As students begin preparing for their classes by purchasing books and making last minute adjustments to their schedules, professors are putting the finishing touches on weeks of preparation.
Last minute trips to the bookstore and desperate attempts to log onto ISIS to change discussion sections hardly compare to the time and effort professors spend to provide their students with the best classes possible.
Economics Prof. Bruce Reynolds said he spent a significant amount of his winter break preparing to teach Economy of China and Economy of Japan in addition to taking two trips to China, including one with students.
"In a sense, I've been preparing for these classes all my life," Reynolds said.
One of many tasks Reynolds performs prior to the start of each semester is becoming familiar with student names. Reynolds said he studies the names of the approximately 150 students enrolled in his classes, trying to link first and last names. Once classes begin, he said he plans to then link names to faces.
Other preparations include reviewing power point slides and lecture notes, a task he said he performs regularly throughout the semester to establish a framework for the class he can subsequently impart to students.
"I feel that the most important thing a teacher can do in a classroom is construct a framework for everything the students are learning through their readings," he said.
Also, before students could purchase readings, Reynolds said he revised his syllabi to include different readings and gave selections to Brillig Books, so they would be available for students to purchase.
Environmental Sciences Prof. Bruce Hayden also spent a considerable amount of time preparing for his classes while students were on vacation.
Hayden said he spent the majority of his most recent preparatory time organizing articles he collected last semester for one of his new classes, Human Biometeorology. Since he had not taught a similar class since the 1980s, Hayden had to make a significant number of changes and has basically revamped the entire course in the last six months.
He added, however, that such efforts are common in science departments because material can change rapidly and textbooks often fall behind.
Furthermore, preparation for class does not end with the beginning of the semester. Hayden said he prepares for each individual lecture in addition to the work he does before the semester begins.
"Every day I spend two to four hours putting together a coherent story for class," he said. "I want to make sure I have it exactly how I want it to be."
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