We are still finding new ways that Ken Bain's book What the Best College Teachers Do can be useful. His thoughts on conducting a class that were gleaned from his longitudinal study are very instructional. One of the common principles that emerged from the data is the idea of creating a natural critical learning environment. It is natural because students encounter the skills, habits, attitudes, and information they are trying to learn embedded in questions and tasks they find fascinating. He suggests beginning your class with an intriguing question or problem and then guiding your students to understand the significance of the question. We have used this book as a foundational document for the Active and Collaborative Engagement for Students (ACES) Fellows program and it has proven to be an invaluable resource. Whether teachers desire it or not, conflicts among students inevitably will occur in any classroom. David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson present evidence in their article Energizing Learning: The Instructional Power of Conflict that intellectual conflict is not only highly desirable but also an essential instructional tool that energizes student efforts to learn. Coincidentally, CT+LE will be sponsoring a workshop on dealing with conflict in the classroom. It is scheduled to be held on March 27 at 2:00PM. Look for details soon in your email box. Kathy Hoover-Dempsey offers the following tips on making sense of student evaluation. Pick a good time to do so, when you will have enough time to digest at least some of the information, have privacy, and can give yourself some mental ‘space’ to analyze the information. Track quantitative results. Consider how the summary rating received for each item fits with your own teaching goals and your department’s expectations for teaching. Look for patterns in students’ comments—identify trends, note what you have done well and what needs improvement. Take your experience into account. If you are new to teaching, the school, or even the course, you may still be learning about various aspects of being a professor, such as course design, teaching skills, student interaction, and departmental expectations. Take the context and characteristics of your course into account. Research shows that student evaluations often are more positive in courses that are smaller rather than larger, and elective rather than required. Also, evaluations are usually more positive in courses in which students tend to do well. CT+LE offers the perfect forum for critical self reflection in the form of the LU journaling program. If you are interested in joining this vibrant group of outstanding faculty, contact CT+LE.