Teaching Matters

Bad teaching impacting student success is not a surprise, writes Steve Mintz, a blogger for Inside Higher Ed and history professor at the University of Texas at Austin.  Many professors don’t receive formal training in teaching, aren’t evaluated on teaching skills and aren’t incentivized to teach in innovative ways, leaving gaping holes in student learning opportunities. Better advising and better teaching are paramount to student success, retention and equity in higher education. Mintz offers key factors that are included in courses with good teaching. 

• Clear, explicit learning objectives. Students should understand what they’re expected to leave the class with. 
• Effective organization. A logical sequence of topics and content with a roadmap or sign points can help student learning. 
• Division of content, activities and pedagogies. Class sessions should have manageable subsections to prevent cognitive overload and promote engagement. 
• Frequent formative assessments. Quizzes or other assessments can monitor student learning, engagement and mastery. 
• Active learning activities. Problem solving, concept mapping, debate and discussion, peer instruction, role playing and simulations help students process and absorb information. 
• Metacognitive activities. Promoting self-awareness among learners helps transfer knowledge and skills into long-term memory and adjust learning strategies. 

Read the full piece here.