Higher education has long recognized the value of Socratic dialogue in learning. Law schools traditionally adopt it in their teaching, with instructors more often asking questions of students in class than lecturing. But true Socratic dialogue is done one-on-one. Students in a law school lecture
During World War II, the US Department of Defense wanted to make planes that were strong enough to resist bullets but light enough to move quickly. They realized that putting armor on an entire plane would make it too heavy. Instead, they tried to figure
Every fall term since the start of the pandemic, I’ve expected that students will come to class with more energy than the semester before. Yes, Zoom classes and the fear of contagion changed our experiences of higher education, but as the distance from the initial
Like many professors, I am just trying to keep my head above water when it comes to teaching and AI. A survey conducted in August 2024 of college faculty globally showed that 35 percent viewed AI as a challenge and 65 percent viewed it as
In January, Mary Ruskell (a high school senior) wrote about her experiences with generative AI for CNN. She writes eloquently about the existential questions she is facing as this technology makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction. Generative AI has made mistrust
In recent years, many of my students have told me they feel bored, anxious, and lonely. Some explain that they often reach for their phones and scroll just to fill the silence. Listening to them, I’ve learned that this habit is not really about killing
Video is arguably the most powerful, attention-grabbing way to communicate online. But developing video has traditionally required sophisticated equipment and expertise that is beyond the reach of most faculty—to say nothing of how time-consuming or frustrating the process can be.
As teachers, we often focus on the product of our work to the exclusion of the process of creating that product. That is, we talk about the objects our field studies—whether artworks, philosophical treatises, or physics theories—but not the thinking that went into producing those
Storytelling is a powerful tool that can transform the learning experience. By weaving a cohesive narrative throughout a course, educators can captivate students’ interest, deepen understanding, and create a more memorable and engaging learning journey. Storytelling can serve as a versatile means to deliver content,
In the Oxford English Dictionary, the most fitting definition of the word light-hearted (sic)for my purposes is this one: “Characterized by cheerfulness or easiness; amusing, entertaining.” I have been teaching for nearly 34 years—more than 70 semesters, including summer classes—and for as long as I
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