USU's Open Access Book Series Arrives with Publication of Resilient Pedagogy

Many Utah State University professors have been featured with phenomenal articles in the recently released book, Resilient Pedagogy: Practical Teaching Strategies to Overcome Distance, Disruption, and Distraction. The book was edited by USU faculty Travis Thurston, Kacy Lundstrom and Christopher González, who worked tirelessly to complete the series.

The book is the first in the Empower Teaching Open Access Book Series. Resilient Pedagogy offers a comprehensive collection that offers a multi-disciplinary and multi-perspective response to actions taken in different classrooms across different institution types, and from individuals in different institutional roles, all framed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social justice movements that have swept the globe.

Thurston encourages all to read and appreciate the human aspect of the series, as the collection is filled with the insights of real, approachable authors, many from USU’s own faculty and others throughout the region.

"This collection really shows the vital importance of faculty, staff, and students coming together as stakeholders in teaching and learning in higher education,” Thurston said. “From the three editors to the authors of the chapters, Resilient Pedagogy is a perfect example of what we can accomplish when we work together as a learning community and focus on teaching excellence."

Each author and editor put in hours upon hours working on the series, with each article reviewed with careful consideration and dedication. Each contributor was highly aware of the unique circumstances the past school year forced upon it, and the work reflects that consciousness.

“This book is a timely response to how educators in higher education approached their work during major disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Lundstrom. “It provides practical guidance on how to use technologies to enhance learning. Most importantly, it interrogates the way resilient pedagogies can affect students living in a changed world.”

In the book’s introduction, Thurston highlights the true “open-access” sentiment of the book, as the invitation is given for all to “take the concepts, strategies, and ideas presented in this volume and find ways to apply them to your own context.”

Jessamyn Neuhaus authored the Geeky Pedagogy section of the series and does work as the interim director at the New York Plattsburgh Center for Teaching Excellence. She appreciated the “innovative ways to facilitate student learning” that are offered in the collection, especially when focused around the ever-changing teaching methods of 2020 and 2021.

“The premise of this groundbreaking anthology… is one of the most important lessons that everyone in higher education should be taking away from the COVID-19 pandemic era,” said Neuhaus.

The praise continued as Josh Eyler, director of faculty development at the University of Mississippi, gave his insight on the compilation.

“The collected essays explore an impressive array of approaches to teaching and course design, but the book is so much more than that as well!” Eyler said. “It is about hope and community and new ways to help our students learn during and beyond the pandemic.”

For more information on Resilient Pedagogy and the entire Open Access Book Series, visit http://resilientpedagogy.usu.edu.