I decided last spring to implement a new teaching strategy: individual midterm conferences with every student enrolled in my classes. That’s approximately 75 students total. Throughout my years of teaching, I’d heard colleagues report that meeting with students individually during the semester had a positive impact on students’ learning experience. I believed them, and yet, I had trouble figuring out how to find time for meaningful conferences with every one of my students without sacrificing too much class time. True, I could insist that students meet me during office hours, but my office hours are usually booked up with advising and remediation appointments, which are important and meaningful in their own right. I decided I needed to make the time. I took a close look at my syllabi, and I rearranged lectures and in-class activities to allow for individual in-class conferences during weeks 7 and 8 of the semester.
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