If there is one thing the world would likely agree on, it’s that social media has become a dominant part. of our society. It’s integral to our daily lives—whether it be trends, comedy, makeup routines, financial advice, travel recommendations, and so much more. Yet many people consider scrolling an act that eventually causes "brain rot"— a term defined as mental fog or decline from consuming too much low-quality, mindless content.
Designed Visibility: How Faculty Can Be Felt Without Always Being On
Milton W. Wendland (JD, PhD) is a professor of instruction in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of South Florida, where he specializes in equitable and inclusive online education. “Presence” is one of the most discussed and misunderstood concepts in course design. Faculty across higher education know that students learn better when teachers …
Continue reading Designed Visibility: How Faculty Can Be Felt Without Always Being On
Behind the Scenes of INSECTOPOLIS: A Q&A with Author Peter Kuper
The Norton Learning Blog team recently sat down with award-winning cartoonist Peter Kuper to discuss how he channeled his love of insects into his newest graphic novel, Insectopolis. Kuper shares how COVID-19 inspired his work, why humans should care about insects now more than ever, and how this title might just inspire a future generation of scientists and artists.
Teaching READING THE WORLD in Prison
Author of Reading the World, Michael Austin discusses how instructors can use Reading the World and Norton’s textbooks to help them should they need to lesson plan on the fly. Read how using dramatic excerpts from Reading the World kept his students engaged, excited, and encouraged to read more.
Behind the Scenes: Norton’s Approach to AI in Higher Ed
At Norton, we've been fielding a lot of questions and seeing a lot of buzz about GenAI in higher education. So, we're pulling back the curtain on Norton's approach to meeting the challenges and opportunities of AI through this interview.
WHAT’S REAL ABOUT RACE? Shifting the Paradigm with Rina Bliss
With advances in genetics and high-profile conversations about race in the headlines, it can be difficult for students to know: What’s real about race? We sat down with author Dr. Rina Bliss to discuss her new Norton Short, which offers a different way of understanding how race is socially constructed—even in the age of genomics. What first inspired you to study the …
Continue reading WHAT’S REAL ABOUT RACE? Shifting the Paradigm with Rina Bliss
From Plato’s “Literacy Crisis” to Generative AI: What Writing Studies Can Teach Us Right Now
AI refusal and boundary-setting have value because they clarify what we refuse to lose. At the same time, we can also treat this “technology” as a resource, one that can be leveraged to consolidate humanistic learning and values rather than replace them.
Care as Structure, not Sacrifice: Rethinking the Pedagogy of Care in Higher Education
Milton W. Wendland (JD, PhD) is a professor of instruction in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of South Florida, where he specializes in equitable and inclusive online education. In the wake of COVID-19, a pedagogy of care has emerged as a central organizing framework in conversations about teaching and learning in higher education, appearing in practice as flexible deadlines, expanded …
Building Happier, Healthier Relationships: IT’S INTERPERSONAL’s Crucial Role in the Communication Classroom
Communications instructor, Christa Ziegler, discusses how It's Interpersonal uses language and concepts anyone can understand, encourages students to regulate their emotions during points of conflict, and teaches them the basics of communication they can apply to their own lives. Read why she credits her student's engagement and their material retention to It’s Interpersonal.
Fewer Rules, Better Students: High-Discretion Teaching
The move from high- to low-discretion not only standardizes education, but also standardizes achievement in education in a truly unfortunate way. Instructors in high-discretion fields should embrace that feature, exercising high discretion with respect to assignments, curriculum, and grading standards.
Going Fishing with Author Michal Brody: A Q&A on Selecting Model Readings for Students
A reading should also be relevant to a critical mass of our student readers. And that's an interesting part because “student readers” doesn’t mean “college age”—that doesn't mean anything anymore. There's this image of your classic “four-year liberal arts student,” but that’s a small proportion of who our intended audience is.