We're pleased to present the latest issue of The Prospect (Issue 8), a CNDLS publication designed to highlight innovative teaching practice at Georgetown.
Download PDFs of past issues of The Prospect:
Faced with the responsibility of teaching and learning at a distance, we are leaning on digital tools like never before. While trying these new approaches to reach our educational goals can create an exciting space for innovation, our dependence on virtual interaction also comes at a cost. All that time on screens can be, for… Read more »
illustration by Clare Reid We’re in a historical moment where creativity is sorely needed from as many people as possible so that we can effectively confront the challenges of our time. And yet, for the most part, we have become accustomed to the idea that creativity is a characteristic of the individual; some individuals have… Read more »
illustration by Clare Reid So many of us are doing rigorous individual work to become more effective antiracists in our relationships and in our courses. As we do so, we also need to examine the crucial role that institutions play in the perpetuation of racism. That includes institutions of higher education; we know that very… Read more »
illustration by Clare Reid It’s obvious enough that we’re living through difficult times. We see those difficulties in the news, in the streets, on social media, in our families and friend circles, and in our (virtual) classrooms as well. For teachers, one of the questions at hand is how this fact is supposed to shape… Read more »
illustration by Clare Reid I often talk to faculty about the importance of explaining what they’re looking for in the tests, papers, and projects they assign to students—and sometimes I get pushback. “Doesn’t that just give them the answers?” they ask. In other words, “Doesn’t that just amount to spoon feeding?” Well, as Balloo and… Read more »
illustration by Clare Reid Whether we find ourselves in face-to-face classrooms or unexpectedly virtual ones, teaching well involves a lot of on-the-job, and frequently self-directed, training. Very few of us who teach in colleges and universities were given formal pedagogical instruction in our graduate programs. Fewer still were given any help thinking through the way… Read more »
illustration by Clare Reid In light of the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgetown will not be using this semester’s student evaluations of teaching to help make merit decisions—which actually makes the current moment a good, less-fraught moment to look thoughtfully at this kind of student feedback.
illustration by Clare Reid All of us, including people in higher education, are eager for this COVID-19 crisis to be over; many are just looking forward to things getting back to normal. But some folks suggest that the world—including the world of higher education—may not ever be the same after this experience. And, as David… Read more »
photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán from Pexels In this moment, teaching well often feels like working against the constraints imposed by the current COVID-19 pandemic—technology struggles among faculty and inequities among our students, finding ways to keep your course accessible to everyone now that it’s remote, trying to keep class interactive without being face-to-face, etc. And yet… Read more »
illustration by Clare Reid People may be thinking more than usual about teaching online, given the spread of COVID-19 and the possibility that classes may by necessity become temporarily virtual—and great learning can happen in online courses, but only if students stay engaged. Unfortunately, the online space can be one where students more easily disengage…. Read more »
