Inger Bergom

Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction among Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

While scholars have investigated the recent influx of non-tenure-track faculty (NTTF), few have talked extensively with NTTF to understand their perspectives. Using Herzbergs motivation-hygiene theory, we present focus group findings about job satisfaction of NTTF at 12 research universities. We highlight policies supporting teaching, job security/advancement, and inclusive climates.

Facilitating the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at a Research University

At the University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT), Mary C. Wright is assistant director for evaluation; she is also an assistant research scientist. Cynthia J. Finelli is director of the CRLT North (an engineering outpost of CRLT) and a research associate professor in the College of Engineering, and Deborah Meizlish is assistant director and coordinator of social science initiatives at the Center. Inger Bergom is a doctoral student at the University’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. “I made some changes in my class, but how do I measure their impact?”

Promoting college student development through collaborative learning: A case study of hevruta

Inger Bergom, Mary C. Wright, Marie Kendall Brown, and Michael Brooks describe an innovative academic approach to collaborative learning in a large lecture class.

Decreased class size, increased active learning? Intended and enacted teaching strategies in smaller classes:

Small class size is often used as an indicator of quality in higher education, and some research suggests that instructors in smaller classes more often use activities that are learner-centered and that involve physical and mental activity on the part of learners, such as group work, simulations, and case studies. However, we have little information on how instructors change their pedagogical practice when they teach in large- versus small-class settings. In this study, we examine alignment between intended and enacted teaching strategies, or initial plans and specific ways in which instructors reported altering their teaching in the context of a university policy shift to smaller classes. Furthermore, we examine instructional challenges in this shift to call attention to professional development needs of small-class teaching and to best leverage the benefits of such activities for student performance and retention.