INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / FEBRUARY 13, 1990 ABSRERRRELP EES ca he A ASR aR PRR ERS NES SER IE EE AEDT ER SOOT NSS ARTE ANY HS SOR ITE RII rethink it and be creative. So let’s say I decide to take a very conventional approach and deliver the material in lecture style, ‘using the board and perhaps overheads. Now | am assured that many of the students will read or hear the material at least once. Hopefully, most will also have written, in note form, some or all of the mate- rial. The recording by hand of something seen or heard is thought to produce better retention than simply seeing it. . Planning Carefully for Small Group Work Due to the nature of systems work, I often want students to work in small project groups. This can be a good simulation of what happens in the workplace, but it is necessary to provide a fairly rigid structure to make it a productive activity. I hold frequent, brief, scheduled meetings with each group; and I require all group members to attend every meeting. The time is used to check progress against a workplan and to discuss problems and future direction. Ifa “people” problem is obvious in the group, | schedule a special meeting to deal with that prob- lem. Often, the group will have worked out a solution before the meeting actually takes place. Usually, I find ] have to do very little. Groups perform responsibly. I suspect this is se because the assigned systems project is hard work and very time-consuming. In this case, group performance rises to meet expectations. . Using Simple Devices Routinely By devices I mean methods of presenting material, ways to organize a teaching session, and processes for communicating with students. An example is the time-tested method (habit, really) of always briefly reviewing what was accomplished during the previous teaching session at the beginning of the present one. You might say, “Everyone does that!” And I would say to you that, based on feedback from students, itis a rarer practice than any of us would think. The value of this simple practice is that it ties sessions together, gets the student ready to move on, and helps the teacher focus more clearly on upcoming material. Let me add a note of caution by way ofa little story that might be called “The Professor Who Reviewed Too Well.” Some years ago, I was en- rolled in a course that dealt with the political history of Australia. The professor had been a very active participant in Australian federal politics in the 1940s and 1950s and had an astounding depth of knowl- edge to share. He was a firm believer in starting each three-hour lecture with a review of the previ- ous lecture’s material. Unfortunately for us, this device completely took over, and it seemed some- times the review was longer than the original pres- entation. As the end of the course drew near, some of us could “lip-sync” the first hour or two; after all, we had reviewed the material a dozen times! In addition, | must mention a practice—imple- mented by my college—that is based on common sense and that, in my opinion, improves the student’s probability of success. This practice is designating the faculty member as class advisor. In this role the teacher is the student's chief contact for course and program information. However, the primary value to the student is in having a real live person to talk to. This is critically important to first- year students who are struggling to adjust to the often frustrating college environment and those other students who are having academic difficulties and personal problems. This important contact point connects the student with many other more specialized services provided by the college. While this role is not teaching per se, it is something best done by the teacher and is a common sense contri- bution to learning. How You Know... Use student feedback as a gauge to measure your effectiveness: not some formal evaluation tool, but informal feedback. For example: 1. As you are teaching a course, students start to give you unsolicited articles from periodicals that pertain to a topic discussed in class. 2. After you have given a truly mind-numbing final assignment, students put notes on their submissions indicating how much they enjoyed a particular part of the course, or even the entire experience! Common sense should tell us that when these behaviours take place, we must be doing some things right. We may not know specifically what, nor does it matter really, because most likely we have evolved a style of teaching that employs the simple, effective practices with which we are satisfied and comfortable. Gary Hagan, Instructor, Computer Studies For further information, contact the author at Mohawk College, Box 2034, Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA L8N 372. Suanne D. Roueche, Editor December 1, 1989, Vol. XI, No. 29 ©The University of Texas at Austin, 1989 Further duplication is permitted by MEMBER institutions for their own personnel. 10 INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the Nabonal Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545. Subscnptions are available to nonconsor- tium members for $40 per year. Funding in part by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson Foundaton. Issued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and once during the summer. ISSN 0199-106X.