What’s the Use of Office Hours? Chickering and Gamson (1987) put positive interactions with faculty at the top of their list of Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. “Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement,” they explained. “Faculty concern helps students get […]

Antidotes to Mid-semester Malaise Students report that the excitement of the new semester has worn off, and “exam season” is well underway. Most students have at least one major exam or project due each week, until the end of the term. They’re starting to look exhausted. Faculty are looking weary, too: the deadlines and grading […]

Monitoring Microaggressions Learning is fostered in conditions of mutual respect — amongst students, and between students and faculty. Slights, stereotypes, or low expectations, even if they’re unintentional, can erode that sense of respect, and inhibit learning, so it’s important for faculty to manage interpersonal and intergroup tensions in our classrooms. We can make a start […]

Not the Thermometer Most of us would welcome a break from the lingering summer heat, but the climate within our classrooms may not be quite so warm. The social climate, that is. Humans are social mammals, so our learning is profoundly influenced by our social and emotional context. When we feel welcomed and respected, we […]