Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

Every educator, whether in a physical classroom or online environment, has faced the uncomfortable reality of encountering difficult students. The term “difficult” can feel heavy, but in truth, most students don’t set out to cause disruption. Instead, challenges often emerge when students bring mismatched communication habits or expectations into the learning space. By reframing how we view these…

The purpose of this article is to discuss our observations and insights into the challenges many doctoral learners face in writing their dissertations. In more than 30 combined years of mentoring doctoral learners, teaching content courses and chairing dissertation committees, we have experienced that doctoral learners seem to lack the basic skills to craft their dissertations. We refer to this a…

The purpose of this article is to discuss our observations and insights into the challenges many doctoral learners face in writing their dissertations. In more than 30 combined years of mentoring doctoral learners, teaching content courses and chairing dissertation committees, we have experienced that doctoral learners seem to lack the basic skills to craft their dissertations. We refer to this a…

Higher education faculty are increasingly asked to design learning environments that support not only academic achievement but also belonging, engagement, and student well-being. One instructional lever that directly influences these outcomes is how intentionally instructors structure collaboration. When cooperative learning and experiential activities are paired with strong pedagogical content k…

Higher education faculty are increasingly asked to design learning environments that support not only academic achievement but also belonging, engagement, and student well-being. One instructional lever that directly influences these outcomes is how intentionally instructors structure collaboration. When cooperative learning and experiential activities are paired with strong pedagogical content k…

The contemporary faculty workload is both visible and invisible. Visible are the courses, the syllabi, the scheduled advising hours, and the committee meetings. Invisible are the hours of discussion facilitation, emotional labor in student emails, feedback that stretches late into the evening, and the cognitive fragmentation caused by digital availability. In online teaching environments especial…

The contemporary faculty workload is both visible and invisible. Visible are the courses, the syllabi, the scheduled advising hours, and the committee meetings. Invisible are the hours of discussion facilitation, emotional labor in student emails, feedback that stretches late into the evening, and the cognitive fragmentation caused by digital availability. In online teaching environments especial…

If you’re teaching in STEM, you probably love your discipline. Teachers want others to experience the joy we have experienced as you marvel at the world through our discipline. Unfortunately, this isn’t always what happens. It’s not fun to stare out at a sea of laptops and blank faces and ask yourselves why all your skill and passion are seemingly falling on deaf ears. Student motivation is a vit…

If you’re teaching in STEM, you probably love your discipline. Teachers want others to experience the joy we have experienced as you marvel at the world through our discipline. Unfortunately, this isn’t always what happens. It’s not fun to stare out at a sea of laptops and blank faces and ask yourselves why all your skill and passion are seemingly falling on deaf ears. Student motivation is a vit…

Multipurpose tools, especially the Swiss Army knife, have sustained their popularity over the years, namely for their size and versatility. Snag a fingernail? Got broccoli in your teeth? Screw came loose? Need to cut off a tag? With one tool, numerous problems can be solved.   As educators, we are subject to myriad situations in our courses that need a solution. For some, it’s the dreaded silence…

Multipurpose tools, especially the Swiss Army knife, have sustained their popularity over the years, namely for their size and versatility. Snag a fingernail? Got broccoli in your teeth? Screw came loose? Need to cut off a tag? With one tool, numerous problems can be solved.   As educators, we are subject to myriad situations in our courses that need a solution. For some, it’s the dreaded silence…

I’m going to be an adjunct for the first time at my graduate alma mater. Talk about pressure, anxiety, and a dash of imposter syndrome. Though all these emotions are normal, they tend to make the job more difficult. Ironically, we usually tend to think about all the negative possibilities when called for a great opportunity, instead of enjoying and wondering about the good […] The post When Produ…

I’m going to be an adjunct for the first time at my graduate alma mater. Talk about pressure, anxiety, and a dash of imposter syndrome. Though all these emotions are normal, they tend to make the job more difficult. Ironically, we usually tend to think about all the negative possibilities when called for a great opportunity, instead of enjoying and wondering about the good […] The post When Produ…

Writing is the currency of higher education (Mazak, 2024) and is often a heavily weighted factor in the tenure process. And yet, the task of writing for publication is often not a top priority for faculty. Lack of time is the primary impediment, but confidence, affective, and physical barriers all stand in the way of getting started. In truth, […] The post “Building” a Paper: A Model for the Relu…

Writing is the currency of higher education (Mazak, 2024) and is often a heavily weighted factor in the tenure process. And yet, the task of writing for publication is often not a top priority for faculty. Lack of time is the primary impediment, but confidence, affective, and physical barriers all stand in the way of getting started. In truth, […] The post “Building” a Paper: A Model for the Relu…

In the era of digital education, faculty teaching online courses may find it difficult to establish meaningful connections with their students. As a faculty member who teaches primarily in-person undergraduate students, I spend lots of time curating my classes to encourage connections among my students. I encourage them to work collaboratively on projects and provide feedback to one another […] T…

In the era of digital education, faculty teaching online courses may find it difficult to establish meaningful connections with their students. As a faculty member who teaches primarily in-person undergraduate students, I spend lots of time curating my classes to encourage connections among my students. I encourage them to work collaboratively on projects and provide feedback to one another […] T…

Graduate and professional students who aspire to academic careers often tell mentors that they are eager to teach but unsure how to gain experience or show it on a CV or dossier. Because TA opportunities vary across programs and budget cycles, departments and teaching centers can create equitable on-ramps by structuring small, credible experiences that convert directly into evidence. With […] The…

Graduate and professional students who aspire to academic careers often tell mentors that they are eager to teach but unsure how to gain experience or show it on a CV or dossier. Because TA opportunities vary across programs and budget cycles, departments and teaching centers can create equitable on-ramps by structuring small, credible experiences that convert directly into evidence. With […] The…

Future-ready skills refer to personal, social, and cognitive abilities that enable students to interact effectively with others and navigate real-world situations. Unlike academic or technical knowledge, these skills focus on how students communicate, collaborate, solve problems, and manage their emotions.  For students, developing these skills is an important part of becoming independent and res…