PinnedMember-onlyWhy online discussion boards suck, and what to do about itStudents at colleges around the country are told to participate, but why? Since the dawn of online classes, the goal of college professors has been to somehow duplicate the excitement of classroom discussion. With the advent of the Read-Write Web (Web 2.0) …College Teaching4 min readCollege Teaching4 min read
Sep 13Member-onlyHow to write historical fictionAny work set in the past could be called historical fiction, but where does an author start? Here are some tips from a historian who writes historical fiction. Pick a year or era that interests you. Then research some lesser-known events from that time by finding contemporary documents, such as…Historical Fiction4 min readHistorical Fiction4 min read
Oct 17, 2022Member-onlyWhy online office hours suckand what to do about it The prof sits in her appointed office chair, laptop open (but camera off for now), in Zoom. …Online Teaching3 min readOnline Teaching3 min read
Feb 7, 2022Member-onlyBlaming ZoomConfusing the technology with its use makes it worse “I hate Zoom,” we say. Or we opine on how Artificial Intelligence will make humans unnecessary. “I’m a Luddite,” a friend says, excusing her inability to create a playlist. When did we start blaming technology? Well, the Luddites did it, of…Technology3 min readTechnology3 min read
Sep 18, 2021Member-onlyWhy essay assignments suckand what to do about it The essay is due Sunday at midnight, and it’s hard to know who dreads the deadline most, professor or student. The standard five-paragraph essay has been seen for many years as the best way for students to demonstrate knowledge, especially in the humanities and…Online Education4 min readOnline Education4 min read
Jun 17, 2021Member-onlyWhy grading sucks, and what to do about itModified ungrading can help both professors and students Most professors would rather wash walls than grade a pile of blue books (or an inbox with 39 papers). Students worry about grades when they turn in assignments, and react with feeling when they receive them. Grading is fraught with emotion on…Online Education4 min readOnline Education4 min read
Published inFrame of Reference·Apr 26, 2021Suspicion: technology and murder on the North London RailwayIn 1864, a 69-year-old bank official named Thomas Briggs was murdered on a moving train. In those days, the compartment doors opened only on to the platform, so each compartment had complete privacy. The deed was discovered when two clerks entered the compartment and found blood, a walking stick, and…History5 min readHistory5 min read
Jan 20, 2021Member-onlyWhy your LMS sucksCanvas, Blackboard, and most other systems are awful During the pandemic year many faculty have been forced to create fully online classes in a Learning Management System, such as Canvas or Blackboard. It has been surprisingly difficult. Even those fluent in technologies like email and social media have been flummoxed…Elearning5 min readElearning5 min read
Published inFrame of Reference·Jan 13, 2021Mobs at the Capitoland Congress left through the tunnels — in 1932 — The press has been looking through the past for previous examples of what happened in the Capitol last week, partly to see if they can justify using the word “unprecedented.” It depends on the sort of precedent one is looking for. Are we looking for times when a violent group…History4 min readHistory4 min read
Published inFrame of Reference·Jan 5, 2021Was the first female doctor in England a man?The ongoing case of Dr. James Barry — Whenever historians discuss the “first” of anything, they use qualifiers. In the case of the first female doctor in the UK, there might be several candidates, depending on how one qualifies the word “doctor.” The innumerable wise women and healers who made diagnoses and prescribed treatment for centuries may be…History4 min readHistory4 min read
