Episode 28: Setting Standards is Hard!

In these blog posts, I have written about standards from a variety of perspectives. When I first shifted from student to instructor, I remember being struck by how challenging the concept of standards really was. A core challenge I see over and over results from the...

Headliner: Episode 27: Is the Classroom a Team?

Most people that listen to me talk about teaching are probably tired of hearing me compare it to coaching. This is part of the reason I added a comparison to conducting an orchestra to my repertoire, despite having never actually conducted for real! However, as I...

Episode 25: Flexibility—What Is It Really?

Throughout the pandemic, we have repeatedly asked for instructors and students to remain “flexible.” But, what does flexibility in the classroom mean moving forward? I fear that this word has been used in so many different contexts that it can cause confusion for...

Episode 24: Leveraging Instructor Strengths

  In my last post, I made a reference to a strength-based approach to student success and the importance of having a growth mindset when approaching the design of education. In this post, I want to highlight the implications of these approaches when applied to...

Episode 23: The New Year

I have been struggling with what to write for my first blog of 2022. Then, inspiration struck when reading the excellent post by my Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation colleague, Andrea Abersold. If you missed it, go read her post (and any others you have...

Episode 22: Introducing the New Student Excellence Center

In this blog, I have focused on issues of student success directly connected with course design, learning environments, and other key aspects of the student experience. Of the essential elements that comprise the student experience, meaningful connections and human...