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The uncertainty experienced by college students can have serious repercussions for their success and subsequent retention. Drawing parallels between instructional context and organizational context will enrich theory and research about students’ experiences of uncertainty in their college courses. Therefore, this study used Uncertainty Management Theory to explore how students manage their uncertainty about college courses with their classmates. Overall, the results suggest that although students experience uncertainty mostly related to their academic needs, their uncertainty management focuses more on their socioemotional needs. In managing their uncertainty, students rely on direct communication with their peers, which suggests the importance of considering uncertainty management as a relational activity as opposed to an independent activity. Given this, instructors can facilitate classroom climates and activities that allow students to establish relationships with one another and work interdepe...

Although ample literature exists regarding the effectiveness of faculty development (FD) activities, there is a gap in the literature synthesizing its outcomes. This review, using a predetermined review protocol, analyzed 22 publications on FD for teacher educators using Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation taxonomy. We found that North American universities provide the most empirical evidence about FD activities, focusing on technology integration in teaching and pedagogical skill improvement. Formal programs, such as serial workshops and developmental relationship, were reported with high frequency, compared to self-directed learning and organizational development activities. Empirical research was heavily based on self-reported, qualitative data and emphasized individual-level outcomes. There is a lack of information regarding the impact of FD activities for teacher educators on subsequent student learning or the downstream effect on school systems. Similarly, institutional involvement in FD remai...

The notion of a ‘community of practice’ offers fruitful ways to frame and assess literary activities for the producers of literature, creative writers. Referring to Woody Allen's film Midnight in Paris (2011), the experiences of two Australian writers and the Australian Seven Writers’ community of practice, we discuss gaps that our research approach aims to fill through investigating the significance of specific writers’ literary relationships in developing their creative writing skills and work. Framing such relationships as professional ‘communities of practice’, we argue that studying the functions of contemporary writers’ relationships as working environments has the potential to inform both creative writing learning and arts policy-making. As such, advocating for a community-of-practice conceptual framework is the main aim.