Ralph
I AM NOT A MASTER TEACHER BUT I DO SEEM TO CONSISTENTLY GET ABOVE AVERAGE
EVALUATIONS FROM MY STUDENTS.
SOME OF THE THINGS I BELIEVE HELP ME TO DO THIS ARE:
I BELIEVE IN WHAT I TEACH
I ENJOY TEACHING AND BEING WITH STUDENTS
I DEVELOP AN ATMOSPHERE OF TRUST (ME FOR THEM AND THEM FOR ME) AND
ACCESSIBILITY, I GIVE MY HOME PHONE NUMBER, TELL THEY CAN SEE ME ANY
TIME IF I AM NOT WITH SOMEONE, ETC.
I WORK MY STUDENTS VERY HARD, RECENTLY ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 7 WITH 7
MEANING THAT MY COURSE REQUIRED MUCH MORE WORK THAN OTHER COURSE THEY
RATED ME AT 6.5
I INSIST THAT GOOD THEORY IS VERY PRACTICAL AND TRY TO SHOW THIS
THROUGH DISCUSSION, CASE ANALYSES, GROUP WORK, ETC.
SOME OF THE STRANGER THINGS I DO ARE:
I GIVE A CLOSED BOOK, THREE HOUR TAKE HOME EXAM,
(I KNOW I AM VERY NAIVE, RIGHT)
I LET THEM CHOOSE HOW MUCH EACH COURSE COMPONENT IS WORTH
WITHIN A RANGE, E.G., FOUR COMPONENTS (MIDTERM, CASE
ANALYSES, PARTICIPATION, RESEARCH PAPER) EACH CAN BE
WEIGHTED FROM 10-40 PERCENT BY THE STUDENTS ON AN INDIVIDUAL
BASIS AS LONG AS THE TOTAL IS 100%. THIS IS MY NORM FOR MY
MBA COURSE.
I LET EACH MEMBER OF THE CLASS EVALUATE EACH GROUP AS IT
PRESENTS AN ORAL CASE ANALYSIS AND THE CLASS AVERAGE BECOMES 50%
OF THE FINAL GRADE WITH MY EVALUATION BEING THE OTHER 50%
I HAVE VERY DETAILED PEER EVALUATIONS FOR ALL GROUP WORK AND
IT IMPACTS ON INDIVIDUAL GRADES
I HAVE OUR EXECUTIVE-IN-RESIDENCE GIVE HIS/HER ANALYSIS OF
EACH ORAL CASE AFTER THE CLASS HAVE FILLED IN THEIR EVALUATIONS
I ALLOW FOR A LOT OF DISAGREEMENT WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT NO
ONME HAS ALL THE ANSWERS AND THAT WE ONLY HAVE DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES. SO IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR THE EXECUTIVE-IN-RESIDENCE
AND MYSELF TO DISAGREE AS I PRESENT THE THEORY AND HE/SHE PRESENTS
THE REAL WORLD
BTW, I BECAME AN ACADEMIC AFTER RETIRING FROM THE CANADIAN NAVY (22
YEARS) AND I USE A LOT OF PRACTICAL EXAMPLES TO OUTLINE THE THEORY I
TEACH. INTERESTINGLY, WHEN I STARTED MY DOCTORATE I WAS ACCUSED OF
BEING TO PRACTITIONER ORIENTED AND NOW I AM ACCUSED OF BEING TO ACADEMIC
BY MY COLLEAGUES (NOT MY STUDENTS).
JUST SOME THOUGHT FOR YOU
GLENN
At 11:38 AM 2/26/97 -0700, you wrote:
>This thread is interesting. As one who teaches management, I would
>be interested in hearing from those who feel they have been
>successful in providing the opportunity to learn. What did you DO to
>create the atmosphere? How much time do you spend in lecture vs.
>class discussion? In short, what are the teaching tips from the
>masters out there?
>
>>From those who trying to use the education you got; what would you
>have liked to have seen done differently - specifically, not less case
>work but why and what would you have substituted, for instance? (My
>guess is sending MBAs out to manage something for two years at low
>pay and long hours before we give them their degree won't fly.)
>
>There may be others out there interested in the same questions so,
>I'd ask that replies be to the list. Thanks.
>Ralph W. Parrish
>
rparrish@lamar.colostate.edu
>
W. Glenn Rowe
Faculty of Business Administration
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NF, Canada, A1B 3X5
709 737 4363
709 737 7999 (Fax)
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