Please join us on Thursday, October 27 at Noon (Eastern) for a conversation between Richard Detweiler, GLCA’s president emeritus, and Steve Volk, the CTL’s Co-Director on the transformative power of residential liberal arts colleges and some of their unique attributes.
The residential liberal arts college is often seen either as a fossilized remnant of an earlier age or a luxury good for the privileged few. Even those of us who appreciate these institutions can have a hard time specifying their value in a world staunchly focused on ROI (return on investment), so we fall back on their famous graduates [think President Obama (Occidental) or Herbie Hancock (Grinnell)] or abundant anecdotes. Is stronger evidence available? The answer is yes, and it is compellingly offered in Detweiler’s The Evidence Liberal Arts Needs: Lives of Consequence, Inquiry, and Accomplishment (MIT Press 2021). We’ll talk about the ways in which residential liberal arts colleges can increase the impact of education on important life outcomes, and better combine academic and student life experiences. We’ll leave a lot of time for your questions. You can register here for the webinar.
For more about Detweiler’s book, click here. You can order Rick’s book via the Penguin Random House website at a 20% discount, with free shipping included. (Use Discount Code EVIDENCE20) [Offer valid while supplies last. Limit one discount code per person. Valid for one transaction. Discount code is not redeemable for cash, is non-transferable and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount. Valid on https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/675929/the-evidence-liberal-arts-needs-by-richard-a-detweiler/. US mailing address required. Expires 11/21/2022.]
Teaching and Learning
How Not to Handle Student Failure (Leslie Berntsen, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 13, 2022): The firing of an NYU professor prompts one of his former students to reflect on her own teaching.
We Need to Infuse Civic and Public Purpose Into a College Education (Steven Mintz, Inside Higher Ed, October 13, 2022): Why civics education matters.
Do Your Students Know What Office Hours Are For? (Beckie Supiano, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 13, 2022): A new study out in CBE-Life Sciences Education suggests that, particularly in STEM fields, students and faculty see the purpose and potential uses of office hours differently.
With Online Social Annotation, Students Read Together (Susan D’Agostino, Inside Higher Ed, October 12, 2022): Students who use collaborative annotation tools learn and build community, according to a new study. Many faculty members are enthusiastic proponents of the tools, even while acknowledging their limitations.
Teaching from the Source (Stephanie Y. Evans, Inside Higher Ed, October 12, 2022): Author helps her students learn firsthand how it’s “real bad news” to write research papers without seeking out a variety of sources.
Making a Home for Students with Autism (Kelly Field, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 12, 2022): New programs meet a range of academic, social, and emotional needs for people on the spectrum.
Disability Inclusion in Higher Education (Katie Bonawitz, Teaching in Higher Ed, October 13, 2022): A 31-minute podcast.
‘Rigorous’ and ‘Weed-Out’ Are Not Synonymous (Jonathan Zimmerman, Inside Higher Ed, October 11, 2022): The controversial firing of an organic chemistry professor at New York University speaks to broader issues about student success in “weed-out” courses.
When ‘Rigor’ Targets Disabled Students (Katie Rose Guest Pryal, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 6, 2022): Punitive attendance policies and inflexible deadlines make students’ lives needlessly difficult.
Easy-to-Use Technologies You Can Implement into Your Course Today (Faculty Focus Live): 16 minute podcast demonstrating the value of “H5P” tools (HTML 5) using platforms that you already have.
The State of Higher Ed
The Right-Wing Attempt to Control Higher Ed (Brendan Cantwell and Barrett J. Taylor, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 10, 2022): Demolishing independent expertise is a central goal of the Republican Party.
The Real Fight for Academic Freedom (Lisa Levenstein and Jennifer Mittelstadt, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 7, 2022): If academics don’t fight for their autonomy, who will?
Equity and Justice in Higher Ed
Raj Chetty on Inequalities in the U.S. (Paul Basken, Times Higher Education, October 14, 2022): Students born to the wealthiest families have a nearly 100 percent likelihood of going to college. Those born to the poorest families have about a 30 percent chance.
For Department Chairs
Inviting Students Into Your Department (Kevin Dettmar, Inside Higher Ed, October 13, 2022): It is one of the most important commitments a healthy and thriving unit can make.
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)