Posted on No Comments on APA & Writing Across the Curriculum

APA & Writing Across the Curriculum

by Everett Wade, Ph.D

To ensure the academic integrity of student papers, it is imperative that instructors require proper citation of sources and correct formatting. Despite its value, APA formatting can be a challenge for students to learn, and similarly difficult for instructors to teach.  (This blog is a follow-up to a webinar led by Dr. Wade on this subject.  The webinar can be viewed at this LINK.)

In teaching APA, it is important to spend time in class walking students through formatting process in a hands-on manner. APA formatting is complicated, and students often feel intimidated by the expectation that they learn such a comprehensive method of formatting. It is therefore imperative that teachers stress the basics of APA without bogging students down in its intricacies. My webinar provided instructors with a concise PowerPoint presentation for reviewing the essential elements of APA formatting. In this same vein, I presented an in-class citation exercise that walks students through the process of developing their APA references page.

Although formatting  contributes to a relatively small portion of students’ grades on an individual paper, grading for correct use of APA can be time-consuming for instructors. In my webinar I provided two checklists to aid instructors in their grading process. The first gives a rubric for grading APA, while the second provides instructions on how to grade for grammar. These checklists not only help instructors to streamline their grading process, but also can be a great resource for students as well. These tools will aid in ensuring that student essays in all of Belhaven’s courses are written well and properly sourced.

This links for the documents mentioned above are available on the webinar site (see link above).  Also if you would like to know more or have other questions, please email me at ewade@belhaven.edu.

Posted on 3 Comments on Types of Instructors in Adult Studies Programs

Types of Instructors in Adult Studies Programs

I’ve been working in Adult Studies for a long time, almost all of it dedicated to administration and faculty development.  Along the way I’ve conducted numerous classroom observations, read stacks of student end of course evaluations, and had the pleasure of being the assigned instructor in a number of courses.  All of that has prepared me to share with you the top 5 types of Instructors you are most likely to see in an Adult Studies classroom.  Do you see yourself in any of the descriptions below?

The Jolly Rancher – this Instructor seems to be always in a good mood and you can tell students love the classes she teaches because they are so much fun, not to mention the fact that almost everyone always gets an ‘A’ for the course. Often the Jolly Rancher’s devotion to the subject matter is tempered by personal stories and digressions – but everyone has a good time.  While being well liked, the Jolly Rancher is not deeply committed to academic rigor or pushing student too hard for fear of rejection or poor evaluations.

The Muskateer – This Instructor is extremely competent, and somewhat arrogant.  He knows his subject thoroughly and clearly indicates that he is the smartest person in the room, by actions and attitude, if not verbally.  Often disdainful of student attempts or the curriculum, the Muskateer primarily uses lecture to teach, because of course, there is very little he could learn from mere students.  He is the embodiment of the saying “the sage on the stage.”

The PayDay – This Instructor is primarily motivated by getting paid to teach.  The passion for teaching, if it ever existed, has faded away leaving a jaded and mediocre teacher who wants nothing more than to get through the course with as little drama as possible.  Creativity and concern for student learning is not part of the PayDay Instructor’s mindset.  Doing as little as possible is more her style.

The Almond Joy – This Instructor is ENGAGED.  Everything about them points to their passion for teaching AND for student learning.  They use a variety of methods to get their content across.  They demonstrate real caring and concern for students.  The Almond Joy never stopped learning and the joy of their life is to pass that learning along to their students.  The Almond Joy holds students accountable for their work and challenges them to become more.  They are considered to be “hard” teachers, but in retrospect, these are the teachers which students cite when they think about who has influenced their life.