Barry Westling

Hi Karen:

Hands on learning and real world examples are a great way to drive home understanding about a topic. This is especially true when dealing with career oriented classes.

Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Hi Richard:

This is a great way to get the students involved in the discussion, definitely a fun way of making the class more robust.

Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Hi Kathy:

Real world examples are a great way to drive home understanding about a topic. This is especially true when dealing with career oriented classes.

Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Hi Meggan:

Real world examples are a great way to drive home understanding about a topic. This is especially true when dealing with career oriented classes.

Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Hi Derek:

No! I think you should absolutely continue to use this technique. Real world examples are a great way to drive home understanding about a topic. This is especially true when dealing with career oriented classes.

Regards, Barry

Karen Nowack

I think anytime a student writes on a current event, or takes the time to watch the news and report their views on it, that should be deemed extra credit, if not otherwise turned in for regular homework. This should be encouraged to all students. This way, they will know what is going on around them, and be able to engage with others about the world's events. If the current event is tied to a topic being discussed by the class, then that is a bonus as well.

Richard Dusterhoft

I have my students watch the news during the week between classes for something related to the subject we are working on. They must be prepared to present this to the class and to answer questions. Its a good way at the beginning of class to bring everyone's attention to the subject at hand and to get them comfortable talking in front of the class. I give them a couple points for the effort and they seem to enjoy finding strange or humorous stories to share.

Kathy Mulholland

Creating exposure to current events in my courses is intended to produce several benefits, not the least of which is to increase vocabulary. Many students don't seem to realize that as professionals, not only will they need to converse intelligently with others who have had years of advanced education, but also they need the ability to produce accurate documentation. An extremely limited vocabulary can hinder their success and sabotage their professional reputations, as well as interfere with conversational skills in professional settings. A world that is beyond their homes, their neighborhoods, or their cities awaits them.

Barry Westling

Hi Barbara:
I use an exercise I call "In The News", and require each student to review our professional journals and share the results with the class. In this way, all students benefit from both their personal readiness, and the class benefits from hearing about a different topic from their classmate(s). This only takes a couple of minutes a day (from class time), but student stay current in areas related to their profession.

Regards, Barry

Meggan Hansen

I have added this element to many of my courses as well. I think it's a great way to keep up on things that pertain to the students. I think it opens up their eyes to different topics as well. I've always enjoyed this element and think it is very useful. Besides it doesn't take very much time.

Barbara Raichle

I think it is a great idea to have students complete projects that are "outside the box". The textbook is a resource, a reference.

Having students interested in what is going on around them is great. Understanding current events and then being able to communicate their feelings, suggestions for improvement, etc., is enabling them to grow as individuals.

A well-rounded student will become a desired employee who cares about others--not just him or herself.