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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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Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. I have found this old Chinese proverb as applicable to filling a student’s mind with knowledge as it is to filling an empty stomach with food.

During my tenure as a graduate student instructor for the Department of Mechanical Engineering, I have regularly encountered students who, in the context of the Chinese proverb, seek handouts of fish: they would rather be given the answers and solutions to their assignments than have to work to find them. They would gladly take whatever shortcuts there may be to obtain a good letter grade. Although such cases may be less common in other academic departments, many engineering students have been conditioned to think that they can succeed by simply duplicating textbook examples or blindly using mathematical formulas without understanding the underlying theory. Teaching these students to engage in critical thinking is vital, and was a particular challenge in the course I taught, ME 107A: Experimentation and Measurement.

In ME 107A, students performed experiments related to a variety of engineering topics such as acoustics and fluid mechanics. They were given lectures and handouts to provide theoretical background as well as to describe experimental equipment and procedures. This information was meant to guide the students in their laboratory assignments, not to provide them with step-by-step instructions on carrying them out. However, as the instructor, I was often asked during lab to provide explicit direction. Students would ask me questions such as, “Where am I supposed to plug this cable?” or, “How many data points am I supposed to take?” When attempting to run a data acquisition program that was provided to them, they would find me and say, “My program doesn't work,” with the implicit follow-up question, “Could you fix it for me?” These situations would occur before the students had thought about the problems they were faced with or attempted to resolve the problems for themselves.

The first step I took to encourage students to think more carefully about their lab assignments was to refrain from simply answering the questions I felt they were capable of answering themselves. I would ask them to tell me what they were trying to accomplish in their experiment and lead them to the answer rather than give it to them. I would remind them what the objective of the experiment was and ask them what data they felt they would need to obtain that objective. For the data acquisition software, I implemented a specific change to promote better understanding of the software and its use in the lab. Rather than give the students a program to copy onto their lab computers, I made it part of the assignment to develop the program, requiring them to understand the role it played in collecting and processing the experimental data as well as the manner in which it controlled some of the hardware.

Although some students were initially frustrated by my refusal to simply tell them what to do, I believe that they came to understand the value of thinking analytically about the experiments they were conducting and the assignments they were given. One student even went through a short period of time in which he would start to ask a question but then retract it, realizing that I would want him to think about it more carefully before seeking my help. After observing such changes in the students and receiving positive feedback at the end of the course, I noticed that my efforts had not been in vain. Much like teaching the man in the Chinese proverb to fish, I felt that teaching my students the way to think about and analyze engineering problems provided them with a valuable skill, which they hopefully can further refine and use as their careers progress.