Best Practices from – and for - Summer Session Instructors

It takes creativity, planning, responsiveness, flexibility, and great time management skills to deliver a comprehensive, rigorous, and challenging academic course in only a few short weeks.

Over the past year, we have asked veteran Summer Session instructors to share their strategies for success. The result is the following list of “Best Practices.”

1. Plan Ahead – Way Ahead!

  • Start by identifying your teaching goals for this course: What do you want your students to learn in the short time that you have for the summer?
  • Organize course material topically, thematically
  • Design a robust syllabus early. Study the syllabus carefully and try to streamline the topics so that you can cover all the content within the structure of the term
  • Request an eCollege course shell early – it can take up to a week
  • Don’t recreate the textbook; have students use the text as a resource
  • Have all the test and lesson plan material ready before the beginning of the term. Summer Session is too short to create this material while teaching
  • Take time to familiarize yourself beforehand with the classroom and the technology you will be using
  • Be prepared for the unexpected. Have a contingency plan for the night the guest speaker doesn’t show up, or the audio-visual technology doesn’t work. Worst case, be prepared to lecture for 3 ½ hours
  • Access student e-mail addresses from your online roster, and contact them at least once before classes begin

2. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel – Use University Colleagues and Resources

  • Consult with colleagues who have taught the same course in summer, before. Try to get an accurate read on the amount of material that can really be covered – and the best way to do it
  • The first time, follow someone else’s schedule. Change things only after you’ve taught in a summer term at least once
  • Use course materials on the Math Department website
  • Use Rutgers resources: Teaching Assistant Project, CTAAR, Continuous Education & Outreach (facultytraining.rutgers.edu)
  • Consult teaching strategy literature

3. Mix It Up with a Variety of Instructional Strategies

Class meetings are often 3 to 4 hours long, in summer. Break up the time for both you and your students by varying instructional techniques, with particular emphasis on engaging, active or interactive exercises. Strategies that have worked for other instructors include:

  • Lecture on concepts (Note: lecture early in the period, then move onto other strategies
  • Powerpoint presentation
  • Guest speaker
  • Demonstrations (e.g., in Astronomy)
  • Student-led interviews of guest speakers
  • Class discussion of readings, case studies
  • Small group exercise or problem-solving (Note: Optimal size groups is dictated by nature of assignment)
  • Video clips or other audio-visual supplementation
  • Student presentations
  • In-class assignments
  • Student debates
  • Use current events, as appropriate

4. Communicate Expectations Clearly – Then Stick to Them

  • Disabuse students of the notion that this will be an easy course. Summer courses must be as rigorous, challenging, and comprehensive as comparable offerings during the academic year.
  • Prepare a detailed syllabus that includes:
  • Learning objectives
  • Assignments and class meeting schedule
  • Grading system (curve or no curve, etc.)
  • Attendance policy (recommended: Make attendance mandatory)
  • Your, your department’s, your school’s, and the university’s policies on attendance and intellectual integrity
  • Message to students: You deserve and will get the same education product as you would, during the academic year. It will just be organized a bit differently
  • Remind students that Summer Session requires their full commitment, and to maintain close attention to the course calendar and keep pace with the demands of the material.
  • At the first class meeting, reiterate the prerequisites for the course
  • If term project is assigned, provide details at beginning of course
  • Be careful about granting exceptions – they quickly can become rules

5. Establish a Positive Climate

  • Have students introduce each other to the class
  • Make a special effort to know everyone’s name by the second class meeting
  • Use interactive activities to engage students
  • Allow students to bring food to establish an informal atmosphere
  • When bringing in guests, make it an “event” – bring family, friends, and food
  • Hold class meetings outside, as weather permits
  • Have fun!

6. Be Flexible and Adjust to Student Needs

  • Assess students’ level of preparation, and adjust approach as needed.
  • Get to know the students’ backgrounds and interests, particularly as they pertain to the subject under study
  • Find out what other classes/internships/jobs/family obligations students have; be flexible about due dates, when possible
  • Invite feedback from students and be willing to make modifications as the semester progresses
  • Maintain good communication with students so that they can tell you when they feel you’re being unreasonable
  • Give students ways to reach you (e.g., include e-mail address in syllabus)
  • Make yourself available before and/or after class meetings and/or during breaks to meet with students
  • Give extra time to struggling students

7. Tailor Assignments & Assessment Strategies to the Term

  • Wait until after the first week, while enrollment is still in flux, to assign group projects or presentation dates
  • Administer an in-class quiz (written or oral) early on to help students see where they stand
  • Employ some assessment at almost every class meeting to keep students current, improve their long-term memory, and enhance their conceptual mastery
  • Give realistic assignments. Make longer assignments due after the weekend, to allow students more time to complete them
  • Use the whole class period, when giving an exam. Begin the period with group work or some other instructional activity, and finish with the exam
  • Provide class time for assignments, as appropriate

8. Pace Yourself: Time Management is Key

  • Be certain to arrive on time to all class meetings
  • Chunk material into blocks of 30-60 minutes; take short breaks between segments
  • Keep up with grading of quizzes and papers
  • Be prepared for fast grade turnaround – final exams and final projects must be graded within 2-3 days of the last class meeting
  • Use your own energy level as a guide: If you feel tired, odds are they do, too

9. Be Alert to Academic Integrity Issues

  • Expect that about 5% of students will plagiarize at least a portion of their written assignments
  • Use Turnitin (turnitin.rutgers.edu) or alter assignments to thwart plagiarism