Carolyn Marks

@YMR8rDvA : I think that in order for students to maintain their motivation, they have to be reminded of "Whats in it for them". At the beginning of each course, the class discusses why they are here, what they want from their education, and where they want to be in the future. Many will say, "I want spending money" or "I want a new place to live" or "I want a car". Then we discuss long range goals (owning a house, traveling, retirement, etc.). We discuss that in order to get there, we have to start on succeeding one class… >>>

As the Faculty Development Advocate at our higher education institution, I have seen time again the downfall of new instructors because they entered their class with minimal preparation and were sorely unprepared. Preparation helps promote confidence for instructors and is often half the battle to a successful class. Is there anything worse than entering a class without all the necessary materials, lesson mapped out, topic to be covered? I would imagine student would rapidly lose respect for teachers who enter the classroom this way. I will often map out my hours in class in 30 minute increments so my time… >>>