What the latest science of learning tells us about inspiring, effective, and inclusive teaching at the college level.

College instruction is stuck in the past. If a time traveler from a century ago arrived on today’s campuses, they would recognize only too well the listlessness of the lecture hall and the awkward silence of the seminar room. Yet we know how to do better. Cathy N. Davidson and Christina Katopodis, two of the world’s foremost innovators in higher education, turn to the latest research and methods to show how teachers at every kind of institution can help students become independent, creative, and active learners.

The New College Classroom helps instructors in all disciplines create an environment that is truly conducive to learning. Davidson and Katopodis translate cutting-edge research in learning science and pedagogy into ready-to-use strategies to incorporate into any course. These empirically driven, classroom-tested techniques of active learning—from the participatory syllabus and ungrading to grab-and-go activities for every day of the term—have achieved impressive results at community colleges and research universities, on campus, online, and in hybrid settings.

Extensive evidence shows that active-learning tools are more effective than conventional methods of instruction. Davidson and Katopodis explain how and why their approach works and provide detailed case studies of educators successfully applying active-learning techniques in their courses every day, ensuring that their students are better prepared for the world after college.

"Offers a wealth of examples of how to make lecture classes less listless and seminars less silent, while making students into more independent, creative and active learners…An ideal guide to innovative ways to facilitate and deepen student learning. Everyone who teaches (or hopes to teach) college, will find this book a provocative and stimulating source of ideas about how to make our classrooms more equitable, participatory and interactive." - Inside Higher Ed

"A practical guide to more effective and engaged college teaching, with an emphasis on how to promote active learning among college students." - Forbes

"A pedagogical treasure trove, Davidson and Katopodis’s new book illuminates exciting and inspiring ways we can build on these histories of activist teaching. It is required reading for educators who aspire to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors by teaching students not only to navigate the world, but to change it." - Public Books

"The New College Classroom is a guidebook and a DIY manifesto for change in college teaching…This book can help any instructor striving for just and excellent teaching." - Margaret Fuller Society