SIR II Aids


SIR II™ Student Instructional Report - "a course evaluation survey that quickly and objectively captures students' perceptions of their higher education learning experience...the SIR II survey has helped faculty and administrators improve teaching effectiveness and learning quality." For more information about this survey see the SIR II™ website.

Below are some cross-links and new links that may be helpful as one considers their Student Instructional Report, SIR II. 

Quick Links to:

A. Course Organization and Planning
B. Communication
C. Faculty/Student Interaction
D. Assignments, Exams, and Grading
E. Supplemental Instructional Methods

A. Course Organization and Planning

Course Design - See links on this page to topics below:

Course Design Tools
Designing Smart Lectures - online tutorial from University of   Minnesota
Good Teaching Practices
Moodle – free web-based software for online courses
Stanford University’s Newsletter on Teaching – Vol. 13, No. 2- Designing Courses

Group Facilitation

Summarizing and Emphasizing Important Points in class

Summarizing Major Points in Class - (Using these basic principles you can adapt these suggested blackboard uses to newer technology use, i.e. PowerPoint, etc.)

Emphasizing important points in class
     from A Berkeley Compendium - Identifying what you consider important
     from Teaching for Effective Learning by Nira Hativa

See also Active Learning

Syllabus Aids - see several good links on this page

Teaching Tips from Cleveland State University

See: The First Day of Class: Setting the Right Tone
        101 Things You Can Do the First Four Weeks of Class
        Active Learning, Classroom Assessment

B. Communication    (back to top)

Course Expectations - from U of Minnesota Syllabus tutorial

Critical Thinking and Listening Skills - many helpful links

Under "Questions and Strategies to Promote Active and Critical Listening and Critical Thinking Skills" see handouts #25, #26, #28  for examples of modeling and guiding questions to help students improve critical listening skills and develop intellectual standards to assess their thinking. (quick link to this MSWord document here)

How to Retain Students' Attention-
"Through the Shadow of the Valley How to Retain Attention in the Classroom" by Larry M. Robbins - a variety of good specific examples

Learning Styles and Theory - use for effective teaching

Motivating Students

Motivating Students by Barbara Gross Davis, University of California, Berkeley –(research based article)  1) General strategies, 2) Instructional behaviors that motivate, 3) Structuring the course, 4) De-emphasizing grades, 5) Responding to their work, 6) Motivating students to do the reading, 7) References

Motivation Students to Succeed - suggestions from the FDC at UMBC
“Research shows that professors can do a variety of things to help sustain student motivation. For example…”

Motivating Students to Use Textbooks - "Using Textbooks Effectively, Getting Students to Read Them" by Denise R. Boyd

Presentation Tips

Rewards - "Creativity and intrinsic interest diminish if task is done for gain" by Alfie Kohn

Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID) - a method whereby instructors can receive constructive feedback from a class
 

C. Faculty/Student Interaction    (back to top)

Faculty/Student Interaction - a short paper with some suggestions for professors

Journal Articles:

"The effect of student-faculty interaction on students' educational outcomes" - by Jean J. Endo and Richard L. Harpel. Research in Higher Education.

"Faculty-student interactions and the student-perceived climate for caring" - by Hughes, Linda RN, MSN. Advances in Nursing Science

"Quality and Frequency of Faculty-Student Interaction as Predictors of Learning: An Analysis by Student Race/Ethnicity" - by Lundberg, Carol A.& Schreiner, Laurie A. Journal of College Student Development
 

Ideas to Encourage Student Retention - 63 ideas from a faculty seminar subdivided into four general categories:
Faculty/Student Interaction, General Class Management,
Student-Initiated Activities, Faculty-Initiated Activities

Intercultural Communication Institute - "a private, nonprofit foundation designed to foster an awareness and appreciation of cultural differences in both the international and domestic arenas." Summer workshops are available.
See Resources from their site

Learning Styles - awareness of these may give credence to offer a variety of teaching and learning methods

Overcoming Procrastination - Tips you can give your students.

Strategies to Help Students Read Better - from The University of Iowa

Study Tips from Students (updated regularly)

Teaching Materials - from The University of Iowa. See their links to materials on these Topics:
    Classroom Discussions
    Cognitive Processes, Learning Strategies
    Concept Maps: Learning Made Visible
    Learning Style Preferences
    Media Messages and Media Literacy
    Millennial Learners
    Reading Strategies
    Rubrics
    Syllabus
    Teaching Portfolios
    Teaching in Times of Crisis
    Well-Mannered Classroom
    Writing Test Questions

See also Teaching Tips: Motivating College Students to Read and Study

D. Assignment, Exams, and Grading     (back to top)

Getting More “Teaching” out of “Testing and “Grading”- Stanford University

See Grading and Texts under University of Minnesota Syllabus Tutorial

Teaching Materials - from The University of Iowa. See their links to materials on  these Topics:
    Concept Maps: Learning Made Visible
    Rubrics
    Teaching Portfolios
    Writing Test Questions

E. Supplementary Instructional Methods    (back to top)

            See assorted topics in Stanford University's Newsletters on Teaching

            See also Instructional Topics on this FDC website.