Barry Westling

Jenny, At graduation ceremonies I hear students share their experiences being in school for almost two years. We do prepare them for a career, but there are many lessons that pertain to life in general they learn in school, besides job oriented situations. Mostly, being among a group of others preparing for the same career area teaches attritbutes like communication, behavior, professionalism, accountabbility, responsibility, and persistence, all great traits to possess if one is seeking meaningful employment these days. Barry Westling

Jenny, Illness (or similar legitimate reasons for absences) are always a challenging scheduling event in college classes. Good planning by the instructor can help the individual called in to substitute. When daily lesson plans, handouts, PPT slides, worksheets, quizzes or tests are prepared in advance, it does make for a smoother experience for all, especially the students who usually grow accustomed to their own instructors ways, methods, and resources. Barry Westling

Angela, Yeah this is good (unless there's a power failure). I like my back-ups to be something I can pull off the shelf with little to no preparation and conduct a class that is meaningful and directly pertinent to the general topic. I don't like to hear student complaints that they are subjected to "time-filler" activities. Barry Westling

Juan, Sounds like fun (of course if this occurred every day, all class, students would soon tire of it). As a back up plan, we want to plan for the worst and your idea was a success. Back up plans that are low tech, easy to implement, rely on little or no resources, and relate to the topic of the day are the best plans. Barry Westling

Lauren, Yes, there can be helpful results for both instructor and student when conducting evaluations. Barry Westling

Lauren, Pretests for learning styles would be an excellent way to learn how best to address our students. Thanks for adding to the dialog. Barry Westling

Lauren, Yes, and I find students are nearly always more engaged when we add variety along with shorter segments, frequently alternating between media and interactive segments. Barry Westling

Lauren, Great. Also, I find notes about needs, resources, and curricular improvements for the next go around are helpful to add in the journal. Barry Westling

Dan, I'm with you. Extra credit helps grades but rarely helps true learning (in lieu of regular course work). Barry Westling

Cynthia, Very true, and diligent instructors should want to understand where improvements may be needed and also work towards developing ongoing skills and techniques that make for more interesting and effective classes. Barry Westling