Competency-based education works by identifying the specific things that someone needs to be able to learn and to do in order to earn a degree (or pass a course), and then allows students to move forward as soon as they have demonstrated that they have mastered the expectations. Prior leaning seeks to reward students--especially older…

When this author first started graduate school, she was an incurable snoop--deeply curious about the lifestyles of her professors. She looked through the bookcases in their offices, studied the clutter on their desks, and asked personal questions about everything from how they balanced work with family to how many hours they slept at night. She…

Globalization continues to transform how universities work: the students and subjects they teach, and the way they conduct and disseminate research. With tight budgets everywhere in the wake of the global economic downturn, universities are under increasing pressure to demonstrate value for money to the wider public from their research and…

This paper presents a class activity which aims to help students prepare both for the intellectual and the interpersonal work. On the first day of class, students are asked to read and reflect upon "Listening to Understand." Subsequently, they are then asked to discuss their responses in a small group and then later on in a large group discussion,…

Innovative use of film constituted the core of an experimental, team taught, interdisciplinary course designed to assist first-generation college students undecided as to major course of study to gain personal awareness of the interconnectedness of self and society. Course content, staffing, and evaluation are outlined. (JT)