How do professors prepare lectures?

Question

Do professors prepare their lectures a couple of months ahead of next semester? How often do they practice their speeches if they do? And do they get nervous as well?

Victoria, thanks for the link: www.ratemyprofessor.com :)

Answer 1

Professors are as different as students. Some love to use power points and slides, some use lots of hand outs, some go strictly by the book, some do lecture format, some are more discussion oriented. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes the student until the first big test to figure out how to learn the content of the class. So, if your first test grade in that class is not good, don't freak out. Just try changing up your methods...different note taking, study groups, online forums, recording the class, bring lap top...ect. Most Professors don't have 'speeches' it's a lecture...mostly. Depending on your major you may have more or less of this format. If you are a 'hands on' learner, you may do really well in the Lab portion of some classes.

If you are a freshman, and worried about doing well in class...the best advice that I can give you is "GO TO CLASS" . Too many people skip class and then wonder why it was so hard to pass the class. So, go to class and ask lots of questions. If you can, make sure your teacher really knows who you are. Show him/her your notes, ask what you can do to really get a good grade. Utilize the office hours of the professor and if he provides you with more info like email etc...use it!

Good Luck and Happy Learning! You'll survive if you care enough about school.

Answer 2

Wow, what a question! As with any creative job, everyone does it a little different. When teaching a new class I try to read the book before the class begins, prepare a calendar of what I think I'm teaching each day/week. Then I try to prepare enough lecture material for at least a couple of classes. If it's a new course, I'm usually just a few steps ahead of my students because I'm not sure how long my classroom activities, lectures, interactions with the class will take (so I'm usually revising on the fly.)

If I've taught the class for many terms, then I usually have a good idea of how I will structure the class. I begin by setting out my calendar for the term. I usually do the 1st week, then go to the end of the term and work my way back.

My classes are never the same, so before each term I'm looking over new resources, developing new lecture material, new activities, and crawling the internet looking for anything I think will make the class more interesting.

I still get nervous when I'm trying something new (and hoping for a specific reaction from the class), and when I’m teaching a new course.

I don't practice my lectures (although I don't really lecture much). I know my material inside and out. I prepare a PowerPoint of the materials important points, and lay out an agenda of how I think I will spend the class time. (Intro activity, lecture, class interaction, activity, wrap-up, assign homework.)

Yikes, I really need to get back to preparing for next term (what I came into my office to do.)

Answer 3

Speaking as a college professor who teaches a wide variety of subject, such as math, computers, and business, I can tell you that how much prep we do varies widely.

For instance, I have been preparing for a class I've taught before, but it's at another school, so I've been spending the couple of weeks getting ready. The subject matter isn't new for me, but the way this new book handles and calls things is. And I've got another school's system to learn. Plus, I need to prepare the lecture materials--handouts, presentations, etc., to supplement the verbal lectures.

In cases when I've had to learn a new class at a place I've taught before, it's sometimes learning a new subject more in-depth. Or maybe the book's edition has changed, which may result in chapters being re-ordered, examples and illustrations being changed.

My point is that most students don't realize how much prep work actually goes into our classes. You see the end result! And even with a class that hasn't changed--the book is the same, the material is the same, it's not always that simple. Why? Because the student dynamics are different, which often means we have to revise as we go.

Sometimes, I may need to revise my lesson the day before as a result of what happened in class that day. I've often had to tweak things, or create something new to further explain something, etc.

But this is one reason why I enjoy teaching so much--it's never boring!

Answer 4

In stages:
1. Design the course (list the topics to be covered in each lecture and the order in which they will be covered, tests etc.)
2. Work up an outline of each lecture, with main topics, sub-topics, order of presentation, in-class exercises and discussion questions, etc.
3. Refine each lecture to make certain that it will fit into the allotted time slot (different professors do this in different ways, some talk through it, those who've been teaching a long time usually have an in built sense of how long an item will take).

New professors often get nervous. A good guide to how nervous your professor might be is to look at how much he or she depends on prewritten lecture notes. A confident professor will have notes but rarely refer to them. Nervous professors are often agressive or evasive when answering questions, confident professors love them and will happily admit ignorance if they don't know the answer.

Do professors get bored by their own classes? Hell, yeah. The problem is that universities require their professors to teach the same core group of courses over and over. Anyone would be bored hearing the same material again and again. Good professors vary the content of their courses each year to try to avoid the problem, but that's sometimes not possible as they are required to cover a certain core of material.

Answer 5

After the Assistant Dean of the College, the Head of the Department, the Professors, and other various other university personnel write the syllabus for each course and select all material for inclusion, everything that the professor does is time and content driven. He has to cover "this much" material in each lecture on his scheduled classes each day. All teachers are supposed to cover the same amount of material each day and always be together. Most courses change slowly so the lectures can be reused, but some are constantly changing.

The newer lecturers are nervous. I think it comes will ability and experience. Some are natural extroverts and some aren't. Your professor got their job for their knowledge and their experience. They must love teaching at the university level or they would not be there. So learn from them while you are there in their presence.

Answer 6

My husband is a prof of many years. He does not practice his lectures any more, but he is constantly reading and writing things. Like the other person said - he is SOOooooo up on his subject that he could spout off for 5 hours nonstop if necessary. He does prepare a term's set of goals, and a weekly schedule of material that must be convered for the term, and knows what the exams will be about. "Nerves? What is that?" he'd say!!

Answer 7

depends what you teach, some people will keep leasons for years. Use them over and over. Some courses teach themselves. Levels of preparedness vary as well. You mostly get over the nervousness the first day. Maybe something occassionaly. I'm sure that has to do with the individual as well.

There are some basic forms and activities you can use to cover the material. You learn what you like to do and adapt them to the material.

Answer 8

Unluess they're brand new professors, or ones whose subject matter varies with current events, they dont really put a whole lot of effort into their lectures. Most of them have taught the class before and ramble on and on with a dull look in their eyes. I doubt they get nervous either because they're talking to a room full of (mostly) kids and others in their twenties that don't know anything about life.

Answer 9

mariam S is partially correct - but they aren't as bad as she portrays them.

Good Luck!!!