Selecting Course Content
In many cases instructors are not invited to select the course material for the classes they teach. I believe that it would greatly improve instructional methods if this area could be revisited.
Hi Sandra,
That would be my advice. Pick out the critical knowledge points and concentrate on them. Give the students exposure to the concepts and principles that they must have to move onto the next level. It will be interesting to see how the students relate this approach. I think you will have a much higher level of student satisfaction.
Gary
Gary,
We have an accelerated program in our school; the classes meet 4 hours a night, one night a week, for 5 weeks. The content/syllables is pre-set. The problem is that there is such a wide gap between the students' prior knowledge/skill level and the course content goals that we can't possibly meet all of the course objectives. The pace is a problem; on evaluations students complain that we covered too much too fast, that they would rather go more in depth more slowly. Should I try to cover only what I think is most vital so that students can at least meet the most important objectives?
Hi Yolanda,
I agree with your assessment of faculty involvement on curriculum selection. Many college chains use a standardized curriculum so it is up to the instruction to personalize it to themselves and their students. This can be a lot of fun because you get to be creative in this process and then it starts to become your own.
Gary
