Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning

From Devaluing to Valuing Teaching: Changes Institutions Can Make with Michelle Miller

Oct 12, 2023

Dr. Michelle Miller, Professor of Psychological Sciences, discusses the undervaluing of teaching in higher education institutions and the need for change. She explores the damaging impact of learning styles and advocates for better course design. The concept of institutional courage is also explored, highlighting the importance of implementing changes despite pushback.

37:31

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Episode guests

Michelle Miller

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Quick takeaways

One key indicator of a teaching-devaluing institution is the tolerance for classroom spaces that are in disrepair, perpetuating the dead idea that classroom spaces have no impact on teaching and learning.

Another sign of a devaluing institution is the lack of serious consideration for assessing teaching effectiveness and routine practices that hinder the improvement of teaching evaluation systems.

Deep dives

Signaling the Devaluation: Classroom Spaces

One key indicator of a teaching-devaluing institution is the tolerance for classroom spaces that are in disrepair, chronically uncomfortable, or physically inaccessible. This normalization of subpar learning environments perpetuates the dead idea that classroom spaces have no impact on teaching and learning. Dr. Michelle Miller highlights the importance of addressing classroom conditions and ensuring pedagogical matches for instructors to create an environment conducive to effective teaching and engaged learning.

Introduction

2min

The Undervaluing of Teaching in Higher Education Institutions

22min

The Damaging Impact of Learning Styles and the Need for Debunking

3min

Challenging Learning Styles, Valuing Effective Teaching, and Balancing Academic Freedom

5min

Exploring Institutional Courage and its Role in Education Institutions

5min

In The Chronicle of Higher Education, a question was posed by journalist Beth McMurtrie as to whether or not institutions of higher education truly value teaching, and she offered a list of “red flags” that signal the undervaluing of teaching. In response, Michelle Miller, Professor of Psychological Sciences and President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Northern Arizona University, wrote a post in her “R3 Newsletter,” adding to McMurtrie’s list of red flags and offering her own. In this podcast episode, Dr. Miller discusses her list, which can be reverse engineered to serve as a helpful starting point for those who want to change the institutional culture around teaching at their university.

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