To be honest, I hate extra credit. In most cases it is used to replace or improve a score that was sub-par. The problem I have with this is that it isn't a true reflection of student knowledge if looking at the final average as a whole.

Syllabus generated by the supervising departments usually dictate content, at least where I instruct. I can supplement where desired but the "bones" are already present and required.

While I agree that it is important for instructors to have a personality that students can relate to, I think that adult learners need to adjust to different personality types. In the real world, we can not create excuses why we did or did not do something because of someone else's personality.

I teach the basic level courses at the college where I instruct. It is very difficult to come up with a guest speaker of a field trip when almost all of the different majors and programs are represented in my classroom. I am open to any suggestions you all may have. JM

It is difficult to balance being liked and being respected. Instructors must stick to moral decisions when it comes to course content in order to be respected. Student pay to learn, not for new friends.

I had a student a term ago take a picture of things in her textbook and notes and use them to complete a test. I only found out because she completed her test in 5 minutes and it took everyone else over an hour. I learned that I provided the opportunity because at that time i let students use the calculator on their phones. Now students must have cell phones away during class.

At the institute where I teach, external variables are real for the majority of the students. This hinders attendance, focus, apathy, and completion. Sometimes, while it is tough, instructors have to encourage and support students on improving their lives through different channels in order to be successful.

I have learned that both a hard copy and online copy of syllabus are important. Most teachers give a hard copy which leads to students loosing the copy and using that as an excuse. An online copy serves as a back up plan, however, even though they are college students, they still manage to find excuses as to how they can not access the syllabus.

...are becoming the new norm. They allow data amongst all learners to be compared and thus all for more adjustments.

....has become a hot topic trend in education today. Teachers are being asked to use formative assessment to adapt instruction in real time.