The Points Don't Matter

Some things endure over time, and the good practices of teaching are one of those things. The nature of human beings is social, and so is the essence of these Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education compiled from a review of 50 years of research on students, teachers and learning and reported to the Higher Learning Commission in 2001 by Winona State University. Below is a brief outline of these principles with quotes from the original report.  # 1   Frequent student-faculty contact – Relationships between students and faculty enhance the transfer of information. Furthermore, students feel a sense of belonging to a learning community when they have strong intellectual ties to teachers. “Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement.” # 2   Learning is enhanced through cooperation among students – Learning is collaborative and social, and sharing and responding to others deepen...

“I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Plastics!” – Mr. McGuire, The Graduate, 1967 When Mr. McGuire spoke those words to Benjamin Braddock in the classic film The Graduate , few knew how prophetic they would be for the world. Plastics are integral everywhere, and it’s almost impossible to live without them. In 2022, it’s possible that flexibility is now the “just one word” of education. The flexibility door opened with the forced pivot to online learning and being flexible is talked about in multiple contexts for supporting individual life situations, time constraints and humane treatment. Teachers are encouraged and even warned that flexibility is essential to student’s long-term goals and college retention. Flexibility in teaching and learning is here to stay, which is possibly a fortunate consequence of the past two years. Let’s define flexibility in teaching. Flexibility is thoughtful consideration of individual circumstances, modification of assignments and activities, c...