Instructional and Classroom Information

The adult student has been out of school for some period of time and, therefore, may experience anxiety the first night of class. Listed below are some suggestions that may ease those anxieties:

• Hold class for entire class period.
• Make sure the room is comfortable. See that there are enough desks and that there is adequate lighting.
• Let the first forty-five minutes of the class be the instructor’s “show”. It will give the student a chance to relax a bit.
• Hand out the syllabus so the student knows from the start what is expected of him.
• Teach material, without using the textbook. This is the instructor’s only chance to make a good first impression. Use stand-alone materials that can be mastered in 30-45 minutes. Each student should feel as if he has gained or learned something from this activity.
• Present concepts that are easily grasped. This is a good way to build positive self-esteem.
• Select a getting acquainted activity in which the entire class can participate. Perhaps the instructor could pair students and ask them to interview each other. Then ask the pairs to introduce each other to the class. This is a good way to break the ice, and it makes the class feel like a group.
• Encourage each student to exchange phone numbers with a classmate. If a student should ever miss a class, he/she has a contact for class assignments and notes. It is best if each student exchanges with someone he/she doesn’t know. Friends have a tendency to miss class at the same time.
• Be humorous, but not sarcastic. The ability to laugh at oneself relaxes the class and creates a more casual atmosphere.
• Use personal experiences only when they are content-related.
• Dress professionally.

A class that meets for three hours tends to become monotonous for both the instructor and the student. However, the instructor who varies their teaching methods easily overcomes this obstacle and moves along the path toward excellent instruction. Below are some suggestions for teaching classes that meets for an extended time period.

• Know and enjoy the subject.
• Keep books or notes at hand but do not read from them. Have questions prepared that will encourage discussion and participation.
• Preview with students at the beginning of each session what will be covered in the session and how that fits with other learnings. Review what has been learned at the close of each session.
• Use practical relevant examples. Invite the student to share examples with the class.
• A student’s attention span is only about twenty minutes. It is, therefore, important for the instructor to vary classroom activities.
• It is a good idea to present material in segments. Lecture for twenty minutes and then check for understanding. Make sure that some activities are instructor led, some are group led, and some are student led. Ask for specific questions, and call on the student by name to gain a wide based feeling of each student’s understanding of the concept.
• Use the chalkboard and the overhead when explaining information. The student prefers this to straight lecture. In this way, the handout is reinforcement – not a distraction.
• Handouts should be printed or typed. Any copies should be easy to read and have sharp contrast. Remember that more is not necessarily better; don’t overwhelm the student with paper.
• Make use of handouts when lecturing. Present a concept and then distribute a handout. If several handouts are used, distribute them one at a time to emphasize a specific area covered.
• When lecturing, be sure to use headings or markers. This allows the student to follow the presentation of ideas in a logical order.
• Develop activities that will allow the student to work with others in a group. This takes the pressure off the individual and lets each student actively participate.
• Be sure to explain how material is relevant to the course. Show how the information may applicable to other subjects as well.
• Learn to sense when a student is on task and when a student is losing the ability to focus attention. A good way to regain an individual’s attention is to change proximity or voice tone. If several students are off task, it is time for a break, a change of activity, or a change of pace.
• Show enthusiasm by varying pitch and tone.

The following are minimal suggestions for the development of a test:

• The test should be readable.
• The test should be grammatically sound and free of spelling mistakes.
• The test should utilize all types of questions.

Two critical issues to consider when developing effective tests are that they should be both reliable and valid. A reliable test is one that consistently yields the same result. For example, if an instructor gives the same test ion three different sections of the same course, the results should be similar. Since it is sometimes difficult for the student to determine what the instructor considers testable material, it is a good idea to test often and to test only limited amounts of information. This ensures that a student’s subject-related abilities will be tested rather than his/her ability to guess what will be tested.

In addition, a test should be valid. It should measure the information it intends to measure and the information that has been covered in class. One way to do this is to decide what percentage of class time was spent on each topic; the number of questions for each topic should be distributed proportionately.

Test Questions

When developing test questions, an instructor needs to consider what it is he/she wants to measure or find out. Furthermore, the type of question that would best facilitate the answer should be considered. A test that utilizes all types of questions is most effective. Factual questions such as true/false and matching are most practical when testing for recall and memory. Short answer and essay question are effective when seeking answers that require interpretation and application. Multiple choice questions can be either category depending on how they are written.

There are special considerations when writing each type of test question:

• True/false questions need to be written carefully to prevent answers from being quite obvious or intentionally tricky.
• When using multiple choice type questions all responses should be of the same length and construction. An instructor needs to make sure that choices are distributed evenly and that all answers are credible.
• When testing for interpretation and application, the instructor needs to determine what answer is correct or acceptable before administrating the test to decrease the subjectivity associated with the grading for both essay and short answer questions.

If an instructor has questions about grading, he/she will want to contact the appropriate Division Chair at the beginning of the term. The Division Chair can give the instructor information such as:

• The approximate withdrawal rate for a specific course.
• The percentage of A’s, B’s, C’s, D’s and F’s usually given for a particular course.

Grades are extremely important especially in sequence courses. The student is expected to have developed certain skills upon completion of such a course. The grade given should reflect the student’s skills and knowledge. Although every instructor does not grade in the same way, there should be some continuity. The following are questions that an instructor often considers when deciding grades:

• Should the student’s grade be based on progress?
• Should the student’s grade be based on competency?
• Should the student’s grade be based on percentiles or a point system?

Again, the appropriate Division Chair can help or refer the instructor for help.

If there is a concern about the grades a particular instructor is issuing, this concern will be pointed out to the instructor by the Division Chair. For example, if an instructor has a high withdrawal rate for a particular class or if grades seem inflated, the instructor will be made aware of this situation in the following manner:

• The instructor will receive a grade distribution sheet of all the classes taught in his/her division.
• The instructor’s grades will be highlighted so he/she can see how his grades compare with other instructors who teach the same class.
• If the pattern continues, the Division Chair will ask the instructor to work with a mentor until some consistency with departmental norms is shown.

Grade Correction

On occasion, an instructor may calculate a grade incorrectly. Should this come to the instructor’s attention after grades have been submitted, a grade correction form should be completed by the instructor. This form includes the student’s name and Colleague id number as well as the section number of the class. The form states that a grade has been figured incorrectly and need to be changed. The instructor will need to provide a reason for the grade change. The form must be signed by the instructor and the appropriate Division Chair.

Rosters are accessed electronically through the IRIS system. Students will start appearing on rosters when pre-registration starts.

Students have two days to add classes. They can drop a class and receive a refund through 10 class days.  After the ten day period, you will receive notification via your Lake Land email account to check your roster and compare it with the students who are actually attending your class.

Please ask students whose names do not appear on the roster to contact the Admissions Office at 217-234-5434. The student will appear on your roster once they are enrolled.

A “U” will appear in the grade column after 10-day for any students who auditing the course. Students who say they are auditing and no “U” appears are to contact the Admissions Office as soon as possible.

Midterm Rosters

Instructors will receive notification via their Lake Land email account that it is time to complete midterm rosters.

Midterm rosters are located under Grading on IRIS.

• Select appropriate term from dropdown box and click submit.
• Check the midterm date in the second column from the right, this date tells you when the mid-term needs to be completed by.
• Select appropriate roster (I-Midterm or F-Final).
• Click in the box next to the class listing that you would like to complete and click submit.
• The next screen will show only the students who are currently enrolled. If a student has withdrawn their name will not be listed.
• Place a “W” in the midterm column for any student who has not been in attendance and cannot successfully complete the course with a grade of “D” or higher. No other grades should be assigned at this time.
• Click in the box by the statement “Check box to verify midterm enrollment”.
• Click submit.
• This process will need to be done for each section that you are teaching.
• To check to see if the process has been completed on a class, check the third column from the right. If the midterm is verified there will be a yes in that column.
• Printed copies are no longer required to be turned in for college’s records. However, printing is encouraged for your personal files.

If a student does not appear on this roster, he/she should contact the Admissions Office at 217-234-5434. Any instructor who is interested in a student’s registration is encouraged to call the Admissions Office at 217-234-5434.

Note:  The best way for an instructor to make sure that his/her grade roster contains the correct names is to thoroughly check the roster and report any discrepancies to the Admissions Office at 217-234-5434.

Grade Rosters

Instructors will receive notification via their Lake Land email account that it is time to post grades.

Grade rosters are located under Grading on IRIS.

• Select appropriate term from dropdown box and click submit.
• Select appropriate roster (I-Midterm or F-Final).
• Click in the box next to the class listing that you would like to complete and click submit.
• The next screen will show only the students who are currently enrolled. If a student has withdrawn their name will not be listed.
• The instructor is to assign each student one of the following grades: A, B, C, D, F or I (Incomplete). Plus (+) and minus (-) grades are unacceptable.
• For students receiving incompletes, place an “I” in the grade column and enter the midterm date of the next semester in the box located in the “Expire Date” column. Please note that an incomplete form must be in the Admissions Office before grades are verified.
• Click in the box by the statement “Check box to show completion of final grades”.
• Click submit.
• This process will need to be done for each section that you are teaching.
• To check to see if the process has been completed on a class, check the last column on the right. If the final grades have been submitted there will be a yes in that column.
• Printed copies are no longer required to be turned in for the college’s records. However, printing is encouraged for your personal files.

Grade Situations and Solutions

• Situation : Sometimes, a student tells the instructor that he/she is dropping the course, but the student’s name appears on the grade roster to receive a grade.
• Solution: The student has not done the paperwork to officially withdraw from the course. The instructor must assign the student a grade. An incomplete is not an appropriate grade.
• Situation: A student claims that he/she is auditing your course, but is on the grade roster with no pre-assigned grade of a “U”.
• Solution: The student must fill out an audit form requesting a “U” as a grade at the time of registration. The instructor will see this “U” on both the ten-day and mid-term rosters, the student should be warned that the proper paperwork has not been done. In this situation described, the instructor must assign the student a grade.

An incomplete grade should be requested only in an extreme emergency, such as illness. The incomplete grade must by requested by the student, and he/she must be passing at the time of the request. In addition, a Request to Obtain an Incomplete Form must be filled out. This form must be signed by both the instructor and the student. The original and two copies of this form must be submitted to the Admissions Office by the time grades are due.

Following up an Incomplete

The instructor will be responsible for reporting the student’s grade on an Incomplete Grade Change form by the midterm of the next term. At this time, the instructor must assign a grade of A, B, C, D, or F.