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Thriving in Academe

Course Design
Considering Classroom Contexts
By Marlene M. Preston, Virginia Tech

Attention to learning contexts leads to shared control of courses and meaningful engagement.

As experts in our disciplines, we have a strong sense of what our students need to know as they progress through college and beyond. And because we care about student learning, we might want to experiment with new pedagogies to foster greater engagement and learning.

However, we might envision the outcomes of these experimental pedagogies to be unpredictable—even risky—given our students’ needs, our own expectations, the demands of our departments, and the assessment required by our institutions.

In trying to meet everyone’s expectations, we may find that the view from the podium is daunting. With baseball caps shading their eyes, too many students hunker down in the back of the room and mark time until class ends. Some check cell phones or fiddle with iPods, counting the minutes until they can escape into a world in which they have some control. They might even like to adjust our volume, change our colors, or fast-forward us!

Reconsidering our teaching contexts helps us to design courses that offer shared control, a less harried path through the semester, and approaches to student learning that meet many needs and expectations. Such a course is more likely to feature engaged students who find meaning—and maybe even delight—in our courses.

Meet the Author
Marlene M. Preston is assistant department head in the Department of Communication at Virginia Tech.  She teaches communication shills, interpersonal communication, and communication pedagogy.  With a background in instructional design, she formerly served as assistant director of VT's Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and as coordinator of the university writing program. She routinely conducts workshops for faculty and provides individual consultations.  She is also the chair of the Communications Center's section of the National Communications Association, a member of the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education, and a recipient of POD's 2002 Innovation Award.

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