Right Now
Early Assessment: How's my course going?
Two to three weeks into the semester, it's a good idea to reflect on how the course has started out.
Some issues to consider:
- Are the students reacting well to the materials? How can you tell?
If they are well prepared, how are you reinforcing their preparation?
If they're not, how can you motivate them to prepare more completely?
- Are students engaging in the classroom? In a lecture class, are they alert, attuned,
looking up (and not instant-messaging)? In a discussion/case class, are students actively
participating? How many of them are participating? Consider cold-calling students who
have not participated much: you can do this early in a semester, but it becomes very
difficult to cold-call late in the semester if you haven't established cold-calling as
part of the culture of the classroom early on.
- Have you been as well prepared and well organized as you would like to be?
If so - terrific! If not, what has hindered your preparation? Have you scheduled enough time
for preparation? Do you need help or support from a colleague?
Consider inviting a colleague or student to your class.
If things are going well, you can share your secrets for success with a junior colleague or
graduate student. If things are not going so well, you can get some early feedback so you can
get the course back on track.
For tips on engaging students, see
http://www.bu.edu/cet/class/engaging.html
For tips on classroom assessment, see
http://www.bu.edu/cet/class/learning_eval.html
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