I’m not sure how to say this without appearing either arrogant or ignorant, but I have discovered that there is a difference between being a police officer and being a professor. I have recognized the difference for some time now, but it has taken me the better part of my 40 years as a college professor to feel fairly comfortable in my new skin.

My friend Karen is here for the week—good friends are such a gift. When she came last year I taught her how to knit. My goodness, talk about a duck taking to water. With almost no instruction, she had it and was off. In one year she’s learned techniques it took me years, dare I say decades, to figure out. She’s as good a knitter as I am and already knows way more about yarns that I do. Brand names and fiber content roll off her tongue, and we talk about matching yarns and patterns. At the moment, we’re both into shawls, which I learned are held together with shawl picks or pins. And I thought you just kept your arms shut. When I exclaim in wonder at how much she knows and everything she can do, like any respectful student she defers, “I can’t be better than you. I’ve only been knitting for a year!”

A recent informal poll conducted by Magna Publications asked, “Would you like to see student affairs work more closely with academic affairs on your campus? What is preventing—or encouraging—collaboration on your campus?”

On top of everything college faculty are responsible for, there’s one that may be easy to overlook or even deem as unnecessary: Teaching students how to be students. Do so at your peril because most students need a little help understanding and practicing the skills and behaviors they need to succeed.

The two nurse educators who authored the article referenced below begin with a quote from the first page of Stephen Brookfield’s book Becoming a Critical Reflective Teacher. “One of the hardest things teachers have to learn is that the sincerity of their intentions does not guarantee the purity of their practice.”

No one doubts the assertion that online students are more likely to be successful if they feel connected to their instructor and fellow students, but just what is the best way to build those connections?

During my drive down to Pennsylvania this week, I was listening to an interview with a sculptor. The interviewer asked if he was still teaching. “No, I’m not. Teaching sculpture is easier than doing it. I need to devote my efforts to doing it.” His comment reminded me of that old adage. “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” Since the interview I’ve been wondering (yet again) if teaching really is easier than doing—teaching writing is easier than writing, teaching problem solving is easier than solving problems, teaching physical therapy is easier than being a physical therapist.

There’s been quite a lot written about students who are part of the Millennial generation (people born in 1980 and later), and their impact on teaching and learning throughout the higher education community.

Cognitive engagement is important to student success in any learning environment. However, cognitive engagement takes on more significance in the online learning environment, where students learn in a physically isolated environment and often lack elements that typically engage students in the face-to-face classroom.