Barry Westling

Terri: I believe if there are set course objectives and well written student learning objectives, and these are presented thoroughly, there should be no need for extra credit. Even the name "extra" infers something beyond what is expected. I'd say if it's helpful and useful, then it should be added to the required assignments. If EC is used, I don't think credit in the form of points should be given. "Maybe", dropping the lowest score on your quiz, or some type of bonus like that could be considered. But giving extra credit in absence of required assignments, or poor performance… >>>

Terri: These are all good ideas. Sometimes, just a little break, like a story, situation, or a simple "stand and strech" can break the dullness. Other ways to get back on track require more agressive measures. We may need to do some "change ups", moving from lecture to whiteboard, or from discussion to lab, or group work to question and answer. Good instructors will be sensitve to the need and be able to "seamlessly" move from one activity to another without the students even knowing that was not part of the orignal plan. I think it's interesting, almost without fail,… >>>

Terri: Delivery can be effective in many diiferent ways. If we capture attention and keep the students's interest, I think we've acheived success in delivering our message. Students lose interest when they are bored, feel the information is not beneficial to them, they're tired, or the delievery is weak. I think we can attack all four of these areas successfuly. The key is to the topics , lecture, lessons, and discussion focused on the job or work setting the student is being prepared for. When the student can picture themselves in that realm, because its personal and pertains solely to… >>>

Terri: Good examples. Because we have to assign grades, it necessitates having to do assessments. And these days, they have to be objective, fairly administered, and equal for all. I don't mean they never should have been. I just mean that we assess because to assign a grade requires an objective method to award the grade. We teach, then assess if the student learned. If we could just watch and observe, then assign a grade based on our expert opinion of how the student performed, I think that'd be just a good. A probing question could be "did the student… >>>

Terri: Good back up plans are activities (or video/DVD/CD) that require little preparation, can be implemmented on short notice, and don't require too much resources. These could be team challenges, Q&A; jeopardy-style competions; demonstrations; skills practive; group study; student led lectures; work related discussions, etc. Really, hundreds of possibilities. More effective back-ups will be closely related to the general topic at hand. If possible, we want the activity to appear seamless, as if this is what was planned to start with. Having a few really good back up plans can really save the day when all that was planned just… >>>