Resources
Sooner or later, almost every university teacher confronts having to teach a course with 200 students in it, or suddenly finds 60 enrolled in a course so carefully designed for 20. For that teacher, we here present Maryellen Gleason's all-too-necessary "survival kit," a set of ideas and resources that recognizes the special challenges of the large class and that can enhance it as an environment for student learning.
This introductory course fulfills a number of goals for students and colleges, including recruitment ad screening of majors, provision of prerequisite knowledge, explorations of learning, commitment to college, and cognitive development.
This paper argues that instructors can enhance the effectiveness of oral instruction through attention to both the verbal and nonverbal aspects of their teaching. After defining and offering 2 means of achieving effective speaking, the paper discusses how lecturers should analyze their delivery, and makes 32 recommendations for improving delivery, focusing on vocal problems, positive vocal strategies, use of body, and positive body delivery characteristics. Finally, the paper offers suggestions for putting the 32 recommendations into practice, specifically discussing identification of problems, delivery style, mental focus, and preparation. Fourteen references are attached.
Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of essay tests, and recommends best practices. Idea Paper no. 17, from the series developed by the Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development, Kansas State University.
Strategies for teaching writing across the curriculum. Idea Paper no. 25, from the series developed by the Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development, Kansas State University.
Reviews the literature on characteristics of adult learners and implications for teaching. Idea Paper no. 29, from the series developed by the Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development, Kansas State University.
The following content and formatting suggestions have been compiled to help give you ideas about your own Teaching Portfolio. There are many possibilities, and other formation and/or content could suite your situation better. The aim is not necessarily to come up with a standardized document, but one which has coherence and simplicity and which also gives, like a good CV, the best picture of your history and experience. The Derek Bok Center is happy to help you with a Teaching Portfolio to suit your needs. Keep in mind the following possibilities and limitations of our services: What We Cannot Provide: Editorial advice Packaging Duplicating Filing Distribution What We Can Provide: Help with documentation of teaching Help with developing teaching strategies, techniques, skills Consultations on broadening teaching repertoire Help in developing syllabi, special content, entire courses or aspects of courses Help with teaching innovations, development/implementation Templates and sample portfolios
Recommendations from the literature about what information might be included in your course syllabus – to communicate to one’s students what the course is about, why the course is taught, where it is going, and what will be required of them to succeed.
What is the relationship between the life of the intellect and the life of the spirit? This is complex and painful question. In this paper I would like to approach the problem, not by jumping into the middle to answer the whole of it, but by pondering with you only one part of it having to do with what it means for a Christian to think rationally. As members of our own culture, all of us have been reared to believe at some level that even for the Christian, intellect and spirit are and need to be kept separate. A good deal of my education, even my Christian education, over the years, and yours too, I suspect, was based in the conviction that our human minds are only really trustworthy, that is, "objective," when we are able to discard from our thought processes in own particular, individual perceptions of the world, our own particular experiences, our own particular points of view, and our own values. In short, in order to meet the criteria of acceptable thought we have not only tried to make a division between intellect and the spiritual. We have actually tried to throw out of our definition of what it means to think a good deal of what we know and who we are as human beings and as Christians. In order to help us think about this, I would like to tell a story. It is my story, but I tell it because I suspect large parts of it are your story as well.
We in the Center are aware of diverse viewpoints regarding teaching evaluation. A recent article by Robert Boice and Jim Turner ("Helping Faculty Recognize Myths About Teaching Evaluations", which appeared in Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 159-161, Winter, 1988 issue of The Journal of Staff, Program and Organizational Development) addressed a summary of misunderstandings and literature related to teaching evaluation. We reproduce here their major findings for your consideration.