Tremayne Simpson

Jessica, I use this method as well. What is the reaction of your students, once they have received the quiz on the first day of class? Are they intimidated at all? Tremayne Simpson

Jessica, Do you alter your course lesson plans, based upon the results that are received from the pre-assessment? Tremayne Simpson

Kathleen, In cases where the syllabus is "very long", I find that it is best to create summary addenda for the students, with a "bullet-point" breakdown of the learning objectives, key course policies and assignment "due dates". Many students are "overwhelmed" by multi-paged syllabi and the summary can give the the most important information, in a succinct format. Tremayne Simpson

Sameena, This is great. Collaborative activities really give an instructor an opportunity to see "practice-in-action", also it is great to hear the discussions within the student groups. Tremayne Simpson

Van, Have you ever had a class with several students that were not proficient in skills, that they should have acquired in previous courses? If so, did you have to alter your lesson plans for the course? Tremayne Simpson

amy, The "comfort" generally begins with the instructor of the course. Some instructors may be reluctant to implement new technology, due to the fear of improperly using it the classroom. In-services and product knowledge sessions are important for instructors that are contemplating the use of a new technological tool or resource. Tremayne Simpson

joel, I agree. At my institution we have implemented several resources (such as "eMarketer") to adhere to the social media needs of our students. Tremayne Simpson

Jeanne, I agree. Since it has become an expectation from students, it is important that instructors find more ways to properly embed technology, within their lessons. Technology implementation is an important factor in developing future lesson plans. Tremayne Simpson

ELIZABETH, Planning is the key to an effective use of the Learning Taxonomy. In addition, it is important to consider "contingency plans" for future lessons. The contingency plans will account for situations, when your students are not ready to advance forward to more difficult assignments (perhaps there will be times during the class that call for further review or additional practice in a particular topic). Tremayne Simpson

joel, I agree. I created an assignment (for my college success course) that enable the students to summarize the importance for each of the learning objectives of the course. The assignment was not created to be "busy" work, however I wanted the students to have a full understanding of the importance of each objective, therefore I felt that it was important for them to make a summary "in their own words". Tremayne Simpson