Changing the Conversation about Higher Education

Dr. Robert Thompson is professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University where he has served as head of the division of medical psychology, director of the undergraduate program in human development, dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. Dr. Thompson received the Bachelor of Arts degree from LaSalle College in 1967 and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of North Dakota in 1971 and served on the faculties of Georgetown University Medical School and Catholic University of America prior to coming to Duke University in 1975.

With all the swirling controversy about who gets into college, how it gets paid for, and how well it pays off, we risk forgetting that the fundamental work of colleges is teaching and learning and that at root a college becomes better when its faculty teach more effectively and its students learn more. Readers who want to understand how colleges and universities can get better at their most important work will find invaluable guidance in this book.

• Table of ContentsForward: Derek Bok, President Emeritus, Harvard UniversityPreface:Content Overview: Acknowledgements: Contributors: Introduction:Robert J. Thompson, Jr., Duke University Part One: Effective Teaching and Learning PracticesChapter 1. From Bottlenecks to Epistemology in History: Changing the Conversation about the Teaching of History in Colleges and UniversitiesLeah Shopkow with Arlene Diaz, Joan Middendorf, and David PaceIndiana UniversityChapter 2. Using Scaffolding and Metacognitive Processes to Improve Critical Thinking in the Disciplines Andrea Follmer Greenhoot, University of KansasChapter 3. Think like/write like: Metacognitive Strategies to Foster Students’ Development as Disciplinary Thinkers and WritersDeborah Meizlish, Danielle LaVaque-Manty, Naomi Silver, and Matthew Kaplan University of MichiganChapter 4. How Writing-to-Learn Practices Improve Student Learning: Connecting Research and Practice through a Consideration of Mechanisms of EffectChristopher Thaiss,University of California-DavisJulie Reynolds, Duke UniversityPart Two: Approaches to AssessmentChapter 5. Assessment Approaches and Perspectives: Engaging Faculty and Improving Student LearningJessica L. Jonson, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-LincolnRobert J. Thompson, Jr., Ph.D., Duke UniversityChapter 6. Developing a Process for Assessing General Education Learning Outcomes Across a Multi-College UniversityErin Blankenship, Shari J. Stenberg, and David E. WilsonUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnChapter 7. Disciplinary-Specific Thesis Assessment Protocol: A Validated Rubric that Promotes Student Learning and Faculty DevelopmentJulie Reynolds, Duke UniversityPart Three: The Role of University Centers: Professional Learning CommunitiesChapter 8. Teaching and Learning Centers as Professional Learning Communities Daniel Bernstein, University of KansasChapter 9. Amplifying the Impact of Pedagogical Research: The Role of Teaching Centers and Writing CentersMatthew Kaplan, Deborah Meizlish, Naomi Silver, and Danielle LaVaque-Manty, University of Michigan Part Four: Next Steps in the Continuing Efforts to Transform the Culture of Undergraduate EducationChapter 10. Systematic to Systemic: A Heuristic Framework to Improve Educational Practices and Student LearningRobert J. Thompson, Jr., Duke UniversityChapter 11. Changing the Conversation, Changing the Culture: The Place of Foundations in the Learning CommonsAnnie W. Bezbatchenko, The Teagle FoundationAndrea Conklin Bueschel, The Spencer FoundationDonna Heiland, The Teagle FoundationReferences: