Learning to Swim How to Survive in the Deep End of Unfamiliar Course Material

Abstract

As institutions of higher learning increasingly rely on contingent faculty members to carry the load of required courses, more and more new contingent faculty find themselves thrown into the “deep end” of teaching in areas outside of their fields. By focusing on broader learning goals, appealing to the power of story, and emphasizing real-life application by incorporating experiential learning, these faculty members can make almost any course feel like a course they are qualified to teach. Furthermore, they can allow their wonder at learning new material inspire students to embrace unfamiliar topics as well.