Have a bunch of last-month-of-the-semester tasks bouncing around in your head? While tasks you haven’t done can distract you, making a plan to get them done can free you from anxiety.
Get those tasks off your mind and onto your to do list.
#1 Incorporate small ways to help students help themselves
Get students to submit possible exam questions for extra credit.
- Ask students to write (and then answer!) a sample question that they feel might be asked on the exam
- Offer students a few points of extra credit, and consider using some of the questions (perhaps with modifications) on the exam itself
Set up a place for students to share common questions or review course content. You can monitor it occassionally to find places where students are struggling, or you can give students some extra credit for answering each other’s questions correctly. You can create a space for these discussions through:
- Google Docs
- Canvas discussion boards
- services like Piazza
#2 Review the Summer Institute on Teaching (SIT) schedule and determine which track would best address your teaching questions
Check out what we’ve got planned for SIT 2018!
#3 Carve out time in your schedule NOW to devote to grading at the end of the semester
Plus, you can check out our post on SpeedGrader for Canvas to learn how you can make your assignments easier to grade.
#4 Collect and file student feedback
When your finals come in, and you start your grading crunch, you’ll want to put this semester’s classes behind you for a while. So take a few minutes before the semester is over to file (digitally) your student feedback (mid semester evaluations, anyone?) so that it is easy to find for documentation. You may also want to write a little reflection about how your courses have gone this semester. That work will help you continue to develop your narrative as an instructor, and because you aren’t doing it at the end of the semester, you’ll be less fatigued and more focused.
Need help? Faculty Commons Partners are here to help! Give us a call at (302)831-0640 or stop by 116 Pearson Hall, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.
