Convergent Teaching

"I can't wait to share this book with colleagues. It is a much-needed and thoughtful focus on the (seriously neglected) importance of teaching in colleges and universities today. Unless we pay attention to the message of this book, higher education as we know it now is in serious trouble. Convergent Teaching is a well-written, engaging manifesto for a change in direction."—James W. Fraser, New York University, coauthor of Teaching Teachers: Changing Paths and Enduring Debates

"Colleges today are highly criticized for poor graduation rates and a perceived lack of learning by students. Many proposed solutions focus on financial or structural issues, while too few have addressed the core of the enterprise: How faculty teach. This important volume addresses the problem directly, and provides practical solutions for faculty and administrators alike."—Donald E. Heller, University of San Francisco, author of The States and Public Higher Education Policy: Affordability, Access, and Accountability

"Invaluable. Pallas and Neumann offer both the high-level vision and details on the ground in describing how higher education can be richer and more meaningful."—Daniel T. Willingham, University of Virginia, author of The Reading Mind: A Cognitive Approach to Understanding How the Mind Reads

"Finally, a smart book about good college teaching—what it looks like and why it matters. That the authors lean on K–12 research and wisdom about teaching is uncommon. Using cases of actual professors' classes, Pallas and Neumann underscore the central importance of teaching in higher education. It is about time."—Larry Cuban, Stanford University, author of The Flight of a Butterfly or the Path of a Bullet? Using Technology to Transform Teaching and Learning

"Both an important policy manifesto and a practical how-to guide, this wonderfully comprehensive book ranges from macro-level analysis of the current state of higher education to suggestions as to how beginning faculty can improve their teaching. A wise, inviting, clear-eyed treatment of a vital but neglected topic."—Mike Rose, University of California, Los Angeles, author of Back to School: Why Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Education