Putting Connection First: What Happened When I Built a New Online Class with Rapport at the Center

by with Comments Off on Putting Connection First: What Happened When I Built a New Online Class with Rapport at the Center

Last fall I got the kind of random surprise that sometimes comes into the lives of professors: my study abroad class to Morocco had been cancelled for obscure reasons related to university bureaucracy. Now, not only would I have to tell a bunch of disappointed students that they wouldn’t get to ride camels after all, but I also had a hole to fill in my schedule.

Before I knew what hit me, I was assigned an online section of a course I had never taught before: American National Government. Determined to do my best, I picked a textbook (the one my seasoned colleague recommended) and got to work preparing a brand-new class.

Continue Reading

Re-Energizing Political Science Education

by with Comments Off on Re-Energizing Political Science Education

I am about to depart for the 2023 Teaching and Learning Conference of the American Political Science Association, which I have the great pleasure of co-chairing with Young-Im Lee of California State University-Sacramento. The theme this year is “Re-Energizing Political Science Education: Innovations and New Opportunities.” As we start to feel like the crisis period of the pandemic is over, many of us are also ready to start feeling re-energized when it comes to teaching and learning! The TLC has a great track format that allows people to really connect with one another and get deep into teaching topics that they care about—from civic education to simulations. I have found this format to be really engaging and energizing in the past.

Continue Reading