2008 Woodie Awards
Do grades accurately reflect teaching skills?
An in-depth look at voluntary professor rating survey effectiveness and accuracy
Megan Munroe
Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: News
Originally published: 4/26/07 at 5:50 PM EST
Last update: 5/3/07 at 5:59 PM EST
Kiefer said she's gotten less strict with students over the years about assignment extensions and attendance, "as long as they end up learning what I want them to learn."
There are different ways a professor can be "good," she said. Students can appreciate professors who are funny and entertaining as well as professors who are challenging and demanding.
"Students like different types of professors," she said. "You should have somebody for everybody."
Recognizing your weaknesses as a professor and working around them is another characteristic of good teaching, Kiefer said. Her classes are often more discussion than lecture to keep students interested.
"I know if I talk for 15 minutes people aren't going to pay attention," she said. "Being able to adapt to me is an important thing - if things are going wrong, being able to change."
Kiefer said professors who refuse to change to meet students' wants and needs are usually disliked and may even find themselves out of a job.
Assistant Professor of Accounting Chuo-Hsuan Lee has received similar positive feedback from students in just his first year of teaching at PSUC. Planning his lectures with a student's point of view in mind has been one of the keys to his success, he said.
"I always prepare material from the student's perspective, so it'll be easy to follow," Lee said.
It is also helpful, especially in accounting, he said, to make the material interesting by using real-life examples.
"I think it's also very important to provide help outside of the classroom," Lee said. "It's not only the office hour, I've also been working hard on the ANGEL Web site to facilitate students' learning. Everything I talk about in class will be posted on the Web site before I leave the classroom. Everything is very organized, and I'm proud to say that I provide all the resources that I can to help."
Like Kiefer, Lee said he is "not picky about students' attendance," and leaves the responsibility of learning up to the students.
There are different ways a professor can be "good," she said. Students can appreciate professors who are funny and entertaining as well as professors who are challenging and demanding.
"Students like different types of professors," she said. "You should have somebody for everybody."
Recognizing your weaknesses as a professor and working around them is another characteristic of good teaching, Kiefer said. Her classes are often more discussion than lecture to keep students interested.
"I know if I talk for 15 minutes people aren't going to pay attention," she said. "Being able to adapt to me is an important thing - if things are going wrong, being able to change."
Kiefer said professors who refuse to change to meet students' wants and needs are usually disliked and may even find themselves out of a job.
Assistant Professor of Accounting Chuo-Hsuan Lee has received similar positive feedback from students in just his first year of teaching at PSUC. Planning his lectures with a student's point of view in mind has been one of the keys to his success, he said.
"I always prepare material from the student's perspective, so it'll be easy to follow," Lee said.
It is also helpful, especially in accounting, he said, to make the material interesting by using real-life examples.
"I think it's also very important to provide help outside of the classroom," Lee said. "It's not only the office hour, I've also been working hard on the ANGEL Web site to facilitate students' learning. Everything I talk about in class will be posted on the Web site before I leave the classroom. Everything is very organized, and I'm proud to say that I provide all the resources that I can to help."
Like Kiefer, Lee said he is "not picky about students' attendance," and leaves the responsibility of learning up to the students.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
John Grybos
posted 4/27/07 @ 9:05 AM EST
Nice story. This is something I'd always wondered about, and I'm glad to see professors care. Keep up the good work!
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