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Thriving in Academe
Issues To Consider

Get To Know Your Students
To consider the background and aspirations of all students is to ensure the success of a course and greater satisfaction for faculty.

How do I know what my students need?
Each group of students is unique and has a personality of its own. So making assumptions based on past experience is valuable only to a point. Start the course by finding out about your students—how many of them are working full-time or part-time and in what kinds of environments, how many are returning to school after a long absence, how many have specific career goals, etc. You are accessing critical information that allows you to calibrate your course to the needs and expectations of your students. An added benefit of this activity is that you are demonstrating interest in the students.

Do I need to redevelop my course totally in order to meet all of the students’ needs?
You are the master of your course’s material. So to meet all of your students’ needs, you don’t have to start from scratch. The focus should be on formatting the course, which may involve rethinking how the content is to be presented. Instructors, of course, can redesign their courses in many creative ways to accommodate the dual agendas of their students. Generally, think “smaller”—discrete segments, short activities, problem-solving assignments, frequent assessment and feedback, and “collaborative”—pairs or small group activities (not “projects”) such as peer review of assignments, brainstorming, online research challenges.

Do I have to change my course every time I teach it?
While groups differ, what they have in common is greater than what differentiates them. A solid basic course plan with built-in options provides all the tools you will need to tailor the course for each group. Built-in options are an inventory from which you can pick and choose. Example #1: Have two or three different formats for introducing a new topic, i.e., short video, provocative questions, or current events review. Example #2: Use multiple ongoing learning assessment tools, i.e., short quizzes on reading assignments, reflective writing in which students relate course material to their own experiences, or a classroom debate on a key issue. Example #3: Present short “lectures” in different formats, i.e., as session openers, session closers, or transitions in the middle of a longer session. Once you have determined the “character” of the group, you can decide which of your pre-planned options you are going to use.

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