The Invisible Bottleneck: Why Classroom Innovation Collapses at the Funding Cliff
The technology worked. The training happened. The classrooms changed for about 18 months. Then the grant ended, and so did the innovation. Behind those classrooms, a complex web of scheduling, budgets, and leadership support was always determining whether the innovation would last. This isn’t a story about bad technology, unwilling teachers, or insufficient effort. It’s […]
Higher Ed is running into a structural problem regarding science labs
If your institution doesn’t have a meaningful online science lab component, you’re already at a disadvantage. I’ve been teaching science courses and labs for 30+ years, in traditional classrooms (in the US), on overseas military bases, and online. I was there when online education was just getting started. Back then, there were only a handful […]
The VAPOR Framework for Critical AI Literacy Across Disciplines
When students use AI writing tools, they face a new challenge that extends beyond traditional writing instruction. The question is not simply whether AI helps them write better, but whether they can maintain authorial control while using these tools. The VAPOR framework offers a practical approach to this challenge, one that applies across disciplines and […]
Bringing Life Back to Online Discussion Boards: Moving Beyond Compliance and Listening More Deeply to Students
In online learning, “engagement” is one of the most frequently used words and one of the easiest to flatten into something performative. We say we want engaged students, but too often what we actually build are routines of compliance: post once, reply twice, meet the word count, move on. That structure may produce activity, but […]
Fish With Jetpacks
I’ve recently seen several stories in the news about students who have “cheated” their way through college degrees using AI and other tools—even through the doctoral level. Interestingly, these students and some in society are celebrating this as an achievement. Educators, on the other hand, are terrified. For as long as we’ve had education, teachers […]