A few years ago, toward the end of the semester, one of my advisees sat in my office and asked me about an upper-level science course she was taking: “How is this going to make me a better person?”
The recent report from Harvard College on grade inflation (Claybaugh, 2025; hereafter “the report”) is an important reminder of how complex grading is and the many ways it can go wrong. The report focuses on grade inflation, but negative outcomes of poor grading systems include
I love family trips. Whether it’s a summer or winter getaway or a long weekend during the school year, travel often yields opportunities for new discoveries and unparalleled critical thinking. You may think I mean the thrill of learning about or experiencing new places. While
It’s an age-old question of seasoned educators: Is it me who’s changed, or is it my students?
I’ve been a college professor for over 40 years. As a cognitive psychologist, I’ve spent my career studying learning and memory and as a teacher, I’ve integrated my research knowledge with my practical teaching experience. When I took my last position at Samford University in
In modern classrooms, where students have diminishing attention spans, some freeze when called upon, and others seem to unravel at the slightest sign of critical feedback, old methods of teaching are caving under the weight of a new, trending reality. Across higher education, faculty are
Our students do not need yet another reverent speech about literature’s profound importance, especially from English professors like me. They need examples, models of what people actually do with books.
A senior colleague mentioned to me recently that he had spent the early part of his career overcoming the idea that “teaching is telling,” a common and pernicious misconception, especially among new teachers. The phrase refers to the belief that the key to effective teaching
At the end of a course, students complete many things. They submit final papers, deliver presentations, and take exams. We calculate grades. From a faculty perspective, the course is finished.
“But time to think? If you’re not driving a hundred miles an hour, at a clip where you can’t think of anything else but the danger, then you’re playing some game or sitting in some room where you can’t argue with the four-wall televisor .
