If you’ve taught report writing, you may have found it difficult to explain how to weigh the importance of one solution criterion against another.  Filippo A. Salustri, a professor of mechanical engineering at Ryerson, has devised a straightforward pairwise comparison problem-solving method that you could introduce to your students. Thanks to Richard McMaster for drawing my attention to this tool.

You may also want to look at Professor Salustri’s engineering design site.  His uncompromising policy on grade bumping requests, entitled “don’t bother begging for marks,” is eye-opening.

© Sandra Rosenberg 2017

Assignment #1:  Participation – Your Most Important First Impression

Students are often unsure about how to decide if they will do well in a course.  Chances are they have consulted anyone with any knowledge of the course and, importantly, the professor; so it is imperative to be both clear and up front about how the class will run.

The first day is critical, with students assessing how much they like an instructor, and, increasingly, if they will “have fun”.  It is the second of these two that worries me enough to ensure “what you see is what you get” in the first assignment, which is typically given before the drop date.

I have found that spelling out clearly exactly how a grade is achieved, with a generalized rubric if possible, helps students know both how to do their best, and why the grade is justified.  Complaints are reduced in direct proportion to how clearly the numbers add up.

Here is one version of my participation grade for a skills-based introductory level communication course: Participation

Thomas Hawk

                                                                                                        VaXzine

© Kevin Leung 2017

As instructors, we’ve probably heard many tips on teaching and studying throughout our careers.  How many of these prescriptions actually hold up in the research? You might be wondering: Should we tailor teaching to different learning styles? What’s the best way for students to review materials for an exam? Do left-brained and right-brained people learn differently?

Extensive psychology research has shed light on these questions.  Take this short quiz yourself (below) to see if you still subscribe to any learning myths!

QUIZ