Asked to recommend a faculty reading that might counteract our habits of overspecialization, I nominate Amitav Ghosh's "Sea of Poppies" (2008), the first novel in his "Ibis" trilogy. Reading Ghosh has offered me not only a fascinating introduction to the Indian Ocean world but also an occasion to reflect upon the dynamics of a…

In this paper, I draw attention to a lively and accessible way of helping academics to make sense of their practice as teachers. First, I define "collaborative close reading" and "teaching texts". Then I invite the reader to eavesdrop on three (lightly fictionalised) reading sessions. Finally, I suggest some guidelines for…

This paper argues for an action-oriented conception of learning in higher education: one which marries higher order learning (coming to understand) with apprenticeship in knowledge work. It introduces epistemic tasks, forms and fluency as constructs that are useful in giving a more precise meaning to ideas about collaboration in knowledge…

Students should not learn statistical concepts in isolation; statistics and data analysis invite conversations concerning which analysis to use and why, what was found and why, and what results mean and why. To emphasize the importance of this learning in common, a college teacher requires students to collaborate on research projects from…

For many years, writing centers have based their pedagogy on "collaboration." Now it is time to reflectively examine whether tutorial collaborations actually correspond to those definitions on which it is generally assumed they are based. Current practices assume that "collaborative" practices include non-authoritative pedagogy…

A study examined the socio-technical impact of computer-mediated communication (CMC) on students' attitudes towards computers, CMC, and their classes. Five classes at universities across America (119 students and faculty) participated in COMCONF, a BITNET computer conference which provided a unique laboratory for observations of CMC processes in…

Uri Treisman describes the development of his model to help minority students succeed and progress in mathematics, emphasizing group work and integrated instruction and student services. Explains his influences, core ideas informing the workshop model, structural impediments to success in the curriculum, existing programs, and other related…

Using sociocultural theory as a conceptual framework, this study examined selected features of student discourse of three pairs of third-semester learners of Spanish at the university level. Specifically the study investigated how these selected features, identified in an earlier research project, developed during opportunities to engage in five…

As college student populations become more diverse and classes become more heterogeneous, instructors have an opportunity to implement leadership models based on the goals of empowerment, cooperation, inclusion, and collaboration. A heterarchical notion of leadership (in which information and authority flow across channels and input from all…

This essay argues that the development of leadership skills in the education of college students should be on the agenda of all faculty and describes ways to build the development of leadership skills into virtually any course or program of study through a technique called Reflective Controversy. An opening phase of the essay describes the signs…

The term "peer" is often used to mean both tutor and tutee, but writing center directors should avoid romanticizing the notion of peer tutoring and recognize that peer tutors are considerably more advanced, and therefore more "powerful", than their tutees. In fact, the question of difference between tutors and tutees is a vital…

Discusses the educational needs of American Indian women, highlighting the difficulties that they encounter in traditional postsecondary education and their unique learning abilities. Suggests that the community ethos of American Indian culture needs to be transported to the classroom through the implementation of cooperative educational…

Writing teachers should draw on their own use of collaborative techniques in attempting to develop similar support systems within the writing classrooms and in the larger university community. Teacher awareness of the problems that faced them in their past attempts at collaboration should inform them concerning their propensity to oversimplify the…

This paper suggests that students and their learning should become the focus of everything that college faculty do, examining what is currently known about student learning and where this knowledge comes from. Two large volumes have been published on what is known about student learning in college. A distillation of what is known can be extracted…

Discusses ways in which a global perspective can influence the college mission and curriculum. Asks what the institution, acting in a global capacity, can do for its students, rather than what the global economy can do for the institution. Warns that in the rush to globalize, college leaders must be clear about their purpose and focus on the…