CUNY Academic Commons

I’m going to use the current moment! Artificial Intelligence (AI) is providing significant challenges to higher education. A year ago, I was feeling vexed about it and about the future of: higher education, the teaching of writing, writing in general. And, frankly, I suppose that’s how many of our math colleagues felt eons ago when modern pocket…[Read more]

This is a big question. When I went to college, the purpose of higher education was definitely to find out what I wanted to do. And, I definitely did some exploring / wandering considering various disciplines. I worry about this a lot. With the rising costs of higher ed, even within CUNY, I support guided pathways and helping students to focus on…[Read more]

+1 to this. I think students like to learn about their professors as well. I think it’s important to participate in “getting to know you” activities because it communicates the idea that the professor is part of the community!

Hi Deborah,

I wasn’t familiar with app book or Gholdy Mohammad. Thank you for those resources! I’m really excited to read more about Genius Boards!

Hi Elizabeth,

Thank you for your very thoughtful response to this. I really like your focus on the power of decision making and how growth mindset helps to scaffold those skills that build confidence in one’s learning that then translates into powerful decision making. I also agree that reflective writing / thinking / speaking (etc). is a key to…[Read more]

Hi Elizabeth,

It’s interesting that we’ve got a lot of crossover between the Learning Mindset community and the emerging AI community! I appreciate the way you scaffold the projects for your students. It sounds manageable and significant: students have opportunities to learn and practice along the way. I also appreciate your careful framing of AI…[Read more]

When I took an earlier iteration of this course, the welcome video was one of the most important changes I made. Kevin Kolack’s video is such a great example of this. It’s a very easy and very significant way to welcome students into our courses and to set a tone. I think often it’s difficult to know how the tone of our syllabi is landing. But, in…[Read more]

Hi Victoria,

I love this idea! Can you tell us more about how students use their inspiration to motivate themselves and others in the course?

Hi Casandra,

I love this! What did they come up with?

Hi Simanique,

I think real-world problems is such an important (and often missing!) way to engage students. When our courses address issues that matter to students–and they’re asked to engage in thinking about, analyzing, researching, and maybe even problem-solving, their current and future selves are often fully engaged. I love that you follow…[Read more]

I understand that every discipline is different, so my own strategy here may not be universal. In writing courses, I do not put a grade on first drafts. Everyone who submits a complete draft gets full credit–no matter the state of the draft. But then, in my comments, I direct students to places where they can improve the draft using a combination…[Read more]

In the module, I was struck by this paragraph:

Furthermore, many CUNY educators view as part of their mission helping students acquire competencies employers demand so they can improve their career prospects. NACE’s Competencies for a Career-Ready Workforce emphasizes the importance of continual personal and professional learning, sel…

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Hi Tim, I appreciate your focus on community. I was thinking about that in response to your comment above. I think we learn in community and by experimenting together. I know that when a number of us in my department held a reading group on contract grading, it opened the door for much more experimentation with grading and approaches to responding…[Read more]

Hi Tim,

I wonder this too. Ungrading is such a wonderful example. Because it challenges our traditional conceptions of grades and the work of faculty, some people approach the concept with a fixed mindset. But, here, thinking about how a growth mindset as a faculty member can affect our students and have positive impacts on the larger system is a…[Read more]

I want to +1 Jean-Yves’ use of “not yet learned.” Thank you for kicking off this great thread!

Casandra, I think there’s incredible power in the use of “yet” because it implies all that may evolve.

And, Denise, thank you for reminding us, ” the introductions in the books I’ve read by teachers invariably include effusive thanks to the students w…[Read more]

I love that Freire has made an appearance here! I agree with Casandra that right now, we are all learning alongside our students as higher education is evolving. New A.I. tools are putting pressures on traditional ways of teaching & learning. I love Casandra’s lead on thinking about how we can be curious about new tools. I think I had been in a…[Read more]

Hi Casandra,

Thinking through how to help students view office hours as a resource has been a challenge. Your language and invitation are so friendly!

I changed the name of mine to “Drop in Student Hours.” I don’t think it’s addressed the core issue (I’m not sure what the core issue is), but I do think the shift in language has been helpful in…[Read more]

Today, I’m an avid scuba diver. But, I had a very long road to get where I am today and I have a lot more to learn. When I first started, I definitely had a beginner’s mindset: I didn’t know what I needed to know and I was awash in all there was to know. And, because diving is skills-based and academic (you need to understand a lot about physics…[Read more]

Hi Casandra,

I agree that in my own teaching this doesn’t exactly work. I grade using a portfolio method in Composition 101, so students are working on their writing as part of a process of revision. We’re not working in the realm of “you failed” or “you passed.” We’re working in the realm of “how can I make this essay / writing better?” That…[Read more]

Hi Denise,

Yes! The focus on what will be different is so key–how can you move forward in the learning process using what you learned before (even if what you learned is how to do it differently).

Thanks for this perspective as an Academic Advisor and thinking about helping students come back to their education after a stop out.