Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Roland, I like discussing status and grades with students, and in person. It gives me a chance to give support and encouragement, as well as advice and suggestions. I feel it puts the instructor and student on the same side of wanting to achieve success. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Awarding extra credit

Kendalle, Good point. My general take is to not give EC, but at times, I have relaxed my position when I felt there was a justified need. For instance, once I stepped into a class mid-semester and had to take over. I felt I didn't want to penalize students for administrative decisions. There are probably other reasonable situations where EC is appropriate - as a rule, I don't go there. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using pretests as planning tools

Roland, Yes, pretests provide information that can assist an instructor tweak their curriculum to better match the general past learning of the current cohort of students. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using pretests as planning tools

Kendalle, I think you've got it. Test anxiety can be a real barrier for some, so if we can demonstrate their is no harm in trying and the grade won't count, students are likely to want to participate, and thus, provide information to the instructor about prior learning. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Goal of educating students

Roland, You're right rarely does someone reach "the end" of their learning cycle. Teaching the benefits of life-long learning is one of the best gifts we can give our students. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Goal of educating students

Kendalle, My take is we have a basic curriculum to follow, but as subject experts, the students get the most (interpretation and understanding) from us. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Roland, Yes, these attributes make for better understanding and retention of information by the student. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Being a student-centered instructor

Steven, I believe too, successful instructional outcomes are a shared responsibility, bot instructor and student contributing to the process. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Kendalle, Yeah, the day just goes better when preparation, thought, and effort goes into the lesson. And the results usually show up in student performance, along with everyone's enjoyment. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Syed, I think student expect their instructors to be professional, prepared and cater to their every wish. Although that's not reasonable, certainly the professionalism and preparedness portion is true. Loss of respect, trust, and lowered ambition can be among the results of a less than prepared instructor. Barry Westling