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Effective Teaching

Bill Vanderburgh, Executive Director

Office for Faculty Development and Student Success

August 14, 2012

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Some basics

• 3-credit courses carry an expectation of 6-9 hours of studying per week outside of class.

• WSU uses a plus/minus grading scale

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Syllabus Guidelines

• Go to www.wichita.edu/ofdss and choose the Faculty Resources link.

• You’ll find a Syllabus Template and a series of statements you may use in your own syllabus as you see fit.

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12 Reasons Students Drop Out (handout)

• Instructors play a key role in promoting retention and graduation

• It isn’t about lowering standards• It is about increasing your awareness,

intentionally designing learning experiences, promoting connections, and really knowing your students

• Most college dropouts COULD have succeeded with a little help or encouragement

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Important Teaching Principles• Teach the students you have, not the

students you might want.

• A big part of the teacher’s job is providing motivation.

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Chickering and Gamson (1987)

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Good practice in undergraduate education:

1. Encourages contacts between students and faculty.

2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students.

3. Uses active learning techniques. 4. Gives prompt feedback. 5. Emphasizes time on task. 6. Communicates high expectations. 7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

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Six powerful forces in education

• Activity • Expectations • Cooperation • Interaction • Diversity • Responsibility

…works for any kind of student

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GradesFirst Academic Early Alert System

• Part of a strategy of proactive, positive outreach to promote student success

• Look for an email in the 5th week of classes• Within a week, provide feedback on any of your

students who are in the GF pool who might be having issues

• Easy, secure

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Teaching Resources

• www.wichita.edu/ofdss/resources

• Campus subscriptions to• The Teaching Professor Newsletter• The Chronicle for Higher Education• Magna professional development webinars