Your Career: A backlash against 'student-centered teaching'?

How to better support instructors weary of time-intensive classroom innovations. ADVERTISEMENT [Your Career Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. How to better support instructors weary of time-intensive classroom innovations One of the rare silver linings of the early pandemic years was a sudden broadening of attentiveness on college campuses to “student-centered teaching.” Workshops on the subject attracted packed audiences (often on Zoom), and teaching-advice books flew off the shelves (especially on hot topics like humanizing online teaching). More faculty members than ever experimented with flexible deadlines, “ungrading,” and active learning, and many institutions temporarily expanded their pass/fail policies. But this year? Not so much. Some teaching-center staff members have seen a sharp increase in empty chairs and ghosty Zoom rooms for the same offerings that used to be full. Those who listen closely are also hearing a growing weariness with teaching innovations that ignore faculty workload and burnout. The mushrooming backlash holds important lessons for those who pursue the aims of “educational development,” a term that broadly covers the work of teaching-center staff members, faculty-development administrators, and pedagogy researchers. What can educational developers do when the path forward is unclear, the choices are many, and the folks being guided are weary, frustrated, and beginning to dig in their heels? Clearly it does very little good to shame faculty members for resisting new teaching practices that they worry would only add to their workload. Instead higher ed needs to recalibrate the conversation about student-centered teaching. Continue reading: “[After a Tough Year for Classroom Innovation, It’s Time for a Reset]( by Sarah Rose Cavanagh Share your suggestions for the newsletter with Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com. If you’d like to opt out, you can log in to our website and [manage your newsletter preferences here](. Customers in the classroom The [backlash to student-centered teaching]( raises related questions: Do some of the manifestations of being a student-centered campus hamper learning? Specifically, is treating students like customers (and education like a product) undermining their education? Those are deeply complicated questions that tie into other teaching challenges, such as the rise of mental-health issues, snowplow parenting, and political interference into the college curriculum. But it’s a part of modern higher education that our reporters want to explore in a [series]( we’re producing on how today’s students experience the world — and how it affects their education. If you have thoughts on this topic, please fill out [this Google form](. ADVERTISEMENT SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. UPCOMING PROGRAM [The Chronicle's Strategic-Leadership Program for Department Chairs | June 2024] [Join us in June]( for a professional development program tailored to the needs of department chairs. Experienced academic leaders will provide insights on the current trends in higher ed, effective ways to manage a department, strategic planning, and more. [Register today!]( LATEST CAREER ADVICE, OPINION, AND NEWS 'THERE’S SOME KIND OF MISTAKE' [After Learning Her TA Would Be Paid More Than She Was, This Lecturer Quit]( By Adrienne Lu [STORY IMAGE]( Labor activism has graduate teaching assistants out-earning some faculty members in the University of California system. ADVERTISEMENT ADVICE [Will Graduate-Student Unions Change Everything?]( By Leonard Cassuto [STORY IMAGE]( How collective bargaining is already starting to alter the landscape of doctoral education. THE REVIEW | OPINION [I Made Porn. That Shouldn’t Cost Me Tenure.]( By Joe Gow [STORY IMAGE]( The University of Wisconsin system took my chancellorship. Now it wants my job. ADVICE [Admin 101: Be a Realist, Not a Pessimist]( By David D. Perlmutter [STORY IMAGE]( Serious times call for serious leaders. But every administrator must guard against doom-and-gloom messaging. 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[Let me know](mailto:denise.magner@chronicle.com?subject=Your Career feedback). - [Advice]( in the Harvard Business Review on how to make a request in the workplace that “doesn’t feel coercive.” - In The New York Times, a look at what lies behind the [persistent pay gap]( men and women. - In Science magazine, [a Ph.D. writes]( about how to “embrace starting over” after you leave higher education for a nonacademic career. MORE CAREER RESOURCES [The Chronicle’s Strategic-Leadership Program for Department Chairs]( [STORY IMAGE]( As a bridge between administration and faculty, department chairs have one of the toughest jobs on campus. We’ve partnered with experienced academic leaders at Dever Justice LLC and leading research experts at Ithaka S+R to design a program that will help guide new and experienced chairs through the challenges and transformative opportunities of their role. 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