Peer Review Portfolio
Judy Provo-Klimek
  1. Focus Question
  2. Microscopic Anatomy and AP 710
    1. About the subject
    2. Connection with other courses/disciplines
    3. Course design
  3. Teaching Microscopic Anatomy
    1. My teaching style
    2. Personal goals for teaching Microscopic Anatomy, AP710
    3. My syllabus
  4. Implementation
    1. Lecture sessions
    2. Problem Based Learning activities
    3. Laboratory discussions
    4. Time spent outside class
  5. Results
    1. Evidence of student learning
    2. Suggestions from students
  6. Implications
    1. Reflection
    2. Planned changes
  7. Appendices
    1. Appendix A: Sample PBL Exercise
    2. Appendix B: Examinations
    3. Appendix C: Samples of student work
    4. Appendix D: Teaching Evaluation data

 

Lecture Sessions

I use PowerPoint for my lectures. I incorporate many images into the presentation, as well as schematic illustrations that I have designed. Students have a set of notes for my lectures included in their handout packet. My note format is to use the handout format for notes in PowerPoint. Following are some examples of slides from my presentations.

As mentioned, I am trying to incorporate more "active learning" techniques into my lecture sessions. Last fall I was able to successfully include one to three small group discussion activities into several of my lectures. I brought the class roster to class, and advertised that after each of the small group activities I would randomly call on students to answer for their small group. I always have a "Question Break" approximately midway through my presentations during which I give 2-4 minutes for the students to stretch, go to the bathroom, etc., and this uses some of my time. I have been using "example test questions" at the break for several years, and I occasionally scatter them elsewhere in the presentation. The examples above show some of these techniques, as well as some of the schematic illustrations I have created.

Last fall I observed one of my colleagues lecture in another course, and as a result, I realized that I needed to add an "objectives" slide at the beginning of each presentation. Despite knowing intellectually the importance of having clear objectives for each class, I had fallen out of the habit of writing them out for myself, and hardly ever included them explicitly in the presentation. When I started writing objectives and including them in the presentation, I found it was much easier to organize my thoughts.

Students have handouts based on these presentations. I like students to have to fill in some of the notes, and I have left blanks in the text of the handouts in previous years. This always causes concern by the students that they are missing some of what I say in their attempt to fill in their notes, and I have come to regard this as a valid criticism. Last year I supplied handouts with the complete text for nearly every slide, because I realize that I usually elaborate enough on what is on the slide that the students still have to take notes. It has taken me a fairly long time to come around to their way of thinking on this one point, mainly because some of the best notes I had as a student were in outline form that I could follow and add to during lecture.

I am a little uncomfortable with the fact that we have to have the handouts prepared in the spring for duplication in the summer, because I often change my presentation (or would like to) at the "last minute" as I am re-reading the material and preparing to teach it. As a result, I sometimes prepare "supplemental" handouts if I change the order or content from what is in the handout. I also try to save for the next year a version of the presentation with all the changes I have made.

 
 

Last modified March 13, 2001