No one truly wants to be nameless and faceless – and students in colleges and universities certainly do not. In a semester-long learning situation, students are far more engaged and thus, far more likely to learn if they have a sense that you – as their professor – care about them as people. You can begin connecting on the first day of class.

During that first class period, it is worth obtaining some information from your students to begin building a recognition of who they are. Here are my ten suggestions to consider:

The name they want to be called. Many people’s “legal” name is not the name they go by. Find out what your students like to be called (and how it is pronounced. Just asking the latter indicates that you intend to use their name and care enough to say it correctly.

The stated reason that they are taking your class. Prompt them and see what they write. It’s informative.

Their goals (in life). Just let them know that you would be interested in whatever they are willing to share.

What time commitment they are prepared to make for your class. You begin to learn a great deal about your students and what they have going on when you request this information from them.

Their expectations for the course. Let your students know that they may have very general expectations, specific ones, expectations based on what others have said, or any combination (or essentially no expectations). You just want to know.

Their expectations of you, as the professor. It’s fascinating to find out what they expect from their teachers. They don’t have to write volumes, just a few sentences.

Their expectations of themselves, as learners. You’re looking for some insight into how they perceive themselves. Some students are spot-on and others have never really figured out that they need to have expectations of themselves as learners. You’re conveying a message to them just by asking.

Their best email address. You will need to be able to contact them via email and need to know which email they prefer you to use (and that they check). And of course, be prepared for some “interesting” email addresses (that sometimes give more information about the student than maybe they had intended!)

Their best phone number. The information you get from your university or college may not have your students’ current phone number and you need to be able to reach them in case of emergency cancellation of class, for example.

The grade they expect to earn. Expect many students to indicate “A,” although not everyone will. Once you know, then you can help them understand what it takes to make their expectation a reality.

You can provide your students with a sheet upon which they write their answers or you can ask them to fill out an online form to submit. One other option is to put the questions on the screen (board) and have them respond.

Whichever option you choose, learn about your students the first day and begin to make connections with them. It matters.

And you are invited to access scores of sets of Top Ten Productivity Tips for Professors like these by going to the Top Ten Productivity Tips site (info to be found at):

http://TopTenProductivityTips.com

(c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm)

Require students to turn in notecards at each class period. These cards have students’ names and other pertinent info on them. You can use the same cards week in and week out or you can hand out notecards, which students then turn in with a response to something from the class or another learning-centered activity.

Expect students to pick up their graded assignments and the day’s handouts. Then, judging by whatever is left over, you will know who is absent. Make it clear to students that you expect integrity, that is, you want students to gather up their own assignments and handouts, but not anyone else’s. It worked for me.

Look around the class room and check off who is present, either using a seating chart or just because you know all of your students. You can do this at the beginning of class or during a class activity. This works in classes of 50 or fewer but can become cumbersome if there are many more than that. If you have a graduate (or undergraduate) assistant, you can have him/her take care of this task.

Call the roll. Ugh (in terms of the amount of time that it takes), but it is one of the options. At the beginning of the semester, I would sometimes do this as a way of helping me to learn the students’ names.

Make your class a must-see event. No matter how magnificent our teaching is, most of us do not create “must-attend” events given that today’s students have an enormous number of competing demands. However, some weeks you are able to do this. Then, you do not need to worry about whether students are there. They will be – and they will have brought friends.

When you have classes of 200, 400, or more, then it is essentially impossible to take roll using any of the ideas in this list. If you teach such huge numbers, I hope you will write an article with suggestions for how to take roll quickly and easily. I would certainly read it!

And for scores (and soon hundreds) of sets of Top Ten Productivity Tips like these, you’re invited to join others around the globe who subscribe (free) to one of the Top Ten Productivity Tips series (including the Top Ten Productivity Tips for Professors):

** http://TopTenProductivityTips.com

(c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm)

Use clickers.Clickers are apparently all the rage and if you are one of the people who uses them for in-class responses, then use them for attendance as well. If you do not use clickers, then keep reading for one of the other ideas shared in this week’s list of top ten productivity tips.

Pass around a sign-in sheet (ho-hum, but it works). This is one of my least favorite ways for a number of reasons, including the fact that as it comes to a student, that student now takes his/her mind off of the instructional activity that is going on to focus on signing the sheet. Some faculty worry that students are signing in for other students or signing and leaving, etc. If these are your worries, too, then go on to some of the other ideas, but I had to list this one since it is one of the options.

End class with a closure activity that involves some level of response, which is submitted as students leave the class. You can ask students to respond to one of the learning experiences, reflect on their learning that day, ask a question for next class period, or any of a number of other possibilities. Since they don’t know what the closure activity will be, there is no possibility of leaving before the end of class thinking that someone else can somehow register them as being there.

Start class with a quiz or other in-class assignment. Part of what I expected from my students was on-time arrival. Beginning class with a quiz or other quick point-based assignment helped encourage that behavior. Plus, I didn’t have to take roll because I had their assignments (or didn’t). If a student was late, then it was the student’s responsibility to let me know somehow that he/she had been in attendance.

Have a quiz or other in-class assignment somewhere mid-class. In a 50-minute class, you need to be having some kind of “change-up” activity, so having students complete and turn in some assignment or quick quiz, which then also serves as a way of taking roll serves a dual purpose. How productive!!

With all the competing demands for students’ attention and time, we sometimes have to “encourage” their attendance by acknowledging that they are in class. Try one of the ideas from this article and see how it works for you and your students.

And for scores (and soon hundreds) of sets of Top Ten Productivity Tips like these, including ones specifically for professors, you’re invited to join others around the globe who subscribe (free) to one of the Top Ten Productivity Tips series (info to be found at):

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(c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm)

When you record an appointment in your planner (either paper or electronic), include the person’s email address and phone number. Make it a habit to do so. If you need it, it’s there. If you don’t need it, it took 10 seconds so you haven’t invested too much time.

If you have a committee (or other assemblage) you will be meeting with, have their email addresses already in a “group” in your email program. It will be helpful to have that for notifications of meetings or for follow-up. And, if you need it to quickly send out an announcement that you are out sick, you already have the group email established.

Make plans with your students ahead of time if you will email them about any class cancellation due to your illness. Establish the protocol prior to needing it and set up their emails in a group so it’s an easy notification to do.

Make plans with your students that they will receive a phone call if you are out sick. This works if you have a small graduate seminar and someone who can help make the phone calls. Of course, you’ll need accurate phone numbers from your students. I often used this one for the rare occasion I was out sick because so many of our university students drove 60 – 90+ minutes to get to class and a note on the door was not going to be met with much pleasure.

Make plans with your students about posting on your website or class blog (or Facebook fan page) if you are going to be out sick. You can establish the idea that they should always check 2 hours ahead of time for any change in status.

Make arrangements with a colleague about trading class “coverage” if one of you is ill. You both hope that it never happens, but it’s nice to know that you have already put a plan in place should one be needed.

Use technology if you are able to teach (or chair a meeting), but just can’t come to class (or the meeting) in person. Imagine if you fell and broke your ankle and your doctor said you were to stay with it elevated for 3 days. You could get yourself set up in your home office to teach the class either using just the telephone (using a bridgeline) or a webcam. Students can still be served and you can still tend to your injury.

Acknowledge that you are sick sooner rather than later. This gives you time to make arrangements and to be respectful by notifying others while they still have time to alter their plans. It is not heroic to hang on until the last minute to decide you are too sick. It removes your options when you do so.

Use a tickler system (1-31 file) in your office so that you can call someone to check it to see what is in there. This works much better than having various and sundry pertinent items strung around your office and trying to tell people where to look for them.

Start cancelling non-essential appointments when you see that you are coming down with something so that you give yourself time to get better. In the short and long run, you are better off (and so are the rest of us!)

Use one or all of these ideas to set yourself up well for the academic year. Planning and preparation make a big difference and not one of these ideas take long to implement.

And if you would like hundreds of sets of Top Ten Productivity Tips like these, you’re invited to join others around the globe who subscribe (free) to one of the Top Ten Productivity Tips series (info to be found at):

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(c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm)

Post-it(r) notes – Nice for notes or for quick activities that required a sticky note.

Dry-erase markers – Even though these should be provided in the classrooms, they often are not or the ones provided are as dry as a bone.

Scotch tape – I can’t list the different uses you or the students might have for tape.

Masking tape – Could be for a classroom use or could tape in the hem of a pair of pants. Believe me. I know.

Stapler (and extra staples) – Not sure I need to explain why you might need a stapler. I’m sure you know. however here is what I would emphasize. Have a toolkit stapler that is separate from your office one. That is true for all of the items in the kit. You want to have your office set and leave the toolkit set in the toolkit.

Hole punch – This was important because many of my student assignments needed to be put into notebooks prior to turning them in. Students definitely appreciated the fact that I had a decent 3-hole punch that they could use.

Paper clips – Although I am not a big fan of paper clips, you might as well have some in there.

Pencils & pens – Just like elementary teachers keep extra writing implements available, we might as well, too. And sometimes it’s YOU who needs the pen or pencil, not just the students.

Scissors – You might as well have a pair handy.

Highlighters – I think it’s worth having these and marking them with a label with your name. You really are intending for these only to be used in the class and not carried off, so label your highlighters (and most everything else).

Chalk (yes, indeedy) – Plenty of classrooms still have chalkboards.

Extension cord – Pretty amazing how few plugs are in some classrooms; take a cord (and remember to take it with you when you leave!)

Door stop (I bought these in large packets at a local Home Depot) – I had to buy them in bulk because I often left them behind. I figured if I taught at the University long enough, I’d end up outfitting every classroom with a doorstop. I wasn’t there quite long enough for that…but I did my part.

I took the same toolkit to class regardless of whether I was teaching an undergraduate methods course, a graduate level seminar, or a class for professors. I never knew for sure which items I would need and I did not have to pack and repack my toolkit; it was always ready to grab and go.

This was a good investment on my part and saved me a great deal of time and frustration over the years.

You’re invited to join others faculty around the globe who subscribe (free) to one of the Top Ten Productivity Tips series (including the Top Ten Productivity Tips for Professors):

** http://TopTenProductivityTips.com

 c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm)

Allot time for writing letters of recommendation. Very few of the ones you need to write are “quick.” Budget at least 15″ – 30″/letter, depending on the relationship with the student and the type of letter you are writing. Part of how we get behind on writing letters to students is we never actually plan the time to get them done.

Put the onus on the student (or colleague) who is asking for the letter of recommendation. It is reasonable to ask him/her to send you a Word document with the address, date, and other pertinent information already typed in. That is clerical work that you don’t need to be tending to. Note: Interestingly enough, there will be a few requests that never get you what you asked for and so you now have fewer letters to write.

Have the “requestor” actually write the letter. Clearly, you have the choice to go along with what the student submits to you, revise and edit it, or completely start from scratch. For most of us, editing is easier and faster than the initial composition so this can increase your productivity (as well as the clarity and specificity) of what you write. It’s a win-win situation. I’ve had students who understated their accomplishments so much that it was great fun to surprise them with what I had changed their letter into. I have never had someone who wrote a draft that wasn’t helpful in some way.

Set up basic templates for letters of recommendation. It’s not that you are writing the same ideas, by any means. However, there are particular ways that most of us open and close our letters of rec and even having those in place saves time and effort. You are trying to streamline the parts of the process that can be strreamlined so that you can spend adequate time on the very personalized portions.

When you are writing multiple letters for the same student, create the first letter and then do a “File | Save As” with a new document name and make the changes necessary. (e.g., a doc student applying for various jobs or fellowships),It feels (and is) fast and reasonably easy. Always make sure that you have verified that the name of the institution or fellowship is correct for each of the different letters you are writing.

Remember, it is an honor to be asked to write a letter of reference. Someone did these letters for you and it changed your life. You can do the same for others.

Join others faculty around the globe who subscribe (free) to one of the Top Ten Productivity Tips series (including the Top Ten Productivity Tips for Professors):

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(c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm)

Have an established “letter of rec” day each month. You want to bunch tasks like this one. Once you are in a letter-of-recommendation mindset, it is easier to stay there and keep your momentum going. Let students know that you write letters once a month (or whatever time you establish) and make it clear that they need to have all requests submitted to you prior to the date or their request will not be addressed until the next month. You may always make exceptions for special situations, but don’t let on about that! I was always more lenient with doctoral students or special undergraduates who had an opportunity for a scholarship or fellowship, but even with these folks, I did my best to steer them toward the designated day. It usually worked.

Have a basic template set up that is pre-formatted to fit on your stationery. Send that to the person who is asking for the letter so that s/he can input the information right in your template (address, addressee, etc.). If you are working on this without the student’s help, then having the template makes it easier for you, too, of course.

Have a label-maker program (e.g., Dymo Label Writer is what I use) so that it’s easy and fast to create the envelope. You can also ask the students to bring you a label along with their request for the letter of recommendation. It’s amazing that not have the envelope ready can be part of what we procrastinate on. This is simply solved using one of these two suggestions.

Say yes most times…but not always. There are some students for whom you would not be able to write a good letter of recommendation – and there are others you just don’t know well enough. Tell students the truth. Writing a good letter of rec is much easier than writing a difficult one.

Write a great letter – but not a perfect letter. You can strive for excellence. You cannot attain perfection. This applies to letters of recommendation as well as to essentially everything else you’re working on.

Most of these ideas also work well when the letter of rec needs to be submitted electronically, which is, of course, happening more and more. Use and adapt any or all of the tips that will fit your situation. You will be more responsive and productive (and less stressed, which is always a plus) when you are asked to write letters for students, colleagues, or others.

And for scores (and soon hundreds) of sets of Top Ten Productivity Tips like these, you’re invited to join others around the globe who subscribe (free) to one of the Top Ten Productivity Tips series (including the Top Ten Productivity Tips for Professors):

** http://TopTenProductivityTips.com

(c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm)

Have forms that you usually need easily accessible. You may have particular forms and documents printed out and in a handy place for use when advising or you may have those webpages bookmarked for ready access during an advising appointment or phone call.

Have Facebook (or Google) chats. If you use an application that allows for chats, you can let your advisees know that if they see you there (or if you’ve scheduled a time), then they may ask quick advising questions. Teach them the difference between “chatting” with you about advising and “chatting” chatting with their friends about…whatever. They need to learn what’s appropriate. You aren’t their friend, friend. You are their advisor. Remember…use whichever of these ideas work for you. I know this one is uncomfortable for some but I wanted to put it out there anyway for others.

Record the most common responses that you provide via email (or even face-to-face) so that you have them written out and ready to send when particular questions get asked again. You can save a bank of responses to questions in one Word document and then pull them up to cut and paste when a student asks a standard question. This is one to invest a few minutes…save hours (and hours).

Create an FAQ page just like we expect to see on many websites. You can either put the FAQ on your website or use it to hand out to students. You can spend more time on quality advising if you are not dinking around (a technical term) giving students basic information over and over.

Schedule “The Doctor Is In” times – by phone. One of my favorite people gave me a sign that said, “The Doctor Is In,” which I could also turn over to “Out.” It was a great way to let students (or others) know if I was available or not. I later extended that phrase to let people know that I was available by phone during certain times. On my schedule it just said, “The Doctor Is In” call in time. Advisees and others knew that I would be “standing by” to assist. If no one called, I didn’t sit and twiddle my thumbs; I had other work I could do, but usually students used that time. Most were glad to be able to call and get a quick question answered and get right back off the phone. They are busy; you are busy. This acknowledges that and uses everyone’s time wisely. Note: I have also used “The Doctor Is In” call-in times using a bridgeline (e.g., AllFreeConference.com ). This allows multiple people to call in and so sometimes students can listen in and hear answers to other general questions – some of which they hadn’t even thought to ask. It’s a nice option.

A stressed advisor (or a disorganized one) is nowhere near as positive and productive as one who is ready for students (and the expectations of advising). Put one of these tips into practice and then to find scores of sets of Top Ten Productivity Tips for Professors, you’re invited to join other faculty around the globe who subscribe (free) to Top Ten Productivity Tips for Professors series (info to be found at):

** http://TopTenProductivityTipsforProfessors.com

(c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm)

Request that students come to their appointments with a list of questions to which they would like answers. Coming and just plopping down in your office is not helpful.

Create an advisee email list so that you can bcc all of your advisees to send out reminders about particular deadlines that they should be aware of. It is worth taking the time to do that rather than having 20% of them “forget” a deadline, which you then have to help them move past, get extensions for, etc. Invest a few minutes; save hours.

Expect timeliness. If a student’s appointment is at 3:00, expect him/her to be there by 3:00 – and preferably earlier. Make it clear to students that you will do everything you can to be respectful of their time and you need them to help you with that. Keeping to a schedule is one of the ways.

Keep notes about your advisees. You may keep them in a file on your computer or handwritten in special folders you have for them. It is the only way to remember what you discussed, decisions that were made, and or personal information about them (special upcoming events, awards, etc.). Students need faculty who CARE about them and this is one of the ways you can indicate that you do – without driving yourself nuts.

Schedule advising appointments within close proximity of each other. Once you put on your “advisor” hat, you want to keep it on. Especially during heavy advising times, keep like with like when possible, For example, if you advise both graduate and undergraduate students, then keep undergrads on one day and grads on a different day. It is far more efficient to be thinking about one group and having all the materials and information at hand – and top of mind. Even during the regular semester advising, if you have scheduled one advising appointment on a day and another student wants to be seen that same week, see if you can encourage that appointment time to be just before or just after it.

Regardless of whether you are “tasked” (ugh, I hate that word as a verb, but I used it anyway) with formal advising of students or you do so on a less formal basis, these ideas will help you be more productive while also being more helpful to students.

And for many more tips to help you be peacefully and predictably productive, you’re invited to join other faculty around the globe who subscribe (free) to Top Ten Productivity Tips for Professors series (info to be found at):

** http://TopTenProductivityTipsforProfessors.com

(c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm)

One semester, a student designated himself as the sherpa for the class and that name stuck. It was perfect since I had SO MUCH that needed to be carted (literally) to class and back to my office and I needed a wise guide to help everything happen smoothly. Here are ten reasons (and ways) to use a “sherpa” for your courses.

Your sherpa/helper can fetch you from your office or lab, help you get packed up and then to class on time.

Your sherpa/helper can make sure you get packed up and OUT of the classroom and back to your office in a timely and orderly manner.

Once back in your office, your sherpa/helper makes sure that the course materials, demonstration items, papers, books, or whatever else was taken to class is put away properly (this helped me SO much because my first thought when I got back to my office was how tired I was and that “I will just put all this stuff away tomorrow.” Yeah, right. That didn’t happen. With my helper, however, s/he was only there for a few minutes and took care of it post haste. It was great!

Your sherpa/helper can facilitate gathering up the assignments that are being turned in at the beginning of class.

Your sherpa/helper can assist in returning papers to students at the beginning of class.

As you are leaving the classroom, your sherpa makes sure that everything is gathered up. You don’t want to be half-way back across campus and THEN remember that you left the extension cord you had brought or the special chart paper and markers, etc. Part of the helper’s job is making sure that whatever was brought into the room is taken back out of the room.

Since most classrooms are scheduled so tightly, you need someone to help you get into the classroom (going against the tide of those who are leaving from the previous class) and you want to be timely in getting OUT of the classroom – as the tide of students coming for the next class is rolling in. Your sherpa assists in this process and can be your “guard” – sort of parting the seas. Have I mixed enough metaphors in this tip? You get the idea, I hope.

Particularly as the semester goes along, the sherpa can answer routine questions from students as you are trying to get set up for class or are handling more specific questions from students.

Your sherpa/helper can put students papers (that have been submitted) either in alphabetical or numerical order (depending how you like them) to help facilitate your grading and recording of grades.

I like an orderly classroom and don’t want my students coming in to a mess (nor leaving a mess for the next class). My helpers could do a quick straighten and get other students to assist them in doing so. It made for a much more pleasant environment for all of us.

Should I have paid my students more than $5/week? Maybe, but it’s all I could afford at the beginning and it seemed to work. Students often offered to do it for free but I wouldn’t allow that since I didn’t want to be taking advantage of them and wanted to offer at least some remuneration. Find what works for you…but whatever it is, hire a helper, i.e., a sherpa for your classes.

And for scores (and soon hundreds) of sets of *Top Ten Productivity Tips* like these, you’re invited to join others around the globe who subscribe (free) to one of the Top Ten Productivity Tips series, including *Top Ten Productivity Tips for Professors* – (info to be found at):

** http://TopTenProductivityTips.com

(c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm)