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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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Laboratory  activities involve aspects of reasoning, teamwork, experimental design, data acquisition and recording, data analysis, discussion, interpretation, and reporting. One way of grading labs (Joshi, 1991; Kandel, 1989) is to assess the following:

• Understanding of the results, whether or not they agree with expectations
• Decision-making skills based on both expected and unanticipated results (application of theory)
• Method of recording, presenting, and analyzing data; observations and results (the notebook and final report)
• Performance of physical manipulations (technique)

Rondini and Feighan (1978) describe a chemistry  lab in which they give students at the end of each lab a numerical score for specific attributes, such as the product yield, equipment setup, handling of chemicals, purity of product, time to completion, technique, and safety procedures. These scores are added to the grades for their lab reports and notebooks. Thus, students know quickly what aspects of their lab techniques need improvement and can use this information as a catalyst for change. Joshi (1991) asks students to prepare and submit their lab reports online. The computer checks and grades the quality of input data; performs and displays the necessary calculations; checks and grades students’ calculations and accuracy of the results; generates a grade report; and displays the grading scheme used.

When assigning essays or written reports as activities for grading, explain to students the important aspects of the assignments and describe how the activities will be graded. A grade might include content, research, references, reasoning, data analysis and clear expression. Another aid to student learning is to grade first drafts and give students a chance to resubmit an improved version. If instructor time is a significant deterrent to this approach, students can exchange draft reports with a partner or gather in a group and critique one another’s drafts.

Oral reports and presentations can be difficult to grade, especially when students have little experience with public speaking. It can be hard to overlook poor delivery and focus on content. Some faculty members develop a scoring rubric that weight these two components unequally, and which gives credit for effective use of visuals. When students do more than one presentation in a term, the weight given to delivery is increased to reflect the expectation that they will improve with experience.

Group activities are difficult to grade on an individual basis. Most instructors find that a good way to grade a group is to make the entire group responsible for the answers, presentation, and results, by giving each group member the same grade. This encourages more skilled students to help their peers. Observing the groups in action will give you an idea of how each participant performs as a partner. Students are also quite cognizant of their contribution and their fellow classmates’ contributions. One approach is to ask students to estimate the percentage of the final project that can be attributed to each group member, including themselves. You can use these ratings from all members to construct a participation score, so that there are slight differences when one group member contributes significantly more or less than the others. Some recommend that group activity grades account for only a small portion of a student’s overall grade in the class (Johnson, Johnson & Smith, 1991).

You will need to decide how to address homework  problems, if you feel that these are an important aspect of student learning. If you choose not to collect and grade them, many students will interpret that as a signal that you do not consider them important. However, some faculty members get around this problem by duplicating some of the assigned problems on their tests. If you choose to make homework  a part of the final course grade, you need to make a number of decisions. What percentage of the overall grade should homework be? Will students work alone or in groups? Will they submit individual papers or a single answer set for the group?