Category Archives: Swarthmore

How to Read Departmental Webpages (And How to Make Them Readable)

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Timothy Burke

So today I turned my attention to a bit of institutional homework I was assigned, to find out how some of Swarthmore’s peer institutions approach neuroscience, whether it’s a department or a program, how many positions are dedicated to it, … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Information Technology and Information Literacy, Swarthmore | 4 Comments

A Way To Think About Online Courses (By Apple, For Example)

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Timothy Burke

So Apple’s big education-oriented product announcement has come and gone. I’m going to tread softly here about what it might lead to, because I’ve been wrong before on tech rollouts (both overestimating and underestimating impacts). In general, most of what … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Digital Humanities, Information Technology and Information Literacy, Swarthmore | 3 Comments

Pictures from an Institution 9 (Visitors)

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Timothy Burke

Catching up here with some photo sessions from the fall. Broadly speaking, my theme of the visual documentation of faculty work always has two accompanying problems. The first is that some of the work of faculty makes for a lousy … Continue reading →

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Discovering the Template

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Timothy Burke

I’m very restless with my syllabi and with the courses I teach: I do new preps fairly often and tend to overhaul substantial portions of existing courses equally often. In thinking about new classes, I tend to ask myself: 1. … Continue reading →

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Brinkmanship

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Timothy Burke

Victor Ferrall’s short overview of the circumstances facing small liberal-arts colleges (SLACs) in the United States is an interesting read for anyone who works for such an institution and for any student past or present. Ferrall’s the former president of … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Swarthmore | 3 Comments

The Movement of Students

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Timothy Burke

For various reasons, I’ve found myself this semester talking with colleagues about the migration of students through our curriculum: the courses where they busily cluster, the lonely cobwebbed courses, the majors and courses that follow regular oscillating cycles of interest. … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Swarthmore | 8 Comments

Why I Love Fall

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Timothy Burke

The light alone at this time of year is worth the price of admission. More posts coming soon.

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Pictures From an Institution 8 (First Day)

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Timothy Burke

We’re actually a whole week into the semester now, including Labor Day, which is not a holiday at Swarthmore. The first day of classes is always a bit of a puzzle for me as a teacher. There are obvious things … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Pictures from an Institution, Swarthmore | 2 Comments

Pictures from an Institution 7 (Advising)

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Timothy Burke

I would wager that if you could chart the most restlessly revised institutional systems at small liberal-arts colleges, you would find that advising would be one of the top two or three on that list at most colleges. Advising is … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Pictures from an Institution, Swarthmore | 4 Comments

The Way Things Work (at Swarthmore)

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Timothy Burke

I’m thinking of doing a series this fall of really basic, short and frank explanatory essays aimed at current Swarthmore students (and any other interested readers) about some of the college’s central structures and practices. My aspiration is to demystify … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Swarthmore | 16 Comments