This next week I will complete my first course as a college professor. I have had the time of my life. I enjoy the opportunity to discuss important ideas and issues with the students and have learned much about how to conduct a class. Some the following are no brainers, but here are five lessons I have learned about teaching college level courses:

The first lesson I learned about teaching university courses is to be completely familiar with all the materials. Normally, the full-time faculty at a university will design the course and pick the material. In this case, it easy to act like a facilitator of the course rather than a teacher of the course. Even so, you must read every page of the assigned materials and know it better than any student who may walk into your class.

The second lesson I learned about teaching a college course is to be prepared for every class. One of the tips a student gave me was to provide a road map of each class at the beginning so that the students can follow the train of thought. More than that, taking the time to map out the time helps you review the materials of the day and script out easy to follow segues.  Another reason to prepare is to have confidence when directing the class. Those who are prepared teach with authority and keeps the attention of the students.

The third lesson I learned is to make each college class as interactive as possible. Like or not the university students of today are members of the video culture. Their attention spans function on three second sound bites. As such the wise college professor will make his class interactive. He will design provocative questions relevant to the subject to stimulate class discussion. Furthermore, she will walk amongst her students to draw them out and is not afraid of differing opinions.

A fifth lesson I've learned as a college professor is to be accessible outside of class. In this age of email remaining accessible is much simpler. When a university professor maintains an open door policy and answers emails in a prompt manner, students are much more responsive. Keeping in contact is also a great way to monitor progress and help students overcome life issues or other obstacles to completing the class at the best of their abilities.

The fifth lesson I've learned about teaching university courses is to grade assignments promptly and give clear feedback about the quality of the work. I admit that sometimes I lagged in getting completed work back to the students. This is not fair to them, They deserve to know how they are doing in a timely manner so they can make the necessary adjustments.  

These are some of the lessons I learned from my first class  as a college professor. Hopefully, I can apply them to my next class and make the experience that much more enjoyable and effective for the next set of students.