Managing Large-scale Multi-Section Introductory Courses
These pages are based on discussions and contributions from participants in the 2014 Getting the Most Out of your Introductory Courses workshop.
At many institutions, introductory courses consist of multiple large lecture and lab sections and serve hundreds of students each term. Such courses often involve teaching assistants (graduate or undergraduate), adjunct professors, or teams of faculty. These pages, based on the experiences and best practices of participants in the Getting the Most Out of Your Introductory Courses workshop will help you deal with the many challenges involved with large introductory courses.
Working Effectively with Teaching Assistants
Teaching Assistants (TAs) can be an invaluable resource in classrooms both large and small.Learn more about how to work effectively with TAs. These resources, designed both for individual faculty and use at the department level, can be used to improve the quality of instruction in geoscience classes that use teaching assistants, with a special emphasis on introductory courses.
Working with Adjuncts
Ensuring that adjunct professors can hit the ground running in a new situation presents a unique challenge, both to departments and the incoming individual. Learn more about strategies for effectively launching new adjunct faculty.
Faculty Teams
When done well, team teaching can be a rewarding experience for both instructors and students, but there are hurdles to overcome in order to make it work. Learn more about strategies for Team Teaching.