Fall 2009

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Description:

This course is aimed at engineering and science graduate students who are considering a career in academia. Weekly seminars focus on the issues, principles, and practices associated with the effective teaching of quantitative subjects. Each class will consist of presentations and discussions related to assigned readings and/or written exercises. Class participation and sharing your perspectives, questions, and ideas is critical so that we can all learn from each other. The course has no prerequisites, and provides three semester hours of credit. An enrollment of 12 is necessary for the course to be given.

Assignments, announcements, and materials will be posted on the course OWL-Space site.

Course Objectives

Instructor

Schedule:

Class: Tuesday 2:30 - 5 pm, Herman Brown 423

Texts: See the Resources page.

Deliverables:

See the Course Schedule for details and dates. Detailed instructions and assessment criteria will be provided during the class. The primary assignments include:

• Short autobiography, as a way to get to know each other and to better form a learning community.
• Learning style self-assessment and a reflection on its implications for teaching.
• Course Observation. Students will pick an undergraduate engineering course to observe and will report on various aspects:
  • Syllabus content
  • Clarity of course & learning objectives
  • Lecture style and effectiveness
  • Student assignments, feedback, and tests
• Teaching Resources List; relevant journals, conferences, and web sites.
• Teaching Toolkit and Tips; best practices and interesting techniques to try.
• Course Module. Student teams will develop and document a plan for teaching a particular engineering topic covering 3-4 weeks.
• Micro-Teaching Exercise. A short, ~20 minute, representative lecture from the developed module, critiqued by the instructor and the class.
• Teaching-Class Portfolio. During the course students will draft a portfolio to document their activities. The portfolio will be due at the end of finals period and will incorporate the other assignments, including:
  • Introductory narrative
  • Statement of teaching philosophy
  • Teaching Resources & Tips
  • Course observation results and reflection
  • Description of developed course module and its features
  • Efforts to improve teaching skills
  • Teaching goals and plans
  • Appendices of supporting materials.

Course Grade:

Attendance. This course is participatory and interactive, and attendance at each class session is necessary. If you miss more than one class, you will be asked to do additional work to make up the material.

Your course grade will be based on a weighted combination of your class participation, class reports, written assignments, class presentations, and the final portfolio. Class reports, written class assignments, and the portfolio will be graded by the instructor. Team projects, such as the class module, will be jointly graded by the instructor and another team. Class presentations, such as the micro-teaching exercise, will be graded by the instructor and the class. These procedures may be modified based on class discussion; the goal is to provide the most useful and effective feedback to students.

Since student assessment and grading is one subject of this course, the class will jointly decide how to combine the various components to determine a final grade.

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