Education Commons^™

Higher Ed Needs New Forms Of Marketing., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

In this day and age of crises – financial, enrollment,

even scandal – among institutions of higher education,

image “management” has become a tool to help

some institutions stay afloat. Countless colleges and

universities have resorted to spending money on

glossy brochures, billboards and even on expensive

TV airtime.

The images they portray are usually one of happy

and attractive students having fun on campus, enjoying

athletic events and amenities that used to be more

likely to be found at country clubs than colleges. The

quality of education is almost an afterthought. The

name of the institution is being sold …

Digital Literacies And Visual Rhetoric: Scaffolding A Meme-Based Assignment Sequence For Introductory Composition Classes, Andie Silva

Publications and Research

Introducing students to the practice of academic writing ideally goes beyond teaching strategies like drafting, outlining, and revising in order to encourage deeper skills such as critical thinking and metacognition. This post discusses an assignment series focusing on reflection, genre analysis, and multiliteracies leading up to the design of original memes.

If You Think Education Is Expensive, Try Ignorance., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

This is the 100th column of this series. During

the two years during which this column has been

published uninterruptedly on a weekly basis, a

common question I received is why do I defend

higher education?

I remember when I decided to become a scientist.

The day was October 5, 1957. I was a 6-year-old kid

living in Venezuela. The big headline in the newspaper

that day was that the Soviets had launched

an artificial satellite named Sputnik. I was amazed.

I asked my father all kinds of questions about it,

but he could not tell me much more than …

Editor’S Introduction: Advancing Sotl-Ah, Virginia B. Spivey Phd, Renee Mcgarry

Art History Pedagogy & Practice

No abstract provided.

Making The Absent Present: The Imperative Of Teaching Art History, Beth Harris Phd, Steven Zucker Phd

Art History Pedagogy & Practice

Since its emergence in 2005 as a free and open online resource for instructors, students, and the general public, Smarthistory has made numerous groundbreaking changes and advances for better teaching and more engaged learning. Playing upon the theme "making the absent [art work] present,” we explain how Smarthistory’s lively dialogic pedagogy combined with a rich variety of image views, reconstructions, google street views, diagrams, and essays has successfully replaced the traditional dependence on an art history text for many instructors. The result is an enhanced experiential and contextual experience for the student. For a discipline whose works were often accessible …

Looking Beyond The Canon: Localized And Globalized Perspectives In Art History Pedagogy, Aditi Chandra, Leda Cempellin, Kristen Chiem, Abigail Lapin Dardashti, Radha J. Dalal, Ellen Kenney, Sadia Pasha Kamran, Nina Murayama, James P. Elkins

Art History Pedagogy & Practice

Our pedagogical choices make art history classrooms political spaces of cultural production. Through a global exchange of ideas we consider questions of imbalance between western and non-Western materials and differing art history pedagogies in introductory courses and reveal teaching methods shaped by varied local contexts.

Kristen L. Chiem suggests re-routing students to the fundamentals of art historical inquiry rather than to a specific time or region. Abigail L. Dardashti’s essay re-configures the global art history course by focusing on artworks that defy the neat West and non-West categories. Radha J. Dalal discusses a curriculum that includes a series of courses …

The Psychology Of Single-Sex Classrooms, Jenna E. Bagcal

Capstones

Single-sex classrooms have been a hallmark of Catholic and private schools, but they are gaining popularity in American public schools. Proponents of single-sex classrooms believe that boys' and girls' brains are different and they therefore need specialized teaching methods and classroom conditions. For example, boys are competitive and are better at STEM subjects, while girls are cooperative and thrive in English and the arts. Detractors of single-sex classrooms in public schools like the ACLU say that these classrooms are based on pseudoscience and reinforce gender stereotypes. Follow the story of Jenna Bagcal through an all girls Catholic school and her …

Little Data On Whether Charters Make A Difference When College Is The Goal, Erica Jackson

Capstones

Some charters are too young to measure how their students perform. Others collect data in a spotty way. And official statistics make comprehensive comparisons difficult.

Link to capstone project: http://citylimits.org/2016/12/28/little-data-on-whether-charters-make-a-difference-when-college-is-the-goal/

Closing The Teacher Diversity Gap, Emily Holzknecht

Capstones

In New York City, 43 percent of boys in the public school system may never have a teacher who looks like them. Recruitment initiatives have brought more men of color into the classroom, but challenging work environments are driving these much-needed teachers to find more profitable work in a less stressful environment.

Nationally, minority and non-minority teachers are leaving the profession at an increasing rate. In New York, men of color represent about 8 percent of the teachers, while boys of color make up almost half of the student population. Taking aim at this disparity, the de Blasio administration plans …

Spend Your Student Loans On A Vacation. No One Is Watching., Raul A. Hernandez, Morten Buttler

Capstones

Student loan debtors who spend their loans on non-educational expenses   increase the likelihood of financial hardship once they begin repayment. Contributing to the financial struggles of student loan debtors is an overly-complicated student loan system which can entangle borrowers with unclear financial statements and a glut of federal loan repayment programs.

Link to capstone project: https://medium.com/@raul.hernandez/spend-your-student-loans-on-a-vacation-no-one-is-watching-a71834ed6f45#.vj61hhxig

Vidigal Nights: Big Dreams In A Small Favela, Christina Thornell

Capstones

This 14-minute documentary follows Tatiane and Rafa, two aspiring actors in Rio de Janeiro's favela of Vidigal in Brazil. They are both performing in “Noites de Vidigal” (Nights of Vidigal) a community play about their favela and the challenges it has faced in the last decades. As we follow Tatiane and Rafa while they rehearse and perform, viewers are offered a window into their lives and the world around them.

Tatiane and Rafa aren't just aspiring actors but community members who experience firsthand the joys and hardships of living in a favela.

Vidigal, the favela Tatiane and Rafa live in, …

Viewing Obama’S Legacy In Higher Education., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

For eight years as president, Barack Obama showed

an unusual interest in reforming higher education

when compared with any other U.S. president in history.

Most concerned themselves with primary and

secondary education. The only possible exception is

Abraham Lincoln, under whose administration the

land grant university system was created.

One reason for his interest in higher education may

be because Obama himself once taught at the law school

of the University of Chicago. Another may be that, in

retrospect, Obama has always been a great admirer of

Lincoln, mirroring his stances on many issues.

College Senate Minutes December 8, 2016, Bronx Community College Senate

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the College Senate on December 8, 2016.

Higher Ed Sees Decline In Language Studies., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Despite much talk about the importance of globalization,

the very places where most people in

the U.S. learn foreign languages – colleges and universities

– are offering fewer and fewer courses in

them. In a report published last year by the Modern

Languages Association (MLA), statistics show that

for the first time since 1995 we are seeing a drop

in enrollment in courses in all major European languages,

including Spanish. And the drop is significant:

6.7 percent overall since 2009 after increasing

steadily since 1995.

Spanish, the most studied language in colleges

and universities (more than all other languages

combined), …

Senate Executive Committee Minutes December 5, 2016, Bronx Community College Senate Executive Committee

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the Senate Executive Committee on December 5, 2016.

College Students, Technology, And Time, Mariana Regalado, Maura A. Smale

Publications and Research

Our research explores CUNY students’ lived experiences using digital technology in and out of class, on and off campus. Beyond checking grades or emailing a professor, students use digital technology to create space and time for their schoolwork. However, technology can also impede students’ opportunities for making space and time. Understanding how students use digital technology is crucial for colleges and universities to better support students in their academic work.

The Winds Of Changes Shift: An Analyis Of Recent Growth In Bargaining Units And Representation Efforts In Higher Education, William A. Herbert

Publications and Research

This article analyzes data accumulated during the first three quarters of 2016 regarding completed and pending questions of representation involving faculty and student employees in higher education. It is part of a larger and continuing National Center research project that tracks faculty and graduate student employee unionization growth and representation efforts at private and public institutions of higher learning since January 1, 2013. The data presented in this article demonstrates that the rate of newly certified units at private colleges and universities since January 1, 2016 far outpaces new units in the public sector. There has been a 25.9% increase …

The Social Work Librarian And Information Literacy Instruction: A Report On A National Survey In The United States, Margaret Bausman, Sarah Laleman Ward

Publications and Research

As an interdisciplinary profession encompassing macro, mezzo, and micro fields of praxis, well-informed and ethical social work practice necessitates the continual utilization of information literacy skills across a wide and ever-evolving range of information sources and access points. In response to a dearth of scholarship concerning information literacy instruction in social work education, this article reports on an initial endeavor to quantify and describe the nature of information literacy instruction in social work education on a national level in the United States. In addition to a review and discussion of the National Social Work Librarians Survey's descriptive data, this article …

Introduction: Reframing The Inequality Debate Toward Opportunity And Mobility, Norman Eng, Allan Ornstein

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Education Inequality: Broadening Public Attitudes Through Framing, Norman Eng

Publications and Research

Research over the last 50 years have been remarkably consistent when it comes to addressing education inequality: background factors like family and socioeconomics matter to school success. Yet policies remain narrowly focused on school-based reforms like testing, standards, and charter schools due in large part to America’s limited understanding of education and inequality. I argue that scholars, as the experts, are ultimately responsible for changing how policymakers and the public think about these issues—a duty they have yet to embrace. In this connection, the use of framing can help education researchers broaden attitudes and stimulate political will. Drawing mainly from …

The Science Teaching Fellows Program: A Model For Online Faculty Development Of Early Career Scientists Interested In Teaching, Loretta Branacaccio-Taras, Kelly A. Gull, Claudia Ratti

Publications and Research

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has a history of providing a wide range of faculty development opportunities. Recently, ASM developed the Science Teaching Fellows Program (STF) for early career biologists and postdoctoral students to explore student-centered teaching and develop the skills needed to succeed in positions that have a significant teaching component. Participants were selected to STF through a competitive application process. The STF program consisted of a series of six webinars. In preparation for each webinar, participants completed a pre-webinar assignment. After each webinar, fellows practiced what they learned by completing a post-webinar assignment. In a survey used …

Music And Words: Connecting The Love Of Music With Language, Eileen P. Kennedy, Raymond Torres- Santos

Publications and Research

Children from different cultures have a natural affinity for rhymes, rhythm and music. Imagine if students were able, from the beginning of their education and experiences with academic writing and literacy, to access their unconscious and original selves from which to create their writing. The study of music can help to access this aware, inventive side that can enhance anyone’s writing. As an early childhood writing teacher and a composition teacher, we draw on our experiences with young children with words and music. We examine the relationship between music and words in an effort to bring the primitive drive of …

The Line Between Free Speech And Hate Speech., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

With the rise of incidents of bigotry on U.S. campuses

after the November elections, a question has

come up. How can we differentiate between free

and hate speech and what can we do about the latter?

The answer is complex, but there is a solution

to the problem.

At the federal level – and contrary to popular

belief – free speech is not absolute. The Supreme

Court has ruled many times setting limits on

speech, from child pornography cases, to deceptive

advertisement to specific threats of violence. The

fine line comes when dealing with espousing ideologies,

like the ones held …

Anti-Intellectualism Casts Shadow Over Higher Ed., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

In addition to all of the issues affecting higher education,

like the lack of appropriate funding, diminishing

enrollments, insularity, and the like, now it is

time to recognize the biggest problem of all – anti-intellectualism.

Anti-intellectualism is defined as a negative attitude

toward intellectual pursuits, whether in the

form of education or scholarly activities and toward

their practitioners, such as college professors and

intellectuals in general.

College Senate Minutes November 17, 2016, Bronx Community College Senate

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the College Senate on November 17, 2016.

The Consequences Of The Election For Higher Education., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“So, now what?” That is the question some people are asking when it comes to higher education after one of the longest and most contentious presidential elections in American history. The question comes up not only because of the results, but also because higher education is facing one of its most grave situations in its history due to, among other things, decreasing funding, exorbitant student debt and bad press.

So what can we expect in the months and years to come based on the platform and statements issued by the leaders of the upcoming administration? Here is a sample.

Senate Executive Committee Minutes November 14, 2016, Bronx Community College Senate Executive Committee

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the Senate Executive Committee on November 14, 2016.

Higher Education Losing Ground In Public Opinion., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Implications For Educational Justice, Magnus O. Bassey

Publications and Research

Educational justice is a major global challenge. In most underdeveloped countries, many students do not have access to education and in most advanced democracies, school attainment and success are still, to a large extent, dependent on a student’s social background. However, it has often been argued that social justice is an essential part of teachers’ work in a democracy. This article raises an important overriding question: how can we realize the goal of educational justice in the field of teaching? In this essay, I examine culturally responsive teaching as an educational practice and conclude that it is possible to realize …

Critical Integral Contemplative Education, David Forbes

Publications and Research

Mindfulness programs in education proceed with little awareness of the cultural, social, political, and developmental context in which they operate. This chapter first argues that social critique is a valuable practice in its own right and can be useful toward developing more socially just and inclusive education mindfulness programs. It is critical of how mindfulness is practiced in schools to the extent it shares qualities of McMindfulness and reinforces neoliberal ideologies, policies, and practices. Without this critical awareness of contexts programs tend to promote individualistic solutions to social problems and inequities and thereby serve to maintain the status quo of …