Best Practice

• Academic Success Center - Brandon
• Academic Systems
• Accessibility and Web Site Development
• Best Practices for Online Instructors
• Blogging
• CD Roms in Classroom
• Distance Learning
• For Counselors
• For Librarians
• Getting Off To A Good Start
• Having Fun in the Classroom
• High School Technology Initiative
• Incorporating Service Learning in Microbiology for Community Benefit
• Instructional Simulations
• Learning Commons - Dale Mabry
• Managing Disruptive Classroom Behavior
• Online Resources
• PDAs in the Classroom
• Reducing Plagiarism
• Service Learning
• Service Learning Veteran's Website Project
• Student Services: RoadTrip, DRIVE & Crossroads
• Summer Conference Roundup(2004)
• Teaching Online
• Technology is everywhere!
• The Write Stuff
• Using Email Effectively

Getting Off To A Good Start...Celeste Fenton

10 things you can do to set a positive tone for the rest of the semester

First impressions are important. It's sound practice to start the semester off well  organized, well thought out, and with a repertoire of activities  whether the class is gen-ed a major course requirement. Dr. Joyce Povlacs from the Teaching and Learning Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers the following list of ideas for college teachers to use in their courses as they begin a new semester. You can view the full article, 101 Things You Can Do The First Three Weeks of Class here.

To help students make transitions:

• Attendance: roll call, pass around a clipboard checklist, sign-in sheet, seating chart
• Give an assignment on the fist day to be collected at the next class meeting
• Administer a learning style inventory to help students find out about themselves and how they learn/study best
• Direct students to the Tutoring Center, Writing Center, and Open Computer Labs
• Explain the best way for students to study for the kind of tests/quizzes you give

To direct students' attention

• Start class on time
• Begin the class with a puzzle, question, or paradox to help focus on the day's topic  wrap up the class by answering/solving the problem
• Ask students what they know/don't know about the course topic(s) - list on the board, and explain how these will be addressed throughout the semester
• Ask the student who is reading the newspaper what is in the news for that day, and how it might relate to the course

Challenging Students

• Show a film; stop for discussion; students anticipate the ending or offer an alternative ending
• Form a student panel divided into "pro" and "con" ; half-way through class, change roles
• Utilize a variety of methods of teaching/facilitating: role play, instructional technology, active investigation, or discovery learning

Encourage Active Learning

• Invite students to critique each other' s essays or short answers for content and readability
• Have students apply content to solve real problems