by Jenny Wolfarth, MA

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should start by clarifying that I’m not a technophobe. Once a rabid photocopier who generated reams of handouts for my students, I’ve been on the Blackboard bandwagon nearly since its introduction at UC. I’ve happily and, I think, successfully employed useful tools like online-discussion boards in meaningful ways outside of the classroom, and my students can find fresh, and often interactive, online content on a weekly basis. I am gradually incorporating multimedia assignments in my curricula, am venturing into the world of podcasting, and have even converted my own professional portfolio into a snazzy digital experience that I can share with my students.

But I’ve found myself occasionally rebelling against the inevitable push to fully digitize the teaching and learning experience, and I think it has more to do with the lamentable absence of thoughtful interaction and our culture’s digitally impaired communication etiquette than the fact that I may be a little resistant to change my ways.

by our experienced yet anonymous “Points of View” professor

It’s an exciting time—and a challenging one—to be a teacher at the University of Cincinnati.  Many of us are a bit nervous as we face semester conversion, collegiate restructuring, and the One University initiative. I’ve spent years honing my skills to deliver effective didactic lectures coupled with readings, assignments, and exams,  and now I’m being asked to rework my ten week-long courses into a fifteen week-long format.