Help me improve this seminar.

[Samedy]

One of my jobs is an instructor for an adult program, where the students learn about computers and employment strategies (resumes, interviews, job search, etc). The content of the course was determined well before I started teaching this course by the funders and the organization.

 

One of the last seminars I teach is called “Practice & Procedures”, which focuses on the comings and goings of business. I find this to be the weakest of seminars. The learning material isn’t the greatest, and a lot of time I don’t understand why I am teaching certain things. The students have never complained about the seminar, but I still think is should be better because I actually want them to get a lot out of the whole program (no filler).

 

Here is how the seminar currently runs:

 

1) What happens in an office, an overview of the responsibilities

2) Motivation, here I talk about Maslow and some other guy and discuss why people are motivated to do certain things (very long and weak part of the seminar). Since a lot of my students don’t have any history in Psychology, I spend a lot of time explaining who these guys are. In the end, I feel like just a talking head for this portion.

3) Orientation – We discuss business culture. Here my students show a lot of interest. However, I cannot find specific articles on cultural differences in the office (which is what they are most interested in).

4) Tips for improving writing – Here I glance at some writing suggestions. Although I see the importance of proper writing, it is hard to actually learn something so vital in such a short period of time.

5) Discrimination – I go over harassment laws. When I started, it was just Sexual Harassment, but I have incorporated bullying into this segment.

6) E-mail and Phone Etiquette. – It’s funny, often times I don’t have enough time to do this lesson. I have had an idea how to improve it. During the next seminar I plan to send each of my students a mock email before class. One of an irate customer with some complaints, the other from an excessively (borderline offensive) rude complaints. After the students read it, we will discuss how to respond to each message.

 

I want to incorporate as much technology in these lessons as I can, because the students really care about the computer aspect of the course.

 

I want these lessons to be more engaging and less boring. Each seminar is 3 hours, which sounds like a lot, but really that can go by very quickly.

 

*Again my students have never complained, I am always able to keep them interested with humour and dialogue, but I want more.

[laisla]

3) Orientation – We discuss business culture. Here my students show a lot of interest. However, I cannot find specific articles on cultural differences in the office (which is what they are most interested in).

you can research different things - business values, subcultures, cultural artifacts, rewards (e.g. what do employees get rewarded on? what kinds of rewards do they get? this is very cultural), social functions, any diversity.