tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539837.post8950758075162181097..comments2024-01-19T04:29:08.081-06:00Comments on subrealism: the failure of higher educationUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539837.post-30263169070421903432011-02-14T09:51:28.552-06:002011-02-14T09:51:28.552-06:00these institutions cannot and will not adapt to th...<i>these institutions cannot and will not adapt to the evolutionary forces about to hit them</i> <br /><br />Forces that have already hit them-- they're still in denial. There's a small core, a few folks at every campus who are aware that <i>something's</i> already happening and we are talking to each other-- say, maybe that <i>is</i> an iceberg out there... I think certain campuses here and there (San Diego State, Carnegie Mellon, definitely Stanford) have a chance in terms of the "disrupting college" theory because they either openly encourage/nurture or don't frown on innovation. I include SDSU as a public university example because in terms of the theory, it matters a lot whether an institution is private or part of a state system.<br /><br />The below short blog article, directly on topic, is also titled "Disrupting College," and its comments seem to share my concern with the very "business-y" thrust of the whole thing.<br /><br />http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/disrupting-college/32019ProfGeohttp://theothertwofifths.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539837.post-88780936317340102572011-02-14T08:02:55.741-06:002011-02-14T08:02:55.741-06:00there is a great unwashed middle of faculty who wi...<i>there is a great unwashed middle of faculty who will get with it only when made aware their jobs depend on it. They're waiting for orders from on high. </i><br /><br />of course you realize that what you describe right'chere is EXACTLY why these institutions cannot and will not adapt to the evolutionary forces about to hit them. It'll only take a handful of masterful, adept, and ruthlessly self-interested instructors to absolutely decimate traditional instructional modus operandi once the process gets going, think Little Richard meets Pat Boone. <br /><br />Thanks for the additional homework ProfGeo, I think I'll print these reports so's I can fully marinate with them offline.CNuhttp://subrealism.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539837.post-62074070917158901092011-02-13T22:21:17.988-06:002011-02-13T22:21:17.988-06:00How many of your colleagues would you estimate are...<i>How many of your colleagues would you estimate are adept...</i> <br /><br />Adept? Not many! "Can survive" with smart boards or other interactive, student-friendly tech (e.g. in a classroom/lecture hall, student response systems; outside, equipment used by students & faculty in field work)... lemme guess ~1 or 2% if you squeezed every bit of knowledge and adaptive skill out of the faculty. If you want to include middling instructional tech that may fall on the spectrum above chalkboard/PowerPoint, but still amounts to a formal lecture environment-- then add several percent.<br /><br />Taken that way, it looks quite hopeless, but there is a great unwashed middle of faculty who will get with it only when made aware their jobs depend on it. They're waiting for orders from on high. There are a few (mostly) older tenured who will ride it out a few years. And keep in mind, there are scholars such as artists in certain media, and old-fashioned lit profs, some of whom will use this type/level of tech and some of whom won't and it may work out for them either way.<br /><br />I have to admit, watching faculty gyrations with sliding chalkboards is entertaining. Back in the day, one of my students pre-loaded certain imagery on one of the hidden boards in my room. Hilarity ensued and I had to let it go.<br /><br />The other day, I added a couple of items to my own homework list. Not to distract from this thread, but so the links are around later: <br /><br />http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2011/02/07/degree-inequality/<br /><br />This next one, I skipped the video, but I think I should get familiar with the report because it'll get some play with, to put it bluntly, funders and such.<br /><br />http://www.gse.harvard.edu/blog/news_features_releases/2011/02/pathways-to-prosperity-meeting-the-challenge-of-preparing-young-americans-for-the-21st-century.htmlProfGeohttp://theothertwofifths.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539837.post-47238967845079727462011-02-08T05:06:37.997-06:002011-02-08T05:06:37.997-06:00The administration and the professoriate became th...The administration and the professoriate became the academy's primary constituency, rather than students. The same is true of the medical industrial complex.<br /><br />Whatever became of the maxim that "the customer always comes first?"CNuhttp://subrealism.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539837.post-25138391403703345892011-02-08T04:45:25.577-06:002011-02-08T04:45:25.577-06:00There is too much money involved.
Look at the NFL....There is too much money involved.<br />Look at the NFL.<br />Back in the day quarterbacks had to be able to call plays and take hits.<br />These days they just plug a guy into a system and hope they can execute a preset list of actions.<br />The same could be said of tenured profs. - most are too secure in their jobs to take risks.<br />Their level of comfort takes priority over actually doing their jobs.Uglyblackjohnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539837.post-43065793815775196612011-02-07T09:46:04.259-06:002011-02-07T09:46:04.259-06:00EVERYBODY is subject to critical assessment, but a...EVERYBODY is subject to critical assessment, but as you say Nana, when Hacker talks, it's skrate up E.F. Hutton time..., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW6rgK9MLIkCNuhttp://subrealism.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539837.post-57956677715136296592011-02-07T08:58:13.323-06:002011-02-07T08:58:13.323-06:00For Hacker to say it, you know it is badFor Hacker to say it, you know it is badnanakwamenoreply@blogger.com