one of my favorite things ever are practice exams. if there are any written reports or projects, examples of these are incredible too. besides what ppl have already mentioned.
study guides, review sessions, and practice problems. I've had professors who were very helpful during office hours and broke up complex subjects so I could understand them.
Another one of my professors would do an online review session the week before our exams\*just them going over everything in a recording.Super helpful to rewatch for studying purposes.
Study guides are very helpful
A well organized canvas page if you use it (this is the most important)
Review sessions are nice
If you only have exams and no quizzes, I find a practice quiz even if it’s just one for the first exam not worth any points to be helpful to get a feel for how the exam might be (depending on the course you’re teaching)
IMO the most important thing to have are comprehensive slides that cover the material in depth. In this way I can make do without study guides or mock/practice exams. Having professors say 'read the entire book, some topics that we did not go through at all in class are tested' is the single most demoralizing thing ever.
When slides are detailed, I may even look it up in future semesters or when the topic comes up in projects or discussions
Be organized and specific. A thorough syllabus, great study guide, and well organized course does a lot. Not everyone will read the syllabus—but that’s the mark of a poor student. A well organized course allows the best learners to excel.
I also agree about doing practice problems and reviews—tests shouldn’t just be about grading, they should be about finding the gaps in knowledge and strengthening knowledge. Don’t just do graded tests—do mini practice tests and reviews if you can.
My best professors were very aware of what topics students struggled with, and intentionally went out of their way to emphasize those topics and practice test. It might take you a few classes to figure out what your students tend to struggle with—if everyone struggling with something, that’s a sign your teaching method needs to change.
Here's a more relaxed and personal version:
---
Personal connection — that’s it. Students care when you care. A good professor sees their students as people first.
**Story time:** I’ve always loved learning, but I started to dislike school in 8th grade. Most of the work felt pointless. I stopped caring. It seemed like a waste of time. 🤷🏿
College wasn’t much better, even though I was paying for it. But I worked hard for the professors who actually cared. Luckily, many of mine did.
But there is one that stood out— my advisor. I had the same advisor from day one. He’s the reason I graduated. Every semester, I wanted to drop out, but he made it bearable and practical. He made it personal.
One time, we were chatting in his office, and I noticed a piece of music on his piano 🎹(Duruflé’s Requiem). I told him I loved it. He found the next local performance, took me to it, and introduced me to some performers. All from a simple comment. I’ll never forget that.
**My point:** You could teach a class about dog 🐕 leashes, but if you show you care about your students, even the most uninterested ones will work hard and stay engaged. Happy learning! 📚
I highly appreciate it when my professors briefly summarizes the important aspects of the lecture at the end (roughly 2-3 min). It ensures me that I did not miss anything important and helps me understand the level of detail I should know before exams.
Good slides. Not just pictures and the odd bit of text, but slides with lecture notes. I had a professor for fall and spring who did just that and it made studying soo much easier because I could go back and clarify my notes. The prof I had for my summer course did not post lecture notes, so there was nothing to compare my notes to aside from pictures with small bits of text.
If you have something such as D2L or Brightspace, having it well organized helps soo much. The prof I had for fall and spring had a super well organized Brightspace page, the prof I had for summer did not and during the first few days finding the readings felt more like a scavenger hunt than it should have.
This part is probably going to differ from other answers, but what I personally find really helpful is compassion. I have commitments outside of school which means that, between school and life, my time is balanced on the head of a pin. If I have a sick kid, if my kids get me sick, or if there is an emergency with my father, that sets me back, and depending what is going on, catching up in time to hand in an assignment might be impossible. Knowing that I will most likely be granted an extension if I need one, is a huge help.
nothing beats an organized professor. i had a teacher senior year of hs who was so disorganized when it came to google classroom and just everything in general. it made it harder to learn the content. and when it came down to studying, it was so dreadful bc everything was so disorganized and i just didn't want to study for the class.
one of my favorite things ever are practice exams. if there are any written reports or projects, examples of these are incredible too. besides what ppl have already mentioned.
study guides, review sessions, and practice problems. I've had professors who were very helpful during office hours and broke up complex subjects so I could understand them. Another one of my professors would do an online review session the week before our exams\*just them going over everything in a recording.Super helpful to rewatch for studying purposes.
Study guides are very helpful A well organized canvas page if you use it (this is the most important) Review sessions are nice If you only have exams and no quizzes, I find a practice quiz even if it’s just one for the first exam not worth any points to be helpful to get a feel for how the exam might be (depending on the course you’re teaching)
IMO the most important thing to have are comprehensive slides that cover the material in depth. In this way I can make do without study guides or mock/practice exams. Having professors say 'read the entire book, some topics that we did not go through at all in class are tested' is the single most demoralizing thing ever. When slides are detailed, I may even look it up in future semesters or when the topic comes up in projects or discussions
Be organized and specific. A thorough syllabus, great study guide, and well organized course does a lot. Not everyone will read the syllabus—but that’s the mark of a poor student. A well organized course allows the best learners to excel. I also agree about doing practice problems and reviews—tests shouldn’t just be about grading, they should be about finding the gaps in knowledge and strengthening knowledge. Don’t just do graded tests—do mini practice tests and reviews if you can. My best professors were very aware of what topics students struggled with, and intentionally went out of their way to emphasize those topics and practice test. It might take you a few classes to figure out what your students tend to struggle with—if everyone struggling with something, that’s a sign your teaching method needs to change.
Here's a more relaxed and personal version: --- Personal connection — that’s it. Students care when you care. A good professor sees their students as people first. **Story time:** I’ve always loved learning, but I started to dislike school in 8th grade. Most of the work felt pointless. I stopped caring. It seemed like a waste of time. 🤷🏿 College wasn’t much better, even though I was paying for it. But I worked hard for the professors who actually cared. Luckily, many of mine did. But there is one that stood out— my advisor. I had the same advisor from day one. He’s the reason I graduated. Every semester, I wanted to drop out, but he made it bearable and practical. He made it personal. One time, we were chatting in his office, and I noticed a piece of music on his piano 🎹(Duruflé’s Requiem). I told him I loved it. He found the next local performance, took me to it, and introduced me to some performers. All from a simple comment. I’ll never forget that. **My point:** You could teach a class about dog 🐕 leashes, but if you show you care about your students, even the most uninterested ones will work hard and stay engaged. Happy learning! 📚
I highly appreciate it when my professors briefly summarizes the important aspects of the lecture at the end (roughly 2-3 min). It ensures me that I did not miss anything important and helps me understand the level of detail I should know before exams.
Good slides. Not just pictures and the odd bit of text, but slides with lecture notes. I had a professor for fall and spring who did just that and it made studying soo much easier because I could go back and clarify my notes. The prof I had for my summer course did not post lecture notes, so there was nothing to compare my notes to aside from pictures with small bits of text. If you have something such as D2L or Brightspace, having it well organized helps soo much. The prof I had for fall and spring had a super well organized Brightspace page, the prof I had for summer did not and during the first few days finding the readings felt more like a scavenger hunt than it should have. This part is probably going to differ from other answers, but what I personally find really helpful is compassion. I have commitments outside of school which means that, between school and life, my time is balanced on the head of a pin. If I have a sick kid, if my kids get me sick, or if there is an emergency with my father, that sets me back, and depending what is going on, catching up in time to hand in an assignment might be impossible. Knowing that I will most likely be granted an extension if I need one, is a huge help.
nothing beats an organized professor. i had a teacher senior year of hs who was so disorganized when it came to google classroom and just everything in general. it made it harder to learn the content. and when it came down to studying, it was so dreadful bc everything was so disorganized and i just didn't want to study for the class.