Volume XXXIII, No. 13 | April 22, 2011 An ACAdemic Approach to Redesigning Faculty Professional Development San Jacinto College (SJC) began requiring a faculty certification course to teach online and hybrid courses in spring 2006. This initial course focused on general instructional theory and training for the learning management system and supporting tools. [...]

Volume XXXIII, No. 12 | April 15, 2011 Building a Community in a College Classroom Aristotle once said that man is a social animal, and modern research confirms that people thrive best in an environment to which they feel connected. No matter how esthetically pleasing, any environment soon becomes dull and meaningless if [...]

Volume XXXIII, No. 11 | April 8, 2011 Roll Call for Learning One student lamented that he had attended a class for an entire semester and uttered only one word: here. Taking attendance is a requirement for federal student aid. Funds start when a student begins to attend class and may have to [...]

Volume XXXIII, No. 10 | April 1, 2011 A Culinary Program for the 21st Century: A Success Story In spring 2008, the Professional Cooking (PCK) program of the SAIT School of Hospitality and Tourism undertook a major redesign initiative, prompted by several factors. It had been over five years since the program had [...]

Volume XXXIII, No. 8 | March 11, 2011 A SUPPORT GROUP FOR STUDENTS WHO STUTTER Our students engage in activities in which they are required to speak throughout each day—asking questions, interacting with classmates, communicating with customers at their jobs, and interacting with family members. Students’ grades, in some courses, may be based [...]

Volume XXXIII, No. 7 | March 4, 2011 I’ll Take Education for $100 I had always loved discussing movies with many of my associates. But when I began teaching film, I could not generate any student discussion. I tried a diversity of exercises to get students more involved. One exercise was to have [...]

Volume XXXIII, No. 6 | February 25, 2011 Trying Something New: Unlecturing Mathematics At some point during my teaching journey, I boarded the “transmission-by-telling” ship in viewing mathematics as best learned by listening. For years, I delivered polished lectures of codified mathematics and paid excruciatingly close attention to detail. I rarely made mistakes [...]

Volume XXXIII, No. 5 | February 18, 2011 It Is Time To Move It, Move It. . .Engage Your Students with Active Learning With more accountability measures being imposed on college classrooms, what better reinforcement to mastering objectives than student demonstration through engaging activities? Activities help students grasp ideas and concepts, and convert [...]

Volume XXXIII, No. 4 | February 11, 2011 Using Twitter to Stay Connected Never have both worlds and languages been so far apart as between me, a middle-aged college professor of 25 years, and my generation Y students. The world has changed dramatically in the 30 years that separate us. However, with the [...]

Volume XXXIII, No. 3 | February 4, 2011 Preparing Students for a Global Economy According to an ancient Chinese tale, once there was a frog that lived at the bottom of a shallow well. The extent of the frog’s world was defined by what he could see by looking up at the sky. [...]