Abstract/Outline
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Freshmen liberal arts audiences in required across curriculum courses are well
known for their extreme variances in students' interest in and previous knowledge on
the subjects taught. Similarly, first year graduate students in core courses often are
not sufficiently ready for their new graduate experience
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To address these issues I use a combination of
(1) initial pre-post testing (UG freshmen only),
(2) varied web based student self-learning assignments,
(3) a “modular” approach to teaching, varying teaching style across:
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Lecture
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movies and news watching and facilitated interpretation—including writing assignments--,
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discussions and facilitated debates,
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Hands on community engaged in-class projects (G mostly)
(4) online and offline chapter progress assessment tools and assignments, and
(5) technology, discussion and simulations rich in-class participatory techniques.
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In addition, I discuss special adaptations of teaching styles and content made
necessary by special characteristics of student bodies in high-minority areas such as
suburban Detroit or South Texas.
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Students learning experience and student evaluations of instruction seem to prove
the efficiency of the methods used in drawing closer attention to the subject from
semi-reluctant or “not-so-ready” student audiences.
Convention