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The core messages of this page can be summarised as follows: | The core messages of this page can be summarised as follows: | ||
* Prepare for what you want to cover | * Prepare for what you want to cover | ||
* Make the class your own | * Make the class your own | ||
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== Preparation == | == 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. | 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. | ||
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=== Class notes === | === 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. | 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. | ||
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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: | ||
<div style="margin:0 | <div style="margin: 0; border: 1px solid #8888AA; border-left-width: 5px; padding: 1em; background-color: #CCCCEE; color: #000022; font-style: italic;"> | ||
'''''Research''' | '''''Research''' | ||
* Three things you can do to a BPO | * Three things you can do to a BPO | ||
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* Productivity research: | * Productivity research: | ||
** reduces production time | ** reduces production time | ||
** ...</div> | ** ... | ||
</div> | |||
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. | 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. | ||
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=== Additional details === | === 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! | 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! | ||
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=== Final preparations === | === Final preparations === | ||
In the final run-up to your class: | In the final run-up to your class: | ||
* check that you have your notes to hand | * check that you have your notes to hand | ||
* check that you have any slides you'll be using | * check that you have any slides you'll be using | ||
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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. | 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 == | == 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: | The best classes (in EVE and in real life) are those that: | ||
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* maintain control of the class. | * maintain control of the class. | ||
=== | === Structure === | ||
You'll have a very good idea of how you want the class to run. | 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: | ||
# Tell them what you are going to tell them (introduce the broad headings of what you are going to discuss) | |||
# Tell them (go through each item that you want to cover in detail) | |||
# Tell them what you've told them (summarise what you've just told them, and list each of the points you've covered) | |||
From a professional education standpoint, the following method of | |||
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 | * A brief overview of what you will be covering | ||
* How you intend to use the chat channel | * 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 | * Whether you want a volunteer to link items for you as you talk about them | ||
* How you intend to deal with questions | * 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 | 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: | |||
<div style="margin: 0; border: 1px solid #8888AA; border-left-width: 5px; padding: 1em; background-color: #CCCCEE; color: #000022; font-style: italic;"> | |||
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.</div> | |||
=== Presentation tips === | === Presentation tips === | ||
Everyone has their own style | 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. | : 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 | ; Don't get side-tracked. | ||
: Especially when questions come up, it is tempting to answer them right away. However, | : 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. | ; Practice makes perfect. | ||
: Players will memorize the subject matter better if they are able to put the knowledge into practice. | : 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. | ||
=== Fielding questions === | === Fielding questions === | ||
Ask people to use the in | 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. | * 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 | * 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 take a short bit of time out to consolidate them into a short topics | * 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: " | * 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 | The important thing with questions is to deal with them when you want, without letting them disarrange your class structure. | ||
=== Keeping control === | === 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 | This means that you need to manage: | ||
* anyone chatting in the class channel (ask them to take it private) | * 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 | * 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 misbehaving in channel | ||
* anyone repeatedly speaking or keying up on | * 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 == | |||
* Toastmasters International: [https://www.toastmasters.org/resources/public-speaking-tips Public Speaking Tips] 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. | |||
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