Most Popular Stories of 2016
By Ben Ostrowsky, originally posted to Flickr as Reading couple (statue) at UNC-Chapel Hill, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4203903 Whether you regard 2016 as a kidney stone of a year, an annus mirabilis of champagne and caviar, or something in between, your tireless scribes at The Chronicle have been there to record it all and bring you insights into what it all means. Here are the 10 articles that drew the greatest readership in the year just ending. Happy holidays, and happy reading.
Small Changes in Teaching: The First 5 Minutes of Class
By James M. Lang
Four quick ways to shift students’ attention from life’s distractions to your course content.
MIT Dean Takes Leave to Start New University Without Lectures or Classrooms
By Jeffrey R. Young
Christine Ortiz, a dean of graduate education, envisions a new kind of college, built from scratch for today’s needs and with today’s technology.
The Myth of the Sports Scholarship PREMIUM
By Brad Wolverton
Allison Goldblatt and her family believed that her elite status as a swimmer would pay her way at the college of her choice. But they found out the truth.
No, I Am Not Pregnant
By Emily Van Duyne
Why women in academe feel our bodies are "always under watch."
The Water Next Time: Professor Who Helped Expose Crisis in Flint Says Public Science Is Broken
By Steve Kolowich
Marc Edwards, a professor of civil engineering at Virginia Tech, has become something of a folk hero for his role in identifying lead in the city’s water. But he says he takes no pleasure in the attention. Instead he worries that university research is "no longer deserving of the public trust."
How to Think Like Shakespeare PREMIUM
By Scott L. Newstok
Twenty-first-century students would benefit from 16th-century habits of mind.
Does Engineering Education Breed Terrorists? PREMIUM
By Dan Berrett
Nascent terrorists seem to be drawn to engineering. Their education may further radicalize them.
How to Live Less Anxiously in Academe
By Carl Cederström and Michael Marinetto
Four steps toward an alternative academic career.
Why Theater Majors Are Vital in the Digital Age PREMIUM
By Tracey Moore
As technology and machines consume more and more of life, perhaps theater can help us remember what it means to act like a human being.* itemitalic# header>quote* item