What a Professor at CSULB Wishes They Had Known Before Entering Higher Education
Herman wishes someone had told them about the significant time investment required to properly set up a class, as "you just can't do it overnight." They learned early on that students often don't read assigned materials, necessitating clear, repeated explanations and concise presentation slides with "less is more" to facilitate better comprehension and engagement.
Teaching Strategies, Higher Education, Curriculum Development, Student Engagement, Classroom Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Herman Singh
Professor
CSU Long Beach
CSU Long Beach
Economics
Education, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Education
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Time investment in course preparation: Setting up a class thoroughly takes considerable time and effort, more than initially anticipated.
2. Student reading habits: Students, especially in introductory courses, may not complete assigned readings, requiring instructors to be prepared to explain concepts in detail.
3. Slide design for effective learning: Overcrowded slides can hinder learning; less text encourages students to listen, digest information, and engage more effectively.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
Something I wish I would've known is that the time it takes to set up a class, start to finish, you just can't do it overnight. When I first went in, I thought I could do it in a couple of hours.
The first class I ever taught, I finished the entire lecture in 20 minutes. It was supposed to be an hour and 15-minute class. I asked students if anyone had questions, and nobody said anything. Then everyone left. This was in a large lecture hall, and I was talking to my mentor. She told me, "Don't ever do that again."
What I didn't know was that students don't always read. You can assign as much as you want, but they didn't read the text for this 100-level class. I was going off of what they were telling me, and that was naive.
From there, I understood that I need to take my time and be able to explain things. It might make sense in my head, but it might not make sense to students. So I need to explain it in different ways and repeat myself a lot. Repeating myself multiple times is a good practice. I don't mind it, as we all miss things.
Another thing is that sometimes having too many words on a slide can be detrimental. Students spend the entire time writing everything down and aren't listening. So, sometimes less is more. My slides have changed drastically since I first started teaching.
I think this is a better way because students are actually listening and digesting information. They aren't just looking at paragraphs on a slide, which is crazy because some people still do that.
I think those are some of the biggest things I wish I would've known earlier. The timeframe it takes to get anything done in higher education is another big thing.