There have many studies that demonstrate the connection between increased learner-instructor interaction and student success. This is why class size was limited to 20 for grades K-3 a few years ago. However, the impact is not just present for children. Students of all ages who have personalized interaction with their instructors are statistically more likely to succeed than those who do not experience this kind of interaction. 

In spite of this, many students here at Cerritos do not even know the names of their instructors, much less know anything about them and why they do what they do. In order to understand why you are being taught certain material or why the instructor presents that material in a certain way, you have to get to know something about the instructor and the institution. 

This essay is going to give you the opportunity to get to know a little bit more about an instructor here at Cerritos. You will set up an interview with an instructor of your choice. You will find out something about the instructor's educational background as well as what motivated the instructor to get into teaching in the first place. Was teaching at the college level his/her first choice? Also, find out something about the instructor's pedagogy. What is his/her philosophy of teaching? 

Before you go for your interview, take some time to gather some background information. Many of the instructors here on campus have web sites that will provide great information, and will save you from asking questions during the interview that you already have answers for. The information on the web site may also help guide your choice of questions as you prepare for the interview itself.

When you write up your essay, you will want to be sure that it has a clear point. You can't just talk about what happened in the interview. Think about how you want to put this information together to make it interesting to the reader. How you present the information should be determined by what you want to communicate, not by the order it was revealed in the interview. Introduce your reader's to the instructor. You might want to take a look at the sample introductions. Some of the clown samples would work well for this type of interview.

Note: As you write up your essay, the focus needs to be on the instructor, not on you. This essay is not about you. You can use your experience as a reference, but you should refer to the experience in terms of how students in general experience the instructor. There should not be any first person ("I") pronouns in this essay. 

Your essay will need to be a MINIMUM of THREE PAGES in length. I will be looking for a strong introduction that grabs the reader’s interest and introduces the topic. I will be looking for good details and a clear main point. I will be looking for a strong conclusion that leaves the reader thinking about what you have just said. If you run into problems, remember there are many places you can go for help. You can go to the LAP or the New Writing Resource Center and ask the tutors or instructors for assistance. You can come and talk to me during my office hours or during our class time. Remember that it’s okay to get stuck, but it’s not okay to stay stuck.

When you turn in your final draft you will need to include the following items IN THIS ORDER.

1. The final draft of the essay. I will grade whatever is on the top. Remember that your essay will need to follow the format outlined in class. Essays that do not follow the format will be returned for correction and you will lose one full letter grade on the essay.

2. A letter to me in which you discuss what you liked about this topic. What did you find difficult about this assignment and what did you do to overcome those difficulties? What do you think are the strengths of your essay? What would you still like to work on if you had more time? Keep in mind that the letter is not an opportunity for you to "sell" your essay to me. I will not read the letter until after I have given your essay a grade. I simply want to hear your assessment of your writing.

3. Your interview questions

4. Peer Review E-mails

5. All of your rough drafts and prewriting.