By knowing the extent of your students' current knowledge of the subject, you can more effectively present what they need to know in ways they will understand. A pre-test can give you excellent information about the students' knowledge base. Encourage the students to come talk to you during office hours. Meet with the students in small groups at the beginning of the semester to get to know them and talk about your expectations of them and their expectations for the class.
Understanding scientific principles is not an easy task. Students need practice solving problems or doing mini-experiments in class to help them understand how the principles relate to the real world. Spend some class time posing questions that makes students think and encourages questions from them.
Don't just have a mid-term and a final. The more frequently students get to demonstrate their knowledge of the topic, the better they will ...
