Teaching Spotlight
Name: Jessica Bonjour
Position: Associate Professor
Department: Chemistry
College: College of Letters & Sciences
What inspired you to become and instructor?
At my undergraduate institution (Truman State University, Kirksville, MO), I had a great experience as an undergraduate, primarily due to the family-like atmosphere of the Chemistry Department. The faculty were wonderful instructors and mentors. In graduate school I enjoyed being a TA more than I did the research! At a large, R-1 institution, the TAs were commonly the undergraduates’ primary source of direct student/instructor contact. My experiences at Truman State and as a TA kindled my interest in becoming a professor at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution.
What is your favorite part about teaching?
My favorite part of teaching is interacting with the students, especially in the classroom. I typically teach large lectures, so I work to make them as interactive as possible. Being in large classes can be intimidating for the students, so I try to make it as friendly of a space as possible. When I can get students to share thoughts and ideas in front of 90 or more of their peers, I feel I have been successful at doing so.
How has teaching changed since your started?
One of the biggest changes I have seen is the expansion of online courses and programs. I have been actively involved in developing online courses for the Chemistry Department on the Whitewater campus as well as working with the Rock Campus and UW College Courses Online. I am also part of a group working to put together courses in the STEM fields we can package as a Pre-Professional program for students interested in pursuing advanced degrees in medical, veterinary medicine, engineering, etc. I have also seen our student population become more and more diverse, not only in the sense of race and ethnicity, but also in educational backgrounds, and age groups. Students are coming in with a wide range of background knowledge. Some are coming straight from elite high schools, while others are coming from small, rural schools they attended 20 years ago.
If you could give a new instructor three pieces of advice, what would they be?
- Have a plan for the semester, and do your best to stick to it. Provide your students with due dates of assignments and exams at the beginning of the semester, and do your best not to change them. Students have so many things going on, the sooner they can plan their time, the more successful they will be.
- Be upfront with your students. This can be accomplished by providing them with as much detail as you can about how the course will run in the syllabus and on the first day of class. Clearly state and explain the learning objectives of the course and what your expectations are of the students both in the classroom and in their various assignments.
- When writing your various forms of assessment, keep both your course learning objectives as well as your sanity in mind! Make the assessments meaningful to the student. They should help the students develop specific knowledge and skills to reach the learning objectives of your course. At the same time, think about how you will be assessing these items. If you will not be able to provide timely and meaningful feedback, what will the students really get out of doing the assignment? Design them in a way that you can be sure to provide this type of feedback while maintaining your sanity.
All three of these can be accomplished (in whole or in part) by using Transparent Assignments.
For more information on Transparent Assignments see Jessica's entry in our Teaching Tidbits “Activity” Idea area!