Suggestion 7. Telephone colleagues conducting state-of-the-art research

IF YOU WANT TO:

• Discuss recent developments in the field

• Convey a sense of the open-ended nature of research

Telephoning colleagues who are conducting state-of-the-art research on key course topics to get the latest information.

For example, before giving her lecture on the heart, a physiology professor calls researchers at Stanford and UCSF to get the most recent statistics and findings on heart transplants. Similarly, a law professor directly contacts attorneys involved in important cases pending or under adjudication, making her lectures even more up-to-date than the Advance Sheets which give the first printed results of court decisions.

A professor in geography routinely calls his contacts in Washington to get the latest information on environmental legislation which he incorporates into his lectures.

This type of up-to-the-minute reporting on a few major developments relevant to the course content can help you convey a sense of the excitement of research to students.

Limitations on Use of Suggestion

  Discipline:  Subjects with recent developments
Course Level:  None
 Course Size:  None
        Mode:  None

Copyright 1983 by the Regents of the University of California

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