How did Michael Brown magically transform Geography 100? No magic. Just hard work.

Brown first contacted the UW’s Center for Instructional Development and Research (CIDR), which works with faculty to improve instruction on campus. Angela Linse, then on the CIDR staff, observed Brown’s class and interviewed students in depth about their experience with the course. Then she shared her findings with Brown.

“She helped me so much,” recalls Brown. “She reminded me that it was my course and that I shouldn’t let the textbook define what an introduction to geography could be.”

Michael Brown

Linse also helped Brown see things from the students’ perspective. “I learned that packing in too much material, especially in a large lecture setting, is just overwhelming for them,” explains Brown. “In this case, less is more.”

Brown also sought advice from colleagues teaching large classes in other departments, who met regularly to share ideas. “I wanted the peer support, and I welcomed the opportunity to learn tricks of the trade,” says Brown, who credits the group with changing his attitude about large classes. “I saw that there are people on this campus who are teaching large classes and teaching them well and enjoying it.”

Having collected all this information, Brown spent his summer revising the course. He altered the content to reflect what geographers are talking about today—the political, economic, and cultural restructuring of the globe over the last 30 years—rather than teaching from the textbook. By autumn quarter, he was ready to face 500 faces in Kane Hall with confidence.

“The first day back, I walked in and there was a PC at the lectern,” Brown recalls. “Turns out the UW was experimenting with technology in some classes. I asked if I could use it, and when I was told I could, that added a whole new dimension to the class.”

Brown quickly created a website for the course—in the days before websites were common—which he used for class presentations and for providing information outside of class.

“I’d do the web material for each class session one week beforehand,” he recalls. “At that point, it became more of a fun challenge for me. I’d think, ‘OK, where can I go on the web to find examples or learn more?’ And it made the material feel very current to students. Their response was very positive.”

With all the revisions he made in the course, which does Brown think led to the dramatic increase in student ratings? It comes down to the basics, he says. “Honestly, I think a lot of it was just the effort I put in,” he says. “Students recognized and really appreciated that I put in effort, and they could see that I was excited by the material. That really turned things around.”

Next Section: Monty McGovern--Getting to Know Your Audience

[Winter/Spring 2001 - Table of Contents]