Resources
Blog post that describes an alternative approach to classroom discussion/debate. Students are not asked to debate but to repeat back the position of their opponents. Then, students are asked to reach a consensus position together.
Researched by J. Prusch and written and adapted by A.M. Pickett. Gives 50 alternatives to lecture for teaching online courses. Examples include: conduct an interview; invite a guest speaker; and student-led discussion. Alternatives could be adapted for face-to-face teaching.
Provides brief instructions on 13 different classroom discussion formats and activities. Examples include: circle of voices, critical debate, and jigsaw.
Chronicle of Higher Ed offers a time line, with links, of the controversial resignation and reinstatement of University of Virginia's president Teresa Sullivan. At the heart of the controversy is disagreement between the school's Board of Visitors and President Sullivan regarding the pace and manner of adopting online learning.
Inside Higher Ed narrates the dismissal of biblical scholar Christopher Rollston after his HuffPo opinion piece about the marginalization of women in biblical texts. The article discusses the relationship of tenure and donor support at a confessional seminary.
Inside Higher Ed narrates the dismissal of venerable biblical scholar Bruce Waltke after his remarks concerning evolution, and discusses issues around academic freedom at confessional seminaries.
Professional societies in religious studies negotiate academic practices and confessional commitments. Here, Lester narrates one episode in the Society of Biblical Literature's understanding of "critical" biblical studies.
We hold students accountable for academic integrity, but rarely offer acknowledgements in our own syllabi. Katherine D. Harris recommends that educators "Develop syllabus citations practices"; "Use Creative Commons licenses on syllabi"; and "Build an archive of remixable syllabi." Many linked examples and resources.
Emory College of Arts and Sciences describes its rollout of its version of "A Domain of One's Own," a University of Mary (Washington) initiative whereby students craft their own web presence into a portfolio that they control and can take with them after graduating. This ECAS page includes a description of the program, and links to extensive documentation for faculty, students, and support staff.
Hampton University General Counsel Faye Hardy-Lucas, writing for the Center for Teaching Excellence, offers advice concerning the construction of legally sound syllabi. For example, "Insert disclaimers in your course syllabus regarding your right to modify the class schedule when necessary and your freedom to cover course topics as you wish.