Preface
Chapter 1.
Thinking Ahead
Definition of a large class. The large class as a small business. Being a course manager as well as a teacher. General principles of large class management and operation (contingency planning, ad-libbing, policy establishment, putting things in writing, checklists, reasonable expectations, projected personality, teaching and learning styles).
Chapter 2.
Getting Ready for the First day
Time budgeting. Prior history of the course. The syllabus. The course manual. Selecting and ordering texts. Course budgets. Ordering and hoarding. Handouts. Checking out the physical facilities. Reading assignments. Older students. Disabled student matters. Deciding on a grading plan and assignments. Relationship between readings and lectures. How much homework is reasonable? Structure of a lecture. Constructive repetition. Amount of information in a lecture. Presenting the lecture. The first day itself. Stage fright.
Chapter 3.
The Teacher as Actor
The resemblance between teaching large classes and acting. What an actor needs to know; lines, tools, character, theater, and audience. Tools of an actor; voice, gesture, body. The character of a teacher. How the theater affects the actor. Background and expectations of the audience/class.
Chapter 4.
Managing Assistants and Graders
Relationship between TA's and course manager. Avoiding negligence. Safety. Fraternization and harassment issues. Grading with assistants. General Communications. Delegating authority. Motivation.
Chapter 5.
Using Media Effectively
How to use a blackboard effectively, if you insist on using one. Whiteboards. The basic overhead projector. General principles of projected images; size, clarity, amount of information. 35mm slides. Preparation of materials for projection. Typefaces. The video projector. Scanning materials. The electronic overhead projector. Live TV. The Internet and Web. Clickers."Multimedia." Murphy's law and technology in the classroom.
Chapter 6.
Auditorium Classroom Activities
Lecture=Death. Attention span. Attention fatigue. Getting them to talk. One minute breaks. Group discussions. Games.
Chapter 7.
Assessment and Testing
Assessment and assessment techniques. Basic principles of testing. Validity and reliability. Hierarchy of learning; memorization, translation, concept formation, application, complex problem solving. Types of examination and quiz questions; essay, matching, short answer, fill-in-the-blank, true-false, multiple-choice. Evaluations other than tests. Homework. Internet plagiarism. Cheating.
Chapter 8.
Grading
Systems of grading. Criterion vs. norm-referenced grading. The fiction of the normal distribution. Non-normal distributions. Makeups. Borderlines. Multiple-section grading. Handling complaints.
Chapter 9.
The Seasons of a Class
The seasons of a class. Student evaluation of teaching. Classroom research. Grants for large class teaching. Ending with a bang. The Last Lecture.
Suggested Readings and Resources
Appendices
Appendix 1. Sample course outline.
Appendix 2. First day checklist.
Appendix 3. Sample syllabus.
Appendix 4. Sample first day lecture
Index
