MY EXPERIENCE
Although trained as a pre-modernist, my interests and professional duties range widely. My primary position is Professor of History at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ, but I hold several prominent advisory and editorial board positions as well.
Academic Positions
PROFESSOR OF HISTORY
2016 to Present
Department of Social Sciences & History, Becton College, Fairleigh Dickinson University. Teach a wide variety of courses including medieval history, Roman history, history & film, military history, world history, and historical methods.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HISTORY
Department of Social Sciences & History, Becton College, Fairleigh Dickinson University
2011 to 2016
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY
Department of Social Sciences & History, Becton College, Fairleigh Dickinson University
2005 to 2011
LECTURER IN HISTORY
Department of Social Science, University of Wisconsin-Stout
2000 to 2005
Other Notable Positions
NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Society for History Education (affiliate of the American Historical Association)
2017 to Present
ADVISORY BOARD
The Teaching Professor Annual Conferences
2016 to 2018
FOUNDING CHAIR
Faculty Teaching Development Program, Florham Campus, Fairleigh Dickinson University
2009 to 2017
TEACHING-RELATED STUDIES
The Classroom & Beyond
A partial listing of my pedagogical research
"THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE -- OR DO THEY? AN EXERCISE IN DECODING A HISTORICAL FILM"
In Ashley Archiopoli et al., eds., Teaching Popular Culture in the Humanities Classroom (Lexington Books, 2024)
A primer on how to get students to read historical film for evidence instead of just plot, and to quantify that evidence in order to say something more powerful about the past.
"IN DEFENSE OF BORING AND OTHER SUPPOSED TEACHING TABOOS"
The Teaching Professor (May 2024)
As colleges scramble to attract students from a fast-evaporating demographic pool, the institutional calls for faculty to inject excitement, engagement, and fun into the classroom proliferate. Boring has no place here. But it really should.
"DRAMATIC FILM, THE RODNEY DANGERFIELD OF TEACHING RESOURCES"
The Teaching Professor (November 2023)
Just like the late comedian, dramatic films often get no respect from academics who use them in teaching. My co-author Gloria Pastorino and I urge caution and offer tips for how to approach dramatic cinema responsibly.
"SOME TAKEAWAYS FROM A HISTORY OF COLLEGE TEACHING"
The Teaching Professor (December 2022)
My own idiosyncratic observations on Jonathan Zimmerman's important book, The Amateur Hour: A History of College Teaching in America.
"THE CONTINUED TYRANNY OF CONTENT"
The Teaching Professor (February 2022)
Given that Americans say they want a more investigatory approach to learning about the past, it may seem odd that their classrooms are so facts-driven. But there are logical, if sometimes unfortunate, reasons for it. Column co-authored with Katharina Matro.
"CLOSER TOGETHER: ACROSS PARTY LINES, AMERICANS ACTUALLY AGREE ON TEACHING 'DIVISIVE CONCEPTS'"
Slate (October 2021)
Despite all the vitriol that grabs the headlines, we're pretty united on such matters as "divisive concepts" and historical revisionism. Based on data from our FDU/AHA national survey.
"TAKING MEASURE OF OUR DEI EFFORTS"
The Teaching Professor (September 2021)
Issues of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are important to teach. Yet, we can't simply assume our approaches work the ways we intend. Like other forms of teaching and learning, DEI efforts must be scrutinized and measured according to robust SOTL principles.
"THE SPLIT IN HOW AMERICANS THINK ABOUT OUR COLLECTIVE PAST IS REAL -- BUT THERE'S A WAY OUT OF THE 'HISTORY WARS'"
TIME magazine (April 2021)
Focusing solely on what historical facts should be taught is a losing strategy. Our national survey points to a better way, and there's a lot of consensus across demographic groups. Article co-written with Dana Schaffer of the American Historical Association.
"QUIA DIFFICILIA SUNT: THE PEDAGOGICAL BENEFITS OF A CHALLENGING MIDDLE AGES"
Studies in Medieval & Renaissance Teaching, vol. 28, no. 1 (2021)
It's not unfortunate that learning medieval history is hard. If taught authentically, difficulty is part of the educational bargain.
"BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS OF LIFELONG LEARNING AVATARS"
The Teaching Professor (February 2021)
What happens when you ask students in a lifelong learning program (aged 62 and older) to give advice to their younger selves? The answers can serve as a roadmap to success for younger learners. Co-written with Bruce Peabody. Named one of the 10 favorite articles in The Teaching Professor in 2021.
"HISTORY BY THE NUMBERS: A QUANTITATIVE APPROACH TO TEACHING THE IMPORTANCE OF CONFLICTING EVIDENCE"
The History Teacher, vol. 54, no. 1 (2020)
It's easy for learners to simply ignore "inconvenient" evidence. See how a quantitative approach to textual analysis can change that corrosive habit.
"ENGAGING WITH THE ENGAGEMENT ISSUE"
The Teaching Professor (September 2020)
Although it's sometimes marshaled effectively to attain learning goals, engagement can too easily become an end unto itself instead of a means to an end.
"WHAT YOU KNOW THAT JUST AIN'T SO"
The Teaching Professor (April 2020)
Do we really use only ten percent of our brains? Are so-called "learning styles" the key to better education? Many people would say "yes" to both, and many people would be wrong.
"TEACHING HISTORICAL LITERACY WITHIN A SOTL FRAMEWORK"
Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, vol. 44, no. 2 (2019)
An introduction to the value of the scholarship of teaching & learning (SOTL) for getting students to read more like historians. Based on my workshop at the American Historical Association conference in Chicago in 2019.
"WHAT ARE OUR FIELDS ABOUT? SURVEY SUGGESTS DISCONNECT BETWEEN PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC"
The Teaching Professor (November 2019)
Results from a survey (N = 801) measuring the general public's perceptions of what history is, and how that impacts teaching and learning of the domain. Co-written with Krista Jenkins.
"KNOWING VS. UNDERSTANDING: A SHORT EXERCISE TO HIGHLIGHT THE DIFFERENCE"
The Teaching Professor (March 2019)
An example of how we can know things without really understanding them -- and why it matters in education. This was one of the five most popular columns published in The Teaching Professor in 2019.
"NOT SO LONESOME ANYMORE: BRIDGING THE DISCIPLINES THROUGH PEDAGOGY"
In Kisha Tracy & John Sexton, eds., The Ballad of the Lone Medievalist (Punctum Books, 2018)
Argues that historians, even we far-out medievalists, have much in common with academics in a wide array of fields.
"HISTORICAL THINKING IN THE MEDIEVAL CLASSROOM"
Historically Thinking, episode 76 (2018)
A 47-minute interview on the pitfalls and potentialities of teaching about the distant past.
"HARD LESSONS FROM BEN FRANKLIN'S FAILURE"
Teaching United States History (March 2018)
Why didn't Ben Franklin ever become a chess champion? It wasn't because he didn't play a lot!
"READING RIGHT PAST EACH OTHER: DIVERGENT FACULTY AND STUDENT PERSPECTIVES ON TEXTS"
Teaching United States History (January 2018)
Is a text just the sum of its constituent words? Not really, and that can be a problem worth addressing.
"ESTABLISHING LEARNING GOALS – AND MAPPING A PLAN TO ATTAIN THEM"
Teaching United States History (November 2017)
Deep learning doesn't happen just by accident. There really is a method to all this madness.
"A MEDIEVALIST VISITS THE AMERICANIST TEACHING NEIGHBORHOOD"
Teaching United States History (September 2017)
I'm not an Americanist, but I was convinced to play one for a while for Teaching United States History. Renowned teaching expert Maryellen Weimer wrote an article based on this piece.
"HELPING STUDENTS MAKE THE RIGHT CALL ON CELL PHONES"
Faculty Focus (September 2017)
Device-distracted students are an eminently solvable problem. This column was the 2nd-most popular item (out of 200+) published in Faculty Focus in 2017.
"LESSONS FROM EXPERTISE, DECODING, AND A QUEST FOR THE FIVE-MINUTE MILE"
The Teaching Professor (May 2017)
What does it take to get really good at something? The answer might surprise you. Admittedly, one of my favorite publications. Republished in The Teaching Professor (August/September 2018).
"FROM PASSIVE VIEWER TO ACTIVE LEARNER: STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING MEDIEVAL FILM"
Studies in Medieval & Renaissance Teaching, vol. 24, no. 1 (2017)
History and film courses aren't all about teaching what's accurate and what's not. The approach outlined here can lead to much deeper understanding of both the medium and our views of the Middle Ages.
"BACKWARD DESIGN, FORWARD PROGRESS"
Faculty Focus (May 2016)
You can't know where you're going if you have no destination. This column was the 10th-most popular item (out of 200+) published in Faculty Focus in 2016. Republished in Maryellen Weimer, ed., Essential Teaching Principles: A Resource Collection for Adjunct Faculty (Magna Publications, 2016)
"METACOGNITIVE ROADBLOCKS: HOW STUDENTS' PERCEIVED KNOWLEDGE & ABILITIES MAY HINDER PERFORMANCE IN UNDERGRADUATE HISTORY COURSES"
American Historical Association Tuning Project Report (2015)
Survey data and brief report on students' perceptions of their ability to perform various history-related tasks. Research conducted on behalf of the AHA's Tuning Project.
"A CONTENT MEANS TO A CRITICAL THINKING END: GROUP QUIZZING IN HISTORY SURVEYS"
The History Teacher, vol. 47, no. 4 (2014)
Winner of the American Historical Association's 2015 William & Edwyna Gilbert Award for the best article on teaching history, and named by The Teaching Professor as one of the eight best pedagogical publications in any field in 2014. Maryellen Weimer, an acclaimed teaching expert, wrote an article based on this work.
"WHY YOU READ LIKE AN EXPERT – AND WHY YOUR STUDENTS PROBABLY DON'T"
Faculty Focus (November 2014)
Faculty and students may read the same words, but their takeaways can be very different. This column was the 5th-most popular item (out of 200+) published in Faculty Focus in 2014.
"GETTING MEDIEVAL ON AMERICAN HISTORY RESEARCH: A METHOD TO HELP STUDENTS THINK HISTORICALLY"
The History Teacher, vol. 43, no. 4 (2010)
Sometimes using a challenging method and forcing students out of their comfort zones is just the ticket.
