Education - Robert Talbert, Ph.D.

Is traditional higher education in trouble from online course providers?

I just completed the much-hyped Project Management certification from Google and Coursera. How much trouble is traditional higher education in?

Mathematics

Doubt, proof, and what it means to do mathematics

Throwback post from 2013 on a way of thinking of mathematics as the interplay between belief and doubt.

Grading

Words, numbers, or nothing?

A classic study finds some eye-opening effects of different feedback on learning.

Teaching

Building Fall 2021: Discrete Structures

A work-in-progress report on my Fall 2021 classes, one month before launch.

Academia

Entering the feedback loop: My origin story with alternative grading

Sometimes all it takes to get started with a new idea is just to start and then follow through.

Academia

How much research has been done on flipped learning? The 2021 update

Updating the annual data on the number of peer-reviewed publications on flipped learning, this time with the numbers for 2020.

Academia

How to write learning objectives

Writing clear, measurable learning objectives for lesson seems simple; it isn't. Here are some steps that can make it easier.

Academia

The semester that was, Part 2: A 3x3x3 reflection on Modern Algebra

Another 3x3x3 reflection on my Winter courses, this time my Modern Algebra class.

Academia

The semester that was: A 3x3x3 reflection on Calculus

What I learned, what surprised me, and what I still don't know about the Calculus class that just finished up.

Academia

Is flipping an online course possible? (Throwback)

A throwback post from 2015, wrestling with the possibility of flipped learning in an online setting.

Education

Rebooting the final exam

Traditional final exams are so pre-pandemic. Here are some ideas for what to do instead.

Education

Double-flipped learning: What is it, and does it work?

A new article presents the concept of "double flipped learning" and tries it out in a calculus class. How did it go?

Academia

Clients, not customers

Students are not customers but rather clients, involved with us in a creative process which involves the students in a fundamental way.

Academia

How do you get students to buy in to self-teaching?

How do you get students to accept and work within a framework that stresses self-teaching?

Academia

In defense of teaching yourself the material

It's time for colleges and universities to stop apologizing for having students teach themselves things.

Academia

Three more things that the workload dilemma might really be about

Here's three more things that we might actually be talking about, when we talk about "workload".

Academia

Three things that the workload dilemma might really be about

What do we mean when we talk about students' workload these days? It may not be about actual workload.

Active learning

My home teaching software and workflows

A rundown of the software and workflows I use for online teaching.

Active learning

My home teaching studio setup (and why it's so cheap)

You don't need to spend $21,000 to have an excellent home teaching studio if you shift the focus to active learning.

Active learning

Active learning as an ethical issue

Is active learning a pedagogical choice or an ethical imperative? (From 2015.)

Active learning

How not to do active learning

A short list of 25 ways to teach using active learning but without the empathy.

Academia

Empathy in teaching

Empathy is possibly the most important facet of good teaching and the weakest link in current college teaching practice.

Academia

When courage isn't enough

Sometimes good teaching takes more than just courage.

Academia

Learning takes courage

Learning takes courage. And what our students need from us right now, more than anything, is our courage.

Academia

Building Modern Algebra: Assessments

More on the upcoming Modern Algebra class: The big ideas of the course and how I'm assessing those.