Laura M. Harrison

This book tackles the phenomenon of limited learning on campuses by approaching it from the point of view of the author, an educator who writes about the experience of being, simultaneously, a college student and a college professor. The author lays out her experience as a student struggling in an introductory linguistics class, framing her struggles as sites ripe for autoethnographic interrogation. Throughout the book, the author melds her personal narratives with the extant research on college student learning, college readiness, and the interconnectedness of affect, intellect, and socio-cultural contexts. This book poses a challenge to the current binary metanarrative that circles the college student learning conundrum, which highlights either the faculty or student perspective, and unfolds this unnecessary binary into a rich, nuanced, and polyvocal set of perspectives.

Moving beyond critique, Alternative Solutions to Higher Education’s Challenges uses an appreciative approach to highlight what is working in colleges and universities and offers an examination of how institutions can improve practice. Drawing on examples and cases from real higher education institutions, this book offers a solution-focused framework that challenges the negative assumptions that have plagued higher education. Chapters explore how current narratives have perpetuated and maintained systematic flaws in our education system and have hindered reform. This invaluable resource breaks from the substantial literature that only highlights the many problems facing higher education today, and instead provides alternative strategies and essential recommendations for moving higher education institutions forward.

Although many educators want to help their students overcome their writing challenges, most higher education instructors do not have formal training in teaching writing. This book provides a detailed roadmap for college educators to help students make substantial improvements in their writing, particularly in courses where writing is a component, but not the primary focus.This accessible guide offers conceptual tools and practical strategies, including lesson plans, stock comments instructors can use to explain frequently occurring writing problems, and writing prompts to help struggling students address writer’s block. Covering topics such as managing grading time, reducing students’ anxiety about writing, giving clear and formative feedback, troubleshooting, and providing practical tips for helping ESL students, this book is a one-stop shop for assisting students across academic disciplines.By implementing the guidance offered in this manual, college and university faculty and instructors can guide students effectively and efficiently in improving their writing.

Although many educators want to help their students overcome their writing challenges, most higher education instructors do not have formal training in teaching writing. This book provides a detailed roadmap for college educators to help students make substantial improvements in their writing, particularly in courses where writing is a component, but not the primary focus.This accessible guide offers conceptual tools and practical strategies, including lesson plans, stock comments instructors can use to explain frequently occurring writing problems, and writing prompts to help struggling students address writer’s block. Covering topics such as managing grading time, reducing students’ anxiety about writing, giving clear and formative feedback, troubleshooting, and providing practical tips for helping ESL students, this book is a one-stop shop for assisting students across academic disciplines.By implementing the guidance offered in this manual, college and university faculty and instructors can guide students effectively and efficiently in improving their writing.

Interrupting Class Inequality in Higher Education explores why socioeconomic inequality persists in higher education despite widespread knowledge of the problem. Through a critical analysis of the current leadership practices and policy narratives that perpetuate socioeconomic inequality, this book outlines the trends that negatively impact low- and middle-income students and offers effective tools for creating a more equitable future for higher education. By taking a solution-focused approach, this book will help higher education students, leaders, and policy makers move from despair and inertia to hope and action.

Interrupting Class Inequality in Higher Education explores why socioeconomic inequality persists in higher education despite widespread knowledge of the problem. Through a critical analysis of the current leadership practices and policy narratives that perpetuate socioeconomic inequality, this book outlines the trends that negatively impact low- and middle-income students and offers effective tools for creating a more equitable future for higher education. By taking a solution-focused approach, this book will help higher education students, leaders, and policy makers move from despair and inertia to hope and action.

Moving beyond critique, Alternative Solutions to Higher Education’s Challenges uses an appreciative approach to highlight what is working in colleges and universities and offers an examination of how institutions can improve practice. Drawing on examples and cases from real higher education institutions, this book offers a solution-focused framework that challenges the negative assumptions that have plagued higher education. Chapters explore how current narratives have perpetuated and maintained systematic flaws in our education system and have hindered reform. This invaluable resource breaks from the substantial literature that only highlights the many problems facing higher education today, and instead provides alternative strategies and essential recommendations for moving higher education institutions forward.

Tools and strategies to foster transformative change for social justice Many believe that social justice education is simply the new politically correct term for diversity-focused intervention or multiculturalism. The true definition, however, is more complex, nuanced, and important to understand. Higher education today needs clarity on both the concept of social justice and effective tools to successfully translate theory into practice. In Advancing Social Justice: Tools, Pedagogies, and Strategies to Transform Your Campus, Tracy Davis and Laura M. Harrison offer educators a clear understanding of what social justice is, along with effective practices to help higher education institutions embrace a broad social justice approach in all aspects of their work with students, both inside and outside of the classroom. Theoretical, philosophical, and practical, the book challenges readers to take a step back from where they are, do an honest and unvarnished assessment of how they currently practice social justice, rethink how they approach their work, and re-engage based on a more informed and rigorous conceptual framework. The authors begin by clarifying the definition of social justice as an approach that examines and acknowledges the impact of institutional and historical systems of power and privilege on individual identity and relationships. Exploring identity devel-opment using the critical lenses of history and context, they concentrate on ways that oppression and privilege are manifest in the lived experiences of students. They also highlight important concepts to consider in designing and implementing effective social justice interventions and provide examples of effective social justice education. Finally, the book provides teachers and practitioners with tools and strategies to infuse a social justice approach into their work with students and within their institutions.