There’s a paper in the Journal of Political Economy that has sparked a bunch of discussion. The article, bearing the snappy title “Does Professor Quality Matter? Evidence from Random Assignment of Students to Professors,” looks at the scores of over 10,000 students at the US Air Force Academy over a period of several years, and… Continue reading Faculty Evaluation Is Really Complicated
Category: Academia
The Elusive Digital Native
Inside Higher Ed featured one of those every-so-often articles about the awesomeness of the demographic subgroup of the moment, this time Athur Levine’s panegyric about “digital natives”, who “grew up in a world of computers, Internet, cell phones, MP3 players, and social networking,” and how they’re too cool and tech-savvy for current universities: They differ… Continue reading The Elusive Digital Native
I Need a Pointless (But Cool) Graphic
At last weekend’s Hidden Dimensions event, Brian Greene had a graphic of a Calabi-Yau object (it wasn’t this one, but it’s the same idea). He put this up several times, but never actually explained what the hell it was supposed to show. It just looked kind of cool. Last week’s Through the Wormhole program segment… Continue reading I Need a Pointless (But Cool) Graphic
Graduation Day 2010
A grey and dreary day here in Schenectady for the 216th Commencement at Union College. This is probably healthier for the graduates than the years when it’s sunny and hot and people pass out in their seats, but it isn’t the most pleasant send-off. Then again, my own college graduation was a grey and dismal… Continue reading Graduation Day 2010
Academic Poll: Methods of Evaulation
I’m back in Niskayuna, dealing with mountains of end-of-term paperwork. Which means you get a poll to pass the time: The best end-of-term evaluation method is:survey software This poll is brought to you by the number π, the letter q, and the two take-home exams I’m waiting for before I can finish my grading.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Agrees With Me About The Innumeracy of Intellectuals
A great clip from his World Science Festival appearance the other night, especially the bit toward the end: “One thing I think that as a nation we should be embarrassed by is that the scientists– you can do this experiment yourself, I’ve done the experiment– the scientists, by and large, know more liberal arts than… Continue reading Neil deGrasse Tyson Agrees With Me About The Innumeracy of Intellectuals
Required Reading in Science
Over at Inside Higher Ed they have a news report on complaints about the content of required reading for students entering college. This comes from the National Association of Scholars, a group dedicated to complaining that multiculturalism is corrupting our precious bodily fluids pushing aside the shared heritage of Western civilization, so most of it… Continue reading Required Reading in Science
Irritating Poll: Stuck at Work
Today is Memorial Day in the US, which is a holiday to honor the dead of our various wars. It’s also the traditional start of summer-type activities, and most people spend it at cookouts and parades and that sort of thing. I say “most people,” because our trimester calendar means that we’re still in session,… Continue reading Irritating Poll: Stuck at Work
Links for 2010-05-27
Confessions of a Community College Dean: Thoughts on DIY U “Eleemosynary institutions have real and serious flaws, but they exist to empower the weak. They are necessary to empower the weak. If you rend them asunder, you will expose the weak to the predations of the strong. This is so fundamental that I’m surprised it… Continue reading Links for 2010-05-27
Anatomy of a Conference: DAMOP Day 1
The conference I’m at this week is the annual meeting of the Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics of the American Physical Society (which this year is joint with the Canadian version, the Division of Atomic and Molecular Physics and Photon Interactions, or “DAMPΦ.” The Greek letter is a recent addition– as recently as… Continue reading Anatomy of a Conference: DAMOP Day 1