The pedagogical literature deals with so many aspects of teaching; some topics are covered regularly, others not so often, and some only rarely. This may be the only article I have encountered with the goal of offering “a general, interdisciplinary ‘how-to’ . . . for
It isn’t always easy to put the ideas of others into your own words, especially if you don’t completely understand what you’re trying to paraphrase. But even though it’s a struggle, it’s often worth the effort. The process of doing so almost invariably deepens the
We’ve all done it: asked students to switch papers before turning them in for editing and peer review, only to receive superficial comments and vague critiques that make us wonder if peer review is really worth the time. Some of us have students put sentences
The Pew Research Center reports that:99.8 percent of college students have cell phones and 91 percent of adults (18–29) use cell phones to access social networking sites
So many educational technology tools, so little time. From word processing to citation tools to storyboards to blogging to graphic organizers, the list of tech tools that can potentially improve student work is extensive. Three tools, in particular, that will enhance students’ work and the
Interviews are a powerful yet underutilized learning device in higher education. There are thousands of experts available who would be more than willing to add interesting material to your courses. While it is not very practical to fly those people in to speak in a
I recently overheard a faculty member talking about students, and it wasn’t good. She sounded very much like a conference presenter whom Melanie Cooper describes in a Journal of Chemical Education editorial. The presenter’s talk had a strong “students these days” undercurrent.
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The life of a faculty member is filled with noisy busyness—planning class sessions, grading, meeting with students, advising, committee work, research, scholarship, and publications. We are consumed by the swirl of activities and the need to juggle all these responsibilities without dropping one of the
I have been doing some reading and thinking about hard courses. Courses need to be challenging, but when they become too hard, students stop trying and little learning results. So how do we find that sweet spot between hard and not too hard? More importantly,
