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More About This Title Teaching at Its Best, Fourth Edition: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors
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Teaching at Its Best is the bestselling, research-based toolbox for college instructors at any level, in any higher education setting. Packed with practical guidance, proven techniques, and expert perspectives, this book helps instructors improve student learning both face-to-face and online. This new fourth edition features five new chapters on building critical thinking into course design, creating a welcoming classroom environment, helping students learn how to learn, giving and receiving feedback, and teaching in multiple modes, along with the latest research and new questions to facilitate faculty discussion. Topics include new coverage of the flipped classroom, cutting-edge technologies, self-regulated learning, the mental processes involved in learning and memory, and more, in the accessible format and easy-to-understand style that has made this book a much-valued resource among college faculty.
Good instructors are always looking for ways to improve student learning. With college classrooms becoming increasingly varied by age, ability, and experience, the need for fresh ideas and techniques has never been greater. This book provides a wealth of research-backed practices that apply across the board.
- Teach students practical, real-world problem solving
- Interpret student ratings accurately
- Boost motivation and help students understand how they learn
- Explore alternative techniques, formats, activities, and exercises
Given the ever-growing body of research on student learning, faculty now have many more choices of effective teaching strategies than they used to have, along with many more ways to achieve excellence in the classroom. Teaching at Its Best is an invaluable toolbox for refreshing your approach, and providing the exceptional education your students deserve.
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LINDA B. NILSON is the founding director of Clemson University's Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation. Her career as a full-time faculty development director spans over 25 years. Along with four editions of Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors, she has authored three other books: The Graphic Syllabus and the Outcomes Map: Communicating Your Course(Jossey-Bass, 2007); Creating Self-Regulated Learners: Strategies to Strengthen Students' Self-Awareness and Learning Skills(Stylus, 2013); and Specifications Grading: Restoring Rigor, Motivating Students, and Saving Faculty Time(Stylus, 2015).
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The Author
Preface
Part I: Preparation for Teaching
1 Understanding Students and How They Learn
Your Undergraduate Student Body Profile
How People Learn
How Structure Increases Learning
The Cognitive Development of Undergraduates
Encouraging Cognitive Growth
Teaching Today’s Young Students
The Challenge
2. Outcomes-Centered Course Design
Why Outcomes-Centered Course Design?
Writing Outcomes
Types of Outcomes
Types of Cognitive Outcomes
Sequencing Outcomes into a Learning Process
Helpful Frameworks for Designing a Course
Showing Students Their Learning Process
Outcomes-Centered Course Development
The Big Picture
3. Building Critical Thinking into a Course Design
The Many Faces of Critical Thinking
Common Ground
Critical Thinking Outcomes for Your Students
Giving Students Practice in Critical Thinking
The Goal: Critical Thinking in Everyday Life
4. Deciding What Technology to Use
Choosing Technologies Intelligently
How Faculty and Students View Technology
Lecture-Related Software
The Learning Management System
The Flipped Classroom
Social Media
Mobile Learning in Class
Laptops in Class
Web Resources
Miscellaneous Technologies
The Future of Educational Technology
5. The Complete Syllabus
How Long? How Extensive?
The Case to Trim the Syllabus
Essential Syllabus Items
The Graphic Syllabus
The Online “Living Syllabus”
Getting Your Students to Read Your Syllabus
Adding a Creative Element
6. Copyright Guidelines for Instructors
Where Copyright Does and Does Not Apply
Common Copyright Misconceptions
Free Use: Fair Use, Facts, and Public Domain
Printed Text
Images
In-Class Performances
Recording Broadcast Programming
Online/Electronic Materials and Distance Learning
Obtaining Permission or a License
How Copyright Violations Are Actually Handled
For Further and Future Reference
Part II: Human Factors
7. Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment for All Your Students
Planning a Welcoming Classroom
A Welcoming First Day of Class
Learning Students’ Names
The Inclusive, Equitable Classroom
Maintaining a Welcoming Environment
8. Enhancing Student Motivation
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
Students’ Perceptions of Motivators in Their Courses
Students’ Values about College and Their Impact on Motivation
Credible Theories of Motivation
55 Strategies for Motivating Students
No Magic Bullets
9. Preventing and Responding to Classroom Incivility
What Is Incivility?
Why Do Students Behave This Way?
Preventing Incivility: Your Classroom Persona
Responding Wisely to Incivility
Seeking Assistance
10. Preserving Academic Integrity
How Prevalent Is Cheating?
Who Cheats and Why?
Detecting Cheating
42 Ways to Prevent Cheating
Honor Codes
Changing Student Values
Part III: Tried-and-True Teaching Methods
11. Matching Teaching Methods with Learning Outcomes
Types of Tools
Has Our Knowledge Changed Our Teaching?
A Tool for Organizing Your Course
12. Lecturing for Learning
When and How Much to Lecture
Preparing an Effective Lecture
Delivering an Effective Lecture
Incorporating Student-Active Breaks: The Interactive Lecture
Inducing and Teaching Students to Take Good Notes
Making the Lecture Effective
13. Leading Effective Discussions
When to Choose Discussion
Setting the Stage for Discussion at the Start of Your Course
Policies to Encourage Participation
Skillful Discussion Management
Questioning Techniques
Organizing Discussion Questions
Turning the Tables
14. Coordinating Experiential Learning
Student Presentation Formats
Role Playing
Simulations and Games
Service-Learning and Civic Engagement: The Real Thing
Maximizing the Value of Experiential Learning
15. Managing Productive Groups
A Group by Any Other Name. . .
The Case for Group Learning
Cautions about Group Learning
Managing and Troubleshooting In-Class Ad Hoc Groups
Team-Based Learning
Preparing Students for Life
Part IV: Inquiry-Based Methods for Solving Real-World Problems
16. Inquiry-Guided Learning
Definitions of Inquiry-Guided Learning
The Effectiveness of Inquiry-Guided Learning
The Need for Student Guidance
Objects of Inquiry
Modes of Inquiry
Variations of Inquiry-Based Learning
Upcoming Inquiry-Guided Methods
17. The Case Method
The Effectiveness of the Case Method
The Subject Matter and Websites for Cases
What Makes a Good Case and How to Write Your Own
Types of Cases
Debriefing Cases
A Postscript for Pioneers
18. Problem-Based Learning
How PBL Works
Good PBL Problems and Where to Find Them
What Students Think
Creating Your Own PBL Problems
19. Problem-Solving in the STEM Fields
Where STEM Education Falls Short
Improving Student Learning in STEM Courses: General Advice
Improving Student Learning in STEM Courses: Specific Strategies
“Getting Real” in the Lab
Online Resources for STEM Education
Why STEM Education Is So Important
Part V: Tools and Techniques to Facilitate Learning
20. Helping Students Learn How They Learn
Learning As an “Inside Job”
The Learner’s Questions
The Evidence for Self-Regulated Learning
Activities and Assignments for Every Occasion
Self-Regulated and Self-Directed Learning
Sources for Teaching Your Students How to Learn
21. Ensuring Students Prepare for Class
Why Students Don’t Prepare
How We Can Equip and Induce Students to Come Prepared
Specific Tools for Holding Students Accountable
Managing Your Workload
22. Teaching in Multiple Modes
Kolb’s Learning Styles Model and Experiential Learning Theory (ELT)
Felder and Silverman’s Learning Styles Model
Multimodal Learning
Combining Modes
23. Making the Most of the Visual Mode
How Visuals Enhance Learning
Types of Visuals for Learning
The Future of Visuals in Learning
24. Improving Student Performance with Feedback
When Feedback Fails
Student Peer Feedback
Self-Assessment
Student Portfolios
Instructor Feedback: Helping Students Improve with It
Classroom Assessment Techniques
During-the-Term Student Feedback
Part VI: Assessment and Grading
25. Preparing Students for Exams
Test Preparation Measures
Measures to Ensure Students Understand Our Language
Anxiety-Reduction Measures
What the Effort Is Worth
The Power of Feedback
26. Constructing Student Assessments for Grading
General Testing Guidelines
Objective Test Items
Constructed-Response Tests Items and Assignments
Student Assessments as Teaching Assessments
27. Grading Student Assessments
Grading Systems
Grading Constructed Responses
Grading Lab Reports
How to Grade and Teach Mechanics at the Same
Specifications (“Specs”) Grading
Returning Students’ Work
The Real Purpose of Grades
28. Assessing and Documenting Teaching Effectiveness
What Is Teaching Effectiveness?
What Student Ratings Do and Do Not Measure
How to Improve Your Student Ratings
Documenting Your Effectiveness
A Comprehensive Approach to Faculty Evaluation
Complex beyond Measure
Appendix: Instructional Support and Resources at Your Institution
For Faculty, Staff, and Students
Just for Students
References
Index
