Indiana University Teaching Handbook

Preparing to Teach

Planning a Course

Introduction

Adapted with permission from Farris, 1985

Your preparation for teaching a course will depend both upon type of class for which you are responsible, the discipline (science, humanities, etc.), the size of the class, and whether it is a requirement.

Regardless of these factors, all preparation involves establishing what it is you want students to learn (instructional objectives), choosing instructional strategies (lecture, discussion, lab, individual presentations, group projects, one-on-one consultation, etc. or a combination), and selecting appropriate materials (texts, handouts, films, videotapes, etc.) to achieve those aims.

Good organization is important to all phases of instruction, from curriculum development to determining presentation format. Organizing a course does not mean throwing together a conglomeration of lectures, discussions, and handouts. From the syllabus to the final examination, every aspect of the course should focus on defined educational goals, the most important of which is the level of learning you expect students to achieve.

Links

The following links will take you to additional information about Indiana University.

IU Fact Book: An index to the IU Fact Books from 1996 to the present. The Fact Books include information on the univeristy, academic programs & degrees, alumni, enrollment, fees, personnel, physical facilities, and finances.
Where's that Class?: This list of Academic Building Codes connects to the online campus map.
IU Bulletins: The online versions of IU Bulletins from 2001 to the present.
IU Course Descriptions: Brief descriptions organized by semester.
IU Enrollment Statistics: Enrollment Reporting, Retrieval and Access from the Office of the Registrar. It includes course & section enrollments back to 1997 and Campus Grade Distribution Reports.
IU Classrooms: Includes a searchable database of all IU classrooms and links to the IUB Classroom Committee. You can access photos of most of the classrooms through the page on IUB General Purpose Classrooms by Building.
Official IU Reports: The official reporting site from the University Budget Office, with reports on enrollment, graduation rates, retention, and financial aid.
Institutional Engagement, 2001: A PDF formatted report on student engagement at IU from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). A more detailed explanation of this survey is available through the Office of Academic Affairs & Dean of Faculties.
Retention in Indiana: A Statewide Action Research Program designed to develop an integrated data resource and analytical capacity that would, each year over a 4-year period generate benchmark data, customized action research, and state level analyses targeted at improving retention and graduation rates.
Indiana High School Grade Report: These reports show how recent graduates from particular Indiana high schools perform at each Indiana college and university. Each report compares the average college grades of recent graduates from a single high school to the average college grades of all recent Indiana high school graduates in Mathematics, English, Social Science, and Science. To access these reports, you must first ask the principal or superintendent of the school to give you their particular password (the password is the "FICE" number on the title page of any previous printed Grade Report of the high school ).