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Blog Posts
On the Growth and Value of Interdisciplinary Studies
In fall 2016, there were 61 undergraduate students majoring in interdisciplinary studies at our university. By the fall of 2020, that number had risen to 315. This spring the program lists 460 majors. During the entire 2016–2017 academic year, we saw 55 students graduate with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary...
Dealing with Negativity and Conflict
During my 11-year tenure as a department head, it became clear to me that most of us enter administration because we are optimistic individuals who want to help our academic units to grow and develop, change with the times, and thrive despite obstacles. We see our faculty and our budgets...
Let’s Start from the Very Beginning: Implicit Bias Conversations for Faculty Search Committees
There is a great deal of discussion in higher education about how to create diverse, equitable, and inclusive campuses. Tufts is not unique in its desire to diversify its faculty to better mirror the student population. One challenge in achieving this goal is implicit bias—that is, attitudes or stereotypes that...
Exhaustion’s Toll on the Next Generation of Female Academic Leaders
I’m sure you have seen the articles describing the decrease in women’s submissions to top research journals since the pandemic began in the spring (e.g., Flaherty, 2020, Viglione, 2020). The media has also been full of stories about the toll that working from home is taking on those who have...
Using Authentic Assignments to Assess Student Learning
As an administrator, I often ask myself whether learning has taken place—although my language may be a little more colorful. I want to avoid wasting my student’s time and effort, and even more so, I really do want to make sure that my students have learned something. In addition to...
Adaptive Learning for Faculty Development: Technology Considerations
One challenge of faculty development and training for online teaching is satisfying instructors with different levels of knowledge, skills, and experience. At our institution, we discovered that this challenge can be overcome by employing an adaptive learning strategy in our faculty development courses. Adaptive learning technologies assess an individual learner’s...
Pressure Points for Academic Leaders
The seasons have declared their change, and autumn is upon us. The leaves outside my office are beginning to fall, joining in an autumn waltz as they claim their spot on nature’s dance floor. They are still. They are unbothered. In this moment, I long for the days when my...
Ways to Use Badges at Your Institution
Badges have become a hot topic in higher education over the past few years and are being used in a variety of different ways. Some use badges as an alternative method for credentialing learning, while others use it as a means of gamifying learning. Here are the options for using...
