Rhetoric and Composition professor Jule Thomas understands that the path to learning isn’t always easy, equitable, or traditional. She reflects on her experience teaching incarcerated students and reexamining her own biases. Read how you can adapt to unique teaching environments and find new ways to connect with your students.
Category: General Education
AI as a Thinking Partner, Not a Crutch: Designing Assignments That Actually Make Students Struggle (in a Good Way)
A few months ago, I asked a room full of faculty a simple question: If AI can complete the assignment, what exactly are students learning by completing it? The room got quiet. Not because the answer was obvious, but because many of us are wrestling with the same tension.
3 Ways to Make the Most of Your Time This School Year
Laura Vanderkam is the author of seven time-management books, including Norton’s Big Time: A Simple Path to Time Abundance, as well as the host of two podcasts. The start of the school year can always make time feel crunched. You may be juggling new courses and new expectations alongside deadlines and a lingering sense that there’s always more you could be doing. …
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Teaching on the Tenure Track: How to Ace Lesson Prep
Balancing planning, grading, and teaching while securing tenure isn’t easy. Kelsi G. Hobbs, assistant professor of economics at the University of Maine, shares how the right textbook resources are foundational in creating a strong course, allowing you to dedicate more time to research, service, and other projects.
Learning to Teach on the Fly: Tips for First-Time Instructors
Adronisha Frazier teaches medical microbiology and biology lecture and lab courses at San Joaquin Delta College. She works closely with colleagues to mentor, teach, and support a diverse student population in earning credentials and transferring to 4-year institutions.
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 …
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 …
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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.
Five Tips for Navigating Your First Dual Credit Course
Morgan Cline is a 2025 graduate of Teays Valley High School in Ashville, Ohio, currently studying aviation and music education at The Ohio State University. Imagine starting your first year of college. New school, new friends, new living arrangements, potentially a new city to call home, new activities—new everything. For many, this is the biggest …
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Creating Connections: Tips for Writing Effective Test Questions
Tests are a learning experience for the test-taker. Tests are not only a way to find out how much students know, but they are also a way to guide the test taker as to what is most important about what they are learning. Whether it is for a chapter test, a semester exam, or a test bank, I write questions that focus on details and the big picture.