2107, 2016

What is the Futures Initiative? Defining and Redefining our Goals

By Katina|July 21, 2016|Reflection|0 comments

The Futures Initiative can be difficult to describe. We work at the intersection of pedagogy, technology, professional development, and public engagement, all in support of fostering a more equitable higher education system for all. We’re trying to find better and clearer ways of saying that, not only through our mission statement, but through all that we do—from programming to written materials to the architecture and design of our website. We’re

2707, 2015

Minority Achievement Gap in Math

By Katina|July 27, 2015|Events of Interest, Of interest|0 comments

[The following post is by Evan Misshula, Spring 2015 Futures Initiative Teaching Fellow. It is cross-posted from his website.] It is impossible to be a mathematician without being a poet in soul. ~ Sofia Kovalevskaya Respecting our students helps them (and us) Linked below is an excellent but long presentation on the gaps in minority achievement in mathematics and the reasons for their persistence from the Mathematical Association of America.

1902, 2015

Video Posted from Mapping The Futures of Higher Education Session 2 – Feb. 10, 2015

By Michael Dorsch|February 19, 2015|Class Recap|0 comments

On February 10, 2015 we opened the second session of Mapping the Futures of Higher Education with a discussion and Q&A session on William Kelly’s “Forgotten Alternatives” and Cathy Davidson’s “Changing Higher Ed from the Classroom Up” Highlights form the discussion: Issue of preparation before students get to college—biggest indicator of whether they will graduate. CUNY schools provide underprepared students a big lift. Least prepared students are entering community colleges;

2301, 2015

The Invention of Failure

By Cathy Davidson|January 23, 2015|Reflection|0 comments

Last night at the PhD Lab in Digital Knowledge at Duke University, Professor Cathy N. Davidson presented a workshop on “The Invention of Failure.” She addressed a number of issues: what is the relationship between the assembly line mechanics of “making the grade” and “grading” as a summative practice of assessment in higher education? What is the role of “failure” as a concept in formal education in general and in