Mentoring Manual #2

Teaching Le Moyne College:
an Introduction for Adjunct Faculty

Preamble
Teaching
Survival Skills

The educational philosophy of Le Moyne College is rooted in the Jesuit tradition (see Characteristics of Jesuit Education for fuller discussion), which endeavors to "educate the whole person"--in mind, body and spirit. At Le Moyne, "educate the whole person" means that students are given a solid liberal arts curriculum of required courses, in addition to a practical, field-specific curriculum of study in their major; that courses in all disciplines explore the value-laden dimensions of human experience; and that student involvement in extra-curricular activities (such as sports, campus ministry, and volunteer projects) is viewed as integral to the development of the whole person.

The foundation of Le Moyne's liberal arts education is the Core Curriculum, required of all students at the College. Except for one natural science and one social science course, the Core consists entirely of humanities courses: 9-12 credit hours in English, 9-12 hours in Philosophy, 6-9 hours in History, and 6-9 hours in Religious Studies, spread over a student's four years at Le Moyne. If you teach core courses, you will have in your classes not only humanities majors, but students from every discipline and major the College offers.

Core courses are designed to teach the critical writing, critical thinking, and analytical skills that will serve students in whatever other classes they take in college, and in whatever disciplines or professions they pursue following graduation. Core courses are also designed to assist students in acquiring knowledge, attitudes, and values that will help them become good citizens of the global community and lead meaningful lives. As you design and as you teach core courses, you must keep these requirements in mind. Since elective courses in the various humanities disciplines teach the same skills and kinds of knowledge, you should consider these skills and knowledge the foundation of your teaching at Le Moyne.

You can best put the educational philosophy of the College into practice in your courses by creating a supportive rather than an adversarial environment for your students. Because many Le Moyne students initially lack intellectual self-confidence, they respond best to a friendly, open classroom atmosphere that encourages and supports them as they "learn how to learn." They also need the requirements for the class to be clearly laid out at the very beginning of the semester. Once an open, supportive atmosphere is established and students gain confidence in their ability to do the work for the course, most students will perform all that you require of them, and often much more. Conversely, an atmosphere they perceive as hostile or adversarial will cause most of our students to lose self-confidence and to retreat into silence and non-participation. In this case, the needs of "the whole person" will not have been met.

2. Teaching

1. What sort of students can you expect in your classes?

* Demographics of the student body

Le Moyne students are a relatively homogeneous group.

In 2004-2005, full-time undergraduate enrollment stood at 2281.

--64% of students live on campus.

--91% are from New York State (Central New York).

--65% attended public schools.

--80% are Catholic, 14% Protestant, and 6% Other Faiths

--39.5% are male, 60.5% female.

--95% require financial aid; many choose the College because its tuition is relatively low and it is consistently rated in the top 100 "Best Buys" among colleges.

--2004 SAT averages are 542 verbal and 555 Math.

* Academic preparation and skills

The academic preparation and skills of our students vary widely, especially among first-year students. For example, some 40 incoming students a year place out of ENG 100 (College Writing) because they have met Le Moyne standards in Advanced Placement or college-level English courses while in high school. Another 40 students place into ENG 099 (Introduction to College Writing) as a result of low scores on diagnostic English tests administered to all incoming students.

* Typically, Le Moyne students:

are polite, friendly and generally cooperative

are often reticent in class

lack intellectual self-confidence

require a great deal of individual attention

need guidance to become independent learners

2. If you are teaching a 100-level or 200-level course, you should

Expect the "lowest common denominator" to be lower than you think. Who won the American Civil War? What is a sonnet? You cannot presuppose that students know these things.
Expect to teach study skills, disciplined work habits, and use of the library.
Expect to teach grammar, reading comprehension, and close analysis of texts, regardless of your discipline.
Expect to teach techniques for writing papers and taking essay exams.

3. If you are teaching a 300-level course, you should

Expect to continue teaching grammar, reading comprehension, and close analysis of texts, because our students profit from constant reinforcement of these basic skills.
Not presume that the course number corresponds to its level of difficulty. Note, for example, that in the English Department, elective courses are all numbered from 300-399. Thus Basic Studio Operations (CMM 305) and Advanced Studio Operations (CMM 306) both have numbers in the low 300s.
Realize that in an introductory 300-level course, you may need to introduce basic vocabulary, concepts, and practices of the discipline or field, as well as provide elementary-level models, worksheets, and exercises. In some courses, you will literally have to teach students how to turn on the equipment they will be operating during the course.
Expect that in more advanced 300-level elective courses, students will be better acquainted with the basics of the discipline and will be more independent as learners. Be sure to discuss the course numbering practices of your department with the department chair.

4. If you are teaching a 400-level course, you should

Expect to be teaching mostly fourth-year students capable of considerable independence if nudged. Writing skills, especially grammatical and analytical skills, still need reinforcement.
Realize that while most courses with 400 numbers are fourth-year Core seminars open only to seniors, some 400-level courses are Special Topics courses (elective courses on a special topic, offered occasionally). These courses will enroll the same population as the 300-level electives: third- and fourth-year students, with a few second-year students.

5. Regardless of the level of course you are teaching, there are things you can and should do to facilitate student learning and develop your own skills as a teacher.

The Academic Support Center can provide valuable assistance to your students. Be sure to alert them to its existence and refer them to various branches of it as you deem appropriate. Services include the Writing Center, the Mathematics Center, and a variety of services for Learning Disabled students.
Talk with your colleagues about teaching, covering everything from the larger issues of teaching philosophy to the mundane concerns of test design and syllabus preparation.
Study syllabi from previously-taught sections of your courses. Your department chair has files of syllabi.
Create a course syllabus that tells students everything that you will require, including due dates. Go over the syllabus with them on the first day of class.
-- Give this syllabus a great deal of thought; it should be more than a simple checklist.
-- Justify each assignment you make, at least to yourself.
-- Be rigorous, but reasonable; don't ask the impossible.
-- Make each assignment pedagogically worthwhile, and avoid "busy work."
Nurture your students' self-confidence, especially in the first few weeks of the semester.

-- Accentuate the positive by couching criticism in language that does not destroy self- confidence. Encourage effort.
-- Expect to teach students how to make meaningful contributions to class discussions.
-- Never make students feel uncomfortable about asking questions, particularly at the beginning of the semester. You can establish a positive tone (or a negative one) in a very short time.
-- Ask students to come in for conferences to review tests and papers with you. You must initiate such communication; don't wait for students to come to you. Just knowing that you are concerned can build a student's confidence.
-- Learn your students' names as quickly as possible. Students at Le Moyne are individuals, never numbers.
-- Develop in-classroom strategies to engender peer respect.
-- Develop in-classroom strategies to create student ownership of the classroom environment.
--Help your students understand behaviors that make professors uncomfortable: failing to show up for appointments, carrying on conversations in class, etc.

Be creative! Try to do something stimulating, creative, or just a little bit different in every class session. Assign or encourage creative projects or paper topics or class presentations, thus making students partially responsible for the success of the class.
Listen to your students. Indeed, ask your students what problems they are having with the course, and listen to what they say. Monthly course assessments are extremely useful; anonymous written assessments work best.
Be flexible. If something isn't working, change it. Sometimes your students will have good suggestions about how to modify an assignment or an aspect of the course to improve student performance.
Sit in on colleagues' classes. Talk to your colleagues about teaching; gather ideas and try them out.
Check out resources and programs offered by the Faculty Excellence program.

6. A Teaching Checklist for Discussion Between Mentor and Adjunct Faculty

_____ Review syllabi for courses: what is expected (form & content)
_____ Course requirements (reading assignments, written assignments, exams, oral presentations, etc.)
_____ Teaching techniques, including utilization of A-V materials, field trips, role playing, etc.
_____ Necessity for all disciplines to work on development of writing skills
_____ Office hours
_____ Formal course evaluations
_____ Classroom visitations by chair and/or tenured department members
_____ Departmental evaluations
_____ Mid-semester grades and deficiencies
_____ Faculty Senate policy on final exams

3. Survival Skills

1. What do adjunct faculty need to know to survive and thrive?

The mail room: where it is, how it operates, what is departmental policy on mailings. Obtain mailbox assignment and key in mailroom.
Photocopying facilities and Kinkos: locations and policies. Obtain faculty photocopying card from department chair.
See department chair to obtain office key.
See Security Office to obtain parking sticker for faculty parking lot.
Secretarial help and Work/study assistance: what is available, and when.
Computer assistance, including use of Echo, Blackboard, Webadvisor, etc., for the professor and for class work.
Library facilities, including electronic databases and Inter-Library Loan.
Bookstore policies and charges.
Classroom services.
Registrar's Office: Blue books, Scantron forms, chalk, whiteboard markers, grade books.
Use of Recreation Center.

2. Remember that Le Moyne is a very small place. Everyone knows everyone else, and a great deal of departmental business is conducted informally.

Expect your teaching life to be an open book.
Expect any comments made to a student (in a conference, on a paper, in class, after class, in your office, or in strictest confidence) to be a matter of public record among the student population before nightfall.
This means that any exception made for a single student will probably have to be made for all students.

3. When in doubt, ask questions. Colleagues, support staff, and students will be happy to help.