Tremayne Simpson

Diane, Indeed, finding a connection with current events or student interests can provide stimulation to the topic that is being discussed. When asking the students for their suggestions/input, I tend to ask for them to provide examples that involve their personal interest. For instance, if they suggest that we should review more case studies, I would give them an opportunity to provide an example of the type that they would like to be implemented. Tremayne Simpson

Diane, Thank you for your post. From my experience, when the students feel that they are "active players" in their course, they tend to seem more attentive and engaged in the class discussions and activities. Tremayne Simpson

Diane, I agree that lecturing in a "lab" setting can cause a distraction for the instructor, as well as other students. Our campus invested in "Owl software"- which is a software that provides the instructor with a view of the students computer screens and control of the individual monitors. With this software our instructors can simply turn-off the student monitors during the lecture. Tremayne Simpson

Diane, This is a great exercise in time management. What is your method for handling the students that are more apt to working at a quicker pace? Tremayne Simpson

Diane, What methods do you have in place to ensure that all of these elements stay within the allotted time for the class session? Tremayne Simpson

Geneva-Marie, I also provide my students with additional course supplements that are used to enhance their class learning experience. In my experience, students do not deem the additional course supplements as "extra work", instead they are usually inspired to research additional learning tools that they share with their classmates. Tremayne Simpson

Geneva-Marie, Great observation. By knowing what they are expected to learn...students can create a mental checklist, in order to track the newly, acquired skills that they receive from the class. Tremayne Simpson

Geneva-Marie, Thank you for your post. As I mentioned earlier in the discussion thread, students and instructors (professional development) should research and review industry standards, in order to understand the direction of the desired field of study. Standards can be questioned (by faculty or students), when the guidelines are not aligned with the trends of the industry. Tremayne Simpson

Dixie, It is a great idea to provide your students with the "ground rules" for providing input and suggestions. That way they will understand that it is not a platform to complain or to suggest changes to the general structure of the class. Generally, students feel a great "since of pride" when they believe that their suggestions will be used to benefit the educational experience of future class generations. Tremayne Simpson

Rodger, This is a great point for documenting lesson plans. I generally teach multiple sections (of the same course) and usually need to review the individual lesson plan notes for each course, to determine where I ended the previous class. Course sections can be drastically different, depending on the discussions that take place in each class. Tremayne Simpson