By: Shelli B. Fowler and M. Aaron Bond

Let's start with a question: What if approaches to faculty development within higher education have been overly focused on "teaching to the middle"? Much like the continued prevalence of the generic, one-size-fits-all that still informs the stand-and-deliver mode in too many lecture halls across colleges and universities, long-standing efforts to garner widespread adoption of innovative technologies for teaching and learning via workshops and faculty development institutes may have run their course (so to speak). As higher education moves toward anytime/anywhere, self-paced learning, personalized learning may be an important focus not just for students but also for faculty who are learning about emerging technologies.

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By: Kathy McKeiver

The United States remains a top study destination for international students, with over 764,000 enrolled during the 2011/12 academic year ("Open Doors Fast Facts," 2012). As this number continues to grow, students and staff are increasingly interacting with those who may not share the same cultural and social norms. This can be especially challenging to advisors with low intercultural competence or limited exposure to cultures other than their own. However, if we are open to the challenge, students and staff can make great gains, both personally and professionally. Intercultural interactions provide many benefits, but only if we are open to confronting the barriers that may hinder our success.

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By: Amy Chapman

When attending my teacher education program, I was repeatedly told to acquire as many tools as possible for my teacher's toolbox of plans, skills, and ideas to engage and educate. That advice proved invaluable to me as a high school teacher. Ten years later, as I begin teaching in higher education, that advice still holds, especially with the adoption of emergent technologies. However, questions persist regarding the appropriation of these new technologies into the field of education.

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