University of South Carolina Teaching the Course Jamil A. Khan, Ph.D., P.E. Associate Professor Mechanical Engineering

University of South Carolina Teaching the Course l WHAT IS MY GOAL WHEN I AM TEACHING? u DESSIMINATE KNOWLWDGE!! u Creating lifelong learners u Creating Critical thinkers l Let me make two statements u “You can not teach all the students in your class” u “You can teach a majority of the students in your class” l My biggest shock came after I gave the first test in the first lecture-class I ever taught!!!

University of South Carolina Teaching the Class l “You have prepared for the class!!” u Now comes the task of actual teaching, this is where the rubber hits the road. u Remember that learning is a process of continuous improvement

University of South Carolina Teaching the Class l Developing a Personal Style l Modeling Critical Thinking l Effective Learning or Other Method of Presenting Materials l Creating or Maintaining Discussion l Creating a Balance within the class room l Reading the audience and your-self

University of South Carolina Teaching the Class l What are the traits of a good Teacher? u Enthusiastic (Passion to teach, passion for the course material) u Well Prepared and organized u Concern and respect for the student

University of South Carolina Teaching the Class l Developing a personal style u Actor? u Add humor? (remember worst joke award? Or remember the professor who always told the same joke!!) u Entertain? u Raise a storm? l I think the best style is the style that you are most comfortable with. A style that suits your personality

University of South Carolina Some Logistics for Teaching the Class l Be prepared and organized u It is a good idea to write down or verbally say what you are going to cover (do it at the beginning of the period) u Some instructors ask students, at the end of the period, to write a sentence about the most important topic they learnt during the period l Use of Chalk Board l If you use power point or slide--- slow down!! u Consider giving hand-outs (students may be busy copying the slide!)

University of South Carolina Some Logistics for Teaching the Class (contd.) l Diversity in education u Be sensitive to the diverse group you are teaching F (hail-mary pass, huddle)

University of South Carolina Creating and Maintaining Discussion l Try to engage students, at the same time try not to put them on the spot l Ask questions (but not questions that have “yes” or “no” as answers l If you do ask question, give some time for the students think about the answer

University of South Carolina Some Methods for Delivering the Course Contents l Lecture l Make illustrations and examples more diverse without losing their relevance u Examples:hot-water heaters l Inter-active discussions u Ask the students to lead the discussion and you act as a moderator l Co-operative learning (team building) u Industry is looking for team-players u Good communicator with inter-personal skills (Can you teach this?

University of South Carolina Modeling Critical Thinking l Assign open ended-problem u Solution should meet some constraint but is not unique u Brain storm ideas u Encourage out-of-the-box thinking l Let me hear your ideas

University of South Carolina Effective teaching l Spotting students who are having unusual difficulty and directing them to USC resources for help l How to gauge your impact on students F Reading signs, seek feed back F Ask questions outside the class (one on one) F Is the end of the semester student evaluation sufficient? Isn’t it end-of-the-pipe inspection? l How to know when to make changes in teaching the class F Syllabus F Other changes l Taylor your teaching at the level of your students F Honors class teaching l Balancing your own research, class schedule with teaching schedule