Drop That Chalk!

A Guide to Better Teaching at Universities and Colleges

Drop that Chalk! A Guide to Better Teaching at Colleges and Universities is designed for those planning to teach – or already teaching and hoping to improve instruction – in colleges, universities, or other institutions of higher education. This book delineates the process of planning a course from designing course objectives to creating a syllabus, selecting course materials and technologies, determining which teaching strategies to employ and how to best implement them, to creating assessments, course evaluations, and assigning grades. Advantages and disadvantages of teaching and assessment techniques are shared, along with research-based guidance for effectively implementations. Guidelines for creating effective on-line courses are presented. This book also explains thirteen aspects of student diversity to help teachers understand their students, more effectively plan instruction for them, and shares a range of other suggestions to help maintain positive and effective learning environments that ensure students’ success. The techniques and myriad examples shared in this book are based on the authors’ over sixty years of combined teaching experiences, and on current research in educational psychology and related disciplines.