I work in a small college and a lot of my students are adults. They tend to have problems in their daily lives that they present as excuses for missed assignments. How do I convey a sense of care, but also professionalism without babysitting them in their college career?

In the medical billing and coding cirriculum there is some material that gets touched on in every single course. It is imperative that they are an expert in these subject areas in order to successfully complete the course as well as pass their national certification. There is one chapter towards the end of the course that is basically a review of policies and laws that pertain to our field. The information in the chapter is information that the students will have studied on numerous occasions. One thing I like to do on the day of this lesson is place them in small groups. Have them read the chapter in it's entirety to make sure they aren't leaving anything out. Then I divide them into small working groups and give them a specific section of the book. I then have them designate a time keeper, researchers, an information recorder, a group speaker, and a group leader in their small groups. By allowing them to select thier jobs it allows them to play on their strengths and assures that everyone in the group participates. I then have them go thru the assigned section of material and have them come up with a visual presentation describing at least 5 things they learned, or that they werent familiar with before the project. It has worked the several times I have done it and the students like the interaction within the groups and the opportunity to present their knowledge.

I teach classes online. What suggestions are there to keep groups on course, monitor performance and keep the slackers from slaking?

What are some of the effective ways to brake the ice for the students on the first day of class?

How can I make teaching anatomy interesting, since I can't break every 15 min. How can I get class participation?

It goes both ways in the classroom - if you are learning, the students are learning; if you respect them, they will respect you. When you are honest with them, you will get honesty in return.

The Pygmalion Effect can be very useful in that you must expect good things from your students and consistently state this through out the course. It is true that words do have meanings.

Learning Activities can be a useful tool in the education process. They provide an opportunity for real world simulation and allows the student an opportunity to buy in to the purpose of the course.

I would like to hear thoughts on the challenge of teaching thesesspecial individuals

I would be very interested in learning more about the strategies of dealing with this challenge

Aproblem for me as well. Do I just get tougher, or is there a gentler more effective approach?

Should we take classses? Toastmasters? How do you make yoursself interesting to your younger students?

I feel that supplemental materials provide opportunities to engage more students in the classroom. Especially if not everyone is as comfortable with the textbook authors style of delivery. I am looking at utilizing articles from Time Magazine in class but I want to be sure that I, in no way, will be in violation of copywright laws. If i am sure to provide all appropriate citations and credits, can I make copies of articles for classroom use?

This is perhaps the most difficult part for me as an instructor, as I have expectations that students want to and need to be in the class or in school. I've worked for schools where the classroom door was expected to be locked after the start of the class, and everyone told not to answer the door if a student knocks to get in after class starts or if tardy from coming back from break. The rationale is that students coming in late are disruptive, when I find it just as bad to stop class and tell a student to sit down and not answer the door. I find it defeating. I'm not actually sure if locking a classroom door is even legal!

You can incorporate them in every unit if you are teaching in an online course. Quick quizzes or essay questions would be easy to create in order to show that the knowledge gained that Unit has been obtained. Then students would also be able to see what areas they may need to review prior to their mid-term or final exam.

Today, many of the instructors at career colleges are relatively young and the students are older(a lot whom are going to school for the first time since their children are grown, or attempting new careers). Have you ever found yourself having a more difficult time disciplining these types of students as opposed to those freshly out of High school?

How do you deal with a student that wants to be center stage at all times.

How do you deal with students that are having family problems at home?

Would you change the syllabus on your own if you thought you could make it better and more effective for your students?

How would you regulate students lunch & break times in a clinical setting?