A few weeks ago I shared some reflections on my life as an adjunct professor. Since writing that post, I've spent some time looking back over the last eight years. Student Evaluations In higher education, students are usually afforded the opportunity to evaluate their professors. In my case as an adjunct professor at Hodges University, my students were provided an opportunity to complete an optional online questionnaire near the end of the semester. These anonymous Read More …
learning
Starting My Last Semester as a Student (#1700)
Exactly a year ago I wrote a blog post titled "My Transition from Professor to Student" to tell the world I was returning to the classroom as a student in order to earn another degree. Tomorrow I start the fourth and what I plan to be my final semester as a MBA student at Texas Woman's University. Original Plan When I started this program I was working for a for profit company for the first (and, so far, the only) time in my life. The MBA was an easy choice for professional Read More …
Creativity in Learning (#1645)
Last week I attended a conference in San Diego, California. It was a wonderful opportunity to network with other learning leaders, share best practices, attend insightful sessions and workshops, and listen to challenging keynotes - including one by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield (co-founders of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream) that introduced Stamp Stampede 2.0 focused on getting money out and voters in to American politics. The experience inspired and challenged me; it also Read More …
My Transition from Professor to Student (#1642)
While I have always believed in and committed myself to the task of lifelong learning, I have also wrongly concluded - more than once - that my formal educational journey was complete. Wrong The first time I decided I had finished my formal education was in 1998 when I earned my undergraduate degree. I was already in the workforce, and had been advancing without a degree. With the addition of a bachelor's degree I felt confident I had all I needed. Just 18 months later, I was Read More …
Why Facebook? (#1332)
According to a recent Pew Research survey, men and women share many "major reasons" for using Facebook. The top reason women use Facebook is to see photos/videos whereas the top reason men use Facebook is that it allows them to share with many people at once. So What? Whether you are a relative newcomer to Facebook or have been a part of this social community for many years, it is likely your own major reasons for using it have evolved over time. While some of the change may have Read More …
Learn Together (#1173)
Seth Godin is the author of twelve books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change, and work. He is also the master of saying a great deal using relatively few words on his blog. Recently he wrote about the power of togetherness in learning. Godin affirms that mere access to educational opportunities is not adequate. Completion rates from MOOCs are among the strongest recent data backing up this argument. Given this Read More …
The Rise of Online Higher Ed (#0984)
In the 1970s, 80s, and 90s higher education was largely assumed as an on campus experience. As technology improved, distance education began evolving from the exchange of documents and media primarily via postal mail to online exchanges. During the 2000s and now in the 10s, the number of students in higher education taking at least one online course grew on an annual basis. It is reasonable to project that in the not too distant future a majority of students will complete at least Read More …
Celebrating 2 Years of Daily Blogging (#0885)
Today I celebrate two years of daily blogging. Amazingly, I have now written at least one post every day for the last two years. A year ago I reflected on my first 365 days. This year, I opt for an approach that is more celebrative than reflective. I celebrate Friendships - those that have emerged or developed as a result of my writing Learning - the ongoing opportunity to be a lifelong learner (and to relate what I am learning in community -- see friendships above) Read More …
Teaching = Learning? (#0852)
Roger Olson is an evangelical scholar who serves as Professor of Theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University. Recently he blogged about several unhelpful continuing education experiences in his thirty-one years teaching in higher education. One workshop, focused on communication and teaching, unsettled Olson: . . . the over riding message left me dazed and confused: “If they have not learned, you have not taught.” Huh? No amount of Read More …
Teach Better (#0641)
Whether the classroom is a university lecture hall, a business conference room, or a church library most people assume the subject matter expert will convey information in such a manner as to aid would be students in the learning process. The expectations relative to the teaching-learning experience rise proportional to the formality and expectations of the environment. Near the high expectation end of this continuum are credit courses at Ivy League universities. Dan Berrett's Read More …