Teaching tips

NACTA Journal, Mar 2003

Six functions of grading:

1. To describe unambiguously the worth, merit, or value of the work accomplished

2. To improve the capacity of students to identify good work, that is, to improve their selfevaluation or discrimination skills, with respect to work submitted

3. To stimulate and encourage good work by students

4. To communicate the teacher's judgment of the student's progress

5. To inform the teacher about what students have and haven't learned

6. To select people for rewards or continued education

For some students, grades are also a sign of approval or disapproval; they take them very personally. Because of the importance of grades, faculty need to communicate to students a clear rationale and policy on grading.

Vegetarian Students

One of my classes is Introduction to Animal Science. I usually encounter some vegetarian students in this class and have struggled with how to teach about the nutritional value of animal products. Furthermore, I did not feel confident using the information sources that were available in my office. Last year I found an excellent source of information on this topic which is the web site of the Weston A Price Foundation (www.westonaprice.org).For this class students are given the assignment of reading several articles at this web site so they can make their own decision about the value of animal products in human nutrition. This web site has excellent articles on topics such as butter, beef, fats, cholesterol, diets, and heart disease. Erik Cleveland Associate Professor of Animal Science University of Hawaii, Hilo

Course Syllabus Essentials

All faculty members must write course syllabi. The following is a list of items that should be include in a syllabus:

* Course title and number

* Credit hours

* Semester/year

* Instructor information (name, title, office location, office hours, e-mail address, web page)

* Course description (same as will appear in catalog)

* Course focus: (additional information that is not a part of the catalog description)

* Pre-requisites and co-requisites

* Required textbooks and supplies

* Course objectives/expected outcomes

* Outcome assessment (how the instructor and the student will know when they have achieved the course objectives)

* Policies and procedures (such as attendance policy; hours of lecture each week; hours of lab each week; required assignments; late policy; and plagiarism statement)

* Grading practices: (such as testing procedure and grading scale)

* Topical outline for the course

Internships

The primary purpose of an internship is to add value to the educational experience of students. An internship facilitates concrete experiences that encourage the link between theory and practice. An internship provides an experiential learning opportunity for students to apply the concepts, knowledge and skills gained to real situations, to evaluate the acceptability of a future career area, to increase their competitiveness for future employment and to develop an awareness of community, economic and social issues in a global society.

Assessment

For a learning endeavor to be successful, the learner must have answers to basic questions: Where am I going? Where am I now? How do I get were I am going? How will I know when I get there? Am I on the right track for getting there?

These questions are integral to a good program of assessment. Of course, in the process of teaching and learning, the answers may be ever-changing, and the teacher and students continue to assess and adjust plans as appropriate and necessary. Based on the preceding questions are the following principles that guide the assessment program.

* Teachers need to know how well they are doing.

* Students need to know how well they are doing.

* Assessment is a reciprocal process and includes assessment of teacher performance as well as student achievement.

* The program of assessment should aid teaching effectiveness and contribute to the intellectual and psychological growth of students.

* Evidence and input data for knowing how well the teacher and students are doing should come from a variety of sources and types of data-collecting devices.

* Assessment is an ongoing process. The selection and implementation of plans and activities-require continuing monitoring and assessment to check on progress and to change or adopt strategies to promote desired behavior.

* Reflection and self-assessment are important components of any successful assessment program. Reflection and self-assessment are important if students are to develop the skills necessary for them to assume increasingly greater ownership of their own learning.

* A teacher's responsibility is to facilitate student learning and to assess student progress in that learning, and for that, the teacher is, or should be, held accountable.