ABSTRACT

The Classroom Vignettes columns for both September 2016 and March 2017, and don'ts related to the classroom environment, including student-faculty interactions and general classroom parameters, and combating implicit bias, details of slides, board notes, and similar day-to-day activities. The Curricular Syncopations column presents practical tips and techniques for planning and organizing a course for the first time. As with other columns in this series, the comments presented here are designed as a starting point rather than a definitive or complete statement regarding effective teaching. When a course has not been taught previously or when few narratives seem available regarding expectations, an instructor may need to be creative and resourceful in getting started. This chapter reviews three main deliverables (reading list, syllabus, and day-by-day schedule) and comments upon the planning required for each, and also provides some initial thoughts regarding eventual assessment of the course.