Teaching Matters is a pedagogy column hosted by the Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning. The aim of Teaching Matters is to further the pedagogical conversation at UChicago by providing a venue for faculty and instructors to write brief essays on topics relevant to the teaching community at the University.
If you are interested in submitting a column for Teaching Matters, please refer to the guidelines and process below.
Guidelines
Length
1000-1500 words.
Audience
Teaching Matters columns are geared toward faculty and instructors at UChicago in their capacity as teachers. It is perfectly fine to write something that is more relevant to a particular segment of this audience (e.g. those who teach in the Core, those in STEM disciplines, etc.), but it is good to do so with an eye to the wider campus community.
Types of Columns
This list is by no means exhaustive, and a particular column might contain elements of any/all of these:
- Reflective essays: explanations of and reflections on specific teaching practices. For example, a description of a particular approach to writing assignments along with the pedagogical rationale thereof, how students respond to it, etc.
- Practice-oriented summaries: An engaging, practical synthesis of a key idea from pedagogical literature. For example, a review of current approaches to generative AI in the college classroom, drawing on recent writing; an engaging explanation of one approach to gamification, drawing on the research; etc.
- "What I'm Reading": an engaging summary of a recent book, article, or other writing(s), with reflections on practical implications for teaching and learning. The writings under review don’t necessarily have to be strictly about teaching, but the connection to teaching or higher ed should be clearly made in the essay. For example, a book review of a recent book; a “plain English” explanation of a recent journal article; etc.
Style
Voice: Aim for an engaging, lively tone. While it is good to draw on or reference pedagogical literature where appropriate, avoid jargon.
Additional content: Because the column appears on the web rather than paginated like a Word/PDF document, footnotes should be avoided. Please format such additions as hyperlinks, endnotes, and/or post-column lists (e.g. Reference List/Works Cited, Recommended Resources, Further Reading, etc). Example documents (e.g. sample syllabi, activity handouts, etc.) can be added as hyperlinked appendixes that open in a new tab as a separate webpage or as a PDF. See Shaunna McLeod's column for examples.
Images: Images and other types of figures can be included, keeping in mind the way they will appear on the site. Please review the options and indicate in a draft comment how the image should be included. Options: 1. Single image or carousel of images 1380 px (H) x 1036 px (W) set between paragraphs of text. 2. a photo inset (maximum width 480px) set to the left of a paragraph. 3. images hyperlinked within the paragraph which open in a new tab (ideal for large, detailed images or figures that will be hard to read in the other sizes). See Caterina Fugazzola's column for examples.
For Further Guidance
We invite you to explore Writing about Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, an open-access online book, for more guidance.
Process
To get preliminary approval and initial feedback on your piece, have a brief chat or send an email to Joe Lampert (Executive Director, josephlampert@uchicago.edu ). Provide a tentative title and brief description of the essay.
After this preliminary approval, submit a draft of the essay. We will provide feedback and suggestions, a process that may go through a couple of rounds.
Once we have a completed essay through this editorial process, we will slate the essay to be posted to the CCTL website and disseminated through the CCTL newsletter.