Robert Vaughn

Discussion Comment

I tend to have very diverse classrooms, and it's sometimes hard to understand the best way to Motivate everyone in the classroom. How can I develop this skill in order to give my students everything they need?

Robert Vaughn

Discussion Comment

Refocusing and your Syllabus

I teach software packages in the majority of my classes. I find that sometimes when dealing with refocusing my efforts, I must make changes to the course itself in order to give my students the best understanding of those packages. Is it okay to change the flow of the course to match the pace of the students at this point, or is that a bad thing?

Robert Vaughn

Discussion Comment

Finding the Line Between "Fun" and Disruptive.

I often find myself engaged in fun conversations with some of my students. I usually have small class sizes so I often gain inside jokes with many of the students. However, the majority of my students are younger, and often they get to the point where the fun becomes disruptive to the actual lecture being presented. What is the best way to refocus a class, without completely cutting off the lightheartedness and good vibes gained up to that point?

Robert Vaughn

Discussion Comment

An issue I had with an Older Student

As a new adjunct instructor I was given three classes to teach my first semester. Although I was a bit overwhelmed, I was confident that I could handle the workload. Unfortunately my first day teaching one of my classes was pretty rough. I had a tough time getting used to demonstrating a software skill. The first day ended a little badly, but one older student in particular felt like my being there was somehow cheating him out of his education. He wrote letters to the administration to that effect, and it caused a great deal of trouble for me and… >>>

Robert Vaughn

Discussion Comment

Keeping Demonstrations Interesting

It's sometimes hard to keep the attention of my students in the class, especially when computers are directly involved with the lecture. How can I keep my students interested enough that they wont be distracted by other things while on the computer.

Robert Vaughn

Discussion Comment

How important really is the order in which you do these steps?

How important really is the order in which you do these steps? I tend to do what's natural and not rigidly define how I conduct the first class.

Robert Vaughn

Discussion Comment

Ensuring Course Materials are there for Students

As an instructor in a highly technologically dependent field, what is the best way to ensure my students will have the resources they will need and be able to stay compliant with the technological terms and conditions placed by my university? If I have technology that I need, but can't get because of budgetary reasons, how am I supposed to teach that content?

Robert Vaughn

Discussion Comment

How do I help a student who doesn't seem to want to help themselves?

As a teacher, I've run into students who have felt incompetent, unable to perform, or have given up because they fell a little bit behind the class. I have given many breaks to students such as this in the past. For example, allowing them to turn in work late, staying with them to help with assignments, and just generally trying to motivate them despite themselves. I want to help these kids, but giving a ton of extra help to them but I feel it is unfair to the rest of the students in the class. What can I do in… >>>