Organization of the Suggestions

There are 23 primary sets of suggestions: each set corresponds with an aspect of teaching commonly included on student end-of-course evaluation forms. For example, the suggestions in Section 5 relate to the student evaluation item, "Explains clearly." If you want to improve the clarity of your explanations, the suggestions presented in this section would be of particular interest. Two additional suggestions are compilations of points related to course development, instructional techniques, and the use of TAs. The 25 sections are listed in the Table of Contents; corresponding items on the particular student evaluation questionnaire used in collecting the suggestions appear in Appendix A and a parallel self-evaluation form appears in Appendix B.

Each suggestion is presented in the same format, one to a page. It begins with "If You Want To" followed by one or more desired outcomes, the first of which corresponds to the specific section topic. A one-sentence description of the suggestion is then presented, giving the essence of the idea. Following the shorthand description are one or more paragraphs which elaborate the suggestion in terms of its logistics, rationale, and origin. At the bottom of the page possible limitations on the use of the suggestions are noted.

Most of the suggestions in the compendium can be implemented quickly with little or no changes in teaching style or activities. Some require careful planning and modification of course structure or format. In all cases, the suggestions are meant to be stimuli for thinking about teaching, not pat answers or panaceas.

We recognize that there is more than one way of teaching well. Therefore, the ideas presented in the compendium offer a range of effective strategies for improving teaching from which an instructor can select those which best suit his or her teaching style as well as the course level, size, and content. With judicious selection and adaptation, both novices and experienced teachers can augment their teaching strengths, correct or ameliorate their teaching weaknesses, and greatly expand their repertoire of teaching techniques to respond to new teaching situations.