Instructor and Student Responsibilities                                                          

 

Anatomy and physiology are fascinating subjects, but also quite challenging.  This outline of instructor and student responsibilities is intended to help you navigate the course and all of its requirements to maximize your success and minimize your frustration.

 

Instructor responsibilities

It is the instructor’s responsibility to:

 

1.      Start and end class on time. The instructor should not hold the class significantly beyond the end of class, nor should he or she dismiss class excessively early.
 

 

2.      Conduct class in a manner that is unbiased and respectful.
 

 

3.      Present relevant material.  The instructor should present the material that is most important for you to learn and understand in your study of A&P.  The method (PowerPoint, chalkboard) and style (lecture, skits, worksheets, etc) that your instructor uses is entirely up to him or her.
 

 

4.      Notify you of changes to the syllabus.  The instructor may decide to change the number, timing or coverage of exams, or to otherwise adjust the syllabus.  In such cases, the instructor must notify students by making an announcement in class of the change(s).  The instructor is not responsible for students who do not hear the announcement because they were either not present or not paying attention. 
 

 

5.      Give and grade exams in a timely fashion. The instructor should notify students when they can expect to receive graded exams.  However, the time required to grade exams will vary according to the nature of the exam (scantron, short answer, essay, etc).
 

 

6.      Be available during scheduled office hours.  The instructor will have scheduled office hour(s) during which he or she is expected to be in his or her office to address student concerns.  If these times do not work for you, you may request that your professor schedule an appointment with you at another time. 

 

Your instructor is NOT required to:

• give handouts or provide lecture notes
• return exams or quizzes for you to keep
• give review sessions or review sheets

 

Student Responsibilities

We hear over and over again “I failed because I had a bad instructor.”  While few would argue that a great instructor makes being in the class more exciting, no instructor is responsible for your failure or your success; both depend on the amount and quality of work you put into the course.  Ultimately, your performance in this and any class is your responsibility—it is squarely on your own shoulders. To that end, it is your responsibility to:

 

1.      Prepare. Read the material for lecture and for laboratory at least once before you come to class.  Use lab  and lecture handouts to focus your reading on the most important topics.  Observe the various diagrams, figures and tables and correlate each to the text.  Take notes while you read.  Write any questions that you think of in the margins or in your notebook.
 

 

2.      Be present.  Attend every class session and be there on time. Many instructors begin class by taking attendance.  If you are late for this, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor after class that you were present.  If you miss class time, it is your responsibility to get the material that you missed from your classmates; you should also make sure that you ask if there were any important announcements.  If you miss an entire class, you should—at a minimum—arrange to copy notes from a classmate.  You may also arrange to sit in on another instructor’s lecture with permission from that instructor.
 

 

3.      Pay attention. Lecturing will take place in both the lecture and laboratory classrooms. Listen carefully. Take clear notes in phrase form (don’t try to write complete sentences). Consider using a tape recorder to tape lectures (ask your instructor for permission first).  Keep at it; taking good notes is a skill that you will get better at over time. 
 

 

4.      Respect others in the class.  If you’re talking, texting, giggling or snoring, it’s harder for everyone else in the class to pay attention.  It’s also harder for the instructor to keep the flow of explanation.  If you must come to class late (or need to leave early), choose a seat that causes the least disruption to the class.
 

 

5.      Know important dates.  Do not rely on your instructor to remind you of upcoming exams and important deadlines.  Knowing these dates is your responsibility.  You should know the dates of your exams, deadlines for other assignments, drop deadlines, and any class dates that have been rescheduled on a non-scheduled day (i.e. Friday classes being give on a Tuesday).
 

 

6.      Keep track of your grades.  Record your grades in this handout.  Calculate your average every couple of weeks to see how you’re doing.  Ask your instructor if you aren’t sure.  If your grade comes as a surprise to you at the end of the semester, it’s your fault.
 

 

7.      Work hard outside of class. This is perhaps the most important factor relating to your success in the class. As much as possible, minimize other time commitments in your life. Keep in mind that for a 3-hour lecture, instructors spend (on average) 6-9 hours outside of class preparing—and they already know the material.  How much time should you spend?  Consider doing some or all of the following, but rest assured that if you do nothing outside of class, you will have wasted a semester of A&P.

• Within 24 hours of class, review or rewrite your notes being sure to fill in any missing information and correct any misspelled words. As you re-write your notes, pay attention to when something is confusing.  Write your question(s) in your notes and leave space to answer it later when you come back to your notes.  Then make sure that you either look in your book, or on the internet, or ask your instructor.
• Watch the videos and animations that are on the CD that comes with your textbook.  These often help to illustrate some of the more complicated concepts in the course. Look for websites online that explain the topics that were covered in class.  Sometimes hearing or seeing something explained another way will help you remember it.
• Form study groups.  Numerous studies have shown that we learn best by explaining concepts to someone else.  These same studies frequently show improvements of 20% or more on grade averages for students that learn in groups.  Don’t be embarrassed to form a group because you think you’re weak, and don’t think that you won’t benefit from group study because you’re a strong student.  Groups help everyone.
• Quiz yourself.  Quiz your classmates.  Use study questions from the lecture guides, use online and CD quizzes, copy diagrams with the labels covered up, answer questions from the back of the book.  The more active you are, the better your brain will learn it.  Don’t just re-read your notes.
• Play to your strengths.  Figure out your learning styles or preferences (see page 7).  Try to incorporate those preferences into how you study. Try various ways of exposing yourself to the information.  Consider using a tape recorder to record lectures or make study sheets or flash cards to take out every time you’re sitting still for more than a few minutes (like on the train or bus).

8.      Do your own work.  While it certainly helps to study with others, relying on someone else’s notes won’t help you much at all—even if the notes are from your instructor.  Your brain learns by doing.
 

 

9.      Don’t fall behind.  Don’t wait to get started until week 2 or 3 just because it doesn’t seem like a lot of material at first.  If something is unclear, ask a question.  If you’re struggling, don’t be embarrassed—ask for help early.  If you wait too long, it may be too late.  You should talk to your instructor if you’re having a very hard time, but you can also try the following:

• Learning Resource Center is located on the first floor of Sage Hall (behind Meister Hall).  It has videos and CD-ROMs for all of the major concepts covered in A&P.  Some tutoring is also available.
• Biology Study Lab is in Meister 418 and is stocked with models, slides and microscopes, and CD-ROMs.  Tutors are available, and many of your instructors volunteer to spend time in the study lab to provide extra help.  Hours are usually posted during the second week of the semester.

Give feedback to your instructor(s). If there is anything your instructor can do to help you succeed in the course, or to improve the course, please bring it to his or her attention.  We value and depend on your constant feedback to make this course the best that it can be for all of our students.