News Roundup: Independent Learners and Coping with Setbacks

This week, Goucher’s president suggests that instructors should focus on helping students become independent learners, and elite colleges are creating programs that teach students how to cope with setbacks.

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Stop Calling College Teachers “Professors.” Try “Cognitive Coaches.”
José Bowen suggests that improving college teaching is key to helping improve the political climate facing the country. (EdSurge)

The Importance of Being Present
Mark Tonelli explores the subtle implications of being pedagogically in absentia and offers two specific ways in which faculty can be there for their students. (Vitae)

How the Liberal Arts Help Veterans Thrive
Vassar College’s inaugural class of Posse Veterans—an initiative to matriculate and graduate military veterans—received diplomas this year, provoking conversations about diversity across campus and prompting other schools to initiate similar programs. (The Atlantic)

On Campus, Failure Is on the Syllabus
As more students struggle with setbacks and failure, several elite colleges are offering programs to help them put these ups and downs in perspective and learn from their mistakes. (The New York Times)

Feedforward to Students
Instructors can help students become more successful by providing them with suggestions on how to improve their assignments and grow as learners early in the semester, Bob Emiliani explains. (The Lean Professor)

ICYMI: The Importance of Checking for Student Understanding
Elizabeth Barkley describes techniques she uses to evaluate the effectiveness of her teaching and document evidence of student learning. (The Q Blog)