A Workshop on College Teachingand the Teaching of Psychology

Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr.Texas A&M University

May 14-17, 2012

http://people.tamu.edu/~lbenjamin

“Those who can, do.

Those who can’t, teach.”

George Bernard Shaw

“Those who can’t teach,

teach gym.”

Woody Allen

A Whirlwind Tour:17 Topics

• 14-Teaching resources• 14-Goals• 14-The syllabus• 14-First day of class• 15-Lecture method• 15-Active learning• 15-Discussion methods• 16-Evaluation methods• 16-Grading

• 16-Class management• 16-Advising, mentoring• 17-Writing• 17-Computer technologies• 17-Media• 17-Large classes• 17-Team teaching• 17-Evaluation of teaching

My Goals for This Workshop

• Make you familiar with the multitude of resources on teaching psychology

• Acquaint you with some of the dos and don’ts of various teaching and evaluation methods

• Provide you with some tips on classroom management issues

• Add to your repertoire of active learning exercises• Expand your confidence as teacher and your

commitment to your students• Save you time in teaching preparation, grading, and

dealing with classroom problems

This Workshop Should Help You If

• You teach courses as a graduate student• You pursue a career as an academic• You are required to make case presentations (as in

clinical psychology)• You are required to sell your management, research,

or organizational ideas to industry• You have a job interview where you have to sell

yourself• You have to communicate your ideas in any setting

College and University Settings

• Research 1 universities (60-30-10)

• State universities• Private universities• Liberal arts colleges• Two-year colleges• Professional schools

• Teaching loads• Teaching expectations• Who teaches• Class size• Student expectations• Student abilities

Teaching is Important

• Most of us are in academia because of a teacher

• We work in a privileged environment• We have obligations to our students• Making a difference in the academic world• Teaching skills are not genetically based• There is a teaching literature• We should want to get better at what we do

Four-Day OutlineMay 14: Literature of Teaching, Goals,

Syllabus, First Class Day

May 15: Lecture, Active Learning, Discussion

May 16: Evaluation, Grading, Classroom Management, Advising/Mentoring

May 17: Writing, Computers, LGI, Team Teaching, Course Evaluation

May 14 – Monday

9:00-10:15 A Teaching Literature

Goals – Part I

10:35-11:50 Goals – Part II

The Syllabus

First Class Day

I. Teaching Resources• Generic college teaching books

• Specialty books, e.g., construction of exams, grading, lecturing, teaching large classes

• Teaching of psychology books

• Psychology activity books – general and specific

• Teaching of psychology journals

• Teaching of psychology conferences

• Society for Teaching of Psychology website

• TAMU Center for Teaching Excellence (GTA)

II. Course Goals:

This Is Always Where You Start

Goals: Overview

• Learn the academic culture

• Goals should determine everything you do in your course

• Selecting, implementing, and assessing your goals

• An exercise in choosing course goals

• Two examples of implementing goals

Learn the Culture

• Every college/university has a culture

• There is also a departmental culture

• Are there multiple sections of the course you will teach?

• Is your course a prerequisite or postrequisite for another course?

• Student expectations for your class

Course Goals Should Determine Virtually Everything That You Do in

Your Course

• Determines textbook selection, or whether you even use a book (topical, chronological, theoretical or philosophical orientation, breadth/depth, etc.)

• Other reading assignments• Writing components• Evaluation methods• Classroom instructional methods

Course Goals

• Selecting them

• Selling them

• Implementing them

• Measuring them

Course Goals: An Exercise

College Professors’ Responses

11 Content

3 Scientific Processes

2 Psychology and Society

1 Educational Preparation

8 Scientific Values

15 Critical Thinking

Introductory Psychology Students’ Responses

12 Self Knowledge and Understanding

10 Study Skills

9 Social and Interpersonal Skills

Goal: Integration of Introductory Psychology Chapters

Create a mini-course within the introductory psychology course

A few examples

Sleep and DreamingBiopsych – Neurotransmitters in sleep

Perception – Awareness of stimuli by sleep stage

Learning – Debunking sleep learning

Memory – Dream recall

Personality – Long vs. short sleepers

Abnormal – Night terrors, sleep walking, depression

Developmental – Ontogeny of sleep & dreaming

Social – Cultural effects on sleep

Industrial/Organizational Psych

Biopsych – Circadian rhythms and shift work

Perception – Attention and vigilance in workplace

Learning – Training

Cognition – Teaching creative thinking

Motivation – Job satisfaction, burnout

Development – Older workers, retirement

Personality – Management and leadership styles

Social – Organizational climate

Goal: Help Marginal or New Students

• Improve attendance

• Help students keep up with the reading

• Help students regularly review their notes

• Help students learn what is important to know

• Help students study throughout the course

The Kingsfield Procedure

• Class should not be larger than 50 students

• Index card for each student

• 5 to 10 questions each day

• Point system

• Cheating! (to make it fairer)

Kingsfield Outcomes• Professor learns names

• Attendance is excellent; students are not tardy

• Students do their reading on time and regularly review their notes

• Students learn what the instructor considers important

• Students learn some critical thinking skills

• Grades are higher

• Student opportunities for questions vary

• Students rate the procedure quite positively

III. The Syllabus: It’s a Contract

This agreement is entered into this 14th day of May, 2012 by and between Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr., hereinafter referred to as the Professor, and _______________, hereinafter referred to as the Student. Whereas the Professor has covenanted and agreed with Texas A&M University, Department of Psychology, to utilize his experience, training, education, and best efforts towards instructing the Student in the subject of Introductory Psychology, and whereas the Student is desirous of gaining as much knowledge, training, insight, and understanding as possible; NOW THEREFORE, for and in consideration of mutual promises contained herein, the parties promise, covenant, agree, warrant, and make the following representations….

(from Stanley Freeman, U of South Carolina)

The Syllabus: Overview

• The syllabus as contract

• What should be in a syllabus?

• Syllabus contents

• Distributing your syllabus to students

What Should Be In a Syllabus?

How Lengthy Should It Be?

Syllabus Contents• Course number and title, instructor name, semester and

year, office location and hours, office phone number, email and website addresses

• Textbook(s) – required or recommended• Course goals• Assignments and evaluation policies; make-ups• Course outline• Attendance policy (def. of excused absences)• Class rules (on time, cell phones, respect for others)• Statement on cheating, including plagiarism• Required university statements

From TAMU Rules (2012)

Rule 10.1 – The course instructor shall provide in writing the following information to the class during the first class meeting:

• A statement of the nature, scope and content of the subject matter to be covered in the course.

• All course prerequisites as listed in the catalog.

• All required course text and material.

• The grading rule, including weights as applicable for tests, laboratory assignments, field student work, projects, papers, homework, class attendance and participation and other graded activities in the calculation of the course grade.

Getting the Syllabus to Students

• In class

• In a course packet

• Have them download it from your website

• Emailing to them in advance of the course (it must be uploaded in Howdy re State law)

IV. First Class Day

• First impressions matter• Go over the syllabus – goals, rules, assignments,

evaluation methods• Hook them on your material – get them excited

for what is to come• Spend at least some time in that first meeting on

content• Introduce yourself – professionally and

personally

The AutobiographyDue 2nd class period, 1-3 pages

• Name, email, home (cell) phone number

• Where born and grew up

• About your family

• Interests in high school, both in school and extracurricular

• Why you came to Texas A&M

• Your major and why you chose it

• Why are you taking this course and what do you hope to get from it?

• Hobbies, jobs

• Plans after graduation from TAMU

Use of the Autobiographies

• If it’s a small class – 2nd day introductions

• Learn about my students

• Use the material to personalize some classes

• Personal emails back to the students

• Re-read them before students come to see me

• Assign paper topics based on that information

Other First Day ActivitiesWear a hood with one eyehole. Periodically make gurgling noises.

Gradually speak softer and softer and then suddenly point to a student and scream “YOU! WHAT DID I JUST SAY?”

Announce “You will need this” and then write the suicide prevention hotline number on the board.

If someone asks a question, walk silently over to their seat, hand them the chalk, and ask “Would you like to give the lecture Mr. Smartypants?”

Start the lecture by dancing and lip-syncing to James Brown’s “Sex Machine”

Have a student sprinkle flower petals ahead of you as you pace back and forth.

Stop in mid lecture, frown for a moment, and then ask the class whether your butt looks fat.

Jog into class, rip the textbook in half, and scream, Are you pumped? ARE YOU PUMPED? I CAN’T HEEEEEAR YOU!”

by Alan Meiss (Indiana University)

May 15 – Tuesday

9:00 – 10:15 The Lecture

Active Learning I

10:35-11:50 Active Learning II

Discussion Methods

V. The Lecture Method

Four Questions

• Why lecture?

• Should you lecture?

• What should be your lecture style?

• What are the components of a good lecture?

Why Lecture?Lectures can provide integrative and evaluative accounts…(reducing an unselected vastness to a manageable form) that may not be available in any printed or electronic version. Lectures can be models of critical thinking and problem solving that can teach students higher cognitive skills. Further, lectures have motivational functions. By challenging students’ beliefs, lectures can motivate students to pursue further learning.

(Benjamin, 2002; McKeachie, 1999)

Should You Lecture?• Audience expectations

• What is it you want to do?

• The nature of the information to be communicated

• Class size

• Is lecturing a strength for you?

• What can lectures do? Model, inspire, provoke, summarize, synthesize, evaluate, communicate cutting-edge work

The Lecture and the Textbook

• Textbooks are usually encyclopedic

• TAMU students are typically bright and can read on their own

• So why go over in excruciating detail the material they are supposed to have read on their own?

• The lecture is about your freedom to choose

• It is often a chance for depth

What Should Be Your Lecture Style?

• Your personality (UCLA Chemistry Dept.)• Formal or informal (more interactive)• Problem oriented

“The most effective performing is not a contrived act, but a genuine, authentic presentation of the person involved. If the role to be played is the person you are, you don’t need to fear being false or not being up to the part.” Maryellen Weimer (1998)

Components of a Good Lecture• Enthusiastic (maybe even passionate) about the material• Clear objectives for the lecture• Advanced organizers• In-lecture summaries• End-of-lecture summary• Clear organization• Good examples• Less is more (depth, rather than breadth)• Active learning• Allow for digressions from students

Lecture Outline: Psychological Theories of Love

1. Overview of three theories

2. Attachment theory

a. Supporting research

b. Summary

3. Lee’s Six Types of Love

a. Supporting research

b. Summary

4. Sternberg’s triangular theory

a. Supporting research

b. Summary

5. Overall summary

VI: Active Learning -- Defined

Active learning describes an array of learning situations in and out of the classroom in which students enjoy hands-on and minds-on experiences. Students learn through active participation in simulations, demonstrations, discussions, debates, games, problem solving, experiments, and writing exercises.

Active Learning – An Overview

• What can it do?

• What should good active learning exercises do?

• Where can you find active learning exercises?

• Some examples

Active Learning…• is underused• is an excellent supplement to lectures• increases student involvement• increases cognitive demands• produces elaboration of meaning (deeper processing –

better retention)• is excellent for experiential topics• can help problematic lecture or book topics• adds enjoyment to the class• can take a little class time or a lot

Active Learning Exercises Should

• be practiced

• educate, motivate, perplex your students

• involve all students

• teach one or a few key points

• be assessed to see if students are learning what is intended

Where Can You Find Active Learning Exercises?

• Your own experiences

• Teaching of Psychology journal

• Activity books (see my website)

• Teaching conferences and symposia

• On the Web (particularly STP website)

Active Learning

Some Examples

Learning to Read

Active Learning Examples in…

• History• Statistics• Biopsychology• Sleep and Dreaming• Sensation and

Perception• Learning• Memory• Motivation

• Developmental Psychology

• Gender• Diversity• Psychological Testing• Personality• Social Psychology• Abnormal Psychology• I/O Psychology

VII. Discussion MethodsWhen measures of knowledge are used, the lecture is as efficient as other teaching methods. However, when the dependent variables are “measures of retention of information after the end of a course, measures of transfer of knowledge to new situations, or measures of problem solving, thinking, or attitude change, or motivation for further learning, the results show differences favoring discussion methods over lecture.” McKeachie (1999)

Discussion Methods -- Overview

• What is the optimum class size for discussion?

• What discussion does

• Problems in using discussion

• Other issues in using discussion

• Examples

What is the optimum class size for discussion?

What Discussion Does

• Helps students articulate what they have learned

• Gives instructor a good idea of student understanding

• Gives students opportunities to apply what they have learned

• Helps students learn to evaluate the logic of and evidence for their own and others’ positions

McKeachie (1999)

Problems in Using Discussion

• Getting a discussion started

• Identifying a clear objective(s) for the discussion

• Dealing with a discussion monopolizer

• Getting reluctant students to participate

• Students revealing too much

• Students attacking the ideas, beliefs, attitudes, of other students

Discussions – Other Issues

• Class size– Making smaller groups (buzz groups, jigsaw

groups)

• Time required

• Willingness to give up class control

• Providing a focus– Problem solving– Structured questionnaire (example)

What is Aggression?

See Handout

May 16 -- Wednesday

9:00 – 10:15 Evaluation Methods

10:35 – 11:50 Grading

Class Management

Advising, Mentoring

VIII. Evaluation Methods - Overview

• Types of assignments and tests

• Functions of tests

• Types of tests– Construction dos and don’ts

Types of Assignments and Tests• abstract• advertisement• annotated bibliography• biography• briefing paper• brochure, poster• budget, with rationale• case analysis• chart, graph, visual aid• cognitive map

• court brief• debate• definition• diagram, table• dialogue• diary• essay• executive summary• fill-in-the-blank• flowchart

Classroom Debates

Assign students to teams (N=4) and to pro or con sides

• Breast-fed babies are physically and psychologically healthier than bottle-fed babies.

• The earlier a child starts school the better.

• There should be a national child-rearing licensing law that requires parents to take parenting classes.

A Debate Format (75-min class)Moderator and two panels

• Opening Statements– Pro Side (3 mins.)– Con Side (3 mins.)

• Closed Panel Discussion (35 mins.)

• Open Discussion – Class asks questions (20 mins.)

• Final Arguments– Con Side (5 mins.)– Pro Side (5 mins.)

Assignments & Tests (continued)• group discussion• instructional manual• introduction• inventory• laboratory or field notes• letter to the editor• matching test• mathematical problem• memo• multimedia presentation• narrative

• news story, newspaper• oral report• outline• personal letter• poem, play• project plan• question• regulations, laws, rules• research proposal• review of book, article• review of literature

Newspaper Assignment in Undergraduate History of

Psychology• Years are randomly assigned

• 4-pages of content

• Psychology in context

• Graded on content

• Poster session (I bring treats)

And More …• rough draft• statement of assumptions• summary• taxonomy• technical or scientific

report• term paper• thesis sentence• word problem from Walvoord & Anderson (1998)

• grant proposal• oral exam• lab practical• true-false exam• two-minute paper• journal• reaction paper• personality test• psychology “Jeopardy”• class participation• extra credit

Personality Test in PSYC 107:Two Classes

Honesty

Friendliness

Loyalty

Self-esteem

Tolerance

Aggressiveness

Independence

Optimism

Confidence

Friendliness

Creativity

Caring

Responsibility

Aggressiveness

Sense of Humor

Ambition

Student Generated Items

• I would not betray a friend under any circumstances.

• I enjoy associating with people who are different than me.

• When I am working on a project, I would prefer to work by myself.

• My friendliness is greatly dependent upon what happens to me.

• My future will be a happy one.

Functions of Tests• Evaluate students and assess their learning

• Help instructor assess how well he/she is presenting the material

• Communicate to students what they have and have not mastered

• Motivate students to read and study assigned material

• Assess whether goals are met, and how well(from Davis, 1993; McKeachie, 1999;

Benjamin)

Types of Tests

• True-false

• Fill-in-the-blank

• Matching

• Multiple choice

• Essays

True-False Tests• Items seem easy to write (but aren’t)

• Typically too much ambiguity

• Guessing is a problem. What correction formula do you use?

• Psychometricians say AVOID THIS KIND OF TEST ITEM

• If you use them, have students write out their reasons

• And don’t get cute!

Fill-in-the-Blank Tests

• I call these “Guess what the professor is thinking” tests

• Difficult to write items that are not ambiguous

• Avoid them – there are far better kinds of tests

Matching Tests• Allows many questions to be asked in a limited

amount of time

• Don’t make them too long. 10-12 items is about right

• Have the set of alternatives (column 2) longer than the items in column 1

• Problem with this test is that students may make correct associations from memorization but not know meaning, e.g. Darwin-natural selection

Sample Matching Test

___ Ludy Benjamin

___ Dick Cheney

___ Lamont Cranston

___ Aretha Franklin

___ Fred Rogers

1. A clown

2. Champion marksman

3. Governor of Texas

4. Liked us the way we are

5. Old guy

6. Queen of Soul

7. The Shadow

8. Ben Franklin’s mother

Multiple-Choice Tests• The cornerstone of most standardized tests –

FOR A REASON

• Educational Testing Service (ETS)– 5 alternatives– they never use all of the above or none of the

above– they have impressive statistics on any item that

makes its way into one of their tests– they order their items from least to most difficult

Good Multiple-Choice Items

• Essence of the question should be in the stem

• Avoid negative statements

• Alternatives should be roughly the same length

• Avoid words in the alternatives that might be keyed from the stem

• Distractors should all be plausible

• Distractors should include common knowledge and thinking errors

Good Multiple-Choice Items

• Are time-consuming to write

• You should get better over time in eliminating the confusion and ambiguity in your items, especially if you reuse items

• Are in scarce supply in publishers’ test manuals – BE VERY CAREFUL

M-C Items – Other Issues• How many? Some people use the rule of thumb

of one per minute.

• Correction formula?

• M-C tests allow you to sample the content domain quite broadly

• If you reuse items, do item-total correlations to evaluate your items (is an item that was answered correctly by 10% of the students a good item?)

• Consider letting students write on their exams for items they find ambiguous

Answer Changing

One of your students asks you, “Should I ever change my answers on a test?”

How would you respond?

Benjamin, L. T., Jr., Cavell, T. A., & Shallenberger, W. R. (1984). Staying with initial answers on objective tests: Is it a myth? Teaching of Psychology, 11, 133‑141.

 

Essay Questions• Measures retention by recall as opposed to

recognition• Less objective scoring when compared to most

other test types• Ways to mask student identity• Use a rubric for scoring (greater consistency,

faster grading)• Score same question for all exams before scoring

second essay• Do not give choices on essays (comparability

issues)

Sample Essay QuestionDr. Ramirez believes that first-year college students who are assigned a senior mentor for the year will perform better academically and feel more positively about their college experience than those students who go through the first year without a mentor. Design an experiment to test this claim. Operationally define the key terms. Describe the controls that you would use and a method that you would use to evaluate the outcome of your study. In your answer you should include a description of each of the following: subject selection and sample size, independent variable(s), dependent variable(s), experimental group, control group, potential confounding variables (at least two), method of reducing experimenter bias, and method for analyzing the data. Be sure to label independent and dependent variables and control and experimental groups. (20 points)

Scoring Rubric1 Subject selection (randomization, sample characteristics, at least 20 per group)

1 Independent variable label: senior mentor program

2 Independent variable definition

1 Dependent variable 1 label: academic performance

2 Dependent variable 1 definition

1 Dependent variable 2 label: attitudes about school

2 Dependent variable 2 definition

2 Experimental group(s)

2 Control group(s)

2 Confounding variables: name at least 2

2 Reducing experimenter bias: blind control, computer scoring, etc.

2 Evaluation of results: statistically significant differences, use of inferential statistics

Essay Questions Can Measure…

• Knowledge

• Comprehension

• Application

• Analysis

• Synthesis

• Evaluation

Make-Up Exams

• Obey the university rules

• Do not penalize students who have university recognized absences

• What about students who do not have legitimate excuses for missing an assignment?

IX. Grading - Overview

• Where to begin

• Functions of grades

• Grading issues

• The mechanics of grading

Where to Begin

• Know the official rules at your university/college

• Know the (informal) unofficial rules in your department

• Grading practices should be tied to the goals for your course

• Communicate your grading criteria clearly, ideally in your syllabus (see TAMU rules)

Grades According to TAMU Rules

Rule 10.3 – The five passing grades at the undergraduate level are, A, B, C, D and S, representing varying degrees of achievement; these letters carry grade points and significance as follows:

Assigned by the instructor:

• A: Excellent, 4 grade points per semester hour

• B: Good, 3 grade points per semester hour

• C: Satisfactory, 2 grade points per semester hour

• D: Passing, 1 grade point per semester hour

• F: Failing, no grade points, hours included in GPR

Functions of Grades

• As communication devices (currency)

• As indicators of student performance

• As indicator of student’s potential in your field

• As rewards (punishers?)

Grades are important to students, admission committees, professors, employers, etc.

Issues in Grading

• Grade inflation

• Mastery grading

• Contract grading

• Grading on the curve

• Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading

• Extra credit

• First-year grade exclusion of up to 3 courses with D or F (TAMU)

The Mechanics of Grading• Objectivity

• Scores versus grades

• Scaling exams

• Cut-off scores (revealing cut-off scores)

• Incomplete grades

• Checking your final calculations, rechecking

• Posting grades

• Changing grades

• Deadlines and penalties

Grades in PSYC 107 (Fall 1990) A B C D F GPA

12.8 46.4 34.7 4.1 2.0 2.638

5.7 38.9 43.6 9.5 2.4 2.360

17.5 40.6 32.5 14.6 4.7 2.316

7.5 29.2 42.0 17.5 3.8 2.193

4.5 30.9 44.1 17.3 3.2 2.164

12.3 23.8 35.4 24.1 4.5 2.153

5.1 29.0 40.6 20.3 5.1 2.088

5.1 20.8 49.1 21.0 4.2 2.014

Grading Situation #1

Your syllabus indicates that an A is earned for students who score 450 points or better out of a possible 500. A student comes to visit you after the final exam who has earned 444 points. The student argues that the percentile score is 88.8 and that is so close to a 90 that it should be an A. What would you do?

Grading Situation #2

A senior is taking a summer course from you who is planning to graduate in August and her parents have bought their plane tickets for graduation. But the student is making a D in your class and has no hope numerically of scoring high enough on the final exam to make a C which she needs to graduate. She pleads with you for a C. What would you do?

Grading Situation #3

A student recently made a grade of “F” on your exam. The student was quite sick the morning of the exam but decided to take the exam anyway. Now he thinks that strategy was a bad idea. He comes to you and explains the situation and asks for a grade adjustment or a make-up exam. What would you do?

Grading Situation #4

A student in her first semester at Texas A&M earns a grade of C in your PSYC 107 course. She comes to see you after the grades are filed with the registrar asking you to change her grade to a D so that she can use it as one of the courses she is going to drop under the first-year grade exclusion rule. What would you do?

Hypothetical Score Distribution400 possible points

372 344 317 297 260 236

364 338 316 295 258 221

363 337 310 286 257 220

360 335 310 285 249 219

360 335 309 280 248 218

359 329 306 276 246 210

357 325 304 275 243 188

350 325 298 275 242 186

X. Class Management - Overview

• Some sample cases

• Rules and procedures

• Prevention is the best strategy

• Common problems

Case #1

A distraught student tells Professor Johnson that her boyfriend since 8th grade broke up with her two days ago. She has been crying steadily and cannot concentrate on her studies. She begs to postpone taking tomorrow’s exam and for an extension on the written assignment. Professor Johnson grants both, adding, “Don’t tell anyone that I’m letting you do this.” (Perlman, et al, 1999)

Case #2

Joshua comes to class each days and sits at the back of the room. He brings a copy of The Battalion with him each day that he reads during most of the class.

Case #3

Carrie also comes to class each day. On most days she falls asleep at the beginning of the class and sleeps throughout the class. Note that she is not a snorer.

Case #4

Professor Gonzales arrives at his classroom on exam day a few minutes before the exam is scheduled. He notices that fewer than half of his students are there and that someone has written on the board, “Dr. Gonzales’ exam today has been cancelled.”

(example from Donald McBurney)

Case #5

Carla likes to wear her earbuds to class on days she is taking an exam. She says the music reduces her test anxiety.

Case #6

In your syllabus description of the required paper for your class you have indicated that points will be deducted for the use of sexist language. A student informs you that she has no intention of avoiding the use of such language and that she considers your practice nothing more than political correctness. She says that if you penalize her for such language that she will take her case to the University Academic Review Board.

Rules and Procedures

• Know the university rules

• Decide what classroom rules are important to you (reading a newspaper, studying for another class, cell phones)

• Communicate those rules on Day 1 orally, and include them in your syllabus

• Enforce them

• Be clear, fair, and consistent (and keep student embarrassment in public to a minimum)

Prevention is best but…

No matter how hard you try, you will not anticipate all the problems that will come up in your class.

Experience will help.

Common Problems: SI• Students talking in class (when they shouldn’t)

• Students sleeping

• Students challenging your authority

• Eating or drinking noisily (smelly foods)

• Cell phones, texting, playing on computers

• Arriving late, packing up early

• Cutting class

• Acting bored

• Cheating on exams, plagiarism

Cheating Is a Biggie• Students seem ever creative in their cheating strategies

(foot signals, writing on body parts)• Accusation of cheating can have far-reaching

consequences for the student and for you• Know the university rules• It is sometimes difficult to prove (extra proctor)• If problems arise, alert your Dept. Head and seek her/his

support• Work hard to prevent it!• If it happens, pursue the charges

Other Course Management Issues• Distributing exams in large classes

• Proctoring exams in large classes

• Meeting with students from large classes

• Posting exam scores (know the rules)

• Students’ review of their exams

• Taking attendance

• Student questions in large classes

• Student appeals for exceptions

• Evaluating excuses

Excuses (from Doug Bernstein)• I can’t take the test Friday because my mother is having a

vasectomy.

• I can’t be at the exam because my cat is having kittens and I’m her coach.

• I’m late for the test because I hit a toilet in the middle of the road.

• I’m too happy to give my presentation tomorrow. (The instructor noted that this problem was easily fixed.)

• I can’t take the exam on Monday because my mom is getting married on Sunday and I’ll be too drunk to drive back to school.

• I can’t finish my paper because I just found out that my girlfriend is a nymphomaniac.

• Two students sitting next to each other in an exam were asked why they had identical answer sheets even though they had different forms of the exam. Their answer: “We studied together.”

XI. Advising, Mentoring

• Academic advising

• Career advising

• Personal advising (counseling?)– Know what is available at your university

(handouts)

• Research mentoring

• Teaching mentoring

• Clinical supervision

May 17 – Thursday

9:00 – 10:15 Writing

Computers in teaching

Media

10:35 – 11:50 Large Classes

Team Teaching

Course Evaluation

XII. Writing - Overview

• Learning to write– The need to write well– The problem at large universities– The solutions?

• Writing to learn– Low stakes writing– High stakes writing– Two-minute papers

The Need to Write Well

• Most jobs require some writing

• Good writing is correlated with good thinking

• Good writing is correlated with good speaking

• Good writing is about clear communication

The Problem of Large Classes• In large classes, students typically don’t write

– No papers, no essay exams, no essay questions on exams

– The public complains – Jack and Jill can’t write

• Solutions– The English Department can’t do it all– Writing across the curriculum movement– “W” courses– Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) is both WTL and

LTW

Writing to Learn• Mostly short papers• Some are peer examined but not graded• Good way for instructor to get feedback about student

understanding• Instructor can grade them or simply score them as “turned

in” – “not turned in”• Low stakes writing is often not graded, assignments are

short (e.g., journals)• High stakes writing is graded, figures prominently in

grade calculation, more involved and longer writing assignments

Writing to Learn, Learning to Write

See Bibliography on My Website

XIII. Computer Technologies -- Overview

• Classroom Presentations

• Student Note-taking in Class

• Communication with Students

• Course Data Management

First Question to Ask

How Do I Plan to Use the Technology,

and Do I need It?

Classroom Presentations

• PowerPoint– Are there better systems for creation of

presentations? –Adobe Acrobat, Macromedia Flash, SkunkLabs Liquid Media

• Use of the Internet (research, a million demos)

• Graphics programs (SmartDraw)

• Electronic databases

• Streaming audio and video

Communication with Students• E-mail (distribution list)

• Bulletin board, listserv, E-learning

• Web conferencing

• Website– Lecture notes (PowerPoint slides)– FAQ bulletin board– Links to websites students might need– Documents related to the course, previous exams?– Advising notes (e.g., TAMU Counseling Center)– Course syllabi

Course Data Management

Systems: Gradebook, WebCT, Blackboard

• Grades

• Attendance

• Research participant hours

XIV. Media

The computer has eliminated most other forms of media in the classroom.

• Media outside the classroom: the television assignment (data collection, writing assignments, observational skills, common experience activities)

• Video – brief is better

• Audio – provide a transcript

XV. Large Classes There’s even an acronym – LGI

• Depersonalization of students

• Greater course management problems

• Instructor gets to know mostly the students who do poorly on the exams

• Research shows that students enjoy these classes more when they are tested at higher cognitive levels

• Most student questions in class are procedural

Large Classes (continued)

• Students and professors prefer smaller classes (no achievement differences between small and large but…)

• On measures of long-term retention, critical thinking, student motivation, and application of learning, smaller is better

• Create small discussion groups staffed by graduate or undergraduate students

• Use active learning exercises to involve students and break up the lecture

Large Classes (continued)

• Some instructors prefer large classes – theatrical types, e.g., James Maas, Henry Pronko

• Some students prefer large classes – can be anonymous, likely won’t have to write

Large Class: A ModelPSYC 107 – 240 Students

Meets Mon and Wed 9:10 to 10:00

Instructor and Two Graduate Teaching Assts.

Each graduate student has four 50-minute sections of 30 students each (good apprentice program)

Instructor meets weekly with the GTAs to plan the small group classes

Guiding principle is to take advantage of the small class size – NOTHING should be done there that could be done in the large class

XVI. Team Teaching -- Overview

Team teaching

Co-teaching

Collaborative teaching

What team teaching usually means

What our team teaching is like – problems and solutions

What Team Teaching Usually Means

• Faculty members from different disciplines

• More rarely - faculty members in the same discipline from different areas

• Typical model– Shared planning– Shared instruction (both are always present)– Shared assessment

Team Teaching in Psychology at Texas A&M

• Two graduate students, often first-time teachers, usually in PSYC 107

• Idea is that it amounts to assigning half a course to each graduate student instructor

• Sometimes the two instructors offer different expertise (e.g., clinical, cognitive), sometimes not

• Too often the instructors get only a few weeks notice of their teaching assignment

Successful Team Teaching of the TAMU Variety

• Instructors should bring different areas of expertise to the class

• Instructors should have good chemistry between them• Instructors should both be present in every class, even

though one may have full instructional responsibility• Instructors should have similar teaching and

assessment styles• Instructors should alternate, but not usually on an

every-other-day basis

Potential Problems

• Students will like one instructor more than the other (sometimes there is competition for student approval)

• Testing styles can be too different

• Students are confused about expectations because of two teachers

• Instructor absence sends wrong message about importance of the class

Preventing Problems

Offer rather full disclosure the first day

• We are new at this and will be working hard to do a good job as teachers

• We know you may have some problems with our different styles but that can be a plus, because it reflects our personalities and our interests

• We will collaborate on preparation of all exams so that each exam should be similar in style and level of difficulty

• We will be here together each day, even though one of us will be the primary instructor on any given day. We do that because we are committed to this course, not just half of it.

• After the first 4 weeks we will ask for anonymous evaluations of how the course is going so that we can make whatever course corrections are necessary.

Planning the Team-Taught Course

• Agree on your goals for the course, how you will implement them, and how you will assess them

• Agree on class management issues

• Divide topics according to strengths

• Set the schedule so that you change primary instructors every 3 to 4 class meetings

New Teachers, in a Team or Not

• Show your draft syllabus to an experienced teacher, ideally someone who has taught the course to which you are assigned

• When preparing your first exam, show some or all of it to that same individual for her/his opinion

• If you have a problem you can’t seem to fix or don’t know how, seek help immediately – don’t let it go on

• Be willing to learn from others. There is no shame in seeking help.

XVII. Evaluation of Teaching

It’s always about getting better!

• Feedback from students

• Feedback from student performance

• Feedback from faculty peers (peer teams)

• Feedback from teaching specialists (CTE)

Teaching Workshop 2012

Teaching of Psych books bibliography

Goals article (2005)

Goals questionnaire

Lecture chapter (2002)

Active learning lecture

Active learning chapter (1993)

Aggression article (1985)

Aggression questionnaire

Personality exercise (1983)

Answer changing article (1984)

Writing exercises in psychology bibliography

Teaching large classes bibliography

PowerPoints for this workshop