The following suggestions for conducting well-attended, interesting classes have been culled from a variety of professional articles on teaching successful college courses. Faculty members can also refer to the Center for Teaching Excellence's (5-9356) publications and workshops or their website.

Discussion:

The following is a list of suggestions intended to strengthen class discussions:

• Link the discussion to the course lecture
• Ask clear questions that provoke critical thinking
• Learn the students' names and use them
• Pursue the course objectives of the day as stated in the course syllabus
• Break large complex issues into smaller more manageable questions
• Encourage intellectual risk taking
• Tolerate silence after asking a question—give students time to formulate responses
• Keep the discussion pertinent/don't allow it to diverge from the key issues
• Prevent a single student from monopolizing/controlling the discussion

Lectures:

The following is a list of suggestions for strengthening faculty lectures:

• Keep the lecture deliberate and well-organized (don't jump from topic to topic)
• Pace the lecture so that coherent, legible notes can be taken
• Avoid overloading the students with information (less can be better)
• Outline the lecture on the chalkboard
• Relate the lecture to real life (Was there a recent news story about the subject?)
• Connect the lecture to the day's objective as stated on the course syllabus
• Break up the lecture halfway into the class with a prop, anecdote or question

After the first 20 minutes of class, student attentiveness drops dramatically; they simply stop absorbing information. When faculty members use a five-minute diversion (e.g., a prop, anecdote or a provocative question directed at a specific student), class comprehension rises dramatically.