More about my teaching philosophy

When everything goes right, the classroom is a magical place where faculty and students come together to gain a common understanding of the way things work. Teaching large classes (and being in a large class) can be thrilling.

Large classes are a lot like sporting events and concerts. If you’ve felt the roar of 100,000 fans at a stadium or laughed in unison with 400 moviegovers at a funny line, you know what I mean.

But just because I teach large classes at the University of Texas - Austin does not mean that I am a large class instructor. Classroooms work best when you think about how to manage the course like a small class instructor.

I remember what it is like to be a student. I lay out a series of expectations in the syllabus for my courses that are student-centered. The expectations include my policy on attendance, homework, answering questions, how to reach me, the posting of exam scores, and student conduct. It is important that students understand that you are their advocate, and that you are there to help them to learn the material.