IN THIS ISSUE: TEACHING EFFICIENTLY

CTE View—Dan Bernstein sug-gests ways that teachers can makethe most of their time for teachingand offers practical ideas for facultymembers at various stages of theircareers. Page 2.

CTE News—CTE will host tenworkshops and discussion forumsthis fall. We’re also co-sponsoring aspecial workshop on September 23that will focus on service-learning,diversity, and learning communities.Page 3.

Perspectives—Robert Noyddescribes ways he has learned toapply Aristotle’s golden mean tohis classroom. Pages 4, 5 and 6. Sharon Bass considers how Noyd’sapproach may impact teachers andstudents. Page 6.

Innovations—Susan Zvacekexplores ways teachers can usetechnology to make their teachingtime more efficient. And CTE’sadvisory board chooses 39 facultymembers to receive support this fallfrom four CTE programs. Page 7.

End Note—Change begins with afirst step. Consider three steps youmight take to become a more effi-cient teacher. Page 8.

According to a University ofPennsylvania sociology professor,Dan Bernstein’s illustration that isbased on a faculty member work-ing 50 hours a week (see page 2)is almost on target. Jerry A.Jacobs found that, regardless offaculty rank, the average full-timefaculty member works more than50 hours a week. About 35 per-cent of faculty members reportedworking over 60 hours a week.Jacob’s analysis was based on aU.S. Department of Educationsurvey of more than 10,000 facul-ty members at four-year institu-tions (Wilson).

This issue of Teaching Mattersfocuses on how faculty memberscan best use the hours they devoteto teaching. Many recommenda-tions mirror those offered byRobert Boice, who has studiednew faculty members for 20 yearsand identified key practices usedby those who are most successful(whom he calls quick starters).Boice suggests that new faculty“look for simple, effective strate-gies that allow [them] to workefficiently amid a seemingly over-load of demands for their timeand energy” (p. 15).

One particular approach toshun is what Boice calls the grad-uate seminar method of teaching.This is characterized by “exten-sive, painstaking preparation with

a focus on understanding and cov-ering everything—especially onavoiding criticism about a lack ofcomprehensiveness” (p. 12–13).Boice notes that this approach isnot only time consuming but alsoincludes too little concern abouthow students learn. It creates toomuch material to cover, too fast apace of presentation, and exhaus-tion for both students and teach-ers. If you extend this pattern toclasses that meet repeatedly, youcan see “possibilities for inefficien-cy at a world-class level” (p. 13).

Boice’s book, Advice for NewFaculty Members: Nihil Nimus,contains specific ideas useful toteachers of any rank. Like muchinformation about teaching, hehas found that discovering andimplementing effective strategies“takes less time and energy thanexpected and they soon save moreof both than they cost” (p. 16).Taking time now to be planfuland purposeful in teaching cansave many hours later and resultin deeper understanding and moreeffectual learning for students.

—JE

References:Boice, R. (2000). Advice for new facultymembers: nihil nimus. Boston: Allyn andBacon.

Wilson, R. (2004, November 5). Are fac-ulty members overworked? The Chronicleof Higher Education, p. A14.

Teaching MattersPractices used by quick starterscan help all faculty use time well

KU Center forTeachingExcellenceCTE

September 2005 Vol. 9, No. 1

For better or worse, there is anew reality about most academicjobs. Expectations of colleaguesand leaders of what can be accom-plished have risen steadily in thelast several decades. While it isexpected that research and teach-ing should be done to higherquality standards and in greateramounts than ever before, thenumber of hours in each week hasnot risen proportionally. This stateof affairs raises a very practicalconcern for KU faculty members:Is there an efficient way tobecome a better teacher that I canmanage within the very real limitsof the time available to me? Thegood news is that the answer is“yes;” the bad news is that youwill see growth in quality at aslow if steady pace.

The first thing to do is identifyyour goals as a teacher. Determinethe number of hours you have forteaching. Name the componentsof your teaching work and dividethe number of hours you have foreach component into a weeklyaverage. Evaluate how your goalsand time match up. (See page 8for a detailed description.)

Consider the following sampleproduct of such an analysis bysomeone five years into a career: Total work hours: 50/weekDistribution: 20 teaching,

20 research, 10 other Teaching components:

Class/lab time 8 Office hours 2 Class prep 8 Read/Grade 1 Reflect on learning 1

This person has 10 hours perweek for preparing for class, read-ing and grading, designing mate-rials and activities, and reflectingon student learning. Since studentopinion is based on impressions oflecture, it is a priority to appearprepared in class. Accordingly,teaching time is heavily distrib-uted to class preparation. Assign-ments are created to minimizetime reading or grading, leavingmore time for preparation. Thischoice leaves little time for inno-vation, but it supports having stu-dents rate classroom performance

highly. For this point in a career,it might be the most efficient useof hours available for teaching,but there is only a little room forcreative development of teaching.If the goals are getting tenure andbeing described positively by stu-dents, this strategy might work inthe short term. As goals shifttoward richer student learning orrecognition for excellence, thenthe distribution would shifttoward reading more complexstudent work and reflecting onstudent understanding.

A variation on this analysisfocuses on recapturing some ofthe time spent on class prepara-tion. A long-standing practiceamong experienced teachers is tore-use lecture notes and visual

aids from previous courses; onegets the same class time perform-ance without new investment ofpreparation. Less experiencedteachers could get the samereduction by rethinking the use ofclass time. It can be much quickerto design a series of interactive in-class activities for students than toprepare from scratch enoughnotes and visuals to fill 50 min-utes. One variable time activitycan be cut in half, making roomfor something else that may bemore satisfying. There is also evi-dence that students learn moreand remember more from interac-tive experiences in class than theydo from information-heavy lec-tures that provide a first exposureto material. It is a wise practice tosave lecture time for summariesafter material is first processedinteractively. This cuts preparationtime and serves other goals relat-ed to enhanced student learning.Lecture material can be developedover many offerings of a course.

The strategy here is simpleenough. Be concrete about howmuch time you have for teaching,and then decide which aspect ofteaching will get that time. Workon one aspect of one course at atime; do not try to re-invent anentire course in a single semester.It is important that your teachingand students’ learning is movingin a positive direction. Reaching ahigh level of success in a shorttime is very unlikely, and steadyprogress in every semester is agoal that can be fit into the kindof job KU faculty members have.

CTE VIEW

2 s TEACHING MATTERS SEPTEMBER 2005

Make the most of your time for teachingDan Bernstein, CTE

Be concrete about how muchtime you have for teaching,and then decide which aspectof teaching will get that time.

CTE NEWS

SEPTEMBER 2005 TEACHING MATTERS s 3

CTE announces fall line-up of eventsThis fall, CTE will host ten work-shops and discussion forums forfaculty, staff and GTAs. All ses-sions will be held at CTE in 135Budig Hall. Advance registrationnot required. For more informa-tion, contact CTE at 864.4100 orcte@ku.edu.

Essential Teaching Practices workshops: 12 to 1 PMSeptember 9: “Designing WritingAssignments That Ask StudentsTo Go Beyond ‘The Answer’”with RuthAnn Atchley, psycholo-gy, and Michele Eodice, KUWriting Center.

September 30: “How to WriteTest Items That AccuratelyEvaluate Student Learning” withBruce Frey, psychology andresearch in education.

November 4: “Managing a Lab”with Alice Bean and Judy Wu,physics and astronomy.

Lunch & Conversationsessions: 12 to 1 PMSeptember 28: “GradeInflation” with Deb Smith, ecology and evolutionary biology, and Dan Bernstein,CTE/psychology.

October 5: “ManagingTAs as a Team” withMonica Biernat,psychology.

October 17: “Integrating Learning in Team-TaughtCourses” with Chris Haufler, DebSmith and Bob Timm, ecologyand evolutionary biology.

Teaching Teas: 3 to 4 PMSeptember 16: “MeasuringDownstream StudentPerformance” with Richard Hale,aerospace engineering.

October 3: “Identifying and

Measuring Student Performance”with Holly Storkel, SPLH.

October 25: “Preparedness forGraduate Study” with Eve Levin,history.

November 7: “Using Wikis andOther Technologies to FacilitateStudent Collaboration” withSonya Lancaster, English, andSusan Zvacek, IDS.

On September 23 David Schoem,director of the University ofMichigan Community ScholarsProgram, will present a workshopon integrating service-learning,diversity, and learning communi-ties. The workshop will be held in130 Budig Hall from 2 to 3:30PM. A reception will follow at theCenter for Teaching Excellence,135 Budig Hall.

In his presentation, Schoem

will focus on these issues: waysthat service-learning, diversity andlearning communities are impor-tant for the teaching and learningexperience; the affect these activi-ties have on faculty members; andthe links among service learning,diversity and social justice.

Schoem has been noted for hisbook, Engaging the Whole ofService-Learning, Diversity, andLearning Communities (2004).

He is a PEW National LearningCommunities Fellow and has lednumerous faculty institutes ondiversity issues. He teaches inMichigan’s sociology departmentand has served as assistant deanfor undergraduate education andassistant vice president for aca-demic and student affairs.

To register for the workshop,contact CTE at 785.864.4199 orcte@ku.edu by September 21.

University of Michigan scholar to present workshop on service-learning, diversity, and learning communities

Paul Schrodt and Ann Cudd discuss conceptmapping during a breakout at the KU Summit,held August 16.

4 s TEACHING MATTERS SEPTEMBER 2005

PERSPECTIVES

Applying Aristotle’s golden mean to the classroom:Balancing underteaching and overteachingRobert K. Noyd, US Air Force Academy

In his Nicomachean Ethics,Aristotle argues that moral virtueand the right course of action is a“golden” mean (aurea medioc-ritas) between two extremes, oneinvolving excess and the otherdeficiency. The method Aristotleused to pinpoint the mean, or thevirtue, was to first identify the twoextremes. “Courage is a meanbetween cowardice and reckless-ness, generosity is a mean betweenwastefulness and stinginess.”Aristotle added that decisions ofmoral virtue are situational andare made within a specific context.For example, under one set of con-ditions running into enemy firemay be considered courageous,whereas in a different situation itmay be considered reckless.

This Aristotelian perspectivewas brought to my attention by acolleague from our philosophydepartment in a conversationwhere I felt that I was moreinvested in my student’s achieve-ment than they were. Thereseemed to be no limit to what Iwould do to help my students—Iprovided handouts that encapsu-lated the readings, test preparationhints, learning strategies and les-son objectives. It seemed the pen-dulum had swung all the way inmy teacher-centered classroom—all the way to an extreme ofoverteaching. From that point onI realized that I needed a frame-work to make teaching decisionsand determine the right course ofaction for my teaching practice.What follows outlines my quest to

find the golden mean where Istrike the right balance betweendoing too little for my students,or underteaching, and doing toomuch for them, or overteaching.

How do I strike a balance?How do I decide the best courseof action that promotes studentlearning as well as reinforces desir-able student behaviors? How do Ifind the golden mean in a giventeaching situation? Using anAristotelian approach, I identifyboth extremes and then use thefollowing question to determinethe context: Am I giving the rightstudent the right amount of assis-tance, at the right time, for theright reason, in the right manner?

Let’s examine this five-partquestion. Because they’re ready athand as it were, I’ll use examplesfrom my own time in the class-room and the insights that timehas brought me.

1. The right studentKnowing your responsibilities andthose of your students in theteaching-learning process is thegateway criterion. If you don’tknow your students and theefforts they truly bring to theprocess, you cannot determine theright type, amount, time or reasonto give assistance. (How to get toknow who your students are is awhole different matter, but youhave to know them. They can’t begeneric students to you or youcannot make wise—that is to say,contextually informed—teachingdecisions about them.)

Underteaching is characterized

by making students responsiblefor almost all of the learningprocess. The teacher’s investmentin learning outcomes is low andmay communicate to students thatthe course is a “weed out” courseand students are on their own.

Overteaching occurs wheninstructors shoulder too large ashare of the teaching-learningprocess; that is, overteachers takeon numerous responsibilities forlearning that properly belong withthe student. It is important forinstructors to know who’s respon-sible for what in the classroom.Depending on context, overteach-ing may take the form of a lastminute review session or provid-ing many pre-exam questions.

2. The right amountTeachers, by nature, are generousand giving of their time, theirexpertise and their emotions in aneffort to help students. This factmakes many outstanding instruc-tors prone to doing too much,rather than doing too little. We allknow that our students may be atdifferent developmental stages interms of maturity, readiness tolearn, expectations and intellectualcapabilities. Thus, the appropriateamount of assistance you providewill differ among your students.Extremes here are marked by notunderstanding or assessing stu-dents’ knowledge, skills and atti-tudes. Large, heterogeneous classes are the most challenging.

The amount of support youprovide also depends on thedegree of struggle you want stu-

SEPTEMBER 2005 TEACHING MATTERS s 5

PERSPECTIVES

dents to experience. It is impor-tant to teach and value persistencebecause not all learning comeseasily; a lot requires working hard.

Underteaching is characterizedby not giving students enoughguidance so they can solve a prob-lem or complete an assignment ontheir own. In terms of challengeand support, underteachingemphasizes the “challenge” with-out the appropriate amount of“support.” The result is frustratedstudents who may give up.

Overteaching emphasizes the“support” over the “challenge.”In several cases, I have eliminatedor reduced meaningful learningactivities because in my contextthey represented overteaching.For example, in upper level cours-es I have sometimes given my stu-dents complete sets of notes andPowerPoint slides because Ithought they would learn moreand achieve better grades if I gavethem this level of support andencouragement. But by doing toomuch, I created dependent stu-dents who relied on me to providethe “right answer.”

3. At the right timeThis part of the question refers tothe timing of assistance and com-munication. Do students seek helpthe night before an exam or paperdeadline? How do we promoteplanning ahead as a studentbehavior and discourage crammingfor exams? How do we teach stu-dents to organize their time tooptimize their performance?

Underteaching occurs when Ihave not given enough guidanceon project planning and have leftit all to the student—I’ve mini-mized my role in the process.

Overteaching occurs when I

have front-loaded informationwhen students don’t need toknow it and then kept remindingthem along the way. This createdstudents who depended on me toconstantly remind them of apending deadline.

4. For the right reasonAn instructor’s motivation forproviding students with anamount and type of assistance at aparticular time is an importantconsideration because it makesteaching decisions purposeful andintentional. The reason is linkedto the goal. What is the motiva-tion for reviewing for an exam? Is

it to boost the exam average tomeet the expectations of the class,or is it to be more efficient in giv-ing extra help to a large class?What motivates an instructor topost notes and PowerPoint slides?

Underteaching is characterizedwhen I have not had a stake instudents’ learning success. To becharitable, underteaching canoccur when one places so muchvalue on process that (to students)the product just doesn’t matter.

Overteaching occurs when Iclosely link my teaching success tomy students’ achievement. Inmany courses, students measuretheir success by the grade theyearn instead of the amount theyhave learned or the progress theyhave made. When I have linkedmy success to class grade averages,I have been rewarded for doingmore for students and overteach-

ing in other areas of the class-room. Their inflated grades gaveme an ego boost, but it wasn’tclear they actually learned more.Overteachers overemphasize prod-uct over process. Moreover, whenthe student product has not beensuccessful, I have overtaught (orpoorly taught) in another way. Ihave protected or tried to softenstudents’ feelings of frustration,anxiety and disappointment—thegenuine and appropriate feelingsthat often go with learning newand difficult material. In short, Irobbed them of something theyneeded to know about the geog-raphy of learning.

5. In the right mannerThis criterion refers to the processof instructional delivery, whetherlecture, multimedia, group learn-ing or computer-based systems.The tools you use depend on thestudents’ learning styles and pref-erences and contribute to thedevelopmental appropriateness ofthe teaching behavior.

Underteaching occurs whenone uses techniques that don’tproperly support students’ learn-ing styles. For example, I’ve lec-tured exclusively in a verbal style when students needed more sup-port through diagrams and visualdepictions of concepts. In termsof lecture, I underteach when I’vetalked over the heads of students,leaving them inattentive andunengaged in the material. I haveassumed that students can fill inthe gaps between conceptsbecause I, the expert, can. In thiscase I emphasized the “expert”when my students were “novices.”

continued page 6

I have eliminated or reducedmeaningful learning activitiesbecause in my context theyrepresented overteaching.

6 s TEACHING MATTERS SEPTEMBER 2005

Applying Aristotle’s golden mean continued

Sliding along the continuumSharon Bass, Journalism

Overteaching occurs when Iemphasize the “novice” in theexpert-novice continuum. I elabo-rate novice concepts, unaware thatthe concepts are intuitive andfamiliar to students. Anotherexample: giving students lower-level recall questions that they caneasily handle, keeping the course“light-weight,” or when I tellthem the complete story, fill in allthe gaps, weaving a highly knitfabric, and therefore leave little fortheir imaginations. I have learnedthat an important device in tellinga good story is to leave somethingfor the audience to figure out andnot explicitly tell them everything.This way they stay involved withthe storyline and plot.

This round robin of question-ing with a set of contextual per-

spectives in mind, this looking fora golden mean between doing toomuch and doing too little hashelped me adjust my teaching tothe students enrolled in my class-es; but, to return to the begin-ning, you have to have a goodidea who those students are beforethis dialectic becomes very useful.As the renowned educator DavidAusubel once said, “a person'sexisting cognitive structure is themost important factor governingwhether new material will bemeaningful and how well it can beacquired and retained.” Thus, I’ma great believer in pre-testing andin using things like the knowledgeinventory questionnaire.

An Aristotelian approach canbe applied to making teachingdecisions. The right course of

action does lie along a continuum,whether it is in the expert-novice,process-product, or challenge-sup-port realms. The right decisiondepends on the specific teaching-learning situation. For me, teach-ing is a constant attempt to determine the right course ofaction within this spectrum, tofind the golden mean that pro-motes, rather than inhibits, thelearning and personal growth ofmy students into independent,confident adults who meet oureducational outcomes.

Robert K. Noyd is faculty developmentdirector at the US Air Force Academy.From National Teaching and LearningForum Newsletter, 14 (3), © 1996-2005.Published by James Rhem & Associates,Inc. Reprinted with permission.

PERSPECTIVES

Robert Noyd’s article, “ApplyingArictotle’s golden mean to theclassroom: Balancing underteach-ing and overteaching,” addressedthe tricky nature we all face in ourteaching: finding the right bal-ance. He used the language andrhetorical vision of Aristotle toarrive at finding the golden meanand described navigating thegeography of learning based onfive criteria: knowing the students,determining the right amount ofsupport, timing the help, havingthe right reason, and using theright delivery.

After reading his article, it

struck me that as teachers wealways live somewhere on the con-tinuum Noyd describes, boundedon one end by underteaching andon the other by overteaching. Inthinking about my life on thiscontinuum, I began to see myselfmore as a slide, like one of thoseelectrical devices controlling arheostat. It strikes me as a goodplace to be: just sliding along thecontinuum, sometimes puttingmore light on a subject and some-times less. It all depends on thestudent, the needed amount oflight or information or help, thetime and the purpose.

Classroom conditions changeand are fraught with variables. Asa beginning teacher I was painfullyaware of the variables and myanswer was to gain as much con-trol as possible. With more experi-ence I see that control is neitherpossible nor desirable for the kindof learning I want for myself andfor my students.

SEPTEMBER 2005 TEACHING MATTERS s 7

INNOVATIONS

Teaching efficiently with technologySusan Zvacek, IDS

The word “efficiency” may con-jure images of industry or areturn-on-investment, bottom linefocus that can seem antithetical tothe life of the mind. However,when we look at efficiency froman instructional point of view,there are several reasons to con-sider becoming more efficient anda variety of technological tools tohelp you get there.

One way to think about effi-ciency is as a way to save time onroutine tasks, and here technologycan make a significant difference.Some examples include using ane-mail list or online discussionforum to answer student ques-tions only once (so that everyonebenefits from the answer), or pro-viding the syllabus or other mate-rials online. Another way tobecome more efficient is to createteaching materials in re-usableformats, so that only occasionalupdates are necessary once theinitial work is done. An exampleof this would be to usePowerPoint or similar presenta-tion software instead of acetatetransparencies. PowerPoint

enables the instructor to makechanges right up to the time classbegins, unlike transparencies thatmust be totally re-created eachtime a change is desired.

Saving time can also be accom-plished by delegating non-instruc-tional teaching tasks. A simpledivision of labor (like in an indus-trial model) allows you to concen-trate on teaching, instead of suchtasks as establishing an authentica-tion scheme for students to gainaccess to your online materials, orbuilding mailing lists one studente-mail address at a time.Delegating tasks to a machinereduces the labor-intensity ofthese activities, and many can bedone better by a computer than ahuman. For example, by settingup online quizzes based onassigned readings, students candetermine their readiness for in-class discussions and are motivat-ed to keep up with reading. Theonline testing feature is availablewherever and whenever a studenthas Internet access, and it nevergets tired of presenting questionsand providing feedback.

Another task that can be dele-gated to technology is transmit-ting information. Books, graphs,computers, video clips, audiorecordings, and numerous otherdelivery systems can store andpresent information when andwhere the student is ready toreceive it, not only during class.This way, when students arrive atclass they can be actively engagedin doing something with the con-tent, rather than simply listeningto it. As the instructor, you canthen use your teaching skills toguide discussions, identify mis-conceptions, or offer other view-points, as just a few examples.

Research suggests that studentswho use technology-basedinstructional materials learn con-cepts more quickly, so even stu-dents become more efficient inthese cases. (Why this occurs isnot clear; evidence suggests thatcontent organization and clearoutcomes may be significant fac-tors.) In any case, using technolo-gy can, over the long term, savetime and enable instructors to usetheir time more productively.

CTE’s advisory board has selected39 faculty members for the fol-lowing Fall 2005 programs.

Best Practices Institute: YongBai, Philip Gallagher, MaryemmaGraham, Ernest Jenkins, JohnKennedy, Jeanne Klein, BethManolescu, Brent Metz, JackobMoskovitz, Anna Neill, So Yeon

Park, Jorge Pérez, CatherinePreston, Dena Register, IsidroRivera, Jennifer Roberts, KristenSwain, Carmen Taleghani-Nikazm, Leslie Tuttle, MaxUtsler, Judith Williams, MargotVersteeg, Jie Zhang, and SandraZimdars-Swartz.

Faculty Fellow: Kristin Swain.

Faculty Seminar: Glenn Adams,Kathryn Conrad, HeideCrawford, Megan Greene, DonitaMassengill, Linda Olafsen, JudyPostmus, Sean Smith, CatherineWeaver, and Bryan Young.

Teaching Grants: Amy Devitt,Manuela Gonzalez-Bueno, JoannKeyton, and Brian Rock.

Faculty receive support from four CTE programs

8 s TEACHING MATTERS SEPTEMBER 2005

Teaching Matters is published by the Center for Teaching Excellence and dis-tributed to KU faculty at no charge. Its purpose is to disseminate informationto faculty about teaching, learning, and faculty enrichment opportunities.

The staff welcomes your comments and suggestions. We will upon occasioninvite the submission of articles of special interest to the academic community.

Editor: Judy EddyCenter for Teaching ExcellenceThe University of Kansas1455 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 135Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7604785-864-4199cte@ku.eduwww.ku.edu/~cteThe University of Kansas does not discriminate in its academic, admissions,

or employee programs and abides by all federal regulations pertaining to same.

END NOTE

Three steps to teaching efficientlyA key aspect of efficiency is obtaining a high ratio of output to input. If we apply this to teaching, we needto make the most of the time we have for it (see page 2). Here are three steps toward teaching efficiently:

1. Identify your goals as a teacher.– Your goals might include one or more of the following: maximize the amount of information students

learn, maximize students’ perception that they are well taught, increase the depth of students’ under-standing of your field, enhance students’ interest in your field, have your colleagues recognize you as anexcellent teacher, be recognized outside your department or outside KU for excellent teaching, qualifyfor promotion or tenure, or transform teaching into an intellectually stimulating, challenging activity.

– Determine which goals are short term and which are long term.– Identify which are easier and which are harder to achieve.– Start with a relatively easy short-term goal.

2. Count your hours and plan their use.– Look at your work week and identify the number of hours you plan to devote to your job. – Be flexible and be realistic. – Do not list what you want your chair to think you work, but week in and week out the number of

hours do you typically have to give to this part of your life. This is a private document; realism is a plus. – Divide up that total number into a number of hours for three categories: research, teaching, and other. – For most KU faculty members, research and teaching together will be somewhere near 80%. This is

your chance to be planful and intentional about your career, so pick the distribution of effort that willachieve your individual professional goals.

3. Identify the components of your teaching and distribute your time.– Write down components of your teaching work: being in class, holding office hours, planning and

designing course materials and assignments, being in a lab or studio or supervising practica, preparingfor class, reading and grading student work, any other activity that’s a regular part of your teaching.

– Place components in a list. Start with most fixed/required components and end with most flexible/optional. Being in class would lead the list; designing new elements for a class might be the optional end.

– Now list the number of hours that you engage in the required components; this is your fixed overhead. – Subtract the total of your fixed hours from the total you allocated to teaching, and then distribute the

remainder among the variable or optional activities. Obviously the numbers of some components arenot constant every week; try to divide the semester total for variable activities into a weekly average.

As you determine your goals and how to reach them, remember to work on only one aspect of one course ata time; do not try to re-invent an entire course in a single semester. Different parts of a course may beuneven. What’s important is that your teaching and students’ learning is moving in a positive direction.