For more than two decades as a college professor, I had a reputation for academic rigor, and I took pride in it. My students received an education rich in knowledge and skills, worth far more than the tuition they paid. But everything changed when in-person classes resumed in 2022 after two years of Zoom learning.
From the outset, I was stunned. My once bustling classrooms were now a third to a half empty. Students frequently skipped classes, often claiming to be sick, sometimes without even bothering to email an excuse. Those who did attend were often glued to their cell phones. The tried-and-true methods I had relied on to gauge student performance—quizzes, exams, homework, independent projects—no longer seemed effective. Consequently, an unprecedented number of my students received low marks. My teaching ratings plummeted to the lowest point in my career. It was agonizing to read the students’ feedback. One student labeled me “rude” for requesting a doctor’s note for absences as if the school’s policies on academic honesty and integrity had become obsolete.
Something was wrong, very wrong
I couldn’t blame my students because that wouldn’t solve the problem. Instead, I embarked on a soul-searching mission: How could I turn my F in teaching back into an A? I spent the summer of 2023 consulting with fellow teachers and diving into newspapers, magazines, internet websites, and academic papers. What I found was surprising: Far from being an isolated issue, this pattern was global, affecting educators both at home and abroad.
Many faculty members had experiences far worse than mine. Among the most notable was NYU professor Maitland Jones. Author of a leading textbook in organic chemistry, he taught his spring 2022 class of 350 students the same rigorous way he had since 2007, before the pandemic lockdown. But........