Author Archives: gwmiller3

The Pandemic Will Be Good for Colleges (Eventually)

My college roommates and I used to joke that our college campus was like a country club. There were multiple restaurants with impressive buffets, several workout facilities – including a world-class pool and pristine basketball court, green grass everywhere and people who tended to all our needs. It all seemed so excessive at the time.Continue reading “The Pandemic Will Be Good for Colleges (Eventually)”

Nobody Cares About Your Grades

It’s grading season and the desperation is real, again, as usual. Students I haven’t heard from in months are asking if there is any way they can pass, and others are jockeying for a few extra points that would bump them to the next higher grade. The students who have disappeared are out of luck.Continue reading “Nobody Cares About Your Grades”

Now How Do You Build the University Community?

When I arrived at the Temple University campus in Japan, the school operated out of three buildings, all of which were actually office buildings that had been converted for use as classrooms, faculty offices and administrative offices.  The main building, Azabu Hall, had thin walls where laughter, applause, yelling and everything else could be heardContinue reading “Now How Do You Build the University Community?”

I Miss my Friends and Hate Online Classes

The sudden switch to online-only learning has thrown everyone for a loop. All of the sudden, we are spending copious amounts of time on Zoom and everything is super annoying. Teachers are either sending way too many emails/messages or none at all. Students are being expected to do all their learning on their own, orContinue reading “I Miss my Friends and Hate Online Classes”

Lessons Learned During the Emergency

On February 28, we learned that the Temple Japan campus would have to move to an online-only format within 72 hours due to the threat of the coronavirus outbreak. Things have gone OK but for the most part, we took our in-class teaching methods and moved them online. We have not really adapted to theContinue reading “Lessons Learned During the Emergency”