Since I began teaching 15 years ago, I’ve noticed more and more students self-disclose aspects of their mental health in the classroom each year. Initially, I thought this was a consequence of the COVID-19 mental health crisis affecting the recent cohort of college students. I’ve
Whether you love it or hate it, online higher education is here to stay. In the 2022–2023 academic year, more than half of all college students in the US enrolled in at least one online class (Coffey 2024). Of course, this is much lower than
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Academic integrity is one of the most critical aspects of education. Despite this, students’ ability to cheat is still a prevalent concern to educators and academic institutions. Academic cheating will be effectively addressed only with the understanding and reasons that motivate students to indulge in
In 1936, psychologist Muzafer Sherif reported a landmark study on the creation of social norms. Sherif made use of an optical illusion called the autokinetic effect. When people view a stationary pinpoint of light in a dark environment, they will perceive the light to move
Large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT and Google Bard, are in our classrooms whether we are aware of them or not—whether we like it or not. Unless we adapt to this reality, a large number of learning and assessment activities traditionally used in college
A recent listen to an old James Brown and Fred Wesley album called to mind the importance of self-empowerment. In their 1974 song “Damn Right I Am Somebody,” Mr. Brown asks those present in the studio, “Are you somebody?” Each response is a variation of
Anxious not to be guilty of “policing,” many faculty work hard to prevent academic dishonesty by focusing on student motivation (making learning fun!), feelings (never prompt anxiety!), and (especially for professors who believe themselves to be au courant in terms of pedagogy) “scaffolding” assignments to
You know the feeling. We all deal with it.
Walking into a classroom the first day of a new semester, you’re thinking about it all: What are going to be the first words out of my mouth? What are these students thinking about right now?
Current global events, including a rise in nationalistic rhetoric, have put pressure on faculty from all disciplines to be able to facilitate discussions without disenfranchising or excluding any students. I’ve been teaching discussion-based courses for 25 years, and my own methods have evolved and grown,
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