February 2007

Understanding What You See Happening in Class
While conducting a class, even though teachers may be doing all or most of the talking, students communicate important nonverbal messages. They communicate these messages through facial expressions, body postures, and how they say what they say, as well as what actions they do or the skills they attempt to perform. Both novice and expert teachers see the same student responses, but expert teachers see in those responses something very different than novices see.

Nine Strategies for Using IM in Your Online Course
Instant messaging can be an effective online learning tool that can build community and foster collaborative learning. Here are some suggestions from Debby Kilburn, computer science professor at Cero Coso Community College, for making the most of this tool.

The Accountability Conundrum
We hear a great deal these days about “accountability” in the academy, although few consider this at all mysterious. Many states (including South Carolina, where I try my best to be a “responsible” college administrator) have some kind state law mandating that public schools—and, in some cases, colleges—demonstrate that they are indeed “accountable.” Typically, this means that institutions file reports that show the institution to be in compliance with certain standards as demonstrated by statistical assessments. (Remember that the art of statistics is the ability to draw a perfectly straight line from a faulty assumption to a fallacious conclusion.) Who could be opposed to “accountability,” a term as revered as “Mom” and “apple pie”? The conundrum is in the details: Who is accountable to whom for what?

Take the poll!
Last month's question was, "What are the qualities that are important for a department chair to be successful?" Read the results and take this month's poll.