Essential Teaching Principles A Resource Collection For Adjunct Faculty [Paperback]

Adjuncts enter the classroom as subject-matter expertsbut not necessarily as teaching experts. Many face the daunting prospect of quickly getting up to speed on teachings myriad responsibilities. To compound the challenge, formal training for adjuncts is often scarce or spotty at best. What is an adjunct to do, then, to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for classroom success? This book was created to meet that very need. It provides a wealth of both research-driven and classroom-tested best practices to help adjuncts develop the knowledge and skills required to run a successful classroom. This helpful guide was compiled and edited to ensure student success by Maryellen Weimer, PhD, an award-winning professor emerita of teaching and learning at Penn State Berks. Featuring contributions from an exceptional assembly of experienced educators, it is organized into seven chapters, each focused on a core aspect of teaching: Mastering instruction essentials Designing courses Advancing student learning Creating an optimal learning climate Constructing meaningful assessments Giving students feedback Teaching online Throughout the book, readers will find careful examinations of a wide range of issues critical to classroom success. These include: Build a syllabus Use active learning to keep students engaged Right-size course content Develop meaningful assignments Manage a classroom Develop a teaching persona Create a good climate for learning Develop effective exams and quizzes Protect academic integrity Make grading both meaningful and manageable For those whose work also takes them into the online classroom, there is an entire chapter devoted to the fundamentals of teaching in that space as well. Compact and reader-friendly, this book is conveniently organized to serve as a ready reference whenever a new teaching challenge ariseswhether its refreshing older coursl3²