0.5 Teaching your first course: balancing teaching and research

Workshop Authors: Richard Baraniuk, Mike Gustin, Jane Grande-Allen, and Yousif Shamoo.

Slide 1: discussion topics

• How to be a good teacher
• How to balance teaching and getting a research program off the ground

Slide 2: why do we teach?

• So that people learn

Slide 3: who do we teach?

• students
• colleagues
• your chair, your dean
• the public
• program managers
• patent office
• ...

Slide 4: teaching tips

• Developing a good course takes time
  • learn good time management
• What students learn is less than what you teach
  • don’t just try to “cover” the material
• Learning styles [Richard Felder, NCSU]
  • don’t “teach yourself”
• Active learning [Richard Felder, NCSU]
  • “I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I understand”
  • 2 minute paper

Slide 5: jane grande allen, dept. of bioengineering, assistant professor

• Started teaching Spring 2004

Slide 6: your first year teaching

• Plan 6-8 hours of prep time per lecture
• Don't expect perfection
• Do get feedback throughout the semester
• Don’t expect eager listening faces
• Do make the time to get to know your students or at least learn names
• Assignment tips
  • Textbooks have typos
  • Work the exams yourself
  • Extra credit: not all that

Slide 7: after - recap and revise

• Fix the lectures that needed the most work first
• Every few lectures, work in up to date data to keep things current
• Get a mentor and meet monthly. Go over how EVERYTHING has been for you
• Do attend teaching workshops

Slide 8: evaluations

Don’t take the evaluations too harshly

• “This professor actually discouraged independent thought…”
• “Dr. Grande-Allen is the most fair and considerate teacher I’ve had at Rice…”
• “Not enough engineering – too much biology”
• “The name of the course should surely be changed to Mechanical Properties of ECM because little or no chemistry or biology was discussed”

Slide 9: time management / balance

• Set office hours and keep to them
• Give the same course lecture you gave last year
• Don’t say yes to every undergrad that wants to work with you
• Focus your time on learning what you need for the research you will be strongest at
• Do early
  • Write IRB and IACUC
  • Attend regional training seminars by NIH and NSF
  • Sign up for grants mailing lists

Slide 10: maintain perspective

• Get a mentor and meet monthly!
  • Colleagues, other young faculty
• Get to know some people and faculty outside the department
• Read At the Helm
• Check out a few blogs of other women in this position

Slide 11: points for discussion

• How to deal with absent or failing students
• The students are not like you were/are
• Should you recycle quizzes/exams?
• How accommodating should you be to student requests?
• Where did the day go? Protecting your time
• What is important and not important?