I hear things. Some make me smile. And then there are others, like the one that resulted in this tweet of mine:
I overheard a student asking another "are we supposed to bring a scantron sheet for the midterm? I could have puked! http://t.co/qBlOTfwT6L
— sriram khe (@congoboy) October 31, 2013
That reaction was triggered by the "scantron" word, of course.
Thus, the middle of the term provides me with yet another reason to ponder about the state of higher education.
I passed by a classroom where the instructor was going over materials from a page of the book used by the class. How do I know that? Well, because that page was projected on the screen. It was a page with factoids like what you would find at a typical Wikipedia page.
If an instructor is merely presenting materials that are there in a textbook--with information no longer an issue in this web age--and if students will be asked to demonstrate their understanding of the materials by bubbling in their responses on scantron sheets, then where exactly is the learning happening, and where precisely is the value being added, if any? What are we trying to achieve in higher education?
Thus, the middle of the term provides me with yet another reason to ponder about the state of higher education.
I passed by a classroom where the instructor was going over materials from a page of the book used by the class. How do I know that? Well, because that page was projected on the screen. It was a page with factoids like what you would find at a typical Wikipedia page.
If an instructor is merely presenting materials that are there in a textbook--with information no longer an issue in this web age--and if students will be asked to demonstrate their understanding of the materials by bubbling in their responses on scantron sheets, then where exactly is the learning happening, and where precisely is the value being added, if any? What are we trying to achieve in higher education?
I wonder whether most students, too, might not care as long as they get the grade they are shooting for, and walk away with the diploma that they think is all that matters.
If only things were otherwise!
If only things were otherwise!
Teaching the Ape to Write Poems
By James Tate
They didn't have much trouble
teaching the ape to write poems:
first they strapped him into the chair,
then tied the pencil around his hand
(the paper had already been nailed down).
Then Dr. Bluespire leaned over his shoulder
and whispered into his ear:
"You look like a god sitting there.
Why don't you try writing something?"
Source
4 comments:
I had to google to find out what scantron was. On that subject I can offer you two alternatives
- Scan and send the sheet to India and we'll be happy to grade your students for half the cost Scantron charges
- Alternatively outsource the entire thing to us and we'll create a web page which the student can enter and scoring is available at the end of the day automatically, also for half the cost
Does anybody use technology like scantron anymore ????
And then, what is your problem with using multiple choice questions as a way of testing and grading. I though you were the one barking on no metaphors and get to the point and all that ......
Love the title to the post. Invoice in the mail to Prof Khé. for teaching services. Please settle within 15 days ....
Those two alternatives you suggest are real issues in higher education. Think about it: if instructors are merely presenting from textbooks, and students have to bubble in responses, then the whole thing can be done online, right?
I have joked often that we can have a bunch of online classes, where "instruction" can be outsourced to Ph.Ds in India for a third (or less) of the cost.
Yet, almost always, it is the same set of instructors who will also fight the very idea of online education and MOOC, whereas people like me don't feel threatened any bit by the developments (I actively incorporate them in my classes) because my classes are never ever formulaic!
A shame that my faculty colleagues refused to discuss the kinds of issues I suggested we discuss--a decade ago!
Haha, so you remember the post on metaphors ... good for you ;)
What has changed from the days we were horse-led through the classroom sessions - and our seniors getting their "Assignments" written by us?
Scantron, in other words?
Oh, hey, Srivats!!! I didn't know you read my blog; glad to know ;)
I have no idea about the seniors getting their work done by us. Really? I don't recall having done anything that way ... but then stranger things have happened and I have been oblivious to them all ;)
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