Resources

America is being held back by the quality and quantity of learning in college. This is a true educational emergency! Many college graduates cannot think critically, write effectively, solve problems, understand complex issues, or meet employers' expectations. We are losing our minds—and endangering our social, economic, and scientific leadership. Critics say higher education costs too much and should be more efficient. But the real problem is value, not cost; financial 'solutions' alone won't work. In this book, Keeling and Hersh argue that the only solution - making learning the highest priority in college - demands fundamental change throughout higher education. (From the Publisher)

Click Here for Book Review Abstract: This edited book series serves as a guide to the study of improved training, employment and administration of graduate and professional student development programs. A new publication that addresses a critical need in higher education. The series is designed to highlight all aspects of professional development of graduate and professional students. (From the Publisher)

Every semester, colleges and universities ask students to complete innumerable course and teaching evaluation questionnaires to evaluate the learning and teaching in courses they have taken. For many universities it is a requirement that all courses be evaluated every semester. The laudable rationale is that the feedback provided will enable instructors to improve their teaching and the curriculum, thus enhancing the quality of student learning. In spite of this there is little evidence that it does improve the quality of teaching and learning. Ratings only improve if the instruments and the presentation of results are sufficiently diagnostic to identify potential improvements and there is effective counselling. Evaluating Teaching and Learning explains how evaluation can be more effective in enhancing the quality of teaching and learning and introduces broader and more diverse forms of evaluation. This guide explains how to develop questionnaires and protocols which are valid, reliabile and diagnostic. It also contains proven instruments that have undergone appropriate testing procedures, together with a substantial item bank. The book looks at the specific national frameworks for the evaluation of teaching in use in the USA, UK and Australia. It caters for diverse methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative and offers solutions that allow evaluation at a wide range of levels: from classrooms to programmes to departments and entire institutions. With detail on all aspects of the main evaluation techniques and instruments, the authors show how effective evaluation can make use of a variety of approaches and combine them into an effective project. With a companion website which has listings of the questionnaires and item bank, this book will be of interest to those concerned with organising and conducting evaluation in a college, university, faculty or department. It will also appeal to those engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning. (From the Publisher)

On Being a Mentor is the definitive guide for faculty in higher education who wish to mentor both students and junior faculty. It features strategies, guidelines, best practices, and recommendations for professors who wish to excel in this area. Written in a pithy style, this no-nonsense guide offers straightforward advice about managing problem mentorships and measuring mentorship outcomes. Practical cases studies, vignettes, and step-by-step guidelines illuminate the process of mentoring throughout. Other outstanding features include: *research-based advice on the rules of engagement for mentoring, mentor functions, qualities of good mentors, and methods for forming and managing student-faculty relationships; *summaries of the common mentoring relationship phases and guidance for adhering to ethical principles when serving as a mentor; *guidance about mentoring specific populations, including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and protégés who differ from the mentor in terms of sex and race; and *recommendations for department chairs and deans on how to foster an academic culture of mentoring. On Being a Mentor is intended for professors, department chairs, and deans in a variety of educational settings, including colleges, universities, and medical and law schools and is suitable for professors in all fields of study including the sciences, humanities, psychology, education, and management. (From the Publisher)

Patterned after Strunk and White's classic The Elements of Style, this new edition concisely summarizes the substantial existing research on the art and science of mentoring. The Elements of Mentoring reduces this wealth of published material on the topic to the sixty-five most important and pithy truths for supervisors in all fields. These explore what excellent mentors do, what makes an excellent mentor, how to set up a successful mentor-protégé relationship, how to work through problems that develop between mentor and protégé, what it means to mentor with integrity, and how to end the relationship when it has run its course. Succinct and comprehensive, this is a must-have for any mentor or mentor-to-be. (From the Publisher)

Getting Mentored in Graduate School is the first guide to mentoring relationships written exclusively for graduate students. Research has shown that students who are mentored enjoy many benefits, including better training, greater career success, and a stronger professional identity. Authors Johnson and Huwe draw directly from their own experiences as mentor and protégé to advise students on finding a mentor and maintaining the mentor relationship throughout graduate school. Conversational, accessible, and informative, this book offers practical strategies that can be employed not only by students pursuing mentorships but also by professors seeking to improve their mentoring skills. Johnson and Huwe arm readers with the tools they need to anticipate and prevent common pitfalls and to resolve problems that may arise in mentoring relationships. This book is essential reading for students who want to learn and master the unwritten rules that lead to finding a mentor and getting more from graduate school and your career. (From the Publisher)

A large number of institutions are now providing online programs, requiring instructors to change the way they think about teaching and master a distinct set of workload management skills. The first book to discuss workload management for online instructors, Managing Online Instructor Workload offers practical strategies, advice, and examples for how to prioritize, balance, and manage an online teaching workload. Based on surveys and interviews, the timely and comprehensive insight in this book is essential for online instructors, instructional designers, faculty developers and others involved in online learning.

No other book exists that assists academics in learning how to use social media to benefit their teaching and research.  - the editor has an extensive background in social media teaching, consulting, research, and everyday use  - all the contributors come to the book with a common goal, from various expertise areas and perspectives This book provides an overview of social media technologies in the context of practical implementation for academics, guided by applied research findings, current best practices, and the author’s successful experiences with using social media in academic settings. It also provides academics with sensible and easy strategies for implementing a wide spectrum of social media and related technologies - such as blogs, wikis, Facebook, and various Google tools for professional, teaching, and research endeavours. Readership: Academics and academic librarians with professional, teaching and research responsibilities in all fields who are interested in learning more about using social media in the context of their careers, will find this book invaluable. (From the Publisher)

This edited book series serves as a guide to the study of improved training, employment and administration of graduate and professional student development programs. A new publication that addresses a critical need in higher education. The series is designed to highlight all aspects of professional development of graduate and professional students. (From the Publisher)