Course Meeting Times, Class Size, and the Classroom

If you review the syllabus for my course, you'll note I'm teaching it twice. The first group meets from 1000-1150; the second, from 1300-1450 (that's 1 - 3 p.m. PDT). Class meetings are divided into two blocks of 50 minutes each.

Teaching the same class twice in one day poses challenges and opportunities. First, I must strive to deliver the same content twice. I emphasize "strive" as I don't use notes when I teach. I speak extemporaneously from my PowerPoint slides. That means I can (will) go off on tangents, which can differ from one group to the next. I also sometimes don't remember which class I said what to. On the other hand, I can refine my presentation and the class meeting as a whole the second time around. 

My two classes this quarter are large. The morning session has 38 students. The afternoon session has 49 students. The size poses challenges in terms of my student engagement, grading, and in other ways as well. I'll elaborate on these challenges in future blog posts, no doubt.

Given the size of my class, it's been difficult to find a class that's large enough and available. See the photo of my classroom to the left. You'll note the steep slope of the student seating. That by itself makes it difficult for students to hear each other when they talk. I also may struggle to be heard. Without a sound system in the room I'm left to my own devices as far as projecting my voice. (The available "portable sound system" is uncomfortable for me to wear and unreliable). Moreover, I don't like to stand in front of the classroom for extended periods. That means I'll be spending a lot of time running up and down the stairs in an effort to better engage the students.