As the fall semester comes to an end, winter break may offer a nice opportunity to find a good book to renew thoughts about teaching and course design. Below are three lesser-known recommendations enjoyed by Reinert Center staff. Hopefully one of these may spark your interest.
Power to the Public: The Promise of Public Interest Technology
Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank
While more attention is made to the potentially harmful effects of social media, authors McGuinness and Schank offer a thought-provoking and timely framework to view how technology can be utilized for the public good. “Public Interest Technology” puts users at the center of the policymaking process; considers how data and metrics can be utilized more effectively and recommends a framework for running trials before “scaling up” new technologies. Recommendations are easily transferable when thinking about the best uses for technology in teaching and course design. These frameworks also serve as appropriate guidelines to identify when technology may not be needed at all.
Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: Strategies for Teaching
Edited by Rita Kumar and Brenda Refaei
The book provides discipline-specific activities and examples to help create and support an inclusive classroom environment. Using a learner-centered lens, the authors of this book provide a number of actionable strategies and resources to support and promote classroom accessibility, equity, and inclusion. While the chapters are broken into disciplines social sciences, humanities, and STEM, the recommendations and insights offered throughout the book can be applied to any teaching situation.
Becoming Beholders: Cultivation Sacramental Imagination and Actions in College Classrooms
Edited by Karen E. Eifler and Thomas M. Landy
As a complement to the Reinert Center’s theme on Ignatian Pedagogy, Becoming Beholders serves as both a reflection and a guide on how spirituality can be present in the study of all academic disciplines. Pedagogical strategies and thought-provoking reflections throughout the book serve as an excellent corollary for instructors looking to better incorporate Ignatian pedagogical practices into their teaching and course design.
The Notebook 