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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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The lab instructor is responsible for ensuring that undergraduate students are appropriately supervised at all times during the laboratory session. He or she must make students aware of all safety procedures and must enforce these rules. If there is an accident, lab instructor conduct may be a factor in any legal proceedings. For example, if a lab instructor neglects to wear safety goggles after having told students to wear theirs, this poor example may put the lab instructor at fault for any accident that occurs.

Disciplinary practices and lab instructor authority vary widely from department to department and even from course to course. Be sure these protocols are made clear. Before the session begins, the lab instructor should consult with his or her supervisor to determine the approved departmental procedure for disciplining students who are disruptive or who neglect to observe safety procedures.

Troubleshooting⁶³

Working through the lab in advance will allow the lab instructor to determine any portions that may be particularly confusing or have greater potential for “creative interpretation” by students. However, even the best written, best prepared experiment may not work, especially given the challenges imposed by inexperienced undergraduates. The following actions may lessen the probability of unusual results and/or compensate for lack of results:

• Experienced lab instructors can share information about the teaching history of the lab. What “horror stories” can new lab instructors avoid, and how?
• It is important to pay attention to problems and difficulties that occur during the class. If several students appear to be having trouble with a particular aspect of the experiment, it may indicate a general lack of understanding by the students, or a lack of clarity in the protocol. This is a good time to stop the class and clarify the problem. The lab instructor should know what material students are covering in the lecture course. In some cases, students may not have had the appropriate lecture yet.
• The lab instructor should explore why equipment and procedures are not working, and should not be afraid to ask graduate students or the lab supervisor.
• Using data from other sources – other students in the class, other sections, even trial data from the prep session – can aid in troubleshooting.
• When a lab does not work as expected, students can write up a “failure analysis” instead of the lab.
• Students can also redo the experiment later.