Ivan Parks

As a new instructor, I was a little uneasy at first, but soon got comfortable and just began to do a mental checklist. I told myself I can do this, it's good to get the nervousness over with, don't want the learners to pick up on it.

If you present a good outline that includes what the course requirements are, expectations and ultimate end goals, there will be no surprises and less stress for the learners.

Always det yourself up to continue learning. Doing this will be key in your success as well as your learners.

Scaffolding and mnemonics seem to be two of the preferred ways for learners and even instructors to retain what they have learned. Guided notes must always be a part of your teaching.

Pretesting and reviewing are two very good ways for both the student and instructors to evaluate what has or hasn't been learned.

We, as human beings are much alike but very different. I learn mostly and more effectively by hands on. When I'm teaching, I try to assess how my students are retaining what they have learned. As instructors, we need to pick up on the student's ability to remember material. Not all have the same intelligence characteristics. 

From our earliest learning age to adulthood, our brains are continuously learning. Through the different stages of life, we tend to retain information differently.

A job offer should be after the interviewing process has eliminated the lesser qualified candidates and a decision has been made. The orientation should be a time of introduction to other department and faculty members and to allow the new employee to get a feel for his/her new environment.

I have always thought of particular questions when interviewing candidates. Using multiple hurdles will now be a part of this process. Rating each candidate is also a good idea, narrows the field when you have some that have some or most of the KSAOs.

I believe the process of recruiting, while tedious, what you post to your ad should be just as important as the position you are hiring for.