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The case method is an excellent way to stimulate discussion. This novel is a series of cases that introduce important issues in higher education linked to a plot that involves the case of a missing professor at the fictitious Higher State University. Almost every chapter raises a cluster of related issues, often in a humorous way. Anyone with experience in a college or university will recognize the characters, or caricatures, in the story: administrators, faculty, staff, students, and even a politician. The plot and the central mystery are contrived, but the questions are ones that need to be discussed on every campus.
In the Author’s Note, Jones indicates that the cases were originally written for a workshop on college teaching. That is one venue in which this book might be useful. Another is an orientation workshop for new faculty. To facilitate use of the book in these contexts, the author has provided a set of discussion questions for almost all of the chapters. Although not great literature, or even a great mystery, this book is an engaging and amusing way to introduce many of the issues that confront higher education. It might be a good way to start a dialogue in your institution.
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