Book Clubs

Join one of these instructional book clubs.

Book Clubs

A book club is an excellent way to learn of new teaching methods, strategies, and practices. Participating in a book club allows you to read and discuss the application of these new teaching approaches with colleagues from across the university. Book clubs can be organized by any faculty member, instructional staff, and/or graduate teaching assistant on the NDSU campus. Email the Office of Teaching and Learning to have your book club listed here and get assistance with promotion.

Currently available and recurrent book clubs are listed below.

I'm Fine:

A Student Perspective on Suicide and Mental Health on College Campuses

Tuesdays, January 23 - March 5, 2024
3:30 to 4:15 P.M.
Registration Deadline: Friday, January 19, 2024
Location: Via Zoom (link will be sent to registered participants)
Led by: Dr. Jodi Tangen, Faculty Fellow in the Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL)

Join us for a book study of I'm Fine: A Student Perspective on Suicide and Mental Health on College Campuses. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 18-24. What is not always captured by this statistic is the strong emotional impact that suicide has on young people who are losing peers, friends, partners, and siblings to suicide and mental health issues. We are in a mental health crisis. There needs to be a change in the way we approach suicide and mental health, particularly on college campuses. But where do we start? I’m Fine: A Student Perspective on Suicide and Mental Health on College Campuses takes an in-depth look into what schools can be doing right now to positively impact the well-being of their students. In this book, Emily Kumpf shares perspectives, including her own personal mental health battles as well as detailed research and insights from nearly 20 leaders across the country who dedicate their lives to preventing suicide and promoting mental health. At its core, I’m Fine helps to decrease stigma, break stereotypes, provide psychoeducation, and increase conversations around mental health, enabling students to answer the question “How are you doing?” with more than a cursory “I’m Fine.” Emily provides a framework and solutions to suicide prevention and improved student mental health that university leaders can incorporate on their campuses. This book can change your life, the life of a loved one, and the lives of college students across the world.

Faculty, instructors, and graduate students are welcome to participate. This book club is FREE to join; however, you must purchase or secure the book for yourself.

The book can be purchased through an online book seller of your choice. For your convenience, a link for Amazon is provided below.

Hosted by:  Office of Teaching and Learning

 

Previously Offered Book Clubs

If you or your department are interested in any of the book clubs we have offered in the past, contact the Office of Teaching and Learning to set up an offering. Book clubs can be offered exclusively for your college or department or can be offered to the full campus. When you work with the Office of Teaching and Learning on offering any of these book clubs, we can help you find an experienced facilitator for the book club of your choice.

Generation Z Learners:

A Guide For Engaging Generation Z Students in Meaningful Learning

Led by: Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL)

A book study of Generation Z Learners: A Guide For Engaging Generation Z Students in Meaningful Learning. From elementary to graduate school, classrooms are now filled with Generation Z students, born 1995-2010. And, much like those in the generations who came before, these students are eager to learn. But, their characteristics, interests, styles, and preferred learning environments are in many ways different from their predecessors. How then can educators effectively leverage the capacities and foster the potential of this generational cohort? In Generation Z Learns, Dr. Corey Seemiller and Meghan Grace, explore the nuances of Generation Z and offer recommendations to enhance the educational experience for this generation. 

The book can be purchased through an online book seller of your choice. For your convenience, a link for Amazon is provided below. 

Hosted by:  Office of Teaching and Learning

 

 


 

Supporting Neurodiverse College Student Success:

A Guide For Librarians, Student Support Services, and Academic Learning Environments

Led by: Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL)

A book study of Supporting Neurodiverse College Student Success: A Guide For Librarians, Student Support Services, and Academic Learning Environments. The basic premise of neurodiversity is that there is no “normal” baseline for brain processes, but that all individual brains vary and therefore are diverse. The CAST organization estimates that 11 percent of college students enrolling in post-secondary campuses having a learning disability or learning difference. As neurodiverse students enroll in post-secondary education, the environments within which these students learn, can either support or impede their ability to succeed. Simply put, a neurodiverse campus population means that educators recognize that all students process and learn differently and must adapt our approaches and services in order to reach and support all students enrolled on our campuses.

Neurodiverse students are a growing population on today’s college campus. Their growing presence prompts new approaches to support their success and change traditional student services and collegiate experiences.

This practical guide:

  • Assists readers in better understanding neurodiverse students and the way campus services can create welcoming environments
  • Explores the role Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Executive Functioning (EF) plays in student success, and
  • Focuses on specific collegiate offices and services that effectively address the needs of neurodiverse learners.

Chapters cover tutoring, learning supports, academic coaching, academic advising, career services, residential living, and classroom experiences that impact and assist neurodiverse college students.

The book can be purchased through the publisher or an online book seller of your choice. For your convenience, links are provided for Amazon and the publisher below.

Hosted by:  Office of Teaching and Learning

 

 


 

Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities

Led by: The Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL)

Explore ways to support learning for all students. In this book study we use Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education: A Universal Design Toolkit (2020) by Sheryl E. Burgstahler. This text puts forth a compelling rationale for the importance of introducing students to universal design, provides actionable insights on how to teach accessibly, and explores how to create atmospheres for inclusion within our campus environments. The book is aimed at individuals who work with our NDSU learners including faculty members, instructors, and graduate students. 

The book can be purchased through the publisher or an online book seller of your choice.  For your convenience, links are provided for Amazon and the publisher below. Five copies of the book are available in the NDSU library for the purpose of this book club.

Hosted by:  Office of Teaching and Learning

 

 


 

Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone

Led by:  Office of Teaching and Learning

Strengthen the engagement, interaction, and performance of all college students. Learn how to reach and teach all of your students using the principles of UDL. You will focus on your mindset and how to improve access to your course and its content for individuals of all genders, races, socio-economic statuses, and abilities. In this book study we use Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education (2018) by Thomas J. Tobin and Kirsten T. Behling.

This book club is for individuals who work with our NDSU learners including faculty members, faculty-service staff, disability support providers, student-service staff, campus leaders, and graduate students. It includes resources for readers who want to become Universal Design for Learning (UDL) experts and advocates including real-world case studies, active-learning techniques, UDL coaching skills, micro- and macro-level UDL-adoption guidance, and use-them-now resources. 

The book can be purchased through the publisher or an online book seller of your choice.  For your convenience, links are provided for Amazon and the publisher below. 

Hosted by:  Office of Teaching and Learning

 

 


 

Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope

Led by: NDSU Anti-Racism Coalition (ARC) and The Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL)

A book study honoring bell hooks as part of ARC's event Pedagogy, Community, and Social Justice: NDSU Honors the Life and Legacy of bell hooks. In this book study we use bell hooks' Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope (2003).

The book can be purchased through the publisher or an online book seller of your choice. For your convenience, links are provided for Amazon and the publisher below. Five copies of the book are available in the NDSU library for the purpose of this book club.

Co-Hosted by:  Anti-Racism Coalition and Office of Teaching and Learning

 

 


 

Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom

Led by: NDSU Anti-Racism Coalition (ARC) and The Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL)

Join us for a book study honoring bell hooks as part of ARC's event Pedagogy, Community, and Social Justice: NDSU Honors the Life and Legacy of bell hooks. In this book study we will be using bell hooks' Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom (1994).

Faculty, instructors, and graduate students are welcome to participate. This book club is free to join; however, you must purchase or secure the book for yourself.

The book can be purchased through the publisher or an online book seller of your choice.  For your convenience, links are provided for Amazon and the publisher below. Five copies of the book are available in the NDSU library for the purpose of this book club.

Co-Hosted by:  Anti-Racism Coalition and Office of Teaching and Learning

 

 


 

Teach Students How To Learn

Led by: Dr. Rebekah Oliver

Learn how you can improve student learning. Using Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire's book, Teach Students How To Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate Into Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation, we discuss strategies to use in your class and then incorporate those strategies into our classes. 

The book can be purchased through the publisher or an online book seller of your choice. For your convenience, links are provided for Amazon and the publisher below. Four copies of the book are available in the NDSU library for the purpose of this book club.

Hosted by:  Office of Teaching and Learning

 

 


 

Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning

If you would like to inquire about future offering contact the Office of Teaching and Learning.
Led by: Drs. Jenny Momsen and Jeff Boyer

Using Susan Blum's book, Ungrading: Why rating students undermines learning (and what to do instead), we will unpack how grades intersect with motivation and learning and explore a variety of assessment and evaluation approaches.

Faculty, instructors, and graduate students are welcome to participate. This book club is free to join; however, you must purchase or secure the book for yourself.

The book can be purchased through the publisher or an online book seller of your choice.  For your convenience, links are provided for Amazon and the publisher below. We recognize the cost of the book may be prohibitive to participation for many graduate students; therefore, four copies of the book have been put on hold in the library for the purpose of this book club.

Co-hosted by: STEM Education PhD Program, Office of Assessment, and Office of Teaching and Learning

 

 

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