"There's much to remember when aging comes to the professoriate."

Jason and I talk about "Where Did I Put My 'Foucault'?" a Chronicle Review essay that examines what older professors should remember about getting older.

Dear Ms. Mentor:

Question: "Lucky you, you get the summers off," my nonacademic friends often say, not really joking. I don't tell them how much I worry about time and money, and I don't admit that every summer I think I'm a total fraud. Do I need time management? Image management? New friends?

Read rest of article (May 28th Online Careers Section)

In today's podcast, Jason and I talk about our adventures with summer To Do lists (and we make a couple of confessions, too!).

Okay.  So, maybe it is because I am a professional mentor that I hear a lot of horror stories about so-called mentors...  When I saw an article in the Careers Section of the May 23rd edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled, Do You Have a Bad Mentor?  I was all over the essay. 

Jason and I totally agreed with David D. Perlmutter's advice on making sure new faculty get good mentoring.  We also add a few more thoughts on the matter.

Jason also brings up the article "Off the List," also from the May 23rd Careers Section.

We could have gone on and on and on and on about this topic.  Obviously, it is something we both feel very passionate about!

Right there on the front page of the May 16th edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education, was the article, The Lectures Are Recorded, So Why Go to Class?

In this lively discussion (because we're both feeling better), we ponder that very question.  We wonder what the purpose is of recording an entire semester's worth of lectures.

Listen and then illuminate us, please!

I've been hit by a sinus infection.  No fun.  But, when Jason asked me if I wanted to postpone, I decided to go ahead and give it the ol' college try. Isn't it funny?  When Jason was under the weather, he took care of himself and rested.  I didn't.  Is it just a "woman thing" to forge ahead?

In today's podcast, Jason and I discuss Tuition Rises as Spending on Instruction Slows from the May 9, 2008, Chronicle of Higher Education.

The report that the article discusses can be obtained as a PDF here.  It is worth taking a look at it, I think.

We are back after being away for a week.  Jason was under the weather and my laptop was getting a new fan so that it wouldn't sound like an airplane engine anymore.

This week's podcast focuses on two items from the Information Technology section of the May 2, 2008 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The first one is a "Linked In With" interview with Eszter Hargittai, an assistant professor in Northwestern University's sociology department.  Dr. Hargittai studies the technological fluency of students.  Even though it is a one column article, it stopped me dead in my assumptions about our students' technological know-how.

We explore the second item, Free Textbooks, An Online Company Tries a Controversial Publishing Model, within the framework of the information we gleaned from Dr. Hargittai's short interview.

As if The Chronicle had heard our comments last week about the biases against teaching institutions, in the April 25, 2008, edition, there is a First Person essay in the Careers section entitled, A Research Career at a Liberal-Arts College by Kristen Ghodsee.  Naturally, Jason and I continue our campaign to eradicate the small college stigma by discussing this article.

This week, we deviate a little from our normal format and actually discuss a topic from the Chronicle Forums.  In the forums, in the Nontenure Track subforum, King Ghidorah asked for suggestions on how to handle a situation where his office mate was making inappropriate comments.  You can click here to read the thread.

I wasn't sure what to title this podcast...so I didn't even attempt it.  Jason and I discuss two essays from the Career section of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The first essay, Divvying Up the Raise Pool, is from the "Heads Up" series and was written by James H.S. McGegor.  It was published in the April 11, 2008 edition. The essay was fine until these two paragraphs:

Teaching, for example, is productive, especially if it is the kind of teaching that a research institution is meant to foster. Like a book or refereed article, the classroom is a means of disseminating knowledge. At a nonresearch institution, instructors take what they have learned from their teachers and pass it on to their students. As instructors age, the information circulated in their classrooms may lose currency.

At a research institution, on the other hand, instructors pass on the results of their own research. They also pass on to students an understanding of how knowledge in the field is created and judged, and offer a continually changing synopsis of the state of knowledge in their fields. Teaching can, and should, be a form of research publication, and it should be rewarded from that point of view.

While we applaud the assertion that teaching should be considered a form of research publication, we were both appalled by his statements made about professors at nonresearch institutions.

After the break, we talk about David D. Perlmutter's April 18th essay entitled Are You a Good Protege?  Since I am a professional mentor, we discuss our reaction to the essay and I point out important issues I believe were left out of the essay but need to be addressed.

I am back from my whirlwind speaking tour and getting back into my normal routine.  I had a great time seeing Jason in person (and his darling fiancee' Denise who is a perfect partner for him).  Jason, Denise, and our friend Diane were perfect hosts for my talk at Purdue North Central.  Thanks!

This week, Jason and I discuss an article from the New York Times' April 6, 2008, edition instead of the Chronicle.  In a New Generation of College Students, Many Opt for the Life Examined, Winnie Hu writes about how there is an upsurge in the number of students who decided to major in Philosophy. 

We loved one essay that we decided not to discuss: Trust Me, I'm a Doctor about the disparity between what people think we make as professors and the reality of what professors earn.  Read it.  You will laugh out loud in recognition.

The essay we decided to discuss is Goodbye to All That from the March 28, 2008 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education (Careers Section).   The essay suggests that most dissertations really aren't book material.  Both Jason and I have been able to mine our dissertations for publishable stuff (well, actually, my pilot study was publishable), but we agree with Rachel Toor that the notion that all dissertations should be turned into books is really out of control and should be reconsidered.

Programming Note: I will be on a whirlwind campus speaking tour.  We may be late getting our next podcast out or may skip next week altogether.

On March 18th, The Chronicle sent a Daily Update that included the news that Philosophy Dept. Chair Howard M. Ducharme, Jr. was demoted because his dean wanted him to be in the office from 8:00 to 5:00.

In today's podcast, Jason and I discuss how much face time new professors should put in on campus and how important it is to "be seen."

Click here to read article

One of the most daunting tasks for any professor is creating the course syllabus.  In my work, I've seen syllabi that were scribbled on a sheet of paper  and photocopied on one of those grocery-store copiers (the ones that leave a grey background on every page) and syllabi that were almost as thick as the Vogue Magazine fall fashion issue. 

This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart because a great deal of my work in faculty development has been spent helping faculty with damage control issues that could have been prevented by policies outlined in the syllabus.

In today's podcast, Jason and I discuss two articles from the March 14th issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education:
The Syllabus Becomes a Repository of Legalese
and
Research Yields Tips on Crafting Better Syllabi

Remember when you were an undergraduate student and had a professor who was obviously burnt out?  Then, as a graduate student, you encountered the professor who was totally disengaged from the academy and everyone was just waiting for him to retire?

In this podcast conversation, Jason and I discuss Peter Seldin's Point of View essay, "'Tired' Professors Can Be Rejuvenated," from the March 7th issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education. 

We also give advise on how to make sure YOU don't become a "tired" professor, too!

A side note: After we finished recording the podcast, I realized that I didn't mention that one of the reasons mid-career and senior faculty members start to disengage from the academy is because they just plain old get tired of being told "Sorry, but that isn't possible because ______."  I know that I have disengaged from jobs when I feel like I kept running into a brick wall and wasn't allowed to pursue my goals!  Just something to keep in mind.

One of the questions I am asked most often is how do we prevent students from cheating.  Today, Jason and I discuss the use of Turn It In, the anti-plagiarizing giant.

The article, "Anti-Cheating Crusader Vexes Some Professors" is what sparked the conversation.

We also mentioned a companion article, Antiplagiarism Software Takes on the Honor Code.  I briefly mention article about scholarly journals' difficulties because scholars are also engaging in plagiarizing practices, History-Journal Editors Grapple With the Perils of Plagiarism.

This is not a topic that is going to go away any time soon!

On a much more uplifting note:
Women in Higher Education has published my article, "What If Cinderella Were a Professor?" in their March, 2008, edition.  You can currently find the article on the front page their website.

After Jason and I finished recording our last podcast, we continued to talk about the media and people's reaction to the Northern Illinois University shootings. These are articles that we had considered discussing in the podcast but the conversation didn't go in that direction (All from The Chronicle of Higher Education):

At Northern Illinois U., All the Preparation in the World Couldn't Prevent a Tragedy

Northern Illinois U. Had No System for Sending Emergency Messages to Cellphones

Louisiana Shootings Underscore Vulnerability of Open Campuses

Allowing More Guns on Campuses Is a Bad Idea, Administrators Argue (note the poignant comment at the end of the article)

Note that this is just "raw audio" between two friends that we decided that we'd include as a bonus podcast right before we ended our phone conversation.

In today's podcast, recorded February 20, 2008, Jason and I reflect upon the recent shootings at Northern Illinois University and Louisiana Tech.  We share our thoughts on Thomas H. Benton's essay, "Fearing Our Students," which was published in the Careers section of the Chronicle of Higher Education on December 14, 2007.

I have a confession: I'd rather scrub floors than grade papers. And, when I first started teaching college, my house would be spotless before I would sit down to tackle the stack of papers taunting me on my desk.

Today, Jason and I talk about a commentary, The Unbearable Importance of Grading, by Jay Parini from the February 15, 2008 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Mr. Parini advocates using grading papers as a teaching opportunity.

During the podcast, Jason and I discuss using rubrics. Many professors dismiss rubrics because they are so widely used in K-12. However, smart professors see the value in using them. Here are some links for further exploration. Although many use examples from K-12, they are easily translated to college level assignments. Also, check with instructors in your Writing Program for assistance in creating rubrics. It is my understanding that most instructors in Writing and Composition Programs use rubrics.

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20050401085518/http:/www.aahe.org/assessment/web.htm#Rubrics

Would you want to be an internet superstar?  In this podcast, Jason and I discuss professors being showcased on services such as You Tube and iTuneU.

Here are the links:

YouTube Professors: Scholars as Online Video Stars
Chronicle of Higher Education
Information Technology Section
by Jeffrey R. Young
January 25, 2008 edition

You Tube

Big Think

FORA.tv

After taking an almost two-month long leave of absence for winter break, Jason Curtis and I are back to our weekly conversations about news in higher education.

In today's podcast, we talk about how graduate school doesn't teach us how to be faculty members and how easy it is to get in over our heads as new professors.  We then talk about how hard it is to say "no" as a seasoned faculty member and how easy it is to get in over our heads.

Does it get any easier?  Yes.  But you'll still be busy.

Articles discussed today are from the February 1, 2008 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education

The 24/7 Professor
What to do when home is just another word for the office
"The Academic Life" Series
By PIPER FOGG

and

FIRST PERSON
On-the-Job Training
Three newcomers to the tenure track begin the process of becoming professors
By ANDREW KEMP, SAMARA MADRID, and JOSEPH FLYNN

Jason and I discuss the following article from The Chronicle and what the report "To Read or Not to Read" from the NEA means for professors.

HOT TYPE

Americans Are Closing the Book on Reading, Study Finds

By JENNIFER HOWARD

Americans aren't just reading fewer books, but are reading less and less of everything, in any medium. That's the doleful conclusion of "To Read or Not to Read," a report released last week by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Subtitled "A Question of National Consequence," the report piles on the bad news delivered by "Reading at Risk," the NEA's 2004 warning about the nation's rapidly declining literacy....

Click here to read the rest of the article from the Nov. 30th issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education

Programming Note: The podcast will return in January after taking December off for Winter Break.