Essentials of Teaching at WKU

1. Essentials of Teaching at WKU Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching

2. Today’s Presentations • With the cooperation of presenters, will be at URL on pink card. • Campus URL issue • Converting to new web site • Many URLs are changing • Admin units Sep 1 • Applies to www.wku.edu sites

3. Most Important 4 Things in this session • Know who to ask when you are uncertain • Meet 2 colleagues • How to avoid or prevent some common teaching problems • Know key WKU teaching policies

4. Agenda

5. Who to Ask • Pink card/folder • Basic Skills Seminar • Teaching Portfolio Seminar • New York Times FAQ - Sign up • New Faculty Notes • Emergencies in Classroom H.O. • Teaching Issues listserv – Wren Mills • Mentor Program – Barbara Kacer

6. Quick Introductions Exercise • Example of First Day Activity • No right or wrong; • Warm up for thinking about the material • What color represents your view of teaching and why? • Share w/2 partners for 2 minutes.

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

8. Syllabus: Course Clarity • Syllabus Booklet (in folder) • Syllabus Template (online) • Disability comment • General Education • Info to share 1 week prior to class • Info to share within 1 week of start

9. TopNet • Class calendar for syllabus • FacSvs…Course Calendar • Must upload syllabus to it • FacSvs…Course Syllabi Maintenance • Email all students in a class • FacSvs…Summary Class List…at top. • Download Roster • FacSvs…Summary Class List

10. Calendars for Schedule • TopNet- class meeting calendar • Fac Svs…Course Calendar • Academic Calendars at Registrar • Overall and finals week • (Administrative Calendar for non-academic dates is at Academic Affairs website)

11. “Attendance” Issues Better to grade for participation both philosophically & legally But there are some situations in which mere attendance must be known.

12. Know student attendance: • 1. At 2/3rd point (Oct 31) know student pattern • $$ implications for student. • Quit coming before=F/N grade & repay federal money. • Missing after=F. • Keep records.

13. Know 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

14. First Day: Prevent 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 • You can get easier across term, • You can’t get harder without protests.

15. First Week • Administrative tasks • Dropping/Adding so take attendance, extra syllabi, • How soon have graded activities? • Check students have prerequisites • Check on Textbooks/Course Materials • Beware of “Please add me” – enough seats in the room? • “Pre-test”?

16. Activities • Search Tool or FaCET • Service Learning • ALIVE Center 782-0082 • Critical Thinking initiative • Group Work (Cooperative or Collaborative Learning) • Case Studies, Problem-Based Learning • Classes have a personality • Works for one, flops for another.

17. Planning Across Classes • Check due dates • Don’t overwhelm yourself w/grading • Storyboarding a course • Get students grade feedback before drop dates (varies if bi-term or regular & consequences) • Solicit anonymous student feedback about 4th week.

18. Assessment • Formative • Non-graded • Motivational, Educational • Summative • Textbook test banks are ??? • Respondus test bank management • What if they do badly? • Ask a colleague to review 1st test.

19. Assessment of Your Performance • Student Input to Teacher Effectiveness ratings • Roughly 2nd to last week of term. • Student Gov’t Assoc ratings • Annual Review – Digital Measures • Teaching Portfolio

20. Exam Planning • Before exam do a Minute paper • “Most important thing today?” • Do not give final exams the week before “final exam week.” • If giving final, must give at posted time (unless permission).

21. More Exam Planning • Keep exams 5 years- • Destruction report (U0476 Student Credential File) • (Grades 1 year unless complaint). • Make-ups: Do not have to provide. • Put policy in syllabus & follow-it. • Consider jury duty, level of illness, caregiving needs, “university excused” e.g., snow days.

22. Legal Issues in the Classroom: http://www.wku.edu/teaching/bsct/legal.php Treat students consistently with one another AND with what you say you will do in your syllabus.

23. Grades • Folder handout • What not to post: • Partial SSN, ID number not acceptable. • Posting grades-FERPA ok • 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

24. Grading Writing • Experts: mark a page on grammar, then just content. • Plagiarism • SafeAssign w/in Blackboard. Some dep’ts TurnItIn • Students will cite but exact words, no quotation marks • F on assignment or class. • Keep copies of plagiarized work. • Report to Michael Crowe, Judicial Affairs

25. Student Issues • Tell dept head early of any student problems • Keep documentation-a note on meetings/content or e-mail. • Sexual Harassment: Maintain boundaries. • Avoid being alone. Don’t shut office door.

26. Behavior Management • Your Body Language • “You” is aggressive. “I” works better. • Meet outside class. • Clarify the Problem, don’t assume • If danger, respond immediately • If not, seek advice / act promptly

27. Emergency Numbers • Campus Police 745-2548 • Also for emergency maintenance • Dean Student Life 745-2791 • Counseling Center 745-3159 • See Door Hanger in FaCET folder & Emergencies in the Classroom

28. Department Issues • You are important to department • Be nice to secretary (Office Associate) • Will save you one day. • Strategically choose your service activities. • Research: 15 minutes daily writing • Use mentors (FaCET, dept) • Gives you perspective.

29. Understanding Students • They often learn better within a social context • They often don’t know, that they don’t know • Start where the students are, not where you wish they were. • May choose to be average or below. • May not read text, may study short time • Develop as learners over time • Don’t take it personally.

30. Collect data • 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. • Demographics

31. What does it mean to be “faculty”? • Teaching is a discipline • Many ways to teach effectively • 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

32. Instructional Alignment Learning Objectives • These elements must match! • The match is the single best predictor of student ratings. Assessment Activities

33. Objectives are Practical • Guides teacher choices w/re activities • What NOT to do • Motivational tool & learning guide to student • Guides assessment • Helps in conflict resolution

34. Writing Course Objectives • “What will the student gain from the course?” • Writing Quality Learning Objectives: • Good tutorial: • http://www.radiojames.com/ObjectivesBuilder/

35. In Syllabus

36. Evaluation • Minute Paper (no name): • The most important 2 questions remaining

37. Models of Teaching • Socratic Tutor • Medieval Gatekeeper • Colonial Era Mentor • Nation Building Servant • War Specialist Researcher • Global Professional Facilitator of Learning

38. Summary • Reviewed • Prevention and policies • Nature of students • Importance of and writing explicit goals • Use your goals to prioritize implementation

39. More Information • Don’t re-invent the wheel • http://www.wku.edu/teaching/newfac.htm • FaCET seminars • FaCET library http://www.wku.edu/teaching/db/ctlresources/checkout/ • List of books, articles, electronic sources • Consulting services 5-6508

40. Welcome to WKU! Call us-we want to hear from you! 745-6508