By Joli Jensen - Chronicle Vitae. We’ve acknowledged how hard it can be to write productively in academia, and I’ve described three techniques—the project box, ventilation file, and daily brief writing sessions—that can help us “tame” our scholarly projects. I’ve offered strategies for securing the elusive but necessary writing time, space, and energy we need to do our best work. And I’ve recommended that you “follow the lilt” and focus on writing about things you really care about. See more...

By David Perry - Chronicle Vitae. “Hello, my name is Steve Tallant, and I am the president of Texas A&M University at Kingsville. I understand you have some questions regarding how we run this university, and I’d like to tell you I’ve been keeping up with your blog.”
I received this call just after The Chronicle published a piece of mine that criticized Texas A&M University at Kingsville for describing faculty jobs—indeed, every job—as customer-service providers. See more...

By David Gooblar - Chronicle Vitae. Want more teaching tips? Browse the Pedagogy Unbound archives.
Last month I wrote about the “annotated setlist,” a document you draw up before each class that outlines your planned structure for the period. I particularly liked the idea of displaying that outline on the board in class so your students can follow along as you move your way through the setlist. See more...

By Paula Krebs - Chronicle Vitae. Well, I complained back in the winter that graduate programs don’t spend enough time talking to teaching-intensive institutions about what they need out of new Ph.D.’s. Grad students ought to know how to get jobs and be successful at colleges and universities with 4-4 and 5-5 teaching responsibilities, so why not ask those institutions what “success” means?
It didn't seem as if the problem was going to solve itself in a hurry. See more...

By Karen Kelsky - Chronicle Vitae. I’m starting a postdoc this fall. There are things that I wish I had known earlier in my Ph.D. process, like the importance of getting my teaching observed and evaluated earlier, or the best places to submit articles for publication. What sort of things should I be aware of going into a postdoc?
First off, let me clarify for readers that I will be talking about postdocs in the humanities and social sciences here. See more...