daadforundergrads_9.10..pdf |
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It's Wednesday morning, I get to the office at 8:20 am ready for final preparations for my 10:05 am class. Before that I have office hours starting at 9:00 a.m., and many e-mails from students and colleagues to follow up on. As I enter my office, the message light on the phone is blinking. New information on some of the events on campus has come through. While I'm listening to the messages, I catch, out of the corner of my eyes, a student walking towards my office door. I wave him in. I know there's a problem he needs to discuss with me, even though office hours haven't begun.
My student begins to share why he has not turned in some of his written assignments, something I know many professors in Higher Ed face daily. Here the issue is very disheartening; his father had died in a plane crash back in his home country in Africa. Understandably my student is a little preoccupied with this issue the student and I discuss ways for him to complete the course as this issue was not likely to be resolved any time soon. We agree on a plan and the student is relieved—for now. What a way to start the day! REFLECTION
During the past few years, I have realised that my teaching approach needs to adjust, not just for the diverse groups of students but also for the changing technologies available to both instructor and student. Like Walvoord & Anderson(1998) and Fink(2003), I desire for my students to : · Master the subject content · Learn how to use the content in their lives (jobs) For many business/accounting courses, the most effective way of accomplishing these goals have been through hands on exercises and group work using the various software packages common in the workplace. The exercises are based on actual procedures and tasks that students would be expected to perform on the job. This helps students to implement the theory learnt previously and understand the mechanics of the various disciplines. This also allows the instructor to see A) what techniques are most effective in delivering information, B) what volume of instruction and exercises students can handle in a given period, C) Which students require more personal attention to complete the given tasks, and D) how the group dynamics affect student performance. Walvoord, B. E., & Anderson, V. J. (1998). Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment. Jossey-Bass Publishers. |