Engaging students with unit outlines
Reading and understanding a unit of study outline helps students to recognise the relevance of the unit in the program, your expectations of them and their reasonable expectations of you.
By motivating your students to read and use the unit of study outline, you:
- ensure students are aware of their obligations, such as assessment tasks, policy requirements, how to contact you (and/or members of the teaching team), prerequisites or required reading and preparation.
- guide students as to what resources are available to help them in your unit of study
- clearly communicate when and where classes, tutorials and activities (such as industry visits) are and when assessments are due and how they should be submitted
- give students the context of how the unit is relevant and fits into the program and/or specialisation
Students look at the unit of study outline to discover how and when they will be assessed. By being selective, they can miss other important unit of study information, such as how the unit of organised (the topic schedule) or important policy-related information. By motivating your students to read and engage with the unit of study outline, you ensure that they are aware of important unit-specific information as well as any required obligations.
- Ask students to complete the topic and assessment schedule on the last page of the unit outline and stick it on their wall or on the fridge at home.
- Give students a short quiz on the unit of study outline, first completed individually and then in groups. Group members can then help each other with any uncertain answers.
- Highlight critical information in class. Revisit the outline throughout the session.
- Collaboratively develop aspects of the unit of study outline with smaller, senior groups of students, such as optional assessment topics or which topic/s to spend more time on.