Workshop on

Enhancing Teaching Effectiveness:

Preliminary Remarks
Hue, June 11 – 12, 2007
Danang, June 14 - 15, 2007

Presenter: Prof. Tung Bui - University of Hawai’i at Manoa

Assistant: Ky Nguyen - University of Hawai’i at Manoa

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New Teaching Methodologies:
Are they for real?

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A “bonding” test…

Watch what I just said…

And tell me what you “feel” about this
seminar.

Write the 3 “perceptions” here:…

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 Preliminary remarks

 Education in the US:

 Increasing complaints about neglects of teaching
(at Stanford and elsewhere) on behalf of research
 What’s wrong with teaching excellence in
America?
 Publish or perish
 A few hints…
 Answer: 16 suggested actions from the
American Council of Learned Societies (Bok,
Harvard)

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Nine things students complain
about… UC Berkeley

 Not enough concrete examples

 Lectures/Hwk don’t match exams
 Homeworks don’t match lectures
 Instructors don’t show enthusiasm
 Instructors don’t ask questions
 Material is dry
 Oral presentations don’t add more to text
 Instructors do not pause

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Some hints…

Hint 1: Your Passion is contagious

Hint 2: Environment matters
Hint 3: Evaluation works only if…
Hint 4: Focus on learners, not you…

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Hint 1: Teaching must be a
passion…

Passion leads to bonding with students:

 Show that you like the topic (enthusiasm)
 Show that you have expertise on the topic
 Show that you care for the audience
(bonding)

Must make it happen in the first minute

in class!

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Hint 2:

 Create a welcoming classroom environment

 Friendly relationship; allow questions, know people, etc.
 Establish boundaries
 Rules of the games (class behaviors, attendance, cell
phones, sms, office hours, etc.)
 Time management (don’t rush, don’t drag)
 Constructive closure (provoking ending)
 Building support networks
 Share syllabi, materials, guest speakers, etc.

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Hint 3: Use evaluation to your
benefit

Get early feedback

 Most positive, most negative,
recommendation, [1-10] scale
 Show students that you take them
seriously; share with them your thoughts
after you reviewed evaluations

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Hint 4: Motivate learners

 Nurture “can do” attitude

 Use encouraging words
 Reward and care (participation points)
 Set clear learning goals and expectations
 Explain tasks clearly
 Let learners take ownership of learning (culture of
excellence and self promotion)
 Use positive emotions
 Gaming
 Provide learners to help others
 Active participation, outside classroom activities

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The 16 recommendations from a
Harvard professor…

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Appointments and Preparation for Teaching

Teaching fellows
Junior faculty
Senior faculty

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 Teaching Fellows

Language proficiency (Requiring

Proficiency in English)
Giving Preparatory Training
Providing Faculty Supervision
Preventing Inadequate Instruction (evaluation,
remedial)
Assembling Teaching Portfolios

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 Junior Faculty

Collecting Better Evidence of Teaching

Offering Suitable Preparation for Teaching

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Senior Faculty

 Obtaining Adequate Evidence of Teaching

 Obtaining Adequate Evidence of Teaching
 Refusing to Lower Teaching Loads
 Requiring Student Evaluation
 Providing Opportunities to Improve Teaching
 Offering Grants for Educational Innovation
 Evaluating New Initiatives
 Mounting a Continuous Program of Educational Research
 Publicizing New Ideas

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What’s behind these
recommendations:

Need to understand
foundations/philosophies of teaching
Need to understand learners
Need to be aware about new
techniques
Need to appreciate the role of ICT in
higher ed

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Four sessions…

From philosophy of teaching to

techniques
From classroom techniques to e-
learning
From one-minute paper to group
discussion

Active thinking ! We deliver “ideas”,

you make it happen!
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What can we achieve in 2 days?

Seeking a compromise…
 Lots of materials
 Get participation

 Your decision!

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Sources

 Derek Bok, The improvement of teaching, American Council of

Learned Societies, Occasional Paper, No. 16.
 Susan Peterson, “Christensen offers helpful hints for classroom
teaching” Gazette staff, 1996.
 And many others….

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