Essentials for Teaching: Insider Tips at WKU

1
Essentials for Teaching Insider Tips at WKU

• From the
• Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching
• (FaCET)

2
ObjectivesAfter this presentation, you will...

• Have a foundation for success
• Be aware of FaCET resources
• Be able to prevent some common problems
• Recognize some key WKU policies
• Know characteristics of WKU students
• Initiate priority-setting for teaching

3
Agenda
FaCET Resources 5 minutes
Sample Intro Activities, Prevention Policies 20 minutes
WKU students/ Priority-setting for teaching 20 minutes
4
FaCET Resources

• Basic Teaching Skills Seminar
• Teaching Portfolio Seminar
• Others Get booklet at Info Fair
• New York Times - Sign up by Wednesday 8/22 at
  noon
• New Faculty Notes
• Emergencies in Classroom H.O.
• Teaching Issues listserv
• Mentor Program Barb Kacer

5
Prevention Policies Overview

• Contribute ideas as we go.
• Syllabus
• First Day/Week
• Planning Across Classes
• Grading Issues
• Life in Your Department

6
Syllabus Course Clarity

• Syllabus Booklet
• Policies, Checklist
• Disability statement
• May use software to check for plagiarism
• Gen Ed objectives
• Must upload to TopNet
• Recommended at least 1 week prior to semesters
  start

7
Syllabus Calendars

• TopNet- can download class meeting calendar
• For Term Final Exams (not at class time)
• http//www.wku.edu/registrar/academic_calendars/in
  dex.php
• Note Labor Day, Fall Break for students,
  Election Day, Thanksgiving

8
SyllabusAttendance Issues

• Better to grade for participation both
  philosophically legally
• But there are some situations in which mere
  attendance must be known.

9
Syllabus Know student attendance

• 1. At 60 point (Oct 29)
• implications for student.
• Quit coming before this point FN grade repay
  federal money.
• Missing after F.
• Keep records!

10
SyllabusKnow Student Attendance

• 2. Teaching freshmen? 5th week report
• 3. 2007 law, need to know international student
  attendance,
• wiser to know for all students rather than single
  out a group
• 4. Be aware of drop (9/4) withdrawal (10/17)
  dates relative to your assessments.

11
First DayPrevent Problems

• Set norms for desired behavior
• e.g., start on time, keep the entire time.
• Review key rules, e.g., plagiarism
• Get to know students cards, something unique
• Remember you can get easier
• You cant get harder without protests.

12
Syllabus First Week

• Administrative tasks
• Dropping/Adding, so take attendance, bring extra
  syllabi if you make copies
• How soon have graded activities?
• Check students have prerequisites
• Check on Textbooks
• Beware of Please add me
• Enough seats in the room? Holds on student?
  Departmental policies?
• Pre-test?

13
SyllabusPlanning Activities

• Service Learning
• ALIVE Center 782-0082
• Critical Thinking initiative
• Group Work (Cooperative or Collaborative
  Learning)
• Case Studies, Problem-Based Learning
• Remember classes have personalities
• What works for one may flop for another

14
Syllabus Planning Across Classes

• Check due dates
• Dont overwhelm yourself w/grading
• Give students feedback before drop/withdrawal
  dates
• varies if bi-term or full term
• Solicit anonymous student feedback about 4th
  week.

15
SyllabusAssessment of Students

• Include both Formative and Summative Assessments
• Formative
• Non-graded
• Motivational, Educational
• Summative
• Textbook test banks arent trustworthy
• What if they do badly?
• Ask a colleague to review 1st test.

16
Assessment of Your Performance

• Student Input to Teacher Effectiveness ratings
• Roughly 2nd to last week of term.
• Student Govt Assoc (SGA) ratings
• Annual Review Digital Measures
• Teaching Portfolio

17
Exam Planning

• You may want to consider timing /scheduling
• Fall Break, Election, Homecoming, Thanksgiving
• Do not give final exams the week before final
  exam week.
• If giving final, must give at posted time.
• You may be able to also give it at another time
  ask.

18
More Exam Planning

• Keep exams 5 years-
• Destruction report (U0476 Student Credential
  File)
• Make-ups Do not have to provide.
• Put policy in syllabus follow-it. Consider jury
  duty, caregiving needs, university excused, level
  of illness.

19
Grading Posting Grades

• What not to post as identifiers
• Partial SSN, ID number not acceptable.
• What is okay within FERPA?
• Use identifiers known only to you and the
  student
• AND scrambled not alphabetical or by grades
• AND at least 25 students
• OR use Blackboard software
• Legal Issues in the Classroom
• http//www.wku.edu/teaching/bsct/legal.php

20
Grading Writing

• The experts say mark a page of grammar, then
  just content.
• Plagiarism
• Software-SafeAssign in Blackboard. TurnItIn
  possible.
• They cite but use exact words, no quotes.
• F on assignment F for entire class is more
  likely to trigger an appeal .
• Keep copies of plagiarized work.

21
Student Issues

• Tell dept head early of any student problems
• Keep documentation
• a note on meetings/content
• e-mails from/to the student
• Sexual Harassment Maintain boundaries.
• Avoid being alone with a student.
• Leave office door ajar
• Watch touching

22
Behavior Management

• Your Body Language
• Take care in framing issues
• You is aggressive. I works better.
• Meet outside class.
• Clarify the Problem, dont assume
• If danger, respond immediately
• If not, seek advice, act promptly

23
Life in Your Department

• You are important to department
• Get to know your secretary (Office
  Assistant/Associate)
• Will save you one day.
• Choose your service activities
• Research 15 minutes daily writing
• Use mentors (FaCET, dept)
• Gives you perspective.

24

• WKUs Students?
• See folder for demographics from the WKU Factbook
• Core Teaching Principles

25
When did you learn how to deeply analyze and
evaluate non-discipline material?

1. High School
2. Freshman-Sophomore Years
3. Junior-Senior Years
4. Graduate School
5. Post-graduate
6. Not yet

26
Understanding Students

• They often learn better within a social context
• They often dont know, that they dont know
• Start where the students are, not where you wish
  they were or where you are.
• May choose to be average or below.
• May not read text, may study short time.
• Develop as learners over time

27
Collect Data to Get to Know Your Students

• Collect a Card or Info sheet with Demographics
• 1-Minute paper
• What was the muddiest point today? Or
• What was the most important thing you learned?
• No name 1 minute
• Report back to class after reading.

28
What does it mean to be faculty?

• Teaching is a discipline
• Many ways to teach effectively
• Most involve being organized.
• Excellence is a long term process.
• Your assumptions drive
• your choices as teacher
• your perception of students learning
• how you spend your time, your life

29
Imagine.

• It is Finals Week in December
• What are you proud of having accomplished in
  student learning?
• How did you do that?
• How did you measure it?
• What do you need to do now to get there?

30
Instructional Alignment

• These elements must match for maximum student
  learning student ratings.

Learning Objectives
Assessment
Activities
31
Objectives are Practical

• Guide teacher choices w/re activities
• What NOT to do
• Help us to avoid giving busy work
• Motivational tools learning guides for students
• Guide assessment
• Helps in conflict resolution

32
Writing Course Objectives

• What will the student gain from the course?
• Writing Quality Learning Objectives
• http//www.nwlink.com/donclark/hrd/templates/obje
  ctivetool.html
• http//www.radiojames.com/ObjectivesBuilder/

33
Give Table in Syllabus?
Learning Objectives Upon completion of this course the student will be able to Activities Assessment
explain current issues in Reading, Discussion Exam, Paper
analyze an ltissuegt in Draft Paper, Lab project Paper, Lab report
34
Any questions?Purple sheet

• No name necessary
• Any important questions remaining
• On the back
• Any other issue related to settling in that
  FaCET can assist with

35
Summary

• Reviewed
• Prevention and policies
• Nature of students
• Importance of instructional alignment
• Use your personal goals to prioritize
  implementation

36
More Information

• Dont re-invent the wheel
• http//www.wku.edu/teaching/communities/newfac.php
  
• FaCET seminars booklet at info fair
• FaCET library
• http//www.wku.edu/teaching/db/ctlresources/checko
  ut/
• List of books, articles, electronic sources
• Consulting services 745-6508

37
Welcome to WKU!

• Call us-- we want to hear from you!
• 745-6508