Classroom Experiences 101

I am very lucky to be able to have classroom experiences in China, Singapore and the United States. Among all, the US classroom experience includes the most student participation. There are basically three type of classroom experiences: lecture, discussion, and lab.

Lecture:

This is the one that requires less interaction between teachers and students. Lectures could be as short as 50 minutes or as long as 3 hours with a few short breaks. Most of the time lectures are for teachers to convey the course materials in the format of presentation accompanied by PowerPoint slides. Students take a lot of notes during the lecture. It’s totally fine to raise your hand and ask questions under teacher’s permission—your classmates might have the same questions as well. Some professor will leave a few minutes at the end of the course for questions so he/she won’t be interrupted during the lecture. In that case, you might want to write down your questions and ask them later. There could be some quizzes, impromptu questions or even discussions during the presentation too. Make sure you attend the lectures and take part in them. They are good practice and also a part towards the final grade sometimes.

Discussion:

The discussions are mostly lead by Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs). There will be a specific topic each time: it can be a review of previous lecture materials, some materials prepared by the GSI, written quizzes, group problem-solving to name a few. It’s the best time to get additional instruction and reinforcement of course concepts. Your grades on quizzes are often part of your final grade too. In my opinion, discussion sessions could be more casual than the lectures—it’s very student-centered. Students are expected to bring questions and get help from the discussion sessions.

Lab:

Most science and engineering students have to take lab courses. Generally the lab course is consisted of lectures conducted by professors, lab sessions lead by GSIs, and exams. Lectures give students a general idea of what problems they will need to solve through experiments and main concepts behind the possible observations. The lab sessions are where students actually do the hands-on part. The lab session often starts with a small presentations conveyed by the GSI with main concepts and explanation for some operations. Students will work in team to perform experiments in order to solve problems in the lab manual. GSIs will be around through the whole lab session to guide the discussion, demonstrate operations and answer questions. Generally there is a lab report to be completed after each session. You grade will be based on how well the initial problems are explained, your performance of the lab work and your knowledge of the course materials reflected through exams. My suggestions for success in lab courses are: studying science behind the experiments by heart, recording experimental procedures and results carefully, being a good team player, seeking help from GSIs and peers when you are confused.

Outside the classroom:

University of Michigan has a very active learning environment, you can always find sources for extra help in terms of additional practice in solving problems and preparation for exams. There are office hours held by professors and GSIs, study groups lead by experienced students at Science Learning Center (SLC), supplemental instructions groups at Engineering Learning Center (ELC) etc. You may find them helpful for additional instructions and mutual interaction and support. You may also find tutoring resources available through SLC and ELC.

Be proactive! Good luck!

Written by Ping Guo

Ph.D. student in Chemistry