Barry Westling

Naomi, Good points. I like to use the time to provide information about their grade status, and also convey my sincere desire to help them to be successful. I can give advice, suggestions, support and encoureagement. I think this builds trust and respect as well. Barry Westling

Naomi, As to anxiousness by the students, remember that a pretest has no standard format. It can designed any way an instructor desires. For instance, it could be an oral test, or a 1-2 question essay, or 5-simple multiple choice questions. One way you could make it interesting is to add a fun, non-serious question here or there to make it more interesting. My pretests are usually about 25 mutiple choice questions that sample portions of my entire course. Also, my pretest is not graded, so I feel students are more willing to put their whole effort into it. Barry Westling

Bev, Students should appreciate the diligence you give to getting their scores returned promptly. It subtly demonstrates their grades and exams are as important to you as it is to them. Barry Westling

Ndidi, Yes, students are often anxious about their studies and coursework. I think they often look to their instructor for reassurance and security, and one manifestation of that is the degree of preparation and organization the instructor has done to ready themselves for a given class. Barry Westling

Bev, I think each instructor and institution has to decide what policy works best for them. I drop the lowest quiz score and often give a bonus question (essay) on a final that allows a student to demonstrate knowledge beyond what I choose to assess them on. For me, I feel this is enough of a boost to accommodate any bad days they may have encountered. Much more would be literal grade inflation, in my view. Barry Westling

Gary, Right. And that's whats valuable, the ability to gain a greater understanding of a student's prior and current knowledge in order for us to instruct them in a way that is significant and meaningful. Barry Westling

Gary, Anatomy provides an especially unique opportunity to explore organs and tissues through the use of multiple senses. Many times these become lifelong memorable experiences that promote learning for the now, and applicability for the future. Barry Westling

Megan, Cool. I've done something similar by having students attempt to draw an object based only on directions from one student who can't say the name of the object. This is an exercise in communications, but could be applied to other learning topics. Barry Westling

Megan, Certainly. Incorporating more senses can only improve the student learning outcomes. Barry Westling

Naomi, All instructional media are tools, and ideally, each tool has a specific use and purpose. For instance, bombarding the students with a steady barrage of PPT slides is abusive to students. So, adding variety, frequently switching to alternate activities, and creating an interesting learning environment are components of more effective classroom settings. Barry Westling