highered

Looking for your next read? These eight books won't all sit comfortably together on a shelf—which is exactly the point. They range from scathing critiques of neoliberal universities to surprisingly practical guides on networked learning, instructional design, and (plot twist) no-dig gardening. Each one challenged how I think about teaching, learning, and what actually makes institutions flourish.

The discussion about AI in education often gets bogged down in practical questions: are you allowed to use it, and how do we then ensure ownership and reliability? While relevant, these questions stem from the outdated idea that technology is a neutral tool, separate from the learning process itself.

Every truly revolutionary tool on campus has a story. Not the story of its features, but of its impact: a colleague who finally perfected their dream seminar, a team that unlocked a new way to collaborate with students. These are the moments that matter. They're the sparks that make us lean in and ask a trusted peer, “How did you do that?”