Student Guide Corner

By Rejoice Mudzimiri , Contributing Editor,  University of Washington Bothell Are you tired of sitting alone during your office hours waiting for students to show up? I used to feel the same way, until this past fall quarter when my students came to office hours in better numbers than ever. What changed? Studies show that office hour visits are positively correlated  to academic performance (Guerrero & Rod, 2013). More so, they are an important opportunity for faculty-student communication and interaction. So how can you get students to attend your office hours? Timing. When it comes to office hours, timing is everything. The best ways to schedule office hours include: Avoiding conflicts with other classes . If office hours are scheduled during times that most students have classes, chances are very few students will be able to find time to attend your office hours. As part of scheduling your office hours , you should find out peak times when most of your students are ava...

Here are three things that happened to me in the past few days.   Hopefully, at the end, I�ll be able to connect these three stories into a definite point that makes some amount of sense. One Last week, I received an email from a professor on the liberal arts side of our campus.  He indicated that after 30 years as a college teacher he was in the process of switching to a Socratic Method style.  He had heard that I had been using that approach for a long time.  He wondered if he could sit in on a class and observe. Of course, I was glad to have him visit. He showed up.   He paid close attention to what I was trying to do.   He took notes.   After class, he asked several excellent questions.  We agreed that we would stay in touch.  I would provide advice if he ever needed any. I was impressed that, after 30 years, he was willing to take the leap to make such a radical change.   Most college teachers settle into a ...

By Julie Phelps , Contributing Editor,  Valencia College Students have smartphones and want to use them all the time! My solution: well, if you can�t beat them, join them. With that in mind, I began looking for apps that can help facilitate learning. I want my students to use electronic devices for learning �good� and not as the �evil� learning detractors that we educators often perceive them to be. Here are some of my favorites to use in the classroom, plus one to keep an eye out for on your algebra students� screens. Kahoot! is a game-based classroom response system that uses quizzing to present content and generate discussion. The game can be displayed on a shared screen. Students can join the game on their own smart device/computer as long as they have a browser and a good internet connection. Quizizz is game-based tool similar to Kahoot!. With Quizizz you can randomize the questions to allow students to go at their own pace. The game also displays the correct answer when the...

My classes for this coming semester will start one week from today.   One of my classes will be an introductory course with 24 freshmen.   I want to make sure those students are clear about what I want from them.   So, I sent them an email today and I tried to explain things as best I could.   I want to inspire them without seeming silly.   I want to challenge them without scaring them.  Here (in part) is what I wrote to these 24 freshmen: �Over the past few weeks, you should have received quite a bit of stuff from me by email.  Read it all.  Think about it.  I want the coming semester to be absolutely great for you.  I want this to be the best educational experience you�ve ever had.   I want you to learn more than you ever thought possible. �I like to make things crystal clear.  Things simply go better if you understand what I expect from you and why.  As I mentioned in one of my emails, I wi...