The first day of college teaching could be the most stressful moment ever in the teaching history of novice faculty members. Generally, the first day of teaching is intimidating for both faculty…
I teach a 300-level multimedia-design course, but last semester my most powerful teaching hack came from a 6-year-old. My daughter had scrawled two crayon figures—one with spiky blue hair, one…
As online learning becomes more prevalent in higher education and professional development, User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design have become essential to the effectiveness of digital learning environments…
Many college teachers want to respond to students’ identities and cultures with respect, accurate perceptions, and sensitivity. We may face challenges within ourselves that arise from being shaped by societal forces. A self-reflective, repeating process of “…awareness, analysis, action, and accountability” (The Adaway Group; Love 2010) helped me. I hope that sharing my…
As an educational leadership professor, I hear inspiring messages from colleagues all the time, and I understand the impulse to lead with the highlight reel. Wins matter, from measurable improvement…
I never expected to begin teaching college biology when I did. At the time, I was teaching secondary science and trying to build a marine science course for my high…
Across higher education, artificial intelligence has rapidly changed how students complete academic work. Essays, summaries, explanations, and structured problem-solving can now be generated instantly. The first concern has understandably been…
Once upon a time, there was this brave professor, who opened a word processor app to develop one of their most important tools in life; the syllabus. When we design courses,…
True Confessions from the Grading Trenches It happened on a Wednesday—the kind of Wednesday that arrives in the middle of a grading cycle and quietly steals your personality. I had been…
After attending a summer workshop on learning strategies led by Professor Andrew Cohen, I returned to my Spanish classrooms at Northwestern University with a simple question: What would happen if my…