On Engagement

Posted today on "The Water Cooler for Academics" was the following:

"Dear Bella,

You've done it. You have become a helicopter proffie. You know way too much about your students' personal lives. You're not a therapist or a social worker, and you are not their mommy. You are however pretty gullible as you seem to assume the veracity of the sad stories your charges produce for you. Stop wasting your time (and theirs) trying to be something you are not..."

Which brought to mind the recent Higher Ed article featuring a debate about the "good mentoring" of students, where one instructor introduced the notion of friendship. While the discussion held by various instructors evoked the age-old debate of the student-instructor relationship, it seemed mostly set on semantics. Generally, it was agreed that like most other academic issues, the key is in striking a balance.

And like most other academic issues, it is something easier said than done, but certainly worth working towards.

A Novel Approach

It's an exciting time for teachers and learners. Every day, it seems, new developments or innovations emerge that could allow a new means of engagement, if not alter the entire way classrooms operate. And every day, there are instructors who work hard to understand so-called digital natives, whether by sharing high-tech tips or by expressing concerns that a digital age prohibits learning.

But too many instructors have taken this understanding to an extreme. They believe that today's students either demand a high-tech approach, or worse, that students no longer have the attention span or learning capacity for books and lectures. The result is an unfortunate array of uncreative gimmicks that not only fail to engage students but patronize them.

Other instructors, however, have taken it upon themselves to continue to challenge their students with difficult readings, the old-fashioned way. Sometimes to their surprise, this group has found that when given the opportunity to challenge themselves, students will often take the more difficult path. They have found, in short, that books are not dead.

What's left, then, is to balance technology and content, which takes us full circle back to the beginning of this post. And it is indeed an exciting time. Instructors have at their fingertips initiatives such as coursecasting, WikiProjects, and peer-to-peer learning, and it remains their choice to adopt any of these.

All we ask is that instructors adopt these methods not simply because the technology is available or because of fashion, but for the sake of their students and for the sake of learning.

Is Dumb the New Smart?

Smart classrooms have been an issue for years, as colleges and universities push to make more and more learning spaces high-tech. But now some institutes find that they are falling behind -- not in updating old-fashioned chalkboard classrooms, but in maintaining their "new" computerized rooms. In short, many smart classrooms are showing their age.

But some community colleges are finding upgrades unnecessary, and are working their way around the problem by returning to the roots of computerized research: grid computing. This 'dumb' approach uses inexpensive, decentralized terminals that link to a more powerful computer, ensuring that the server is fully utilized. Alternatively, normal PCs can be strung together to form near-supercomputer capabilities. Either way, both maintenance and upgrades see significant savings.

Meanwhile, the 'dumb' approach is finding traction with web giant Google, which has helped make cloud computing popular through applications in its popular email service, Gmail. By storing documents online, access can be granted to anyone from anywhere. Moreover, access to a supercomputer can be provided over the internet, thereby further reducing barriers to advanced computing that may face some instructors or institutes.

This isn't to say that the PC is dead. But there may be alternatives to isolated and aging smart classrooms, and to idle servers in computer labs, just waiting around the corner.

A Step Behind

A report released yesterday by the Canada Millennium Scholarships Foundation asserted that student aid may not be going to those who need it most. The report indicates a fundamental shift from needs-based grants to tax credits and rebates, a move that tends to favour the more affluent and leave the truly needy further behind.

That aid does not go to the most needy students should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the discussion on student aid south of the border. Calls for reform of the student-aid system have been made by various groups and individuals, including Margaret Spellings, the U.S. Secretary of Education, and the Rethinking Student Aid study group. Both outline the importance of reducing the enrolment gap between more affluent and less privileged students.

Both also outline the importance of grants. Increases in aid in the U.S. have often seen subsequent increases in grants, making the accessibility issue primarily one of background (ie. who receives the grants). And this is why Millennium Scholarship's results may come as a surprise: our accessibility issue remains very generally a financial one.

Which puts us a step behind. And when we're behind a country where a "sharp rise in inequality was largely due to an educational slowdown", it's not a pleasant thought.

Award Themes

For the 2008 Fall Term, instructors will be eligible for the following Teaching Matters! Awards:

For Innovation With Academic Materials

A vast majority of instructors sympathize with their students as textbook costs spiral upward, and many more act on this issue. Whether this instructor has made course materials available online, found low-cost books, or designed their own material, the winner of this award has shown that innovation is possible, and that results can be passed down to their students.

For Engagement With Students

Engagement is a quality in instructors difficult to characterize, but always sought after. Whether this instructor has illustrated a great passion in their field, related a topic to the wider community, or presented material in a unique fashion, the winner of this award has found a way to form a relationship with their students that goes beyond the course material.

For Quality as a Contract Staff Member

In honour of Fair Employment Week, this award recognizes the contributions of sessionals and other contract staff to the learning environment. Whether this instructor has created a positive learning environment, dedicated time outside class to their students, or exemplified a mastery of the subject, the winner of this award has demonstrated an overall quality in teaching.


To nominate an instructor, simply email me at cicero@su.ualberta.ca

Who's Ranking the Rankings?

With the two major international rankings having been released in recent days, the perpetual debate surrounding university and college rankings has once again come to the forefront. The Times Higher Education rankings are based too heavily on opinion, critics say, while the Shanghai Jiao Tong University's are said to overemphasize scientific research. And yet everywhere, people acknowledge the significant influence and impact these rankings have.

This debate dates back, of course, to national rankings, like U.S. News and Maclean's. The former was boycotted last year by the Annapolis Group, while many Canadian universities opted out of the Maclean's rankings in 2006. The criticism is familiar, but so is the influence of the rankings. Many people acknowledge that rankings help shape policy, and some argue it increases educational costs for students.

It is therefore not surprising that alternatives are beginning to appear. In part a response to rankings, student sites (such as College Prowler and Students Review) have been around for some time now, but continue to grow. Meanwhile, faculty and administrators are increasingly seeking alternatives of their own. One recent movement attempts to cut the arms-race mentality by taking rank and reputation out of college selection altogether. Another movement, U-CAN, seeks to provide potential students with concise insitutional profiles for easy comparison.

Despite an expanding array of alternatives, it is clear that the major rankings aren't going anywhere soon. But there is still hope that the very presence of options could help universities get back to their purpose and mission, and away from their obsession with reputation.

Of Pirates and iPhones

After a months-long cat-and-mouse chase, a notorious textbook piracy site appears to be down for good. Despite stating that his Textbook Torrents site would stick around as a means of civil disobedience against publishers, Geekman has finally given in due to the increasing pressure from publishers and the concern of legal action. In a final statement, he called for more piracy sites to take his place.

Now, it's worth remembering that not many people are on publishers' sides these days. While condemning reports continue to pile up, the alternative market continues to expand. I recently stumbled across WikiBooks, for instance, which aims to offer free material. However, sites like these aren't too likely to catch on, given concerns over the quality of academic materials provided.

Accordingly, it seems more and more to be innovative marketing practices and technological advancements that grab the textbook headlines. I alluded to the exciting Flatworld Knowledge model last week, as well as the growing open source market. The latest model comes from Columbia Business School and follows the marketing scheme used by Radiohead in the sale of their In Rainbows album: customers pay what they want to access the material online. For profit, a printed version and companion volume are also available, making this model more financially viable (and along the lines of the Flatworld Knowledge model).

Meanwhile, the iPhone seems to be attracting a greater audience to e-books, news that will likely be welcomed by all concerned, from publishers to students and even to competing e-reader creators. This, simply because it illustrates that students (and the public in general) are willing to give e-books a shot.

Time will tell whether this case of piracy is the first of many (and if publishers retain their oligopoly as books go digital, there will be plenty more) or if it is a sign of the times in a bold switch to alternative markets.

A Call to Action

"Never mind your civic responsibility... you should show up and vote out of spite, if for no other reason," Rick Mercer advises students. And although it is true that more votes will grant students a greater voice in the future, there are still some precious days left before this election.



It is with this in mind that one advocacy group has made a call to action, asking people to get candidates' attention in an effort to fight rising textbook costs. If it is true that "a federal election means that politicians are listening", then surely they're listening in Edmonton-Strathcona, where the race is seen by many as too close to call. So make your voice heard now, if only out of spite.

Be e-textBooksmart

As the Be Booksmart campaign spreads from students to faculty members, I've found myself pondering what has been a growing movement in the textbook industry. And my rumination has not been unaided.

Yesterday's Inside Higher Ed featured an article on an experiment at the University of Texas in Austin. Starting next semester, the university will make electronic materials available for over 1000 students. They're free for now, but should these e-materials prove receptive to faculty and students alike, subscriptions will be renewed and students will be charged a relatively low rate per book.

This is latest in the pursuit of e-texts, but criticism is not lacking on this front. Affordability and accessibility have each been hurdles, especially where publishers have simply provided their texts in digital format. The response has been a slate of alternatives, ranging from open courseware to self-proclaimed revolutionary publishing models.

No matter what course is followed, one thing is clear: the textbook industry is changing at an accelerating rate, and opportunities for innovation are hardly scant. Let's hope we can take advantage of this.