The Becker Blog

One learns more from a good scholar in a rage than from a score of lucid and laborious drudges. - Rudyard Kipling

The University of Calgary says it cares about its students.

Let’s see,

“The U of C is pursuing the biggest single capital expansion in its history. Fuelled by Alberta’s nation-leading economic growth, the university has embarked upon a $1.5-billion plan to add capacity for 7,000 more students and a host of new teaching and research activities.”

From the U of Calgary website:

“Leading-edge teaching methods and technologies

A student-centred approach

The U of C’s high-quality undergraduate education is characterized by the synthesis of research, teaching and learning. We enhance our students’ experience by enabling them to take an inquiry-based approach through experiential learning — literally learning through experience. This leads to greater critical thinking skills, increased exposure to research methods, greater access to leading edge scholars, and it creates a more engaging, motivating learning environment for our students.” from http://www.ucalgary.ca/about

Sounds great, huh?

Say, have you EVER heard of a university that claims to be anything other than the bestest and most caringest?

And yet, instructors like Dr. Allison Dube don’t get paid enough to make ends meet, let alone prepare for retirement. Dr. Dube, one of the best teachers on campus, has won the Student’s Union Teaching Award THREE times in the last three years (which may be a first for anyone on campus, ever.). He is a Political Science sessional instructor who holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, and yet the university has steadfastly refused to recognize his value to the institution.

Hmmmm… what was that about “high-quality undergraduate education”? As someone who knows first hand what happens to faculty who try to stand up for students I would most strenuously advise people to NOT believe everything they read. This same institution that claims to espouse a student-centered approach criticized and then penalized me for such things as:

• allowing students to prove their competence through means other than high-stakes exams
• giving students choices about the assignments they did or flexible deadlines
• encouraging students to share, help each other and build a community of learners
• using performance-based assessments
• treating my students as individuals
  

Talk is cheap. So is webpage real estate – it is easy to post statements that people want to hear. Remember that just because they say it doesn’t make it true.

Here’s a way to get a feel for what the university is really about. Take a walk around campus sometime – do you see happy people? Excited students? A lively community? How many faculty offices do you pass where the people inside smile rather than scowl at you as you pass? For that matter, how many faculty keep their doors open? Are administrative staff friendly? How do they react when an error is pointed out? When was the last time you recall someone taking responsibility for something that is wrong and trying to fix it (instead of saying, “Too Bad, So sad.”, or trying to blame someone else)?

I was elated when I successfully defended my thesis. I was thrilled to hear that the defense went extremely well, and everyone signed off on the dissertation on the spot. As luck would have it, the person in charge of approving the dissertation for the Faculty was the Neutral Chair, and she signed her part on the spot too.

Very tidy.

Everyone was happy. One of the examiners suggested I publish it as a book, and another commented that she had never before seen this much scholarship in a single thesis. She suggested there might actually be equivalent to several dissertations. Needless to say, I was thrilled.

A few days later, I made a few very minor changes (mostly just fixing typos) and sent my thesis off to the printers. I prepared the necessary paperwork according to the instructions on the University websites (very helpful) and continued on. I was all set….. (HA!!!!! Not so fast, Slick.)

Flying high from having pleased my committee with my work, I went off on a lovely 7-day cruise in the Caribbean on the Disney Cruise Ship Magic. And it really was.

Magic.

Disney sure seems to understand organizational management. Even when things go awry, they know exactly how to deal with it.

Don’t get me wrong – things still happen; but stuff is fixed or made better. They win, and so do we.

Very professional.

Then…….. Read the rest of this entry »

I seem to be on a bit of a Rant-kick today.

Perhaps it is partly because I am now finished my dissertation and have successfully defended it. I don’t feel the same need to placate.

Many of the conferences I follow have not only a substantial web presence, but they now also support online submission, review, and registration to a greater or lesser extent. Some work very well and others are very amateurish.

I have a few suggestions:

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KEEP THEM CURRENT!!!!

Sheesh.

How can someone claim to be “with it” technologically when their webpages were last updated a YEAR ago? These are modern times. And your webpage is your public face. Do it right.

First, if you are in a technological discipline (computer science, ed tech, etc.) and you do NOT have a web page, that gives a bad impression. Shame on you. I know several people who do not maintain webpages, at least partly because they DON’T KNOW HOW. Someone looking for information on you can’t tell why you have no web presence, only that you don’t have one.

Second, understand that you will be judged by what you do and do not put on your webpages. You need not bare your soul, but also make sure you don’t look so clinical that you appear boring (unless of course, you really ARE boring in which case it is an honest reflection).

OK. So I did a little experiment (just now)…..

I took a look at a CS department of an online university. I won’t identify which one; the important thing here is that these values are representative – understand that the results are far from unique.

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I was asked this question yesterday. I may be paraphrasing, but this was the essence of it.

It was a good question.

I was among a group of peers, but I was also in a position where I didn’t want to offend anyone – at least partly because these were people I had just met. I have been attacked in the past (both verbally and physically) by so-called colleagues for expressing my opinions about what a university should be and do, so I am, not surprisingly, a little head-shy.

I have fairly old-style and idealistic views about what an institution of higher learning should be and how it should serve the society in which it operates. These include honesty, integrity, and sharing knowledge. They also include asking hard and sometimes embarrassing questions so that we may examine them and become better (see also dangerous ideas). Universities are supposed to advance knowledge, and teaching universities are supposed to help prepare the next generation.

I did of course have a lot of ideas flood into my wee brain when the question was first asked, but ended up struggling for an answer as I tried to gauge how forthright I could be without sounding overly critical. I hate it when people who haven’t really been there and done that come in and try to tell me what I’m doing wrong. I did not want to come across as one of those.

Also, people who ask such questions often claim to want suggestions for improvement, but secretly want to be told about what a wonderful job they are doing. I didn’t know if the people I was talking to wanted my opinions or flattery. One of my strengths — or weaknesses, depending on how you look at it, is that I refuse to say something I don’t believe to be true. I equate this with honesty (don’t ever let anyone tell you life is easier if you are committed to being honest – it is in fact WAY harder, but I happen to believe it is how we should live.) I’ve had to give up more than one job because I won’t lie. I’ve also gotten into a lot of trouble for refusing to lie, but I have finally begun to learn a little about tact in my old age and I am better at keeping my mouth shut than I used to be.

Obviously, given the existence of this post, I still have trouble with it. The list below is an attempt to post my ideas in a neutral way – I really don’t want to poke at any particular institution, but I DO think online institutions have tremendous potential, if they are willing to meet the challenges. On the other hand, if they do not embrace new technologies with enthusiasm and a sincere willingness to experiment and discover whether and how a new technology can be used to advantage in distance education, they will get left behind in the same way that parochial-minded conventional institutions are being left behind.

I have, of course, been considering this question all day (since it was posed to me). So, here are some answers (in no particular order)….

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