Dear Guest Faculty,
Whether it is just one lecture or an assignment to teach a subject through the semester, please take time to prepare well. Most guest faculty are experts in the field and need little or no preparation in terms of the essential content, as they are practicing what needs to be taught.
In my experience, the greatest issue with guest faculty is their lack of understanding of the audience of students. And students will be students! The students in a Tier 1 institute are very different from students in a tier 2 & 3 colleges. This is very important and not to be taken lightly. Pitch high and comprehension will be zero, pitch low, and no one is interested. Students of today are quite different from the obedient, eager to learn, submissive bunch that existed in earlier days. The ability to switch off with a click of the mental switch and just escape are well honed skills. It is essential to understand what the background of the students is, their previous knowledge level as far as the subject/topic is concerned etc. My suggestion is to meet the students informally before the first session. Also important to have a brief idea about what has been done in class about the particular topic/subject.
Many of you have a wealth of experience stored in bytes of 'anecdotes'. These are fun to hear and provide the much needed practical orientation, however, when the underlying theoretical concept/frame work is not discussed, many find the connect difficult and end up enjoying the class without actually 'learning'. The other issue with anecdotes is that a series of anecdotes does not make for good structure. In the classroom, best is to have a good structure which includes an introduction, theoretical underpinnings, examples, conclusion, summary or any other logical structure. Once you are familiar with the specific class/batch, prioritization, weight-age for components and even the structure becomes easy to plan.
Many classrooms might not have the technologies or teaching aids you want to use. Check this aspect thoroughly. Many a lecture where the video was critical, have been a wash out for this reason. Similarly, projectors might not be compatible with 'apple' or HD etc. so visiting the place is a good idea and finding out is the next best thing.
Please make sure everyone is able to hear you. It is your responsibility. Ask for a mike, increase speaker volume or do whatever it takes to ensure you are heard. I know you feel this is the responsibility of the school, however, in many instances you will have to take the lead.
Your corporate responsibilities might keep getting you late to class or miss a few, please consider realistically if you can really spare the time and plan the time well.
Did I miss something? Do share your experiences and help others who have been invited.
Happy lecturing, Don't get too good at it and snatch our livelihood :)
Best Regards
gps
Whether it is just one lecture or an assignment to teach a subject through the semester, please take time to prepare well. Most guest faculty are experts in the field and need little or no preparation in terms of the essential content, as they are practicing what needs to be taught.
In my experience, the greatest issue with guest faculty is their lack of understanding of the audience of students. And students will be students! The students in a Tier 1 institute are very different from students in a tier 2 & 3 colleges. This is very important and not to be taken lightly. Pitch high and comprehension will be zero, pitch low, and no one is interested. Students of today are quite different from the obedient, eager to learn, submissive bunch that existed in earlier days. The ability to switch off with a click of the mental switch and just escape are well honed skills. It is essential to understand what the background of the students is, their previous knowledge level as far as the subject/topic is concerned etc. My suggestion is to meet the students informally before the first session. Also important to have a brief idea about what has been done in class about the particular topic/subject.
Many of you have a wealth of experience stored in bytes of 'anecdotes'. These are fun to hear and provide the much needed practical orientation, however, when the underlying theoretical concept/frame work is not discussed, many find the connect difficult and end up enjoying the class without actually 'learning'. The other issue with anecdotes is that a series of anecdotes does not make for good structure. In the classroom, best is to have a good structure which includes an introduction, theoretical underpinnings, examples, conclusion, summary or any other logical structure. Once you are familiar with the specific class/batch, prioritization, weight-age for components and even the structure becomes easy to plan.
Many classrooms might not have the technologies or teaching aids you want to use. Check this aspect thoroughly. Many a lecture where the video was critical, have been a wash out for this reason. Similarly, projectors might not be compatible with 'apple' or HD etc. so visiting the place is a good idea and finding out is the next best thing.
Please make sure everyone is able to hear you. It is your responsibility. Ask for a mike, increase speaker volume or do whatever it takes to ensure you are heard. I know you feel this is the responsibility of the school, however, in many instances you will have to take the lead.
Your corporate responsibilities might keep getting you late to class or miss a few, please consider realistically if you can really spare the time and plan the time well.
Did I miss something? Do share your experiences and help others who have been invited.
Happy lecturing, Don't get too good at it and snatch our livelihood :)
Best Regards
gps
