Christopher, What would you suggest is the best format for am effective critique? I've taught one lab class since I've been teaching and my students felt very awkward when commenting on other student's work. In many cases, they would shy away for comments for fear of offending another student. Any suggestions are appreciated. Vicki Allen

I always search for different ways to deliver course content within a class. I think variety keeps my students active and attentive to subject matter. I like to include an activity that allows students to interact with each other based on the discussion in class.

How should you recover for a difficult first class meeting? For example, one of my frist class meetings, my required text was unavailable and I was not sure when they would arrive for students to purchase. I had only one week to prepare for the class and didn't have login information to use technical equipment like screens and projectors for presenations as well as other problems. I made the best of it, but I felt that my first impression suffered somewhat with my students.

As a new instructor, I often find it challenging to vary methods of instruction within the class. I constantly look for ways to introduce more interaction in the classroom. I'd love to hear some of the ideas other instructors have to increase class particpation and involvement.