Beginning a position as an academic leader can be challenging under any circumstances. But those challenges increase exponentially when you’re hired into an institution from the outside. You enter a
In a recent study on the quality of undergraduate education, two researchers sought answers to the following questions: Which faculty members are likely to engage in effective teaching practices? What
Three years ago, Davidson County Community College hired P. Nathanael Gough for the newly created position of director of instructional services, a position that focuses exclusively on recruiting, supporting, and
In a 2014 study titled “An Evaluation of Course Evaluations,” researcher Philip B. Stark concluded that “the common practice of relying on averages of student teaching evaluation scores as the
Last November, I gave an invited plenary session at the Lilly International Conference on College Teaching on how we transformed Sierra Nevada College (SNC) to embrace active learning, undergraduate research,
In the current context, especially for those of us in liberal arts colleges, it is our duty to steadfastly promote and defend the inherent and enduring value of the liberal
Whether it’s caring for a child or an ailing parent, participating in community activities, or pursuing a hobby, faculty members have and deserve lives beyond work. Formal policies, which vary
With the growing emphasis on service-learning and the heightened necessity for experience on a resume, the ability to validate a student’s participation in cocurricular experiences has become absolutely necessary. Over
Although student affairs and academic affairs share the same goal of educating students and preparing them for success after college, the two divisions don’t always collaborate as effectively or as
Academic restructuring at Berea College was designed to save money by restructuring 30-odd academic departments into six to nine academic divisions. As faculty continued to explore academic structure, however, there
