News in brief

Post-Thanksgiving productivity. Rather than falling into an end-of-semester rut, instructors should encourage students to reflect on how their thinking has changed and might continue to evolve. (Vitae)

Teaching success. Assessing the connections between teaching quality and student success is a vital step toward dramatically increasing the number of Americans able to earn a college degree, write American Council on Education’s Molly Broad and USA Funds’ William Hansen. (The Huffington Post)

Political pedagogy. Instructors can navigate a divisive postelection climate by facilitating effective discussions and promoting a civil learning environment, Shontavia Johnson and Jennifer Harvey write. (Inside Higher Ed)

Crowdsourcing the curriculum. One professor’s graduate students host sessions on Reddit’s science channel, helping them rethink classroom boundaries and combat the spread of misinformation online. (EdSurge)

The device debate. Instead of enforcing an outright ban on electronics, faculty can set designated times for when and how students can use their devices during class. (Teaching in Higher Ed)

Personalized learning. As part of a model designed to encourage personal learning experiences, Katie Martin poses eight “essential questions” that should be answered before getting started. (Institution for Entrepreneurship in Education)