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As a professor, I'm increasingly trying to avoid using a computer to lecture. I'm making a lot more use of a whiteboard pen to explain things, backed up by pow

As a professor, I'm increasingly trying to avoid using a computer to lecture. I'm making a lot more use of a whiteboard pen to explain things, backed up by powerpoint slides, video and audio only when I think it adds. The nice thing about using a pen is there isn't a set script - I can digress, or add extra explanation as needed. I do have detailed notes for how I plan to do the lecture, but I very rarely use those notes in lecture. As far as possible, I lecture from memory, which avoids the students thinking I'm regurgitating a script. This means the students feel much more free to ask questions, as it doesn't seem to disturb the "powerpoint show". I find lectures I give this way are much more interactive. I've asked my students which they prefer, and 95% prefer me using a pen. It seems to show in our student feedback too - I'm consistently at or very near the top in our student ranking of lecturers. The one downside is the videos of the lectures are less useful, as pen doesn't work so well on video.

kwhitefoot 9y ago
This is how almost all the lectures I attended in the mid 70s (Physics, Exeter Uni.) were done. The one useless lecturer who just read the set book we tried to get fired and when that didn't work just formed a rota and noted the page numbers so that we could just precis the relevant pages at leisure. He also set the exam in the same way and as all the exams were open note we all passed with flying colours. The other course were more challenging and more interesting.
Balgair 9y ago
Good on you! However, most PIs aren't like this. Their preparation is half-assed at best, and even then begrudgingly so. Thanks for taking the time and actually trying to do something. It's funny, in the ivory tower the word 'professor' has changed it's meaning somehow in the last 25 years or less. They think it means something like manager/grant-writer of grad students you get to boss around (and at least at some places, sexually harass with impunity). However, the rest of the world is still on the old definition of teacher/mentor/disseminator-of-knowledge. It's real strange to see these two ideas mix and the PIs come out on top, oddly. Also, make sure to never ask:"Ok, now does that make sense?" after going through some real crazy math or something. It makes us feel real dumb when you do that and we then can't ask questions about it. Many PIs do that and it ticks me off to no end. It's like they really don't want to teach at all or have us interrupt their flow in any way.

kwhitefoot 9y ago

This is how almost all the lectures I attended in the mid 70s (Physics, Exeter Uni.) were done. The one useless lecturer who just read the set book we tried to get fired and when that didn't work just formed a rota and noted the page numbers so that we could just precis the relevant pages at leisure. He also set the exam in the same way and as all the exams were open note we all passed with flying colours. The other course were more challenging and more interesting.

Balgair 9y ago

Good on you! However, most PIs aren't like this. Their preparation is half-assed at best, and even then begrudgingly so. Thanks for taking the time and actually trying to do something. It's funny, in the ivory tower the word 'professor' has changed it's meaning somehow in the last 25 years or less. They think it means something like manager/grant-writer of grad students you get to boss around (and at least at some places, sexually harass with impunity). However, the rest of the world is still on the old definition of teacher/mentor/disseminator-of-knowledge. It's real strange to see these two ideas mix and the PIs come out on top, oddly. Also, make sure to never ask:"Ok, now does that make sense?" after going through some real crazy math or something. It makes us feel real dumb when you do that and we then can't ask questions about it. Many PIs do that and it ticks me off to no end. It's like they really don't want to teach at all or have us interrupt their flow in any way.