News Roundup: A New Generation of Critical Thinkers

This week, an instructor suggests that part of teaching is preparing students to become critical thinkers and scholars.

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Could Better Teaching Have Helped?
In addition to teaching a particular discipline, part of an instructor’s job should be to prepare students to become capable, ethical, and critical scholars and citizens, David Gooblar writes. He suggests “lessen[ing] the distance between your classroom and the outside world” by inviting students to consider how current events relate to course material. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

Lecture, Attention, Recall … It’s Complicated
According to John Warner, information recall is not synonymous with learning. Rather than use lectures to impart detailed information, he writes, instructors should use lectures to prompt student reflection. (Just Visiting)

Let Your Students Say “I”
Although many academics eschew the pronoun, Alexandra Gold advocates allowing students to use “I” in essays in order to give them voice and agency. She also suggests instructors assign at least one paper outside the academic genre, so students can explore their style and bring personal experiences into their writing. (GradHacker)

‘Pop-up Courses’ Provide Short-Term Learning Experiences
Some colleges have developed “pop-up courses” to provide short-term learning experiences around timely subjects that affect students’ lives and aren’t covered in traditional curricula. Saint Michael’s College, for instance, is offering a course on issues of diversity, inclusion, and leadership, and another on using technology and being safe online. (Campus Technology)

College and Bust: Why So Many Students Don’t Stay the Course
In this podcast, Sandy Baum of the Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education and the Urban Institute discusses how states and institutions need to increase funding and improve the quality of higher education. Schools that provide support to students show the greatest improvements in completion rates, she says. (1A)