Educating the educators.

AFTER STUDENTS HAVE FLED THE RESIDENCE halls and commencement is over, St. Lawrence University (N.Y.) professors convene at their very own Faculty College. Three days of classes cover everything from the esoteric to the practical. Here's where faculty can frankly discuss better ways to reach underrepresented students, or compare the best tools for creating podcasts.

It's admirable that professors would opt to attend Faculty College. (The program is not mandatory, but 60 percent of the university's approximately 180 full-time and part-time professors attend. Each receives a $250 stipend.)

It's also necessary to the future of instruction in higher ed, says Macreena Doyle, associate director of university communications. "We've really moved from an old model--big lecture halls with professors answering questions--to students engaged in group discussion and free-writing assignments," she says, as well as more technology for professors to manage. Spending three days sharing nothing but advice and best practices is refreshing, adds Karl Schonberg, an associate professor of government. "This gives us a chance to get together as a Faculty and look at the big picture," he says.

What's the takeaway from this year's Faculty College? Online tools--especially Google Earth, which gives viewers a virtual tour of any area, with the ability to zoom, do flybys, and even chart a travel route. This certainly adds a dimension that e-mail notes and even blogs can't provide, he adds.

St. Lawrence, a small liberal arts college with religious ties, is in line with a larger trend. Recently Harvard's administration announced its intention to put a new focus on instruction and pedagogical models in higher ed.