Reflections & Provocations:
Short reflective pieces
Connections between culture and teaching
Personal narratives as entry points into pedagogy
Recently, I had the opportunity to co-convene the Higher Education Practice & Learning Symposium. Our keynote speaker, Bruce Mackh, shared a deceptively simple reminder that resonated throughout the day: “we are all leaders.” That statement has stuck with me not because it was provocative, but because it expressed something many of us feel but seldom…
What would happen if we started over? If we wiped the slate clean. IF there were no inherited policies, no century-old traditions, no “we’ve always done it this way”, and we built a university designed for students, educators, and the societies of today? This isn’t meant to be a financial blueprint. It isn’t limited by…
“Universities are overflowing with experts in knowledge — but too few scholars of how knowledge is learned.” In most universities, research is the key to success. Promotion policies, institutional rankings, and professional recognition all rely on metrics that reward discovery and publication. Journal articles serve as symbols of impact and credibility. None of this is…
For me, it feels as though AI has become the focal point in higher education. Every conference, workshop, and committee meeting now appears to revolve around the same question: What does/will AI mean for…? Then fill in the blank with anything from teaching, assessment, academic integrity, or any other education theme. These conversations are important,…
I was recently listening to The Grading Podcast when Marc Aronson, Dean of Academics at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, described their practice, in which students undertake Final Demonstration of Learning (FDoL) activities. Listening to this, I couldn’t help but question: When, in a university course, do students truly demonstrate the course learning outcomes that define their degree? In…