Columns

By Drew C. Appleby, Ph.D. The use of humor in the college classroom has been researched extensively (see Segrist & Hupp, 2015 who summarized 41 years of literature on humor in the college classroom) and has been shown to have many…

by P.D. Lesko A recent report challenging the membership numbers of the Professional Staff Congress in the City University of New York (PSC-CUNY) union revealed that several thousand of the union’s members, primarily agency fee…

It doesn't take extensive research to realize that facilitating productive discussions in the college classroom is not something that should be done by the seat of one's pants or on the fly. Yet, faculty member evaluations from students on…

Put on your seatbelt when you decide to sit down and read, Confessions of a Teacher Or, How to Be a Part-Timer, by Mary Allen Redd. You’re about to experience an unfiltered, daringly bold and outspoken treatise about the experience of…

In a letter to faculty and staff, Elon Provost Steven House outlined the allegedly unethical actions SEIU organizers took since they first arrived on campus in January 2018 — all with the intention of influencing the election, the…

Chapter 6 reminds the reader about the memory process and how easy it is for students to forget what they just learned as they carry on in other classes and about their days. Instructors need to help students retain information. This…

I’ve been teaching a long time. I remember the days when I was the young teacher bringing technology to the classroom, but now I’m the old coot in the corner with her arms crossed. That is, until my young colleagues demonstrated an iMovie…

The Professor Is In first focuses on the ways in which landing a full-time job at a college or university have changed over the years. One of the most useful parts of the book, and one for which you’ll want your highlighter, are the steps…

The book uses bullet points, lists, infographics, and is organized beautifully. It is a pleasure to read, and it can be read in one sitting. The author uses the latest research to support many of the theories he espouses. I was impressed…

Pitt faculty began collecting confidential union cards in January 2018. Their goals include addressing concerns about pay and job security for adjunct and part-time faculty. They also would like to see more academic freedom and greater…