Difference between revisions of "Good teaching guide"

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The following guide is not intended to be a comprehensive guide of the way to teach classes - there is no absolutely correct way and in time everyone develops their own style. The aim of the guide is to help a new teacher prepare for their classes and also to pass on some hints and tips for running classes.
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{{eunispecific}}
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This page helps new teachers to prepare for teaching at EVE University, and passes on some hints and tips for successful classes. It is not a comprehensive guide to teaching: there are often several good ways to teach a topic, and in time everyone develops their own style. Teaching, in general, is a deep topic which occupies full-time researchers at real-life universities. For new teachers, however, the following advice should be useful.
  
For those who like executive summaries, I can summarise the approach as:
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The core messages of this page can be summarised as follows:
- Prepare for what you want to cover
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* Prepare for what you want to cover
- Prepare for what you might need to cover
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* Make the class your own
- Make the class your own
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* Keep control of the class while giving it
- Keep control of the class while giving it
 
  
Apologies in advance if I am now about to lecture you on stuff you already know. Very Happy
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For practical advice on scheduling, advertising and streaming a class, see [[Teaching Classes at EVE University]].
  
== Preparation for a class ==  
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== Preparation ==  
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Sensible preparation underpins good teaching. You don't need to spend hours scripting every part of your class down to the word—this would make your class inflexible—but you do need to make sure you have laid the groundwork for your teaching.
  
So, you want to give a class? Good for you - EVE University relies on people giving up their time to share knowledge on subjects they understand to new players. So, best be prepared for it, right?
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You should make sure you confidently know:
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* what you are covering
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* what order you are covering it in
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* what extra details you might need to cover, depending on questions that get asked.
  
I can't emphasise enough the importance of having class notes prepared in advance and having a clear idea of:
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EVE University's set of [[Classes#CORE_Classes|"CORE" classes]] offer pre-designed templates for teaching essential introductory topics, and a CORE class is a great way to get started with teaching. If you'd like to develop a class on another topic, talk to the Teaching Department: they will be happy to help.
* what you are covering; and
 
* what order you are covering it in; plus
 
* what you might need to cover depending on questions that get asked.
 
  
I'll cover the last of these in a bit but for now let's focus on what you want to cover.
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=== Class notes ===
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Have you ever tried presenting someone else's work? It's harder to give a presentation that you don't know well yourself. Preparing a presentation, or even simply reordering the points in a way that makes the most sense to you, leads to a presentation that flows better and feels more natural as you present it, and so it will feel more natural to your audience as they listen to it.
  
EVE University's Syllabus Library is a great starting point for this. With any luck, you'l find a pre-prepared class syllabus that you can crib from. These are a great resource, so use them. They'll help to jog your own memory of what needs to be covered and also helps classes taught to have a more uniform feel to them.
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So, even if you are starting off with a CORE class, go through the following steps. Expect to spend an hour of preparation for an hour-long class.
  
However, don't just print out the syllabus and then advertise and run the class.
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The best way to prepare for your class is to compose some class notes.
  
Have you ever tried presenting someone elses work? I give client presentations and training presentations regularly at work and one thing I can honestly say is that it is always harder to give a presentation that you didn't write yourself. Writing a presentation yourself, even simply reordering the points to an order that makes the most sense to you leads to a presentation that flows better and feels more natural to you as you present it, and so more natural to your audience as they listen to it.
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Class notes come in many forms. The level of detail in class notes will depend on your personal preference. At the least, they ought to contain:
 
 
So, if you are starting off with a syllabus from the library, I'd still go through the following steps.
 
 
 
All in all, I reckon I spend an hour or so preparing for an hour long class.
 
 
 
=== Class notes ===
 
The best way to prepare for your class is to write out some class notes.
 
 
 
Class notes come in all forms, I prefer to use a notebook, other people I know use a text document of some form. The level of detail in class notes will depend on your personal preference. At the least, I think that they ought to contain:
 
 
* Major headings of the topics you want to cover
 
* Major headings of the topics you want to cover
* Sub headings to remind you of the order you want to cover things
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* Sub-headings to remind you of the order you want to cover things
* Notes to remind you of the points you want to make.
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* Notes to remind you of the points you want to make
  
 
As an example, here is a section of possible notes for a class on research and production:
 
As an example, here is a section of possible notes for a class on research and production:
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** ...</div>
 
** ...</div>
  
Nothing earth shattering but it helps the instructor to remember to cover all the points and gives an order. I find that by giving a few bullet point items to cover, I still speak fluently and I don't simply read out my notes (as there are no full sentences to read)
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There is nothing earth-shattering here, but notes such as these will help you remember to cover all the points, and gives a logical sequence to use. By preparing a few bullet-point items to cover, you can still speak fluently without simply reading your notes.  
 
 
So, you've got your class notes, you're almost ready for the class. You know what you want to cover but students have an annoying habit of asking questions that don't quite fall within your neat class notes. Very Happy
 
 
 
1.2. Additional notes
 
  
Depending on the class, there may be little need for additional information. However I'd hazzard a guess that most classes have related topics that you might not intend to cover, but you might be asked about.
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If preparing a CORE class, you can acquire the slide deck PDF from the CORE class page and make notes on paper or in a text file to accompany each slide. The Teaching Department can also provide PowerPoint files of the slides; these come with some electronic notes which you can add to. (If you receive and modify a PowerPoint file for a CORE class, don't pass it to anyone else, to help the department avoid having competing versions circulating!)
  
A final stage of preparation for a class is to think through the related topics and prepare some short notes on those topics that might come up. It will help you to manage the class and deal with questions and also make you look good.
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If you're at all nervous, you can work through your slides, or the stages of any practical exercise you have planned, and practise saying aloud the kinds of elaborations on your notes which you will be offering. This will ensure a more natural and engaging delivery in the class proper.
  
For example, for a production and research class, I might not intend to cover POS use in great detail beyond using them for high sec research but I would prepare a seperate page of class notes on all aspects of POSes. Clearly there is no need to go into as much detail as you would have for your main topics, as an instructor always has the "beyond the scope of this class" option, but giving a general idea of a related topic if you have time can add real value to your class.
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For some classes, it is also useful to ready a document containing all the links you might expect to post on Discord, in the rough order of the subjects covered.
  
As another example, for a class on caldari ships - basically a run through caldari ships, I also prepared a set of notes on shield tanking (active and passive), railguns and missiles, plus drones and ECM. Nothing detailed but if the question came up, I wanted to be abe to cover the subject in a structured manner and cover the main points.
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Once you've written your class notes, you're almost ready for the class. You know what you want to cover, but students have a habit of asking questions that don't quite fall within your neat class plan.
  
1.3. Final preparations
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=== Additional details ===
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Depending on the class, there may be little need for additional information. However, most classes have related topics that you might not intend to cover, but that you might be asked about. Think through these related topics, and prepare some short notes. It will help you to manage the class and deal with questions, and will also make you look smart!
  
So, you now have:
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For example, for a production and research class, you might not intend to cover Upwell structure use in great detail beyond using them for high-sec research, but you could prepare a separate page of class notes on the basics of player structures. As another example, for a CORE class on weapon systems, it is handy to have a few notes on the very basics of [[overheating]], as this topic sometimes comes up during weapons discussion.
- Class notes, setting out the class as you want to give it
 
- Supplementary notes to help deal with questions
 
  
The final thing that you might consider doing is to prepare a Note in-game of all the websites and items that you might want to link during the course of the class in the order you'll want to link them.
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If student questions travel too far beyond the topic at hand, you can always say that this question really does lie well beyond the class's topic; if you know of a regularly-taught class or any other resource which ''does'' address the question, point the student towards them. Finally, it's always okay to admit that you don't know something if you don't know it!
  
2. Giving the class
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=== Final preparations ===
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In the final run-up to your class:
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* check that you have your notes to hand
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* check that you have any slides you'll be using
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* check that you're comfortable with any [[Teaching_Classes_at_EVE_University#Discord_streaming|Discord streaming]] you will need to do
  
Advertise the class a week in advance if possible to ensure as many people as possible get notice and can arrange to attend. Longer than that and they might forget come the day and if you only give people a couple of days, you might find attendance is on the low side.
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Make sure your surroundings are as quiet as you can realistically make them, and that you have water or another soft drink to hand to keep yourself refreshed while speaking.
  
For fleet-based classes, it is a great idea to advertise a 15 minute fleet sign up period when advertising the class. For example, "fleet will form from 19:45 to 20:00 and class will start promptly at 20:00 - latecomers will not be able to attend" (you might choose to be more lenient on the day but no need to let people know that in advance!)
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If you feel nervous, that's okay: mild nerves are completely natural before teaching (and even some very experienced teachers still feel them!). EVE University classes are positive, friendly environments, and if you're new to teaching for the University a Teaching Officer will probably be on hand to back you up.
  
On the day, make sure you have all your notes to hand and get there ahead of time to prepare. You want to be there waiting for students to arrive and start on time. Remember, people are taking time out to listen to you - yes, it is a great service you are doing but also they might only have an hour and you owe it to them to keep your end of the bargain.
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Log in ahead of time to prepare. You want to be there waiting for students to arrive and start on time. Remember, people are taking time out to listen to you! You ''are'' doing a great service, but they might only have limited time, and you owe it to them to keep your end of the bargain.
  
The best classes I have been to (in EVE and in real life) are those that:
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== Giving the class ==
- have a clear structure;
 
- are presented well;
 
- deal efficiently with questions; and
 
- maintain control of the class.
 
  
2.1. Have a clear structure
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EVE University classes ''typically'' run with audio and slides or game streaming delivered in one of the [[Discord]] classrooms, and textual chat or questions in the relevant "class-questions" channel on Discord.
  
You'll have a very good idea of how you want the class to run. The best way to make sure this happens is to let your class know this in advance.
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The best classes (in EVE and in real life) are those that:
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* have a clear structure;
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* are presented well;
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* deal efficiently with questions; and
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* maintain control of the class.
  
EVE University classes are often run on Teamspeak with an in-game channel and some instructors like to run EVE Voice on the in-game channel.
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=== Structure ===
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You'll have a very good idea of how you want the class to run. Letting your students know about this in advance will help them follow you. From a professional education standpoint, the following method of class structure reliably helps people retain information:
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# Tell them what you are going to tell them (introduce the broad headings of what you are going to discuss)
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# Tell them (go through each item that you want to cover in detail)
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# Tell them what you've told them (summarise what you've just told them, and list each of the points you've covered)
  
 
At the start of the class, spend a few minutes telling people about the class. You might like to cover:
 
At the start of the class, spend a few minutes telling people about the class. You might like to cover:
- A brief overview of what you will be covering
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* A brief overview of what you will be covering
- How you intend to use the channels and teamspeak
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* How you intend to use the Discord voice and chat channel options
- Whether you want a volunteer to link items for you as you talk about them
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* Whether you want a volunteer to link items for you as you talk about them
- How you intend to deal with questions
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* How you intend to deal with questions
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* How any practical component will work
  
People want to be helpful, so use them in a controlled manner:
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People want to be helpful, so use them in a controlled manner. If your class is likely to encourage people to link things in the class text channel, you can designate someone to do this for you.
- You'll have people linking things you talk about in the class channel, but you can arrange a volunteer in advance to limit channel spam and also to make sure you don't ask "can someone link an Avatar blueprint please" and get 30 helpful links!
 
- Likewise, making sure someone is recording will mean the inevitable "Is anyone recording this?" question is quickly answered.
 
- You might even ask for a volunteer to keep an eye on corp chat and drag late comers into the class channel.
 
  
So, my introduction for my production and research class might look something like:
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Putting this together, an introduction for a production and research class might look something like:
  
Quote:
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<div style="margin:0;background-color:{{{color|#ccccee}}};border:1px solid {{{border|#8888aa}}};border-left-width:5px;font-style:italic;text-align:left;padding:1em 1em 1em 1em; overflow:hidden;color:{{{text|#000022}}}">
Hi, thanks for attending my class on research and production.
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Hi, I'm [Name]; thank you for attending my class on research and production!
 
 
Before I start, can I check who is recording? Cool, Dierdra is, great. Also, can I ask someone to keep an eye on corp chat and pull in any pesky latecomers to the class channel? Thanks Cazzah.
 
 
 
Ok, so I am going to be using Teamspeak to give the class. What I'd like to do is to use the in-game class channel for any questions you might have as I go along and keep Teamspeak quiet. I will be watching the channel and if you ask a question I am going to cover in a few minutes then please don't think I am ignoring you, I will get to it. Also, if topics come up that might need some time to discuss, I've got 20 minutes at the end and we'll cover larger topics then.
 
 
 
For the class, I am going to run through research first, looking at a blueprint in detail and then covering the various research you can do on one and the skills involved. For those who know a little about research already, I intend to cover Invention in detail at the end. After covering the research side of things, I'll go into production, the skills involved and cover a little bit on how to get into production for profit. I'll finally cover invention, which is the production of tech 2 goods using invented tech 2 blueprints.
 
 
 
One thing before I start - can I have a volunteer to link items and blueprints into the in-game channel for me please? Thanks Peter, you are slave for the day...
 
 
 
 
 
2.2. Presentation tips
 
 
 
Everyone has their own style - my own is relatively chatty - but I have the following hints and tips that ought to help you when setting out.
 
 
 
- Always make clear when you are stating your own opinion, rather than facts and recognise other opinions may exist.
 
  
For example, "The caracal is a great ship and I would normally passive tank it for missions, although you'll see people active tanking it as well. It comes down to personal preferences. For a passive tanked caracal, you'd fit with..." is a lot better than "A caracal should be passive tanked for missions. You need to fit...". For a start, I know I can argue both sides and the last thing you want is to have people arguing with you in the middle of a class - recognise up fron their view is valid and present your own. Very Happy
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Before we get started, a few logistical details.
  
- Always be polite
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OK, so I am going to be using Discord to give the class. Please make sure you have push-to-talk set on Discord, and keep the voice channel quiet during the class. You can put any questions you might have as I go along into the imbedded chat channel on Discord; it helps them be more visible if you begin them with a capital "Q". I will be watching the channel and fielding questions. If you ask a question I am going to cover in a few minutes then please don't think I am ignoring you—I will get to it! Also, if topics come up that might need some time to discuss, I've got 20 minutes for questions and answers at the end, and we can cover larger topics then.
  
The moment you start raising your voice to someone, you've lost control. Keep polite and your class is on your side - if someone keeps misbehaving, eject them and carry on. Your class will thank you for dealing with the trouble maker and you come across a lot more professional.
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For the class, I am going to run through research first, looking at a blueprint in detail and then covering the various research you can do on one and the skills involved. For those who know a little about research already, I intend to cover Invention in detail at the end. After covering the research side of things, I'll go into production, the skills involved and cover a little bit on how to get into production for profit. I'll finally cover invention, which is the production of Tech 2 goods using invented Tech 2 blueprints.</div>
  
- Don't rush.
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=== Presentation tips ===
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Everyone has their own style of delivery—some are chatty, and some are more formal—and there is no single best way to deliver material. The following hints and tips ought to help you when starting out.
  
You'd be surprised how fast you run through material. It might seem to you like you are taking your time, but often you will be going through things more quickly than you think. Take time to explain things, slow down your delivery, and don't be afraid to pause for a second or two before answering a question. You'll sound and come across better for it.
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; Don't rush.
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: Burning through material extremely fast is a very, ''very'' common habit in new teachers. It might seem to you like you are taking your time, but often you will be going through things more quickly than you think. Take time to explain things, slow down your delivery, and don't be afraid to pause before answering a question and between each sub-section of the class. You'll come across better for it, and you'll help students, who will be absorbing the material.
  
I remember the first time I was recorded for a presentation course - if you think hearing yourself recorded is awful, seeing yourself is a whole new world of pain - I felt my presentation had been slow, faltering and I stumbled a lot. I was pleasantly surprised to see it came across a lot more fluent and not too slow at all - although I did discover I had an unfortunate tendency to say "erm" and fiddle with the papers I had!
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; Draw on personal experience.
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: Anecdotes and examples from your own experience can really help points stick in students' minds. If you can underpin one of the ideas you're getting across by telling a brief story from your own gameplay, go for it. Stories of lucrative successes and impressive killmails are great, but don't be afraid to tell stories of failure too, especially if they're amusing: everyone appreciates a teacher who can see the funny side of their own past mistakes.
  
- Find out what your annoying habits are and cut them out
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; Summarize detail after delivering it.
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: Many aspects of EVE contain dense details fascinating to the numerically-minded. Not all students will have a head for figures, though, so when you've delved into the guts of a complex quantitative topic, make sure you summarize its implications in plain language afterwards. In a class on fitting, for instance, it's ''nice'' if students leave knowing the exact percentage reductions involved in [[stacking penalties]], but it's ''crucial'' that they leave knowing that adding a fourth Gyrostabilizer to their shield [[Rupture]] fit probably isn't worth it. Often this wrapping-up summary after a point is a great moment to rephrase the point or explain it using a metaphor, to give students a second chance at understanding it.
  
I, erm, say "erm", a lot, erm, less than I used to now. Which is, erm, good. Wink
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; Always be clear when you touch on matters of opinion, rather than facts.
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: For example, "The [[Caracal]] is a great ship and I would normally passive tank it for missions, although you'll see people active tanking it as well. It comes down to personal preferences. For a passive tanked Caracal, you'd fit..." is a lot better than "A Caracal must be passive tanked for missions. You need to fit...". The last thing you want is to have people arguing with you in the middle of a class! Recognize up-front that alternative opinions are valid, and then present your own. Doing this also helps the audience trust that when you're stating facts, they really are facts.
  
- Don't get side tracked
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; Note what your annoying vocal habits are and damp them down.
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: Almost everyone, erm, says "erm", a lot, at first.  But with, erm, some practice, you'll, erm, say it less often. Which is, erm, good. Don't feel guilty about this, but do your best to reduce it.
  
Especially when questions come up, it is tempting to answer them right away. However this might be a totally different part of the class than what you are currently talking about. It is much easier to follow for everyone if your story/explanation progresses logically, so do your best not to get side tracked. If necessary, answer questions with "I'll cover this later on in the class".
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; Don't get side-tracked.
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: Especially when questions come up, it is tempting to answer them right away. However, they might relate to a totally different part of the class than the one you're currently talking about. Students follow better if your story/explanation progresses logically. It's fine to say "Thank you for your question; I'm going to get to that in five minutes—and don't worry, I will cover it!"
  
- Practice makes perfect
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; Practice makes perfect.
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: Players will memorize the subject matter better if they are able to put the knowledge into practice. For some topics, including a practical part in your class boosts its effectiveness. This is, of course, not possible with all classes, but a Research & Production class, for example, can be greatly enhanced by handing out 1-run BPCs at the start of the class. Then, as the class progresses, the teacher talks the students through all the required steps to install, run and deliver their production job. You can stream gameplay from your own EVE client over Discord to show people how to do things. You can spice up some practical exercises by awarding prizes (small prizes, so that students don't envy each other!), e.g. free nanite repair paste or cheap combat [[Medical boosters|drugs]] for the first students who warp-in on the target in a directional scanner exercise.
  
Players will memorize the subject matter better if they are able to put the knowledge into practice. Therefore, adding a practical part to your class greatly enhances its effectiveness, as well as making it more entertaining for the students. This is ofcourse not possible with all classes, but a Research & Production class for example can be greatly enhanced by handing out 1run BPCs at the start of the class. Then, as the class progresses, the teacher talks the students through all the required steps to install, run and deliver their production job.
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=== Fielding questions ===
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Ask people to use the chat channel imbedded in the classroom channel on Discord for questions (see [[Attending_classes#Public_Discord]]). Having questions delivered textually will give you more control over the class and allow you to deal with questions when you want to do so. You can open the floor on Discord for voice questions at the end of the class if you want.
  
2.3. Dealing with questions
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* If you are going to defer a topic, then let the class know.
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* When answering a question from the in-game channel, repeat the question verbally before answering it, for anyone who hasn't seen the question.
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* If you have a lot of similar questions, then you can take a short bit of time out to consolidate them into a short topics: "Many people are asking questions relating to passive shield tanking, so I'm going to take a bit of time out to cover that now".
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* If someone asks a question that you are not sure how to answer, then don't answer definitively. You might think you know the answer, in which case let them know: "Someone has asked how X works. I know the rough details, but it is a bit beyond the scope of this course, so I'll leave that for a more detailed course on X".
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** Don't be afraid to say that you don't know something! You're there to teach, not to impress everyone, and many topics in EVE are extremely dense and rich.
  
As you will have seen from my mock introduction above, my preference is to ask people to use the in-game channel for questions. I find that it gives me more control over the class and allows me to deal with questions when I want to and to defer large topics.
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The important thing with questions is to deal with them when you want, without letting them disarrange your class structure.
  
If you are going to defer a topic then let the class know.
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=== Keeping control ===
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Serious or malicious disruption is rare in EVE University classes, but you need to be able to keep control of the class, and occasionally channel the efforts of people who might want to help but are misdirecting their efforts.
  
When answering a question from the in-game channel, repeat the question in teamspeak before answering it - recordings will make more sense and there might be people solely listening on teamspeak.
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This means that you need to manage:
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* anyone chatting in the class channel (ask them to take it to another channel in Discord, or to private messages)
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* anyone continually trying to answer questions "for you" in the class channel ("Could those of you responding to questions in the class channel please stop? I know you are trying to be helpful, but it's a distraction, and I intend to cover these points as I go along.")
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* anyone misbehaving in channel
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* anyone repeatedly speaking or keying up on Discord because they do not have "Push to Talk" enabled correctly (most users are required to have push to talk enabled by permissions - but not all!).
  
If you have a lot of similar questions then take a short bit of time out to consolidate them into a short topics - "A lot of people are asking questions relating to passive shield tanking so I'm going to take a bit of time out to cover that as a topic" - if appropriate.
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In the first instance, courteously ask them to stop. If they don't, ask a Teaching Officer or EVE University Manager/Director for assistance with this, if necessary. Always be polite! The moment you start raising your voice to someone, you've lost control. Stay polite, and your class will be on your side.
  
If someone asks a question you are not sure of the answer of, then don't answer definitively. You might think you know the answer, in which case let them know. Otherwise, I find "Someone has asked how moon mining works - I know the rough details but it is a bit beyond the scope of this course, so if it is ok with you, I'll leave that for a more detailed course on POSes"
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"Backseat teaching" presents a slightly subtler and more complex problem: in some circumstances, experienced players might be unable to resist the temptation to chip in with corrections or expansions. Rare, brief corrections of minor mistakes offered in a generous spirit are not normally a problem (and occur in real-life educational settings: every teacher slips up occasionally). If someone is regularly keying up on Discord and taking the direction of the class away from your plan, though, you should gently ask them to stop.
  
The important thing with questions is to deal with them when you want and to stay in control.
 
  
2.4. Keeping control
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== After teaching ==
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Immediately after teaching, you might well want to take a brief comfort break. Soon after teaching, though, do note down any ideas for improvement which you had during the class. These could be additional points that you have realized the class might need to cover, tweaks to its structure, or related topics about which you would now like to know more yourself.
  
Speaking of staying in control, it's vital. You are the instructor and this is your class.
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They could also be methodological notes: were there things in your teaching which went badly or well? Reflect on what happened, why, and what you can do to make the teaching (even) better next time. The Teaching Department will gather the evaluation from students, and sum it up for you, passing on any useful feedback or tips that they can offer, within a few days.
  
This means that you need to discipline:
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After you've written your after-class report, go back to the original forum advert post, and change the [CLASS] tag to [COMPLETED].
- anyone chatting in the class channel (ask them to take it private)
 
- anyone continually trying to answer questions "for you" in the class channel ("please could those of you responding to questions in the class channel stop - I know you are trying to be helpful but it is a distraction and I intend to cover points as I go along")
 
- anyone misbehaving in channel
 
- anyone repeatedly speaking on teamspeak.
 
  
In the first instance be polite and ask them to stop.
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Then pat yourself on the back for a job well done, and (perhaps) return to playing EVE!
  
If they don't then do kick them from the Teamspeak channel or in-game channel. Using the in-game channel commands, you can choose to mute them for a period as well.
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== Other resources ==
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* Toastmasters International:  https://ibmottawa.toastmastersclubs.org/Quick_Guide_To_Public_Speaking.html  (toastmastersclubs.org) focuses on public speaking, so this is a great resource for in-game and in-real-life presentations.
  
3. Summary
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{{EVEUniversityNav}}
  
In summary:
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[[Category:Guides]]
- Prepare for your class, including those optional questions and topics that might arise
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[[Category:Teaching Resources]]
- Make it your own class, presented in the order and manner that you feel comfortable with
 
- Control the class and questions
 

Latest revision as of 00:13, 26 July 2024

E-UNI Emblem.png This page is specific to EVE University. Other corporations or groups in the game may operate differently.
For a summary of EVE University's rules and code of conduct, see EVE University Rules.

This page helps new teachers to prepare for teaching at EVE University, and passes on some hints and tips for successful classes. It is not a comprehensive guide to teaching: there are often several good ways to teach a topic, and in time everyone develops their own style. Teaching, in general, is a deep topic which occupies full-time researchers at real-life universities. For new teachers, however, the following advice should be useful.

The core messages of this page can be summarised as follows:

  • Prepare for what you want to cover
  • Make the class your own
  • Keep control of the class while giving it

For practical advice on scheduling, advertising and streaming a class, see Teaching Classes at EVE University.

Preparation

Sensible preparation underpins good teaching. You don't need to spend hours scripting every part of your class down to the word—this would make your class inflexible—but you do need to make sure you have laid the groundwork for your teaching.

You should make sure you confidently know:

  • what you are covering
  • what order you are covering it in
  • what extra details you might need to cover, depending on questions that get asked.

EVE University's set of "CORE" classes offer pre-designed templates for teaching essential introductory topics, and a CORE class is a great way to get started with teaching. If you'd like to develop a class on another topic, talk to the Teaching Department: they will be happy to help.

Class notes

Have you ever tried presenting someone else's work? It's harder to give a presentation that you don't know well yourself. Preparing a presentation, or even simply reordering the points in a way that makes the most sense to you, leads to a presentation that flows better and feels more natural as you present it, and so it will feel more natural to your audience as they listen to it.

So, even if you are starting off with a CORE class, go through the following steps. Expect to spend an hour of preparation for an hour-long class.

The best way to prepare for your class is to compose some class notes.

Class notes come in many forms. The level of detail in class notes will depend on your personal preference. At the least, they ought to contain:

  • Major headings of the topics you want to cover
  • Sub-headings to remind you of the order you want to cover things
  • Notes to remind you of the points you want to make

As an example, here is a section of possible notes for a class on research and production:

Research

  • Three things you can do to a BPO
    • material research
    • productivity research
    • copying
    • (Invention - covering later)
  • Material Research
    • reduces material need
    • wastage = unresearched wastage / (1+ML)
    • marginal return
    • there will be a level beyond which ML research is pointless
    • optimal research
  • Productivity research:
    • reduces production time
    • ...

There is nothing earth-shattering here, but notes such as these will help you remember to cover all the points, and gives a logical sequence to use. By preparing a few bullet-point items to cover, you can still speak fluently without simply reading your notes.

If preparing a CORE class, you can acquire the slide deck PDF from the CORE class page and make notes on paper or in a text file to accompany each slide. The Teaching Department can also provide PowerPoint files of the slides; these come with some electronic notes which you can add to. (If you receive and modify a PowerPoint file for a CORE class, don't pass it to anyone else, to help the department avoid having competing versions circulating!)

If you're at all nervous, you can work through your slides, or the stages of any practical exercise you have planned, and practise saying aloud the kinds of elaborations on your notes which you will be offering. This will ensure a more natural and engaging delivery in the class proper.

For some classes, it is also useful to ready a document containing all the links you might expect to post on Discord, in the rough order of the subjects covered.

Once you've written your class notes, you're almost ready for the class. You know what you want to cover, but students have a habit of asking questions that don't quite fall within your neat class plan.

Additional details

Depending on the class, there may be little need for additional information. However, most classes have related topics that you might not intend to cover, but that you might be asked about. Think through these related topics, and prepare some short notes. It will help you to manage the class and deal with questions, and will also make you look smart!

For example, for a production and research class, you might not intend to cover Upwell structure use in great detail beyond using them for high-sec research, but you could prepare a separate page of class notes on the basics of player structures. As another example, for a CORE class on weapon systems, it is handy to have a few notes on the very basics of overheating, as this topic sometimes comes up during weapons discussion.

If student questions travel too far beyond the topic at hand, you can always say that this question really does lie well beyond the class's topic; if you know of a regularly-taught class or any other resource which does address the question, point the student towards them. Finally, it's always okay to admit that you don't know something if you don't know it!

Final preparations

In the final run-up to your class:

  • check that you have your notes to hand
  • check that you have any slides you'll be using
  • check that you're comfortable with any Discord streaming you will need to do

Make sure your surroundings are as quiet as you can realistically make them, and that you have water or another soft drink to hand to keep yourself refreshed while speaking.

If you feel nervous, that's okay: mild nerves are completely natural before teaching (and even some very experienced teachers still feel them!). EVE University classes are positive, friendly environments, and if you're new to teaching for the University a Teaching Officer will probably be on hand to back you up.

Log in ahead of time to prepare. You want to be there waiting for students to arrive and start on time. Remember, people are taking time out to listen to you! You are doing a great service, but they might only have limited time, and you owe it to them to keep your end of the bargain.

Giving the class

EVE University classes typically run with audio and slides or game streaming delivered in one of the Discord classrooms, and textual chat or questions in the relevant "class-questions" channel on Discord.

The best classes (in EVE and in real life) are those that:

  • have a clear structure;
  • are presented well;
  • deal efficiently with questions; and
  • maintain control of the class.

Structure

You'll have a very good idea of how you want the class to run. Letting your students know about this in advance will help them follow you. From a professional education standpoint, the following method of class structure reliably helps people retain information:

  1. Tell them what you are going to tell them (introduce the broad headings of what you are going to discuss)
  2. Tell them (go through each item that you want to cover in detail)
  3. Tell them what you've told them (summarise what you've just told them, and list each of the points you've covered)

At the start of the class, spend a few minutes telling people about the class. You might like to cover:

  • A brief overview of what you will be covering
  • How you intend to use the Discord voice and chat channel options
  • Whether you want a volunteer to link items for you as you talk about them
  • How you intend to deal with questions
  • How any practical component will work

People want to be helpful, so use them in a controlled manner. If your class is likely to encourage people to link things in the class text channel, you can designate someone to do this for you.

Putting this together, an introduction for a production and research class might look something like:

Hi, I'm [Name]; thank you for attending my class on research and production!

Before we get started, a few logistical details.

OK, so I am going to be using Discord to give the class. Please make sure you have push-to-talk set on Discord, and keep the voice channel quiet during the class. You can put any questions you might have as I go along into the imbedded chat channel on Discord; it helps them be more visible if you begin them with a capital "Q". I will be watching the channel and fielding questions. If you ask a question I am going to cover in a few minutes then please don't think I am ignoring you—I will get to it! Also, if topics come up that might need some time to discuss, I've got 20 minutes for questions and answers at the end, and we can cover larger topics then.

For the class, I am going to run through research first, looking at a blueprint in detail and then covering the various research you can do on one and the skills involved. For those who know a little about research already, I intend to cover Invention in detail at the end. After covering the research side of things, I'll go into production, the skills involved and cover a little bit on how to get into production for profit. I'll finally cover invention, which is the production of Tech 2 goods using invented Tech 2 blueprints.

Presentation tips

Everyone has their own style of delivery—some are chatty, and some are more formal—and there is no single best way to deliver material. The following hints and tips ought to help you when starting out.

Don't rush.
Burning through material extremely fast is a very, very common habit in new teachers. It might seem to you like you are taking your time, but often you will be going through things more quickly than you think. Take time to explain things, slow down your delivery, and don't be afraid to pause before answering a question and between each sub-section of the class. You'll come across better for it, and you'll help students, who will be absorbing the material.
Draw on personal experience.
Anecdotes and examples from your own experience can really help points stick in students' minds. If you can underpin one of the ideas you're getting across by telling a brief story from your own gameplay, go for it. Stories of lucrative successes and impressive killmails are great, but don't be afraid to tell stories of failure too, especially if they're amusing: everyone appreciates a teacher who can see the funny side of their own past mistakes.
Summarize detail after delivering it.
Many aspects of EVE contain dense details fascinating to the numerically-minded. Not all students will have a head for figures, though, so when you've delved into the guts of a complex quantitative topic, make sure you summarize its implications in plain language afterwards. In a class on fitting, for instance, it's nice if students leave knowing the exact percentage reductions involved in stacking penalties, but it's crucial that they leave knowing that adding a fourth Gyrostabilizer to their shield Rupture fit probably isn't worth it. Often this wrapping-up summary after a point is a great moment to rephrase the point or explain it using a metaphor, to give students a second chance at understanding it.
Always be clear when you touch on matters of opinion, rather than facts.
For example, "The Caracal is a great ship and I would normally passive tank it for missions, although you'll see people active tanking it as well. It comes down to personal preferences. For a passive tanked Caracal, you'd fit..." is a lot better than "A Caracal must be passive tanked for missions. You need to fit...". The last thing you want is to have people arguing with you in the middle of a class! Recognize up-front that alternative opinions are valid, and then present your own. Doing this also helps the audience trust that when you're stating facts, they really are facts.
Note what your annoying vocal habits are and damp them down.
Almost everyone, erm, says "erm", a lot, at first. But with, erm, some practice, you'll, erm, say it less often. Which is, erm, good. Don't feel guilty about this, but do your best to reduce it.
Don't get side-tracked.
Especially when questions come up, it is tempting to answer them right away. However, they might relate to a totally different part of the class than the one you're currently talking about. Students follow better if your story/explanation progresses logically. It's fine to say "Thank you for your question; I'm going to get to that in five minutes—and don't worry, I will cover it!"
Practice makes perfect.
Players will memorize the subject matter better if they are able to put the knowledge into practice. For some topics, including a practical part in your class boosts its effectiveness. This is, of course, not possible with all classes, but a Research & Production class, for example, can be greatly enhanced by handing out 1-run BPCs at the start of the class. Then, as the class progresses, the teacher talks the students through all the required steps to install, run and deliver their production job. You can stream gameplay from your own EVE client over Discord to show people how to do things. You can spice up some practical exercises by awarding prizes (small prizes, so that students don't envy each other!), e.g. free nanite repair paste or cheap combat drugs for the first students who warp-in on the target in a directional scanner exercise.

Fielding questions

Ask people to use the chat channel imbedded in the classroom channel on Discord for questions (see Attending_classes#Public_Discord). Having questions delivered textually will give you more control over the class and allow you to deal with questions when you want to do so. You can open the floor on Discord for voice questions at the end of the class if you want.

  • If you are going to defer a topic, then let the class know.
  • When answering a question from the in-game channel, repeat the question verbally before answering it, for anyone who hasn't seen the question.
  • If you have a lot of similar questions, then you can take a short bit of time out to consolidate them into a short topics: "Many people are asking questions relating to passive shield tanking, so I'm going to take a bit of time out to cover that now".
  • If someone asks a question that you are not sure how to answer, then don't answer definitively. You might think you know the answer, in which case let them know: "Someone has asked how X works. I know the rough details, but it is a bit beyond the scope of this course, so I'll leave that for a more detailed course on X".
    • Don't be afraid to say that you don't know something! You're there to teach, not to impress everyone, and many topics in EVE are extremely dense and rich.

The important thing with questions is to deal with them when you want, without letting them disarrange your class structure.

Keeping control

Serious or malicious disruption is rare in EVE University classes, but you need to be able to keep control of the class, and occasionally channel the efforts of people who might want to help but are misdirecting their efforts.

This means that you need to manage:

  • anyone chatting in the class channel (ask them to take it to another channel in Discord, or to private messages)
  • anyone continually trying to answer questions "for you" in the class channel ("Could those of you responding to questions in the class channel please stop? I know you are trying to be helpful, but it's a distraction, and I intend to cover these points as I go along.")
  • anyone misbehaving in channel
  • anyone repeatedly speaking or keying up on Discord because they do not have "Push to Talk" enabled correctly (most users are required to have push to talk enabled by permissions - but not all!).

In the first instance, courteously ask them to stop. If they don't, ask a Teaching Officer or EVE University Manager/Director for assistance with this, if necessary. Always be polite! The moment you start raising your voice to someone, you've lost control. Stay polite, and your class will be on your side.

"Backseat teaching" presents a slightly subtler and more complex problem: in some circumstances, experienced players might be unable to resist the temptation to chip in with corrections or expansions. Rare, brief corrections of minor mistakes offered in a generous spirit are not normally a problem (and occur in real-life educational settings: every teacher slips up occasionally). If someone is regularly keying up on Discord and taking the direction of the class away from your plan, though, you should gently ask them to stop.


After teaching

Immediately after teaching, you might well want to take a brief comfort break. Soon after teaching, though, do note down any ideas for improvement which you had during the class. These could be additional points that you have realized the class might need to cover, tweaks to its structure, or related topics about which you would now like to know more yourself.

They could also be methodological notes: were there things in your teaching which went badly or well? Reflect on what happened, why, and what you can do to make the teaching (even) better next time. The Teaching Department will gather the evaluation from students, and sum it up for you, passing on any useful feedback or tips that they can offer, within a few days.

After you've written your after-class report, go back to the original forum advert post, and change the [CLASS] tag to [COMPLETED].

Then pat yourself on the back for a job well done, and (perhaps) return to playing EVE!

Other resources