How Much Should I Try to Cover in One Class?

From: http://tep.uoregon.edu/resources/faqs/preparingtoteach/oneclass.html

The better question to ask here is - How much do you want your students to learn, understand and be able to apply? You can talk nonstop and jam as much content into a class period as possible. But that's about all that strategy will accomplish. The better you know and understand your students, the more effectively you will be able to facilitate their learning in your course.

Some general guidelines are to generate two or three main topics or big ideas for each class session. Split the session into 10 or 15 minute "chunks" for each topic and expand on each with definitions, explanations, illustrations, and examples, leaving time for questions after each. Remember to restate the big ideas before and after each "chunk." If you do this, you may cover less and uncover more.