News Roundup: Metaphors for Teaching

This week, instructors explore how classics, podcasts, and other media and art can inform and mirror the teaching process.

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Where Do We Wish to Go in Higher Education?
Using Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath as a metaphor for finding a consensus on an appropriate direction for higher education, Jessica Riddell offers her own suggestions for how to approach the issue, such as listening to students’ voices and perspectives and trying new instructional methods in the classroom. (University Affairs)

Do Photos of Teaching on Your Campus Look Staged and Static?
Wanting to share examples of inventive teaching to start a discussion about instruction, Cassandra Volpe Horii collaborated with Martin Springborg to create a photography exhibit of teaching and learning at Caltech. Horii hopes the exhibit will inspire instructors to try new styles of teaching. (Vitae)

The Pedagogy of Podcasts
Kristi Kaeppel and Emma Bjorngard-Basayne explain how faculty can make their content more engaging by applying lessons learned from podcasts. For example, podcasts use storytelling to bring content alive, make material relevant, and break down concepts—strategies that can be used in the classroom as well. (UConn)

Smartphones in the Classroom
Many students mistakenly believe that their classmates use technology for personal reasons during class, according to a new study, which could lead more students to go off task. C. Kevin Synnott urges instructors to share this misconception with students to initiate a discussion about using technology for educational purposes. (University Business)

What 6 Colleges Learned About Improving Their Online Courses
Researchers from Arizona State University and the Boston Consulting Group found that online education can boost retention and graduation rates, but instructors need to develop a range of delivery methods to meet students’ needs. For instance, at some schools, instructors use technology to give students personalized feedback. (E dPlus)