Author Topic: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!  (Read 8957 times)

lifejoy

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Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« on: December 10, 2013, 01:59:00 PM »
I have been hired to teach two courses next term (Cataloguing and The Future of Libraries), beginning early January. In the interview, they made it seem like the course materials were already prepared - they just needed someone to deliver them.

Here's the rub:

The person who used to teach the classes is being edged out because she's 69 and has memory problems. She has provided me with boxes of printouts, two course outlines, and lots of luck. She is supposed to send me electronic files (powerpoints, I think) and she has sent me nothing. I have gently reminded her a couple times, and I don't think I can count on receiving any more files from her.

So I'm freaking out. I have less than one month to prepare for two courses. This would not be so daunting if I didn't already have a full-time job. My new boss has known about my full-time job since the interview, and she is fine with it.

My current plan is to scramble some things together and prepare for the first week of class (minimum) and then just work on things at an ongoing rate. Which will mean having no social life for 4 months. Meh.

Additional info:
- Financially speaking, I can't quit my full-time job.
- My full-time job boss has kindly allowed me to shuffle around some hours to accommodate my new teaching position, but I am not (so far) permitted to scale back and work fewer hours.
- I have never taught or designed a course before, but I have done library instruction sessions.

My main concern is lack of time. I am feeling very anxious about this tight deadline, and my situation is not in line with what I had expected, so I am coming to terms with that.

If you have any advice, helpful thoughts or considerations, it would be much appreciated. I am very early in my career and am eager to do well, but don't want to have a mental breakdown by taking on too much. Ack! :)

rockstache

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #1 on: December 10, 2013, 02:06:38 PM »
I can in no way help you, but I did want to say congratulations on the awesome side hustle! You will do a great job, I am sure!

anastrophe

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #2 on: December 10, 2013, 02:09:33 PM »
A few thoughts...I'm sure the people here who are actually instructors will have better advice, but I want to remind you to BREATHE.

You have an MLS/MSLIS/whatever, right? So you have taken these courses. You know the material.

You also have teaching experience. A full semester class is different than an instruction session, sure, but think of it more like a series of instructional sessions with a theme.

And you have your predecessor's materials, which may make more sense once you go through them.

You'll be okay! Is this for undergraduates or for graduate students? Library students or general education?


zinnie

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #3 on: December 10, 2013, 02:20:30 PM »
Are there are textbooks associated with either of those courses? If so, I would contact the publisher to see what instructor's supplements they might have available. Publishers will bend over backwards to get instructors to assign their books and will usually send a lot of instructor's resources and supplements; even if you don't end up assigning the books, you can usually get some good instructional aids out of it.

I am not sure if textbooks are relevant to those specific courses, but just an idea.

Good luck; sounds like a great opportunity! :)

yogagirl95

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #4 on: December 10, 2013, 02:21:36 PM »
I teach 3 online accounting classes. Do you have a book that you are going to use? Also, the first week you will want to go over timelines, guidelines, etc. Maybe make them take a quiz on it. I have found that teaching online involves a lot of work getting the students to do the work, and sometimes this first week weeds out the ones not willing to do the work. My courses have videos, study guides, power points, and homework and tests.

I lost my full time job a year a half ago and am glad I have the teaching gig now, although I did spend much time setting it up. When I start working again ( if I can find something:() I plan to keep this as extra income.

rollie

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #5 on: December 10, 2013, 02:43:27 PM »
Congratulations on the job!

I have been a professor for some years, and found myself in a similar sticky situation at times. A few of the tricks I used to help out, hopefully some might ease the burden:

1) check online for additional syllabi from other universities and cross reference their structure and readings with the information you have from your predecessor. Some of the syllabi from other universities can be really great, and can help you learn how to structure your courses better.

2) Remember students don't want to be bored. Try to think of group or interactive activities for some parts of each session. Maybe 20 minutes or so at least where they try to implement what you taught in a competitive situation (teams work against each other, for example). This helps in several ways--it takes some of the load of straight lecturing off your shoulders, and also keeps them from falling asleep while staring at your face for the whole time. In addition, this can help students to internalize the teachings from your lecture, so that it really sinks in on the spot.

3) Take each weeks session that you've gleaned from the course syllabi you borrowed/made/modified, and make bullet points fro yourself about what the main points are to you. What do you really need to know about that subject to be successful? It may not be what you learned in class yourself, so don't be afraid to come up with innovative teachings. Lectures aren't carved in stone.

4) take each bullet point, slap it on a slide in powerpoint, and put your talking points below it. This helps at lecture time. Try to write the way you talk, to make it easier if you get stuck reading the slide (it happens to all of us). Add picture. Cartoons are great here, breaks tension.

5) When you really can't think of what's important for that week's lecture, summarize the chapter from the text, anyone's text. The students need to learn, so if nothing else, give them content from the book. At the minimum they will learn what they need.

6) Chin up. You can do this. Spend a few days in the next month on each lecture. You don't need to write out the whole lecture. The powerpoint is your outline, make some additional notes in the notes section or on the edges. Practice the first lecture on yourself at home to time yourself and get an idea of how long you run. It will make you more confident. You probably won't need to do this a second time. But you can!

7) Ask students for feedback along the way. They'll help you out.

8) Good luck, you'll do great!

Rollie


4n6

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #6 on: December 10, 2013, 02:44:57 PM »
Hi LibraryJoy,

I am a professor and maybe I can help. First, breathe.  New preps are really nothing new and sometimes all one can do is stay one chapter ahead.  Next, have you called the publisher of the textbooks and asked for any materials (e.g. instructor manual, test sites, etc).  Typically, textbooks have all of that stuff set up for you and/or software that you can use (e.g. powerpoint materials, videos, etc).  Third, don't worry about not being totally prepared.  Just prepare the first week and take it by ear.  That is how I do it now.  I fully prepare my classes, but I do it week to week b/c of the flow of the class.  Each semester is different so I try to emphasize things that correlate with current events, etc.  I think the best thing is #2 for you.  If you want please e-mail me otherwise and I can maybe help.

4n6

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #7 on: December 10, 2013, 02:46:45 PM »
Another thing that might help is to talk to your colleagues or to reach out to other librarians that could provide you some materials. 

Argyle

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #8 on: December 10, 2013, 03:05:01 PM »
Do a google search and find the syllabuses for similar courses online.  Crib from these as much as you can.  Find one that looks very trustworthy and assign the same readings.  For the day after the midterm, or a day papers are due, assign something that can be read and discussed in class, because they'll come to class having not done the reading.  Do not assign too many things to grade.  Most of the work instructors put into a course is grading, and it's easy to think you'll be able to handle a lot, only to find that it's much more intensive than you thought.  Make things easy to grade and don't assign a lot of them.

It takes me about two hours to put together a syllabus from scratch.  Then start putting together folders -- one for each week (so 15 folders for a 15-week semester).  In each, have a sheet of paper laying out what will happen in each class.  For instance: Monday: introductions.  Explain purpose of course, go over syllabus.  Pass out paragraph on X, have them read it, discuss.  Wednesday: Discuss assigned reading.  Brief lecture on Y.  Etc.  Make up all the tests and quizzes ahead of time, but be prepared to modify them shortly before you administer them, depending on what's happened in the class.  Put all the materials you need to read, refer to and keep up with on the same shelf.  If you're using Powerpoint, start making them now.  Ideally you'll have every one done before the class starts.  (Cut corner, go fast and dirty.)  If not, make sure you're at least a week ahead.  Remember that some profs never use Powerpoint, so it may be more trouble for you than it's worth.

Keep a detailed record of everything that didn't work, and file everything in that week's folder when you're done for the week.  Then next time you teach the class, the prep will be much much easier.

lifejoy

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2013, 03:15:45 PM »
Wow, this is more than I hoped for. Thank you so so much! My stress level has gone from a 10 to about a 2. I can do this, I will breathe, and it will all be ok.

THANK YOU!!!!!

I'm going to start implementing these ideas now. Whew. I am Jack's utter sense of relief.

Thanks for being such an awesome community :)

Dee18

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #10 on: December 10, 2013, 03:50:26 PM »

+1 to Argyle's great suggestions.  Also:

As 4n6 said, if you are using a textbook, first call the publisher and get the sales rep who handles that text.  Ask if the authors have a website, teacher's manual, syllabus, or power points that go with the text.  Many do!  If the publisher says no, email the textbook authors directly.  Tell them you are a first time teacher and have selected their wonderful text, and could they share any materials with you, such as syllabi or power points. 

If there is no text, go ahead and email professors who teach this course at other schools.  Briefly state the facts:  you have just been hired to teach the course for the first time and would love their advice.  Some will help, some won't.  But there is no need to start from scratch!  I have given my entire semester of notes (unfortunately, nothing to do with library science) to new professors.

I would disagree with those who said use power point....in my own experience, that tends to make students tune out, figuring they'll just go over the slides later. But they may work for you, especially if the class is small.

I also suggest getting a basic book on teaching, perhaps even Teach Like a Champion."  It is designed for k-12, but many of the techniques work.  For example, if you are trying to get class participation and no one is raising a hand in response to your question, you can say, "discuss this with your neighbor for 90 seconds."  This way a student can verify this his or her answer is not crazy, and will more likely participate.  It also just gets everyone's mouth moving....and gives you 90 seconds to think.

Have fun! 

fidgiegirl

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #11 on: December 10, 2013, 03:55:08 PM »
I am not a higher ed professional but I am a teacher and it is so important to be clear for yourself and make clear to the students what the point of the course is.  What are the important things they need to be able to know and do when it's all said and done?  As someone upthread said, you can keep up with planning the material and activities as the semester unfolds if you have that clear vision, but otherwise, you are just entertaining them.  Good luck!!

Frugalteacher

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #12 on: December 10, 2013, 03:57:36 PM »
If you have a textbook definitely look for resources for that specific text and try to find other similar courses online that you can steal from. If you do get stuck planning most of it yourself, you should utilize a technique called backwards planning. Basically figure out what you want your students to know at the end of the semester and work backwards. First design you final and midterm exams. Then design any other exams, papers, or projects you want to have your students work on throughout the semester. Once you know what your end goal is it becomes a lot easier to create lectures, power points, and other material. Just design your lectures so that they present the material that will be on the test.

oldtoyota

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #13 on: December 10, 2013, 04:28:51 PM »
Lots of good advice here--especially about the interactive sessions. You can have the students do small group work and present projects, which takes the pressure off of you to stand there and lecture every week. Like someone else said, the first week is mostly taken up with the syllabus.

Congrats and good luck!

Gray Matter

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2013, 05:32:59 PM »
This happened to me a few years ago--I was asked in mid-December to teach a class that started in January (I had only taught a few unrelated one-credit classes about 10 years prior).  I also work full-time and have three kids.  It was an intro class with 70 students, so a big class in an auditorium (not my favorite set up for an interactive class).

I literally prepped each week as we went, make it very interactive, and had a blast doing it.  I am still in contact with a handful of students from that class.

You'll be fine.  The only thing that's really important is to get your syllabus down now, especially policies (late papers, participation points, attendance policies, etc.), with only general topics for each week.  The content details can follow.

ShortInSeattle

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #15 on: December 10, 2013, 06:08:28 PM »
Use some time the first session to outline your expectations, talk about what the course will cover, and pose some big picture questions you'd like them to grapple with. It's also useful to get them interacting and connecting with one another.

Some sample Teaching Activities:
- Pose a difficult question. Have students form small groups and devise then report out answers.
- Provide a case study with questions.
- Show a relevant video (Ted talk?) and discuss.
- Do an in-class project.
- Have a guest speaker.
- Review a few key concepts from the text.
- Have something for your class to critique/edit.
- Send them on a research mission at the library or online.

I try not to "lecture" for more than 10-15 minutes at a go.
15 min content + 30 minute exploration/interaction + 5 minutes summation = one "module"

BTW, I used to get my course prep materials about 4-5 days in advance. You are golden. :)


lifejoy

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #16 on: December 10, 2013, 07:33:30 PM »
Wow I am amazed by all the fantastic ideas!! Thank you, everyone :) This ensures I won't have a heart attack before my first class ;)

And whew, only 19 students. It will all be ok.

jflo

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #17 on: December 10, 2013, 08:17:10 PM »
It will take time - just prepare yourself for that.  The first time you teach anything you're writing the course, even if borrowing heavily from others.  The good news is that if you keep the gig it only gets easier. 

Don't worry at all about being just a week ahead - as long as you can give out the assignment at the previous class, you're doing ok.

I'd stay away from PowerPoint - got pressured into last course I taught and wasted way too much time on formatting.

Finally - do come up with learning objectives for each course.  This is a good way to just think about what you want them to learn (what's the point) and how will they learn it (what steps will you take in the readings and in the class to ensure they get the point).  It's helpful to be transparent about them - tell the class what they will learn - and at the end, review what they learned and how it met the objectives.  Sounds basic, but I've found that folks go home feeling like they got what they were supposed to.  If you do this as a quick quiz at the end (even if just orally), it provides you w/ a good check-in to as to what folks picked up.


Argyle

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #18 on: December 10, 2013, 09:34:41 PM »
To be clear: you need to have the readings and assignments spelled out in the syllabus, not merely announced in the previous class.  Because some students will miss the previous class, and then either you'll be peppered with e-mail asking "What's our assignment for next time?" or class will have a sizeable proportion of unprepared students saying "I couldn't come last time so I didn't know the assignment," "I know you announced the assignment but I wrote it on a piece of paper and lost the paper," etc.  And they'll all sit there unprepared, making class difficult.  So do spell that all out on the syllabus up front.  If your institution has Blackboard or Moodle or another Course Management System, put your syllabus up on it (get someone to tell you how, as figuring it out is a huge time sink).  But don't post a ton of stuff up there, because that will also be a huge time sink, and trying to work with students who can't manage to access the system is also a huge time sink.

lifejoy

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #19 on: December 10, 2013, 11:29:36 PM »
Thanks for the clarification! The current syllabus is way too vague, I see that now.

Rural

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #20 on: December 13, 2013, 08:32:32 AM »
I'll second the learning management system; that can be a real lifesaver for you, because if you upload things, it's impossible to forget to take them to class with you. Also, it's worth finding out if the previous professor used the learning management system. There maybe resources there that you can use.

I'll also second the textbook company. Generally you can find a phone number with Google. Sometimes you even can email. Sometimes you can even sign up for all the instructor resources in a downloadable form.

Outline your schedule not by date but by week of the semester, and you won't have to redo it every time you teach the course.

Check out the forums at the Chronicle of Higher Education. There's a subform called in the classroom that I think you'll find particularly helpful.

I use PowerPoint a great deal, but really as my lecture notes. It lets the students see a bit of the plan for where I'm going, but it's never a replacement for the actual class, so I don't really have the trouble with people not coming to class. The ones are who serious about school, anyway, and ones who aren't won't come regardless of what you do. But even that little bit of an outline in a PowerPoint helps me keep on track.

Come up with things for them to do. Even if it's just a slide in the middle of your PowerPoint with questions that they need to turn to discuss with a partner, that interaction both helps them stay focused and actually helps them learn. I try to have some sort of break or change in the sort of activity every 10 to 15 minutes, especially when I'm lecturing. If the classes discussion-based, I've found that students can go for much longer stretches, probably because there are built in breaks in the times when they're talking and the times when they are listening.


anastrophe

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #21 on: December 13, 2013, 10:42:24 AM »
I'll second the learning management system; that can be a real lifesaver for you, because if you upload things, it's impossible to forget to take them to class with you. Also, it's worth finding out if the previous professor used the learning management system. There maybe resources there that you can use.

And a caution, as well--I've met many instructors who haven't figured out how to use our LMS, and they inevitably have a meltdown in November/April. The usability of interfaces varies so it's worth taking the time to familiarize yourself with how it works ahead of when you think you'll need to, especially if you will be using embedded quizzes, grading functions, etc.

lifejoy

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #22 on: December 15, 2013, 07:30:20 PM »
To all the kind and lovely souls that have given me advice, thank you. I have one last request:

Anything you can tell me in terms of worst case scenario comfort? I'm losing my mind over here. My predecessor is 69 and gave me numerous boxes full of papers that I'm now going through. Some things date from the 90's and are not relevant. Others overwhelm me because of my lack of familiarity. I'm mad at myself for taking this job, and mad at my employer for not divulging how little preparation they would be able to give me.

I'm contemplating quitting my full-time job so that I can handle the demands of this teaching position. Is it possible to quit a teaching job right before the new term? I doubt it. But I'm dying, here. Can I mentally check-out and show videos every second class? I honestly don't know how I'm going to cope. It would be ambitious to take this on if I knew the subject matter well - but the reality is that much of it is new to me.

I feel royally screwed. What do I do? Tough it out for four months? Suck it up, buttercup? Talk to my boss about my concerns? I don't want to do a disservice to the students, and I don't want to lose my mind.

Advice? Comforting thoughts? Your own experiences of worst-case-scenarios? Ack.

melalvai

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #23 on: December 15, 2013, 07:51:38 PM »
Wow, quitting the full-time job for this teaching job? Maybe I'm missing something but that does not seem like a good move.

Talk to your boss, definitely. The worst that can happen is you get fired, right? More likely, they'll work with you, because it's either you or someone else who is even more last-minute.

I find it comforting to ask "What's the worst that can happen?" (This doesn't work for my daughter. She catastrophizes the worst. I don't know if it will comfort you or freak you out, to think about worst-case scenarios.)

If you do a terrible job of teaching, the worst is that 19 students won't have a good experience and won't learn anything about this topic. That's not as bad as it sounds-- some number of those students weren't going to learn anything anyway. The worst is they won't ask you back. The worst is they'll ask you to step down in the middle of the semester.

Go back to breathing! You've inadvertently gotten yourself overcommitted, something's gonna have to give and it doesn't have to be your sanity. It should probably be the class-- you can't do as good a job as you want. Lose that expectation of yourself.

I wish I could follow this advice myself, when I'm feeling overwhelmed. :) I hope it works out for you.

Of course, all of those worst-case scenarios are extremely unlikely.

lifejoy

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #24 on: December 15, 2013, 08:30:15 PM »
Melavai, thanks for helping me keep things in perspective :) *sigh of relief*

My full-time job is not as good of a resume item as this teaching gig. Also, the teaching gig has a high chance of turning into a full-time position.

Worst case, I'll drink vodka in the corner while the students watch this and eat popcorn: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412915/

Frugalteacher

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #25 on: December 16, 2013, 07:41:48 PM »
You definitely don't want to quit your full time job until you know that the teaching gig will turn into a full time job. The best advice I can give you is fake it till you make it. Do your best to stay at least 1 class ahead of your students, and if a student asks you a question you don't know the answer to use the classic, "that's a really interesting question, why don't you do some research and let us know what you find out for the next class." Just make sure you go home and look up the answer for before the next class. Then, make sure you call on that student to provide the answer. This way, the student knows you weren't bullshitting (even though you were) and if he can't answer you can. If he can answer, than that's even better and you have a pretty dedicated student.

backyardfeast

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #26 on: December 16, 2013, 10:32:41 PM »
Hi Libraryjoy,
I spent years on the sessional teaching treadmill, which means CONSTANT last minute class assignments.  Honestly, I've had times I've been hired 2 days AFTER classes started, other times I've taken over a class mid-semester after a colleague went on sick leave, etc etc.

You're doing great! You have lots of time.  This is your first time through, and so it is normal to panic about all the unknowns until you actually have a few weeks of experience under your belt.

Some things that have gotten me through:
**remember that especially the first week or so, the students are MORE nervous than you are!!  You can breathe, act confident, and remember that you know more than they do about the course, because you planned it and you're teaching it.

**if the previous material that you've been given is out of date or overwhelming, just throw it out.  You have no obligation to teach as the last person did.  Follow the advice given here to pick a textbook, get teaching materials from the publisher.  It is way easier to simply read the textbook, learn the info for yourself, and then add the context that you're aware of from your extra years of experience/knowledge (I don't mean this in specialized way, just life experience).

**Some people get anxious about projecting authority in the classroom, and so try to look like experts and stress when they are not.  I get this, especially if you are only a few years older than your students.  But I am a huge believer in being confident, but also transparent.  So I act professionally, say a little bit about my credentials and what's brought me to teaching, and then I say with much enthusiasm that I will be teaching this course for the first time, and I look forward to learning WITH them about the course, look forward to hearing their feedback, etc.  Sometimes this is reflected in one or two evaluations badly, but more often they are also patient, and they also treat the course as a co-learning experience.  I think the key is lots of enthusiasm and obvious devotion to trying to make the course go as well as it can.  But it opens up flexibility when the inevitable thing I hadn't anticipated comes up, and I can say, "D'oh! Thanks so much for that question/observation/pointing out that error, etc.  I'll get back to you, and definitely remember that for next time!"

Lastly, I would just say that I have often gotten myself into a real tizzy about "OMG I don't know anything!! I shouldn't be doing this!" before the course starts.  I teach English, so it might be an ambitious theoretical question, or a novel I haven't taught before etc.  Then, once I get in the classroom, I remember that, oh yeah, that doesn't matter.  All that matters is that I know more than the students about this topic.  Which I do.  Inevitably what we actually need to do in the classroom is pretty basic, as others have said:  Go over the readings, make sure they have understood the concepts, give them some time to talk to each other about the implications of those ideas/concepts, and then give them an exercise to make them apply the concepts.  You can do that.

I remember supporting a young colleague who took over a course not in her area a couple of years ago.  She would ask me, "what are the most important points that I should teach about this novel?! I've been trying to figure that out, but I don't know this area well!"  My response inevitably was, "Ask the students!!"  Remember that you don't have to provide all the answers.  You are just the facilitator and guide.  Help them identify the questions, and make them do the work to figure out the answers. :)

Hope that helps! You can do this!  You don't have to be perfect!  You will find your groove after the first couple of weeks.  Keep us posted along the way!

Argyle

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #27 on: December 16, 2013, 11:53:29 PM »
What the others have said.  Plus you totally do not want to quit your full-time job.  This may turn into a longterm job, or it may not.  Colleges and universities are capricious.  And does this pay well enough to support you?  I assume you are an adjunct, and adjunct courses typically pay around $3000 each.  If you teach four each semester, for two semesters, that's $24,000 per year.  And the pay doesn't go up as you get more experienced.  I assume you've figured this out beforehand, but I just wanted to reaffirm it.  People surviving on adjunct wages are just treading water desperately hoping something else opens up.  They are also leaving teaching in droves.  So definitely don't quit your job until you have a livable longterm job for which you've signed a contract.

First-time nerves are completely normal.  Once the course is underway, you'll get momentum, and you'll be fine.

galliver

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #28 on: December 17, 2013, 09:24:33 AM »
I've never planned a class, so I'm parroting what I've heard in a couple seminars this semester (they were on how to handle becoming a professor). One rule of thumb: Don't spend more than 3 hours preparing for a single hour of class. You can do just fine spending 1 hour. Another that stuck with me (and I applied while TAing a lab class this semester): you don't have to be amazing every class or revolutionize teaching; you just have to teach. Even if you stand up there and lecture dryly for the entire class time every week, you've still done your job. I'm sure you'll do fine!

ShortInSeattle

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #29 on: December 17, 2013, 10:16:28 AM »
What the others have said.  Plus you totally do not want to quit your full-time job.  This may turn into a longterm job, or it may not.  Colleges and universities are capricious.  And does this pay well enough to support you?  I assume you are an adjunct, and adjunct courses typically pay around $3000 each.  If you teach four each semester, for two semesters, that's $24,000 per year.  And the pay doesn't go up as you get more experienced.  I assume you've figured this out beforehand, but I just wanted to reaffirm it.  People surviving on adjunct wages are just treading water desperately hoping something else opens up.  They are also leaving teaching in droves.  So definitely don't quit your job until you have a livable longterm job for which you've signed a contract.

First-time nerves are completely normal.  Once the course is underway, you'll get momentum, and you'll be fine.

+1. I recently left my adjunct position. I wouldn't recommend it as a career.  There has been steady downward pressure on pay, combined with rising responsibilities, for years now. I enjoyed my students but the job was a meat grinder.

lifejoy

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #30 on: December 17, 2013, 11:14:05 AM »
Oh man, you guys are the best. Thank you thank you thank you for being the most amazing support system in the world. Also, I am sure my boyfriend thanks you because he has a significantly less-stressed-out-girlfriend on his hands ;)

"All that matters is that I know more than the students about this topic.  Which I do."
I'm going to print this out and create a poster and put it on my wall. And stare at it every day, haha!!! :)

"You don't have to be amazing every class or revolutionize teaching; you just have to teach. Even if you stand up there and lecture dryly for the entire class time every week, you've still done your job"

Since it's my first rodeo, I think part of me wanted to be THE BEST IN THE WORLD! AT ALL COSTS! But I'm going to set the bar at "adequate". :) Definitely favouriting this thread. I will read it every time I start freaking out. Thanks!!! If anyone needs customized book recommendations or gift ideas for people (especially in the literary realm) let me know! PM me :)

Rural

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #31 on: December 17, 2013, 02:09:56 PM »
Please, please don't quit the full-time job! Adjunct teaching is no way to try to make a living. Emphasis on the try, because you won't. If it becomes full-time, then the game changes. But not until then.

galliver

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #32 on: December 17, 2013, 09:09:38 PM »
lhamo, my best mid-term informal review feedback: make the rain stop! It had rained 3/4 Thursday morning lab days!  Made me laugh.

lifejoy

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #33 on: December 18, 2013, 04:19:32 PM »
Deep breaths, libraryjoy.

Another mantra for you:  "Good enough is good enough."  You do NOT have to be perfect, though I understand the sentiment.  The very first time I taught a university course I was so nervous/anxious I didn't sleep for 3-4 days before the first class.  I was a mess.  When I asked for student feedback at the end of the first week, the main comments I got back were "speak more slowly" and "don't forget to put the lid on the whiteboard pen when you aren't using it."  My students were so sweet and sympathetic!  Yours probably will be, too.  Try to relax and enjoy the experience and "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."  Another favorite slogan of mine.

Hang in there and keep your full time job for now.  Teaching can/should be fun, and I think you will find you enjoy it, once you get into the groove a bit.

Remember how a few months ago you were frustrated because you were bored/didn't know what to do with yourself?  Sounds like you have fixed that problem nicely!  You've come a long way in a few months.  Onward and upward, and let us know how it goes.

Oh, and when you start stressing about doing a perfect job, look at those messed up, outdated files the previous instructor handed off and remind yourself she taught this course for YEARS with that hot mess -- you are bound to do a better, more interesting job of it and I predict your students will be so glad to have the change.

Lol this made me smile, laugh, and breathe. Thank you! And you're right - I'd rather be busy than bored. Now that I no longer have unrealistically crazy-high expectations for myself, I'm actually looking forward to this!! And who knows? Maybe my students will be just as nice as some of yours were! :)

Noodle

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Re: Calling all Professors, Instructors, and Lecturers! HELP!
« Reply #34 on: December 22, 2013, 11:12:11 AM »
Think "art of the possible!"  As others have said...don't worry about perfect, just worry about being there.

I teach a spring course for adult learners every spring, 5 hrs/1 day per week. The first year I taught it, I basically just replicated a similar course I had taken in graduate school a decade prior (the field doesn't change much). It continues to evolve. You have to teach a course to see how it works.

I realize the last thing you want now is more reading, but here are a couple of books about adult learners I really liked: "100  Things Every Presenter Needs to Know about People" (Susan Weinschenk) and "Design for How People Learn" (Julie Dirksen). They are both very skimmable w. lots of bullet points and practical advice about how long people can listen, how many points to put on a slide, etc.

And frankly, you may be better off without the other person's PowerPoints. I was gifted two sets of lectures for the current course, one from a very fine teacher and one  from a fairly bad one (my predecessor). I actually found it much harder to speak from their notes than from my own because it wasn't my thought process.