Prepping Courses: Do This, Not That
By Lindsay Roberts (The University of Toledo)
Congratulations! You’re gearing up to teach your first course or you’re teaching a course you’ve never taught before. This will be a great way to develop a wide range of skills and add valuable experience to your CV… but how do you get started? Prepping a course can seem incredibly daunting at first, and you may feel overwhelmed with questions: What textbook should I use (or should I have one at all)? What readings would be informative for students? Should I include writing assignments or group projects? Will in-class activities be helpful or just distracting? How much of my course will live online? How will I handle attendance or other problems with students? Will I lecture every class or switch things up? Wait, am I even comfortable giving lectures?
Yes, you’ll need to address all of these issues eventually, but don’t get ahead of yourself! Take a deep breath, grab a cup of coffee, and use our helpful guide below to start answering these (and other) questions.
DO… |
DON’T… |
Ask faculty or grad students who have taught the course for their materials |
Try to reinvent the wheel by compiling all of your own materials and writing your lectures from scratch |
Consider the size and level (i.e., advanced vs. introductory) of your class when thinking about your lectures or in-class activities |
Assume that the same format will work for small and large (or introductory vs. advanced) classes |
Review goals and standards for the course that may be set by your department or university |
Make up your own arbitrary course goals that might conflict with the department’s |
Practice your lectures as you’re writing them so you know how long each topic will take (and structure your course accordingly!) |
Walk into class without running through your lecture at least once… your class will probably be able to tell you weren’t prepared |
Make use of slides and other content that textbook publishers make available |
Use these materials without skimming through first… sometimes things are outdated or won’t make sense to your class |
Think ahead and be proactive by addressing potential problems in your syllabus |
Make your syllabus unclear, difficult to follow, or a laundry list of harsh rules |
Develop a clear course schedule and try to stick to it |
Beat yourself up if you have to revise it during the semester |
Demonstrate professionalism in-person and via email correspondence with your students |
Try to be BFFs with your students |
Remember that you have other responsibilities and allocate your time accordingly |
Neglect your teaching duties, students’ emails, or office hours |
Hopefully this is a good summary of how you can get started with course prep. Obviously, some of this information will be more relevant for certain course topics than others, and each university may have completely different guidelines! Don’t be afraid to ask your advisor, other faculty, or more senior graduate students for help, and remember to give yourself plenty of time to prepare. If you’d like more information, teaching resources, or ideas for activities, check out the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (APA’s Div. 2) at http://teachpsych.org. Good luck and happy teaching!