Part 5: MISTAKES AND PROBLEMS | How to Lecture in Higher Education

Mistakes and problems: One mistake I often make during lecturing is forcing the students to multitask too much.
Beginner students have not yet learned how to take notes and try to capture too much in their notebooks. They try to copy everything I show. They cannot digest the visual information and write it down while listening to what I'm saying.
The natural way to solve this is to slow down and not bombard them with new information. If something is complicated on screen, or if you put a lot of information on the board, pause. Let it sink in, and allow your students to digest the content before you continue.
Another way to solve this problem is to offer the lecture or parts in video format that the students can watch before or after the class. They can review this digital content as many times as they want. I use this trick when I have material that I do not want to spend time explaining in the lecture hall. It's up to you to decide what content should be discussed in class and which could be distributed digitally.
Another common trick is to offer a handout with copies of the presentation slides before or after the class. It can be in the form of a downloadable PDF file. You probably knew about this trick, but I just wanted to remind you about the dangers of forcing students to multitask during your lectures.
I think many new university teachers are afraid that they don't have enough content. They are worried that they will run out of presentation slides. To them, I say: you probably have more than enough material. Remember, there's nothing wrong with lecturing slowly, pausing, and giving the students time to reflect on the material.
If you're a beginner, you might feel that you don't want to be interrupted by questions, which I can understand. It is stressful to be standing there, in the center of attention, delivering a live presentation. In that case, I recommend the classic solution of asking everyone to hold their questions until the Q and A later.
Here, I would also like to touch on another dilemma for beginners. The fear of being asked about something in the lecture hall and not understanding the question or being unable to come up with a good answer. Relax, this is entirely normal, and it always happens to me. Just ask them to rephrase the question. Then, thank them for it and tell them that you don't know and will investigate and return later with an answer. Whatever you do, don't try to dodge it or apologize. Thank them, make a note, and move on with your presentation.