M eet our 10 teaching innovators. This is not a “Top 10" list, but a list of devoted professors who might spark your interest in taking risks and trying new things in class. This is the first year The Chronicle has featured such a list, and we’ve learned a lot. We saw so many examples of innovation in campus classrooms, it was hard to narrow them down. We weren’t necessarily looking for candidates who teach cool subject matter or use cutting-edge technologies, but for those who are in it for the long haul, who constantly revise their teaching to find what works, who deeply want to connect with their students.
As part of the selection process, we sought nominations from our readers via social media, from college teaching advocates, and from higher-education leaders. We hope you’ll find our teaching innovators as inspiring as we did.
Copies of the full report are available for purchase here.
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NewsAriel Anbar Designs Online Science Labs With Video-Game Appeal
The inspiration for his popular, interactive courses stems from his frustration with the traditional lecture format. -
News
Alan Goldstein Makes Disability Less Abstract
His courses introduce engineering students to adults with disabilities, and together they make films about the adults’ lives. -
News
Dahpon Ho Brings History Alive
By using their imaginations, says the University of Rochester historian, students absorb history far better than from a textbook. -
News
Amardeep Kahlon Tailors Courses to Students’ Learning Styles
She puts the focus on online material that allows students to progress at their own pace but doesn’t let them get ahead of themselves. -
News
Justin McDaniel Opens a Door to Contemplative Life
The religious-studies scholar at the University of Pennsylvania oversees a course that requires students to live like monks. -
News
Vicki Reitenauer Helps Students Find Their Voice — and Their Power
She requires students to identify their course goals for the semester, the grade they expect to earn, and their plan for achieving both. -
News
Eric Saliim Puts Science Into Everyday Life
At North Carolina Central University, he uses cellphones and Snapchat to prove that research isn’t too complex for anyone. -
News
Catherine Shoulders Shows How an Expert’s Opinion Unfolds
By recording on video her initial reaction to students’ assignments, this professor lets them see what an intellectual process looks like. -
News
Stan Yoshinobu Spreads the Word About Inquiry-Based Math
The professor emphasizes that intellectual growth is based “on error recovery, not mistake avoidance.” -
News
John Zubizarreta Gets Students Excited About Literature
The professor at Columbia College, in South Carolina, tells his students that “we’re here to build bridges in your brain.” -
Innovation
Commentary: A Newer Education for Our Era
We need to teach creativity, collaboration, and adaptability. -
The Review
Commentary: Could Apple Computer Have Survived Higher Ed?
Ideas for improving academic culture abound, but too many die on the vine. Universities can change that. -
The Review
How an Experiment in 3-D Printing Illuminated Our Humanities Classroom
The buggy unfamiliarity of the new technology helped students see older media with fresh eyes. -
The Review
Commentary: What My Struggling Students Wanted Me to Understand
Developmental instructors need to make room for students’ feelings.
