Questions tagged [teaching]
This tag is related to the role and duties of a teacher, an academic instructor, tutor or a teaching assistant.
1,082
questions
2
votes
2answers
246 views
Faculty member brought sick (feverish) child to class - is this unethical? [closed]
A faculty member recently brought their young child to a graduate seminar. The child had a fever -- and therefore was deemed not healthy enough to be at school. The faculty member did not ask the ...
2
votes
4answers
204 views
Is there any evidence of a benefit to distributing documents to students vs taking notes?
Suppose you teach a course in which you display slides. Two approaches exists:
distribute the slides (or any document that summarizes the content of the slides);
rely on students to take notes.
[...
30
votes
7answers
15k views
A few students requesting to cancel lectures due to their personal reasons. What should I do?
I give lectures to postgraduate students. The number of students in this batch is very low (< 20). The lectures are foundation lectures for the course. We are only into the basics of the course.
...
0
votes
2answers
186 views
Are there any great researchers who are terrible teachers? [closed]
I'm curious if there's been anyone who's really good at research but also really bad at teaching - for example traditionally, Nobel Prize winners are required to give a public lecture related to the ...
24
votes
3answers
11k views
Is it appropriate to ask a student I tutored how their exam went?
I tutored a student in math for two weeks to help her prepare for an exam. I expected her to inform me how the exam went, but she did not.
Is it appropriate to ask her how the exam went?
We are in ...
2
votes
4answers
268 views
Create YouTube videos on exercises of a University level course
Is it acceptable to create YouTube videos about exercises of a University level course ?
I struggle to follow a quantum mechanics course I need to take and thought about making YouTube videos where I ...
4
votes
2answers
354 views
Additional schooling and salary at private/public high school
I have been told that private high schools would likely hire this candidate,
MSc/PhD in physics (but no teaching certificate or degree, just TA duties in undergrad and grad school),
and that public ...
2
votes
3answers
141 views
What are the most important factors to consider when deciding the time to teach a course?
I'm starting as an Assistant Professor at an R1 university, and will be teaching my first undergraduate course (~2.5h/week) in the Spring of 2021. I've been asked if I have a preferred teaching time. ...
1
vote
2answers
116 views
The first teaching job: prior knowledge or do people get trained?
I am soon going to finish my PhD (neuroscience; India) and am interested in working as a post-doctoral fellow, eventually going down the teaching and research line. My question is specifically about ...
2
votes
2answers
288 views
Can university educators provide private tutoring to anyone seeking it? [closed]
Let me elaborate: I’m aware that school teachers often do private tutoring for children on the side (although I believe it’s only ethical/fair if they tutor children from other grades, classes or ...
0
votes
1answer
113 views
How to Ask for a Shift in Graduate Assistantship from Research to Teaching?
I am a graduate student in NYC and would like to learn how to ask my advisor and my professor to shift from research assistantship to teaching?
I have been working on a research project for one ...
-4
votes
2answers
216 views
How ethical is it to hide information from students?
I have multiple experiences from multiple teachers that they hide the book they are secretly following and picking problems from, and whenever students ask for a reference book, they give a multitude ...
1
vote
1answer
142 views
What is a “normal” teaching load for a Lecturer in a UK pre-'92 University? [duplicate]
What is a normal teaching load for a Lecturer on a teaching and research contract (equal split) in a physical science field in a UK pre-'92 University? Is there such a thing as "normal", or is the ...
26
votes
9answers
5k views
Is it appropriate to share the distribution of grades for a small class?
It is common practice to share a histogram of grades with a class after a quiz or exam. However, my institute has very small classes. This year I have 6 students in my class, and in previous years I ...
26
votes
10answers
5k views
For interview questions about innovative or engaging teaching, is it OK to say I give lectures in the standard way?
If asked a teaching question in a interview for a math professor position about how you engage students or innovate your teaching, would it look bad if I say I'm just a traditional lecturer, teaching ...
2
votes
0answers
131 views
What is known about the evaluation behavior of students?
Much information can be found about what influences student evaluations of teaching. The evaluation results of an instructor depend on gender, race, attractiveness, personality traits, bringing ...
1
vote
2answers
119 views
Where in academia are HEA fellowships valued?
https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/fellowship#categories
Apparently these fellowships are popular in the UK? What sorts of universities care about them? And why?
0
votes
4answers
277 views
How does the teaching of biology differ from teaching physics? [closed]
Respected teachers, I have this question for quite some time and I need your ideas.
When we teach physics we can have a lot of brainstorming sessions and adopt the "scientific method" ( ...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
What designation should be assigned to a teacher's trainer who is also teaching in the same school? [closed]
I joined as a teacher's trainer in school for a short cntractual period. But gradually I started getting involved in the following:
1- Helping teachers in developing lesson plans
2- Providing ...
51
votes
11answers
7k views
How do professors and lecturers learn to teach?
I am a PhD student in the field of education and I enjoy reading SE questions to stimulate my mind when I need a break. I find academia to be one of my most frequently visited sites.
When reading ...
2
votes
2answers
158 views
How can I encourage good note-taking?
Often, college students do not always know what kinds of notes they should be taking.
How can I encourage students to take notes more efficiently and more effectively?
In one of my lecture-style ...
-1
votes
1answer
114 views
Teaching stream faculty postion
I recently applied for a tenure track teaching stream position which requires to teach standard math courses but also math courses for non-science, non-math majors. It's been one month since I applied ...
1
vote
4answers
368 views
How bad is making mistakes in the lecture slides?
I am giving a lecture in IT (for the first time) to more than 100 students. I refused to use the slides of the previous lecturer and I wanted to make my owns. They take me a lot of effort and I ...
1
vote
1answer
106 views
Web service to subdivide projects among students [closed]
For a course I teach, I would like to assign projects to students, so that each student chooses a different project among a list of alternatives.
It seems to me that one of the simplest ways to ...
43
votes
2answers
10k views
My professor changed a take-home test to an in-class test with no notice. Can I fight the grade?
I’m a college student. For a recent test, the professor originally said that the test was extremely difficult and long and therefore they were going to send us a picture of the exam an hour and a half ...
8
votes
1answer
1k views
What's a realistic workload per blackboard hour for teachers during the semester?
There is this excellent thread about teaching workloads across the world on Academia SE: Is 100 hours per year of teaching a heavy load for a lecturer?
I would now like to continue this discussion ...
3
votes
2answers
253 views
How is student feedback dealt with for poorly teaching faculty?
I teach at a teaching university. Research is not a priority. I'm new to the university and am teaching full-time. I believe I've developed a rapport with the current cohort of senior students.
...
7
votes
1answer
487 views
Is it typical to not list class instructors during undergraduate enrollment?
Enrollment for undergraduate students has just started at my university. Perusing the classes for my department though, only a couple of the dozens of classes being offered have an instructor ...
0
votes
3answers
110 views
New overlapping courses [closed]
As departments grow, they tend to hire people in the same area of research. And different people from different communities call things differently. For example, people in Statistics may call it "...
1
vote
1answer
181 views
How to learn about a department's culture?
I recently interviewed for a teaching position, but I have concerns about the department's culture. First, I learned that the department adopted a different hiring process for me. They made me jump ...
1
vote
1answer
133 views
Is it disadvantageous to have recommendation letters from postdoctoral fellows rather than professors? [duplicate]
I am a math PhD student in a US university and also a teaching assistant. This fall I’m expecting to apply for jobs. I’m looking for math lecturer/instructor jobs.
However, when I worked as a ...
4
votes
1answer
184 views
Is it common to have peer teaching evaluation for tenured/tenure-track faculty every year?
Is it common for US public universities to enforce peer teaching evaluations (have professors sit in each others' classes) for tenured faculty member every year? What about requiring evaluation twice ...
10
votes
2answers
383 views
My department promised graduate students a particular teaching load, but has found a loophole to increase it
I am a second year STEM PhD student at a large R1 public university in the United States. When I chose to come to this program, the department told me that I would have a teaching load of 3 classes ...
3
votes
2answers
185 views
Should I mention teaching experience in my cover letter?
I am applying for tenure-track positions in R1 (say, top 50) universities in Computer Science in the US.
When writing the cover letter, should I mention teaching experience and competence?
Or should ...
-3
votes
1answer
151 views
What are good methods for clarifying student uncertainty? [closed]
A primary task of professors is communication with their students.
Communicating typically involves lecturing, clarifying uncertainties, and receiving feedback. Lecturing happens at fixed times, but ...
3
votes
1answer
158 views
Will American high schools recognize a foreign MA? [closed]
I'm an American who's getting a Master's degree abroad. It's my understanding that an MA leads to an automatic pay raise in public schools, but I'm not sure if my two-year foreign MA would count. To ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
What are typical examples of “scholarly work”?
I am looking into applying to a teaching position at a liberal-arts institution. The application page asks for an example of scholarly work. What are good examples of scholarly work? For the sciences, ...
4
votes
2answers
234 views
How important is teaching experience?
I am a PhD student in economics in the UK. Recently, I have been hearing how important teaching experience is to find a job in academia as a lecturer. One needs to submit teaching statements and may ...
3
votes
2answers
67 views
Re-entering teaching after working in the industry (in Europe)
I have finished my PhD a while ago and have since worked at the university as lecturer. Now the contract is coming to an end and I am weighing two options: (1) Teach at the university (I am much more ...
3
votes
1answer
509 views
Professor doesn't respond to notice of inability to take a test in his class
I currently have a concussion that has hindered my ability to do work or study. I went to the doctor and got it diagnosed (got a medical note and all that). I have a midterm tomorrow, and I emailed my ...
3
votes
4answers
355 views
Teaching advanced courses in a specialized area of math [closed]
Today mathematics (and probably also other sciences) became very specialized: every researcher works in their own narrow field which usually hardly interacts with fields of other colleagues, even on ...
3
votes
2answers
100 views
Self studied courses during my PhD. How to fill the relevant courses section in the CV?
My PhD thesis is on numerical modeling using finite element methods and non-linear continuum mechanics. My university did not offer these courses during the first two years of my PhD. So, I had to ...
23
votes
5answers
7k views
What should I consider when deciding whether to delay an exam?
I believe I may have scheduled an exam too early, and I am considering delaying it by a day or two. The material that I would cover fits in fairly well with the earlier material, and not as well with ...
1
vote
1answer
262 views
Studying recreational math professionally?
Are there professors who specialize in recreational types of math problems, or is my best bet to be a high school teacher and do recreational math in my free time?
3
votes
4answers
278 views
Taking vacations days in the middle of a semester [closed]
Context: I am an assistant professor at a small institution in the US.
Question: My significant other has the opportunity through work to travel to an exotic location over a long weekend in February, ...
33
votes
6answers
8k views
Is it safe for a student to give negative feedback in student evaluations? [closed]
It's common for students to be asked for their evaluations of a teacher/course at the end of the semester. Is it safe for the student to give negative feedback? After all, even if the lecturer will ...
4
votes
5answers
388 views
Should I admit students who are waitlisted for my class?
As an instructor at a large university, you will sooner or later have a waitlist for your class. Is it better (for you) to admit those students into your class or do you better keep the enrollment ...
0
votes
1answer
82 views
Infusing Graduate Studies with High Quality video content [closed]
Recently there has been a revolution in graphics technologies, which can aid in explaining (math and other) concepts visually to people (for example, the high quality content produced by 3Blue1Brown ...
72
votes
5answers
8k views
Handling Disruptive Student on the Autism Spectrum
I have a student who's on the autistic spectrum. He exhibits several disruptive behaviors in class, such as
Inability to moderate his volume/interjections: he will shout out questions and comments ...
6
votes
3answers
297 views
I had performed mediocre in my core subjects during my PhD, is it justified for me to think about a future in academia?
I am a final year PhD in mechanical engineering. I did average/below average in my core courses, during my undergraduate, and PhD coursework. My research area involves using finite element and volume ...
