Virtual Conversation: Addressing Challenges in the Classroom (Consortium for Teaching and Learning, GLCA-GLAA). Have you wondered how to respond to the “eye rollers” in your class? Ever ponder what to do if a student complains of being “excluded” when other students converse in their first (non-English) language? Uncertain how to respond when students inform the class that they won’t discuss an assigned reading because it made them uncomfortable? If so, we invite you to join your colleagues in a virtual conversation on Tuesday, October 4 at Noon (ET) when we will discuss these challenges. Please register here by September 27. A link to join the meeting will be sent out on Monday, October 3.
Teaching and Learning
The ‘Ricebreaker’ (Beckie Supiano, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 15, 2022): What students learn about diversity from discussing how their families cook rice.
Cultivating Connection in a Course Setting (Stacy Roth, Faculty Focus, September 14, 2022): Facilitating a learning environment that provides space for students to connect with themselves, explore their academic interests, and build a sense of community can happen when students feel safe, seen, and heard respectfully.
Are You Smarter Than a 13th Grader? (Dan Sarofian-Butin, Inside Higher Ed, September 14, 2022): The author will no longer teach students to think they can passively cycle through a checklist of courses that leave marks on their transcript but no footprint on their brains or hearts.
“Mining the Depths of Our Differences” (Sara Weissman, Inside Higher Ed, September 13, 2022): A program seeks to build bridges between conservative Christian colleges and colleges known for their liberal ideals in order to chip away at religious and political polarization on campuses nationwide. The program was piloted at Oberlin.
The Question of ‘Cold Calling’ (Beckie Supiano, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 12, 2022): Does the practice help students learn or just make them anxious? It all depends.
Cameras On or Off? It Depends! (Torrey Trust and Lauren Foss Goodman, Faculty Focus, September 12, 2022): The authors recount what they have learned from students about teaching and learning on Zoom.
Teaching Mistakes 101: What I Wish I Would Have Known (Faculty Focus): 11 reflective essays from instructors who share their early-career missteps in hopes that others can learn from their mistakes. A free download from Faculty Focus (a no-cost registration required).
The State of Higher Ed
Why Implementing a Richer, More Robust Academic Experience Is So Hard (Steven Mintz, Inside Higher Ed, September 13, 2022): What it will take to give more undergraduates, not just the most privileged, the higher education they deserve.
The Public’s Growing Concerns About Higher Ed’s ‘Value’ (27-minute podcast from Inside Higher Ed hosted by Doug Lederman, September 15, 2022): First of a three part series examining surveys of public attitudes about higher education.
If you want to spend a bit of time considering some broader issues in higher education, the New York Times has two good stories. (Subscription required, but your institution should have a license.) In “The Daily” for September 14, Ron Lieber, a finance columnist, explores “The College Pricing Game” (28-minute listen). And Sarah Viren’s deeply reported article in the Sunday Magazine, “The Safe Space That Became a Viral Nightmare,” is as disturbing as it is fascinating.
Webinars and Virtual Gatherings
How to ‘Flip’ the Classroom, sponsored by the Chronicle of Higher Education, September 21, 2:00 PM ET. Practical tips on transforming the classroom environment. Register here.
Stylus Publishing is offering a webinar on “Unlocking the Promise of Midcourse Conversations: A How-To for Instructors and Educational Developers,” on Wednesday, September 28 at 12pm Eastern. The presenters are Carol Hurney, Christine Rener and Jordan Troisi, co-authors of Midcourse Correction for the College Classroom: Putting Small Group Instructional Diagnosis to Work (2021). Click to Register.
Workshop Opportunity
The Nielsen Center for the Liberal Arts at Eckerd College (Florida) is accepting applications for early career faculty to join a supportive learning community. Areas to be explored include pedagogical practices, student learning, and teaching identity. The program is fully funded, including travel and accommodations. Applications are due by October 17:
https://nielsencenter.eckerd.edu/2023-workshop-for-early-career-faculty/
Have a short article or some news related to teaching and learning at your institution that you’d like to share with colleagues? Send your contribution along to us. Also, please email Charla White (white@glca.org) if you have colleagues who would like to receive this weekly report.
GLCA/GLAA Consortium for Teaching and Learning
Co-Directors:
Steven Volk (steven.Volk@oberlin.edu)
Colleen Monahan Smith (smith@glca.org)
Charla White (white@glca.org)