Professor at the End of Time

JOHN BEST is professor emeritus of psychology at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. He is the author of Cognitive Psychology.

“For those wondering what typical professors do, A Professor at the End of Time offers a carefully documented look under the hood. And for those wondering about the road ahead for higher education, it invites us to retain the best of yesterday’s world while harnessing the potential of tomorrow’s digital, cost-conscious world.” - David G. Myers (Professor of Psychology, Hope College) “Best provides a unique perspective of a life in academia in his verbal documentary. His story within a story juxtaposes a faculty career amidst a time of change in higher education.” - Pamela L. Eddy (Professor of Higher Education, The College of William and Mary) "A Professor at the End of Time is an engaging read that should interest current academics as they contemplate the future of their chosen profession. It will also be valuable to historians looking for an archive of data regarding the Golden Age of higher education by providing specific data to analyze. It paints a realistic model of what challenges faced Professor Best in his 34-year career and contains numerous narratives from his teaching. It also serves as a warning to professors everywhere that remaining complacent and believing that academia is monolithic and unchanging in the ivory tower is dangerous." (Review of Higher Education)

• Preface  Part I Blocking the ActionChapter 1 Standing at the Edge of Time  Part II A Professor at WorkChapter 2 The Work of the Teaching College Professor: In (and Out of) the ClassroomChapter 3 Technology Changing Courses, Changing Students, Changing ProfessorsChapter 4 Research: The Barren VictoryChapter 5 Where Service Leads  Part III The Professoriate’s Imperiled FutureChapter 6 What Happens after the End of Time?: Vectors on a Collision CourseChapter 7 Some Time Traveling for Me  Appendix: The Materials and the MethodNotesReferencesIndex