As we finish out a semester that so many people–faculty, staff, students, administrators–have found unbelievably tough, I can’t help thinking that we need a wholesale re-imagining of how we do higher ed. I saw a tweet the other day that said we’re living through an era, like the Great Depression, or WWII, where everything has … Continue reading
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Seven Strategies for Embracing the Emotional Labor of Teaching
While attending a student success workshop a few years ago and gaining strategies to connect with students, I thought, “What about how hard I work just to be friendly and kind?” Although the workshop was beneficial, it seemed like a foundational portion of my labor was invisible. What about the herculean, behind-the-scenes self-regulation that I … Continue reading
We’ve seen ‘The Chair’. Now it’s time for ‘The Adjunct’
The Netflix series The Chair, which follows the struggle of a newly appointed English department chair, debuted to much fanfare. It was hailed In The Atlantic as “Netflix’s best drama in years” and in the Wall Street Journal as a “sharp take on academia”. Continue reading.
Six Ways to Fall in Love With Teaching Again
Issues with the bureaucracy of education, funding, changes in class size, class structure, and mode of instruction, as well as student issues, all contribute to our falling out of love with the teaching profession. Additionally, oftentimes personal obligations and responsibilities add stressors that create burdens and affect our happiness in our personal and work lives, … Continue reading
Three Reasons for Those Hefty College Tuition Bills
What should we do about the high cost of higher education? As we pick the next president, that question should feature prominently in the public debate. The economic prosperity of our children and grandchildren hinges on finding the right answer. Today’s economy leaves little doubt about the value of college. According to the Bureau of … Continue reading
Community Colleges Becoming Prime Destination for Faculty
After spending nearly 20 years working in corporate America for companies like General Electric and Digital Equipment Corporation (Hewlett Packard), Dr. Winston Maddox wanted to make a difference — so he turned his attention to teaching. “I was a late bloomer and many traditional educators thought I was not college worthy,” says Maddox, who is … Continue reading
3 Tips for Handling Discussions in Online Courses
I’ve been teaching a large online class for the first time this semester, and as the course involves looking at a number of challenge interactive works and games I put a lot of emphasis on discussion forums and critical debate. However, discussion forums of this kind present a lot of potential problems in an online … Continue reading
Can We Interest You in Teaching?
Teaching can’t compete. When the economy improves and job prospects multiply, college students turn their attention elsewhere, to professions that promise more money, more independence, more respect. That was one takeaway from a widely discussed story in The Times on Sunday by Motoko Rich, who charted teacher shortages so severe in certain areas of the … Continue reading
Billions in Pell Dollars Go to Students Who Never Graduate
A Hechinger Report analysis of Pell grant graduation rate data from a cross section of colleges and universities — which is not otherwise publicly reported anywhere — suggests that billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded Pell grants nationwide go to students who never earn degrees. And while some schools with large numbers of Pell recipients have … Continue reading
6 Strategies to Reduce the Risk of Student Failures in Online Classes
The retention rate for online schools is low and there are many reasons why students discontinue their degree program, from the cost per credit hour to school policies and the quality of the courses offered. Instructors have little control over many of those factors but what they can help with is the classroom environment that … Continue reading
Professor Van Ry 