SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

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SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING
IN HIGHER EDUCATION

• Edward M. Reeve, Ph.D
• Utah State University
• Interim Vice Provost for International Education
• Professor, Department of Engineering Technology
  Education (ETE)

The 7th International Conference on Developing
Real-Life Experiences Education Reform Through
Teaching Strategies (ERTS) Thailand 2009
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(No Transcript)
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Introduction

• The role of todays college or university
  instructor is to provide students with the
  appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes that
  will help them succeed in their chosen careers.

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Introduction

• The purpose of this presentation is to provide
  suggestions for improving teaching and learning
  in the college or university classroom.

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Introduction

The suggestions and advice presented in this
paper represent current trends in higher
education and the views of an American Professor
who has more than 20 successful years of
university teaching.
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Introduction

• The suggestions presented are divided into the
  following themes
• Students
• Technology
• Curriculum Development
• Favorite Teaching Strategies
• Professional Development

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Question

• How would you describe a good college instructor?
  
• What characteristics would he or she exhibit?

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Good Instructors

• Come prepared to class.
• Develop curricula based on sound goals and
  objectives.
• Provide students with hands-on and minds-on
  learning opportunities.
• They are life-long learners.
• They are willing to change and try new things.
• They are Enthusiastic Friendly!

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SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING
IN HIGHER EDUCATION

• Students

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Students

• Consider the Needs of Todays Digital Natives
  and Their Technology
• Develop Curricula that incorporates technology
  into it.

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SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING
IN HIGHER EDUCATION

• Technology

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Technology

• Using technology may help to better engage
  students in the learning process and may help
  instructors meet the learning styles of todays
  diverse student.

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Technology

• Ask the Digital Natives for Help Find out how
  the like to learn.
• Try using the Mobile Phone in the Classroom
• Use Popular Internet-Based Technologies
• Social Networking

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SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING
IN HIGHER EDUCATION

• Curriculum Development

THAI
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Curriculum Development

• Develop Learner- Centered
  Instruction
• In learner-centered instruction, the student is
  the focus of instruction.
• Students are encouraged to learn from their
  errors, ask questions, and to demonstrate their
  knowledge in various ways

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Curriculum Development

• Develop Real-Life Learning Experiences
• Providing students with real-life learning
  experiences makes learning meaningful and helps
  students to better see how they can apply what
  they have learned.

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Curriculum Development

• Use Formative Assessment Techniques
• Good instructors know that a one-time test may
  not be a good indicator of what students really
  know and are able to do.

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Curriculum Development

• Use Formative Assessment Techniques
• Today, research on learning shows the importance
  of using informal assessments (formative
  assessment) for increasing student learning.

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Curriculum Development

• Use Formative Assessment Techniques
• Direct Questioning of
  Students
• One-Two Minute Papers
• Just-in-Time Teaching

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Curriculum Development

• Use Formative Assessment Techniques
• Students Course Notes
• Student Study Groups
• Informal Conversations
• Index Cards

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Curriculum Development

• Provide Students with an International
  Perspective to the Topic
  Being Studied
• Global events such as the pandemic swine
  influenza (H1N1) orbanking crisis impacts all
  corners of the world and tomorrows students must
  be educated for living in an interconnected
  world.

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Curriculum Development

• Provide Students with an International
  Perspective to the Topic Being Studied
• International guest speakers
• References from other countries
• Provide multiple perspectives
• Promote study abroad

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Curriculum Development

• Provide Students with an International
  Perspective to the Topic Being Studied
• Focus on standards and systems used around the
  world.
• Communicate with people from other countries
  (e.g., on a class project).
• Virtual fieldtrips.

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SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING
IN HIGHER EDUCATION

• Favorite Teaching Strategies

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Favorite Teaching Strategies

• Problem-Solving Activities
• Learning by doing!
• Giving students structured (one right answer) or
  ill-structured (open-ended) problems that
  can be correctly solved using multiple approaches.

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Favorite Teaching Strategies

• Problem-Solving Activities
• Problem-based learning (PBL) Giving students
  real-world problems that requires them to
  students to "learn-to-learn" as they seek
  solutions to real-world
  problems.
• Teacher is a facilitator
  of learning.

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Favorite Teaching Strategies

• Cooperative Learning
• It means more than just putting students in
  groups.

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Favorite Teaching Strategies

• Cooperative Learning
• Positive Interdependence - sink or swim together
• Face-to-Face Promotive Interaction small groups

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Favorite Teaching Strategies

• Cooperative Learning
• Individual Accountability
• Interpersonal And Small Group Skills
• Group Processing

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Use a Variety of Teaching Strategies

• Computer-Based
  Instruction
• Concept Mapping

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Use a Variety of Teaching Strategies

• Debate
• Demonstration
• Field Trips
• Games

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Use a Variety of Teaching Strategies

• Interviews
• Journals or Logs
• Modeling/Prototyping The process where students
  develop small-scale or full-size working models
  that represent their ideas of an object or
  design.

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Use a Variety of Teaching Strategies

• Portfolio
• Peer Tutoring
• Reflection Teachers provide a pause for
  students to reflect on what they are learning.

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Use a Variety of Teaching Strategies

• Service Learning Students
  going into the community with
  an activity that is designed to
  assist those in need.
• Stories Telling personal and interesting
  stories that help students to focus and to
  better understand the materials being presented
  in class.

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SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING
IN HIGHER EDUCATION

• Professional Development

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Professional Development

• All instructors need to stay current in their
  discipline and should participate in professional
  development activities.

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CONCLUSION

• An important part of being a college or
  university instructor is to be a life-long
  learner with a quest of improving their teaching
  and research skills.

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CONCLUSION

• Good Teachers
• (1) Encourage contact
  between students and faculty.
• (2) Develop reciprocity and cooperation among
  students.
• (3) Encourage active learning.

What more than 50 years of Research Shows
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CONCLUSION

• Good Teachers
• (4) Give prompt feedback.
• (5) Emphasize time on task.
• (6) Communicate high expectations.
• (7) Respect diverse talents and ways of
  learning.

What more than 50 years of Research Shows
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QUESTIONS
The End
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Question

• What did you learn from my presentation today?