A Professional Approach to Reducing Stress Involved in Course Report Writing
On November 10, 2021, Mohammad Adil led a comprehensive workshop titled "A Professional Approach to Reducing Stress Involved in Course Report Writing." Organized by the Language Research Center, the workshop delved into the fundamentals of course report writing and emphasized techniques for reducing the stress associated with this task. Adil underscored that adopting a professional approach to this task could significantly alleviate the anxiety many educators face before submitting course reports.
The interactive session involved various brainstorming tasks centered around the relationship between course coordinators and instructors. The focus was on understanding how inappropriate examination or quiz design could culminate in unnecessary stress. Participants responded with insightful ideas, one of which was the need for a change in mentality. It was suggested that educators should recognize the importance of course report writing rather than considering it a trivial task.
Adil encouraged participants to adopt a proactive approach and to start working on reports well ahead of time, ideally during the semester and not after the final examination. He shared examples demonstrating how aligning tests, quizzes, and tasks with the course learning outcomes in advance can result in more effectively designed tests, ultimately reducing the end-of-semester stress for most teachers.
In discussing the measurement of Course Learning Outcomes (CLO), Adil paid particular attention to the "Values" domain, an area with which many instructors have struggled. He presented a sample survey form that could be utilized in class to measure the CLOs under "Values."
In his concluding remarks, Adil emphasized the importance of coordinators and instructors working proactively and collaboratively. He encouraged coordinators to refrain from burdening instructors with tasks they could easily handle alone, and for instructors to remain accessible to their coordinators.
The workshop was hailed as a success for its high level of engagement and practical insights. The workshop booklet can be accessed here.
