What grade do I expect in this class?

I've read that it is helpful to have students think about (and report to the instructor) what grade they expect to earn in a given class. The phrasing can be chosen to remind the students that they must work for the grade. It is helpful to know what students are going for a 'C' - talking to the student could reveal a lack of confidence (which could be addressed), or an incredibly busy semester (which might just need to be accepted).

What grades do I expect to earn this semester? In K-12, a large part of my identity was connected to my grades. (Perhaps too large a part of my identity is still connected to my grades from K-12.) In college, my GPA was far from perfect, but I knew that I was taking hard classes. In some cases, working my butt off was barely (or not even) enough to pass. In grad school, I knew that grades and classes were nowhere near as important as research. I survived writing my dissertation by telling myself it didn't need to be "A"-level work. It needed to be done, not perfect. I succeeded - it is done, but certainly not perfect!

Unlike my dissertation, my teaching this semester will actually be evaluated, though I won't receive a grade, per se. Am I aiming for an "A"? It feels like I am. However, it also feels like an unrealistic goal. I'm teaching 3 different courses, and I should also be doing research. Can I get an "A" in all 4 of my tasks? It doesn't seem possible. I'm trying to set up a good syllabus and pull in many pedagogical techniques that have been shown to be effective. I'm also trying to structure the courses in a way that will be sustainable all semester, with regards to prep and grading. Unfortunately, I've already hit conflicts between "reasonable time commitment on my part" and "good teaching".

I want to use pre-lecture quizzes. This is not a technique that I have used in the past, but is supposed to be effective in a number of ways. Some instructors use online quizzes to make sure the students are doing the reading before lecture. This is what I had planned to do. However, I started read a book on "Just in Time Teaching" and there are faculty who report varied success with this technique. Apparently, multiple choice questions result in unhappy students... I was hoping to do multiple choice questions, as a way to minimize my grading. Instead, the book stresses using "essay" type responses. This is a much better way to assess student understanding, but it will take longer to "grade" and compile the results.

Do I go ahead with my multiple-choice 'reading quizzes', or do I switch to a system of 'pre-lecture questions'? One is much easier - the online system can handle the grading, and I can pull multiple choice questions from the instructor materials included with the book. However, these types of questions might not be effective at doing anything other than annoying students. Switching to the "better" questions will require a number of changes. First, I'll have to find sources of good questions for my class. Second, I'll need to change the frequency and time-window that students can take do 'pre-lecture questions'. Third, I'll need to change the syllabus. Finally, I'll have to make sure I have time to actually read through the responses and prep lecture!

One of my priorities is to keep to my syllabus. So if I say that there will be 2 pre-lecture questions due the night before every lecture, I want to be able to hold myself to that. Likewise, I don't want to specify that there will be multiple-choice questions once a week and then see that they aren't working. Sure, flexibility is important. But I like to think of the syllabus as a "contract", and proof of the plan that I have for the semester. If I'm not sure about something, I'd rather leave it somewhat flexible on the syllabus than change it during the semester.

This job is hard. I knew that it was going to be, and I'm still really excited about being faculty. I'll be even more excited when there are students! But what do I think I can actually achieve this semester? "A"s in teaching, and a "C" in research? With my experiences at MIT, I think it might be possible... as long as I barely sleep, don't socialize, and de-prioritize my health. MIT taught me (ah, junior year) that I can pull of such amazing feats for one semester. Is it worth it? The only other option I see is to accept that my teaching might be at the "B" level. I know there will be room for improvement no matter what, it is just very difficult to create a plan for the semester that has obvious flaws in it.