I hate to resort to the negative to illustrate the positive, but my friend Dr. Bob is the antithesis of the empathetic, motivational instructor. He is a brilliant man and has accumulated vast amounts of knowledge and experience. However, a Dr. Bob class is an excercise in monotone, rote, hyperbolic rhetoric followed by standardized tests. Discussions are few, opinions are discouraged and class morale is non existant. His research has given him tenure so he will probably be quoting the same notes from his death bed. He is respected in his field but reviled by his underachieving students. Poor Dr.… >>>

Have you ever changed jobs and found yourself on "auto pilot" heading for your old job? Or taking until mid-January to write the correct year on your checks? As instructors I think we sometimes also flip the auto-pilot switch. We need only think back to some classes we had in past years to recognize the huge difference between an interesting, engaging, educational session -- and a 50-minute rote snooze fest. Our greatest assest as teachers is a fresh and everchanging perspective on our subject matter. You should have your syllabus and class notes cleaned at least as often as your… >>>