Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Miriam, Great. Students benefit by getting their scores and performance frequently so that time to discuss and make corrections can occur. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Awarding extra credit

Syed, Almost any assignment that demonstrates learning is worthwhile. My personal perspective is that extra assignments should not replace the value or credit for regular assigned course work. Dropping the lowest quiz score, giving a bonus essay question on an exam are variations of extra credit that are really a part of the regular assignments. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using pretests as planning tools

Syed, Another fun and anonymous way to get a sense of where the class as a whole are stronger or weaker is the use of "clickers". Each student is given a small handheld device that allows them to choose one answer (a,b,c,d, or e) from a question displayed on the screen, and the computer program records the cumulative responses and displays the sum in a bar graph format. Discussion can occur, and then move on to another question. I once gave the same pretest at the end of a course and results were of course quite different. I wanted to… >>>

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Reengaging off-task students

Sonny, Sounds like a great activity. We need to look for interesting ways to get students to think about the course work. Improved retention of information is likely, and learning outcomes more likely to be met. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Goal of educating students

Syed, All instruction ought to lead to application that's relative to the real world work setting, including problem solving, critical thinking, and adherence to employer expectations. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Miriam, True, and there is an expectation that their instructor has it all together (even if the students don't). First and ongoing good impressions require time and effort in the preparation and readiness department. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Syed, Yes, students sense a well prepared instructor from one who is not, and to that degree of preparation often leads to determination of respect, trust, and commitment by students. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Awarding extra credit

Rick, Right, the issue with extra credit is not the the activity or assignment, but the points or credit given. I'm all for students who want more and are not interested in points that'll improve their grade. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Stacey , Thanks for the correction. In these posts, participants often create a new or similar or repetitious thread, and occasionally, misspellings occur. As to this post, taking whatever needed time to collect and test resources, copy handouts, gather teaching aids, etc. suggests to students their time is valuable, we care about their learning, and we've planned an organized sequence of instructional exercises and activities that contribute to meeting the learning objectives for the day. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using senses in learning

Don, Assigning activities that provide the instructor insight to students is always a good idea (as time permits). Barry Westling