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Team-Teaching and Supplemental Instruction

Both students and teachers profit tremendously from team teaching. We have found this effective in our CS I class (CS 112), a strenuous "gateway" class into the CS major. CS 112 teaches C++ programming in the Unix environment. We coordinate lectures so that students can attend the lectures of any of the instructors. Combining syllabi and deciding class standards for tests and assignments force us to think through teaching strategies and course policies. We have used the "bulletin" message board feature of WebCT with great success this past semester. Dr. Tamara Maddox and I would take turns throughout the week answering questions posted there. Such questions often help us to understand the conceptual stumbling blocks students encounter. Then too, students sometimes do a better job of explaining difficult concepts to their peers than we do! By the end of the term, almost 2000 messages had been posted.

In past terms we have used an interactive CD-ROM developed by Dr. Richard Carver that allows students to explore and learn on their own. Students have found this tremendously helpful. In short, pooling our resources, tools, and talents results in a much richer learning experience for students. Despite the fact that we have a high fail rate in CS112, the overall satisfaction indicated on class evaluations remains high (In CS 112, section 1, the Fall 2000 overall rating was 4.75/5.0.)

Supplemental instruction can take many forms. Sometimes I hold "mini lectures" or "sunset seminars" in addition to, or in place of, office hours. Even more effective is the hiring of undergraduate "peer" assistants who can provide support by running study group sessions, assisting in labs, or holding additional office hours. Such students provide positive role models and can encourage constructive study habits. They can show students how to help each other learn instead of just copying from one another. Supplemental instruction is also an extremely valuable and rewarding experience for those students acting as peer assistants. Their own study skills and knowledge of the material improve as they learn how to teach others.

Alleviating the Pressure

Final Considerations