CEL Scholar Archives - Center for Engaged Learning

A student sits at a desk. She looks down at a few papers on the desk, which are filled with writing. She has one hand up to her forehead, and the other holds a pencil. Text overlay reads: "Quality teaching is not separate from quality assessment and feedback."

August 1, 2023

An Admission and Overview: Models of Assessment and Feedback

by Aaron Trocki

The week before my first teaching experience, I had a 20-minute chat with the assistant department chair on how to teach college students. He handed me a printout of class roles for two lab sections of Introduction to College Algebra—36…

The hands of a person are visible writing on a paper at a classroom desk. A water bottle also sits on the desk. Text overlay reads, "Providing meaningful feedback requires the teacher to consider multiple examples of student thinking, activity, and products that model the potential and explanatory power of the discipline."

June 27, 2023

It’s Always Been Done That Way: Models of Assessment and Feedback

by Aaron Trocki

Many people would likely categorize the phrase, “it’s always been done that way” as a weak justification for a particular course of action. This phrase is contained in a larger quote attributed to Grace Hopper (1906-1992), Rear Admiral in the…

White male cutting a block of wood with his right hand. Text overlay says, "If we pull back and focus on skill development as a primary component of our work, maybe we will meet more students in different ways." --Caroline J. Ketcham

April 25, 2023

Trading Engaged Learning Skills: What We Can Learn From Our Kids and Our Kids’ Learning Spaces

by Caroline J. Ketcham

On a Wednesday in mid-April, I decided to step away from work and go watch my oldest son Elliot compete in cabinetry at SkillsUSA NC state competition. I debated going for a moment—there are things to grade, a meeting or…

An apple keyboard rests on a wooden desk next to a planner. The planner shows a dotted grid show a Monday and Tuesday, the 26 and 27 of a month; the only thing written on the page is "#ToDo". Text along the bottom reads, "Could some of the pedagogical shifts made during the 'pivots of the pandemic' be hurting the students we were trying to help?"

March 14, 2023

Ableism in Academia: The Uneven Impacts of Distraction and Procrastination

by Caroline J. Ketcham

Recently in one of my productive distraction moments, I came across a tweet thread from Dr. Hannah Snyder (@Hannah_R_Snyder) that spurred reflection for me in my teaching, and has led to this discussion in this platform more broadly. Two articles…

A microphone fills the middle of the image, and a crowd of people is visible out of focus in the background. Text overlay says, "Accessibility for our conferences and events should not be a luxury item."

January 31, 2023

Ableism in Academia: Are Your Conferences and Events Inclusive and Accessible?

by Caroline J. Ketcham

As we start the new year and new semester, it is the season of planning, and we are likely planning for the larger events of next year or years ahead—conferences, speakers, special promotions. Let’s talk about inclusion for these events….

A photo of a room full of bright orange and yellow bean bag chairs, with desks and windows in the background. Text reads "A space where loud sounds and bright lights are dampened is easy to set up and tremendously valuable to the neurodiverse community."

October 25, 2022

Ableism in Academia: Spotlighting Inclusive Opportunities

by Caroline J. Ketcham

As many of our campuses are all in the rhythm of the semester, let’s explore what is being done or could be done to support inclusive opportunities throughout the many outstanding and engaging events on campus. College campuses are ripe…

August 2, 2022

A Quick but Necessary Chat

by Caroline J. Ketcham

I have something on my mind that keeps coming up in my conversations around ableism in academia, neurodiversity in higher education, accommodations, universal design for learning (UDL), and topics in this realm. As I work to draft a couple blog…

"I am sure we are missing really exceptional people who will excel at whatever they are interviewing for."

June 1, 2022

Ableism in Academia: The Interview

by Caroline J. Ketcham

The interview . . . the chance for face-to-face engagement . . . to assess and share knowledge, skills, excitement, “fit.” We use it for so many reasons including acceptance into a program, a school, a job—to award a scholarship,…

Many different countries' flags hang from strings through the air. With text overlaid: "When we assume that students need to go off our campuses and to other cultures to experience diversity, we have centered the majority experience as our campus experience. That is a problem."

May 10, 2022

Ableism in Academia: Study Abroad Experiences

by Caroline J. Ketcham

One of the hallmark high-impact practices is engagement in diversity (AAC&U). Many campuses equate this to their study abroad experiences, which could be short-term, semester long, or combination programs. On our campus, Elon University, we have a high level of…

"As I integrate the Act-Blong-Commit framework more intentionally, I have found that students are more easily able to integrate the values, content, and practices of the discipline into their careers."

March 15, 2022

Ableism in Academia: Ways to Build Habits of Action in Our Classrooms

by Caroline J. Ketcham

As I challenge us to think about our structures and systems in academia that promote ableism (NCCJ, n.d.) often under the guise of rigor (Ketcham 2022), perhaps introducing some ways to enact change would be helpful. I do know that…

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