​Hey everyone! Just wanted to expand on my initial introductory post from Monday. At the end of that post I wrote, “I believe that being aware and always looking to refine one’s craft is the best way to remain an impactful educator, and being a part of The Novice Professors offers me the opportunity to do both of those things”, and I wanted to expand on my involvement in the blog in this post. Overall, I am most excited about being a part of The Novice Professor. Before becoming a contributor, I read most all of the posts on the blog, and always enjoyed the topics as well as the scope of the posts – meaning each one felt personal, thoughtful, and consumable by a wide variety of readers. I am excited to join these other great contributors in offering my thoughts to a broader audience.

​My involvement with this project offers me many appealing opportunities. Firstly, it allows me to engage with my peers at the blog, who are all great scholars and great people. Additionally, I will be able to establish new connections across the academic community. As with any career, effective networking is vital, so when I was offered the chance to join the team at The Novice Professor I had to say yes! Forging ties across disciplines is important to me, and in the future, I know that my involvement in this blog will help me do that.

​Lastly, this is another opportunity to continue to contribute to the academy. While I am truly passionate about teaching and being in the classroom, I look forward to getting my name out there in the science of teaching and learning community (specifically the teaching of psychology). Being a contributor at The Novice Professors provides an impetus for me to stay in touch with the newest SoTL literature, which can only serve to help me accomplish my overall goal of being the best professor I can. Being an active contributor to the field, and not just a passive consumer of ideas in SoTL was a chance I could not pass up. My participation in The Novice Professor allows me to do all of these things, be a part of an awesome group of people, and becoming a better professor each and every day.

written by Brain Day

Since the beginning of the year, the three of us (Ciara, Karly, and myself) have been holding down the fort at The Novice Professor. We think we’ve been fairly successful at it. We’ve been sticking to our schedule, coming up with new ideas to blog about, and we’re generating some interest. All good things! 

But what if we can do more? We’ve been trying to mix things up with guest contributors like our wonderful post last week from Eric Landrum! This allows our readers to hear from wider range of perspectives and learn about new topics, both of which we highly value. 

Traditional textbooks now come with some really cool online supplements. The goal for many who use these supplements in their courses is to increase student learning. While supplements vary in their offerings, most include some kind of quizzing component based on learning and memory principles like spacing and testing effects. Principles that we know can be effective for learning and retaining information. The purpose of these textbook supplements is great, but they often come with a pretty hefty price tag; especially when students need to buy the accompanying textbook new in order to get the access code. I am a passionate supporter of the trend in higher-ed toward cheaper (or free) textbook options, so I have wondered about the utility of these supplements in the face of the high price tag that often accompanies them. ​