Supporting physics teaching with research-based resources

These quick tips from the Faculty Teaching Institute can help you get started designing a new course. 

Develop student learning outcomes (SLOs) to focus the course or unit. Include scientific content, scientific practices, and affective goals. Ensure that the SLOs are clear, that each SLO can be assessed, and that SLOs are at the appropriate level (e.g., higher/lower order). Use backwards design to align your SLOs, instruction, and assessment.

Use Principles of Teaching and Learning as a guide, to maximize student learning and inclusion. For example, have you included opportunities for feedback? You might look at each activity you design to see which Principles you are incorporating, and consider if there are ways to incorporate others. Or, you might choose a couple of Principles to focus on in your course design (to reduce overwhelm).

Select active learning techniques to support student learning, especially around the most difficult topics. Use a variety of techniques.

Aim for 3 hours of preparation for each hour of teaching, so that you teach well, but do not over-spend your time on preparation.

Give explicit instructions and structure students’ collaboration (e.g., assign partners) to ensure that all students (regardless of background or past experience) know what to do and nobody is left out.

Create explicit structure and organization so all students know what to expect in class, what to do to succeed in your course, and can plan ahead for their learning. For example, you might start each day with a warm-up, or identify the SLOs at the start of each unit and each class.

Reflect on the course or class to learn and refine over time. Reflect and take notes after every class, give opportunities for student feedback, and incorporate into your future classes. Discuss your design with colleagues and solicit their feedback, especially colleagues with different backgrounds from yours.

This Expert Recommendation was based in part on L. D. Fink, Creating significant learning experiences (Jossey-Bass, 2013), W. McKeachie & M. Svinicki,  McKeachie’s Teaching Tips (Cengage Learning, 2014), and G. Wiggins & J. McTighe, Understanding by Design (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA, 2005).

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants DUE-2141678, 2141745, 2141769, 2141795, and 2142045.  Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.