Beyond the Syllabus: Teaching Students “How to Get an A” in Their Course

Teaching College Students Basic Studenting

Do you take time to teach your lower level students basic student skills? How do you do it? Detail of Sculpture by Tatsuya Tanaka Increasingly, I’ve had students who don’t seem to know how to take notes during class. Or know that they should take notes. This is one of several abilities college professors tend to assume their students will have been habituated into by the time they get to us, but perhaps such assumptions are based on outdated vie…

Beyond the Syllabus: Teaching Students “How to Get an A” in Their Course

When instructors sit down to write their syllabi before the semester, one challenge they face is how to communicate to students the skills and habits they need to succeed. Syllabi primarily outline course policies, learning objectives, and assignments, which means they typically focus less on teaching students how they should prepare for class, engage with course materials, and participate effectively. As a result, many of the course expectation…