade does not distinguish among levels of competence.
• Some students may work less.
• It can be difficult to state level of mastery leading to a passing grade.
• A failing student is still under pressure.

Within the above parameters, a variety of approaches can be used to arrive at the letter grade or the satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade. A few of these are listed below, along with some of their relative advantages and disadvantages.

Mastery Approach

The mastery approach assigns a basic satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade to students based on their achievement of specified goals. In a mastery system, students are ordinarily allowed to take different amounts of time to accomplish a goal and to repeat tests or assignments without penalty until they achieve the desired outcome.

Advantages

• The grade is meaningful since it is tied to the student’s performance level.
• When students know their goals, they may achieve them faster.
• The focus is on success, rather than on failure.
• This system tends to generate cooperation and may raise morale among teachers and students.

Disadvantages

• This approach is more time consuming.
• It can limit the freedom of teachers.
• Some teachers might be too exacting in their requirements.

Contract System

A contract system of grading involves the development of a written contract between the student and the instructor that specifies precisely what will be required to receive any given grade. The course syllabus is a good place to communicate this option.

Advantages

• This system can reduce anxieties since the student knows what is expected.
• It can reduce the role of personal judgment in grading.
• It encourages self-set goals.

Disadvantages

• There is a potential for overemphasis on quantity.
• There can be difficulty in measuring the quality of student activity.
• Ambiguity may exist in qualitative distinctions between grades.

Self-Evaluation

A variety of formats can be used. The significant difference in this form of grading is that the source of the evaluation is the student. Instructors can use self-evaluation by students to determine part or all of the course grade.

Advantages

• Self-evaluation can be a learning experience for the student.
• Students are usually fair, objective, and demanding of themselves.
• It encourages students to take responsibility.

Disadvantages

• It can be taken less seriously as the novelty wears off.
• It can be abused when students are not introspective.
• It can be abused under extreme pressure for grades.