My Blog

Even before students at Morgan State University finish their degrees, they’ll soon have something official to let them show the world what they’ve learned so far. The university is rolling out a new system that will give every student a new kind of digital transcript that will include things like what courses they’ve taken and […]

Talk of the metaverse is everywhere, even though the new, more immersive internet isn’t exactly here yet. Even so, some educators are trying to get ahead of the curve to help influence what kinds of education products and services emerge in the metaverse. This week the Brookings Institution released a policy brief titled “A Whole […]

We had just finished a discussion on climate change in my chemistry class. Toward the end of the unit, I asked students how their understanding of the topic has changed since the first lesson. Among all the feedback I received, one student’s response stood out: “Honestly, my opinion of climate change is that I am […]

Around late July every year, my husband and I sit down with our calendars and make sincere attempts to plan our year according to the first-year teacher’s roller coaster. Where might we strategically schedule date nights? Or a comforting pasta night or two? What should we do in the week leading up to that inevitable […]

A white art teacher in Houston uses the N-word during a classroom lesson. A high school student in Minnesota tells a Black classmate that her dark skin is ugly and that she hopes she takes her life. An Asian-American teen in California’s San Fernando Valley is attacked because his peers assumed, based on his ethnicity, […]

Last year, New York’s Rockland Community College realized it had a problem. The passing rate for gateway classes—those that all students need to take—wavered slightly and dropped by one point to 75 percent. But for Black men, the pass rate tumbled to 64 percent. Looking just at college algebra, the passing rate for Hispanic men […]

I’ve always thought of the U.S. as the leader in digital learning, representing the most adventurous innovations. But lately I’ve realized my perception may be flawed by a false sense of American exceptionalism. In Canada, for example, about two-thirds of colleges offer online degrees—and many have for years. While here in the U.S., a far […]

Last fall, I made it a goal to go to my office on campus a few times a week. Strictly speaking, I didn’t need to be there. The courses I taught were online, as were all of my meetings. But I felt a strange need to physically be there, perhaps in preparation for what seemed […]

There’s an elephant in the classroom, and it has done a huge disservice to students like me. I couldn’t articulate it this succinctly at ten years old, but the depictions of the characters weighed on me. They reinforced a monolithic depiction of Black life devoid of any moments of joy, hope, or success. I first […]

With COVID-19 still very much a factor on college campuses, virtual office hours have become an increasingly critical aspect of the education that students are receiving in this hybrid world. Virtual office hours have become an increasingly critical aspect of the education that students are receiving in this hybrid world. UNC’s Learning Center states the […]