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
How Should Professors Evaluate Class Participation? (Beth McMurtrie, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 22, 2022): Some responses that McMurtrie received when she asked the question. (A bonus question: Phones in Class? Yes or No?)
The State of Higher Ed
Physics Is a Liberal Art (Chad Orzel, Counting Atoms, September 21, 2022): The “liberal arts” as an attitude toward education, not a list of majors or even colleges.
Why Faculty of Color Are Leaving Academe (Joshua Doležal, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 20, 2022): Too many find themselves disenfranchised, exhausted, and isolated.
What Are the Liberal Arts? (Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed, September 19, 2022): What does it mean to study the liberal arts, either at a liberal arts college or within a larger university? A study being released today concluded that students don’t really know.
The Dumbing Down of the Purpose of Higher Education (Patricia McGuire, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 22, 2022): The university’s core values are under attack. We must speak up.
Webinars and Virtual Gatherings
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)