1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,730 [MUSIC PLAYING] 2 00:00:03,730 --> 00:00:06,700 ALEX THEOS: It's definitely worth, in the context of a 12 3 00:00:06,700 --> 00:00:09,520 students, upper level science seminar, 4 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:12,970 to learn as much as you can about those individual students 5 00:00:12,970 --> 00:00:16,450 within the group, to get to know how one group is 6 00:00:16,450 --> 00:00:17,990 different from another. 7 00:00:17,990 --> 00:00:22,540 what are the specific goals for each and an individual 8 00:00:22,540 --> 00:00:23,590 within that group? 9 00:00:23,590 --> 00:00:26,860 Are there specific content topics 10 00:00:26,860 --> 00:00:29,620 that these students really want to know more about? 11 00:00:29,620 --> 00:00:32,320 Because for example, they come from a research lab 12 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:33,060 environment. 13 00:00:33,060 --> 00:00:35,690 This is very common in the cell biology of cancer course. 14 00:00:35,690 --> 00:00:37,757 The better the small group of students, 15 00:00:37,757 --> 00:00:40,090 the better you're going to be able to tailor what you're 16 00:00:40,090 --> 00:00:42,430 doing, as you progress through their seminar, 17 00:00:42,430 --> 00:00:44,870 to the individual needs of those different students. 18 00:00:44,870 --> 00:00:46,450 CHRISTOPHER KING: One way to make 19 00:00:46,450 --> 00:00:48,370 sure everyone is engaged in the process 20 00:00:48,370 --> 00:00:51,370 is to build it into your rubric for your course, right? 21 00:00:51,370 --> 00:00:55,840 So participation is a percentage of the grade. 22 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:57,940 And not only just the number of times 23 00:00:57,940 --> 00:01:03,490 you speak, but the substantive nature of your points. 24 00:01:03,490 --> 00:01:05,030 And that's what we're looking for. 25 00:01:05,030 --> 00:01:07,730 And the students know that, in the beginning of the course. 26 00:01:07,730 --> 00:01:08,530 And we talk about. 27 00:01:08,530 --> 00:01:10,900 I give examples of what that looks like when 28 00:01:10,900 --> 00:01:12,280 we're having dialogue, right? 29 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:15,370 What is substantive versus just asking 30 00:01:15,370 --> 00:01:17,030 a question several times? 31 00:01:17,030 --> 00:01:18,940 That's not going to make the cut. 32 00:01:18,940 --> 00:01:21,580 It's really making a meaningful contribution 33 00:01:21,580 --> 00:01:25,450 that aligns with the competencies of the course 34 00:01:25,450 --> 00:01:26,650 that's being taught. 35 00:01:26,650 --> 00:01:28,930 RHONDA DZAKPASU: I think the major tip to give 36 00:01:28,930 --> 00:01:34,540 is to make sure that you're comfortable with not covering 37 00:01:34,540 --> 00:01:38,470 everything that you plan to cover, A. But B, being 38 00:01:38,470 --> 00:01:42,700 comfortable or being prepared to say that you've got not just 39 00:01:42,700 --> 00:01:47,620 your syllabus, but the course notes well articulated 40 00:01:47,620 --> 00:01:51,010 and being able to convey this to the students. 41 00:01:51,010 --> 00:01:54,770 So oftentimes, if we do find that we are behind, 42 00:01:54,770 --> 00:01:56,980 I will tell them, OK, you know that we've not 43 00:01:56,980 --> 00:02:00,280 done this particular section in the chapter of the text. 44 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:02,830 And then having the students do this off site. 45 00:02:02,830 --> 00:02:04,390 So on their own, reading it. 46 00:02:04,390 --> 00:02:08,289 And then Perhaps assigning an additional homework problem 47 00:02:08,289 --> 00:02:11,000 that will cover material that you've not covered. 48 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,410 So I think the tips are having a really good idea of what 49 00:02:14,410 --> 00:02:16,750 you would like to do, but then being 50 00:02:16,750 --> 00:02:19,390 comfortable working in the space of well, 51 00:02:19,390 --> 00:02:21,550 we might not get to all of this. 52 00:02:21,550 --> 00:02:24,850 And then being able to say, all right, what are the essence? 53 00:02:24,850 --> 00:02:27,010 What's the essence of the material? 54 00:02:27,010 --> 00:02:30,730 What are the kernels that really you want your students 55 00:02:30,730 --> 00:02:31,750 to take home with? 56 00:02:31,750 --> 00:02:35,620 And then, drive this home maybe every week or so, 57 00:02:35,620 --> 00:02:38,830 to make sure that they also know, OK, we've fallen behind. 58 00:02:38,830 --> 00:02:40,708 But we're still learning x, y, or z. 59 00:02:40,708 --> 00:02:42,250 ALEX THEOS: The classroom that you're 60 00:02:42,250 --> 00:02:45,020 teaching in can often have a dramatic impact, 61 00:02:45,020 --> 00:02:48,670 especially on a very small seminar style environment, 62 00:02:48,670 --> 00:02:51,760 where you really want a lot of discussion between you 63 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:53,950 and the students and also, in between 64 00:02:53,950 --> 00:02:56,000 those individual students. 65 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:57,730 So I have taught these different seminars 66 00:02:57,730 --> 00:02:59,080 in multiple different rooms. 67 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,380 And classrooms are not very good, generally, for seminars. 68 00:03:02,380 --> 00:03:05,230 If you can get hold of a conference room with a table, 69 00:03:05,230 --> 00:03:07,460 where everybody sitting across from each other, 70 00:03:07,460 --> 00:03:11,050 that's far more conducive to some animated and engaged 71 00:03:11,050 --> 00:03:12,010 discussion. 72 00:03:12,010 --> 00:03:15,370 CHRISTOPHER KING: The most significant tip for anyone 73 00:03:15,370 --> 00:03:20,710 who's teaching a seminar based course is humility. 74 00:03:20,710 --> 00:03:25,330 It's just really important that you recognize that you just 75 00:03:25,330 --> 00:03:26,260 don't know everything. 76 00:03:26,260 --> 00:03:29,680 As much as we strive, we're not omniscient, right? 77 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:34,000 And so humility, teaching this course, 78 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,100 and also, knowing that you're learning. 79 00:03:36,100 --> 00:03:38,668 I consider myself as a student when other students 80 00:03:38,668 --> 00:03:40,210 are talking about what they're doing, 81 00:03:40,210 --> 00:03:41,440 in a clinical environment. 82 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:42,550 I'm learning. 83 00:03:42,550 --> 00:03:44,950 And so I think students value that. 84 00:03:44,950 --> 00:03:49,120 They want to see a professor who enjoys learning 85 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:51,660 and helps facilitate that process. 86 00:03:51,660 --> 00:03:53,710 So the bar's raised for the entire class. 87 00:03:53,710 --> 00:03:55,860 [MUSIC PLAYING] 88 00:03:55,860 --> 00:03:59,000