Introductory lectures should always consist of several universal elements. These will facilitate acknowledging students with the upcoming material and provide them with any necessary background. Lecturers should avoid ambiguity and be ready to answer a series of questions. In order to achieve good course results, academic teachers ought to provide students with as much information as possible.
Elements of an Introductory Lecture
The following points address typical university class necessities. Lectures, in order to teach in an arresting and attractive manner, must include diversified teaching methods into their curriculum. They are listed below.
- Short introduction – explain goals of the course, expected attendance and signature requirements.
- Distribution of handouts – they can contain detailed description of the course, class schedule as well as prospective contents. Students will be able to look it up later and have a better idea of teacher’s expectations. To promote direct communication with your students you might also want to include your name, degree and office hours.
- Working with a lecture plan – divide the domain in question into sections which will be approached in subsequent order. Pause frequently to let students ask questions and make sure they understand the lecture well. You shouldn’t, however, pause in-between contents related to one and the same aspect.
- Visual and auditory lecture – in order to satisfy the needs of different students gathered in one study group provide them with diverse problem-presentation methods:
- Visual lecture – graphs, charts, pictures, recordings and short movies as well as power point presentations can be very useful.
- Auditory lecture – explain the place of a given domain in its broader academic context. Illustrate problems, controversies and regularities of a given subject. Provide examples describing the topic in a down-to-earth and practical way.
- Provide a list of further or complimentary reading tips.
Following the Introductory Lecture
Any upcoming lectures related to the same course will require a slightly different approach. Those described above can be, nonetheless, recycled to any necessary extent. There are some web resources concerning organization of lectures which help to make academic teaching effective and maintain a reflective attitude of teachers themselves.
- Learn about Lecture Strategies that Work
- Learn how to Plan a Large Lecture Course
- Distribute anonymous questionnaires among students and ask for feedback.
Apart from all the tips given above, academic teachers must be ready to work out their own methods of teaching and act accordingly. Introducing new subjects should be treated with caution, however, because it may decide about student performance by the end of the semester.
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