The Semester Has Begun

As most of you know, I teach at several area colleges, including HACC. (For those of you not from the area, "HACC" used to be Harrisburg Area Community College, but recently changed to simply HACC--Central Pennsylvania's Community College). This semester, HACC has over 21,000 students across our five campuses, with 5,024 in Lancaster alone!! The parking lot is crowded, the hallways are crowded, and classrooms are full!!

And the price of textbooks is climbing ever higher; the textbook that my CIS105 class uses is $145! While that includes a software license for the MyITLab product, that still represents an additional expense for which many students have not budgeted.

Are we not communicating with prospective students that the college experience is different than high school??? And college is an investment (remember anything about risk/reward???). An unmotivated dullard will use the finest of books as mere paperweights, while the Lincolns among us can educate themselves with borrowed books and a candle. But using the best tools available can help maximize the odds of a good "return" on the investment.

So yes, college & textbooks are expensive.

But an investment is a "good" investment when it increases the value of one's portfolio. Use the textbooks to increase the "value of YOUR portfolio," and in five years you'll never even think about the cost of the textbook.

College Degree vs. College Education ???

Donald Simanek, a physics teacher, presents some challenging ideas regarding collegiate education:

Even in the best of universities, some students get through with good academic records and still are not well-educated. They coasted through college without letting anything touch their minds. They didn't let academics interfere with their social life. We should not allow this to happen. It is a good thing for such students that most jobs that require a college degree do not require a college education. It's also a good thing that high intellectual ability isn't required for success and status, as anyone who has a boss knows.

What will the rest of the people do, those who can't earn a degree? The same things they do now with one. Most jobs that now require a college degree don't require a college education. The requirements of such jobs are easily met by trade schools or a year or two of community-college courses. For many employers a degree merely certifies that the person had four years to 'mature,' during which time he or she had to meet arbitrary standards, do unappealing and boring work, submit to authority without complaint, and not give up. That molds the sort of worker that business and industry like.

But there are a few modest steps we could take to improve education somewhat. Schools have become so cluttered with non-academic components that they have forgotten what ought to be their purpose.

The purpose of education is not merely to accumulate facts and information or job skills. Those are auxiliary functions. Facts and information and skills are necessary: they are the fodder for thinking. The purpose of developing the mind is to enable us to better acquire, evaluate and interpret information. But mere information, without thinking skills to evaluate and implement it, should not be worthy of academic credit. This suggestion is really quite radical. Even in the best universities, in the most 'academic' fields, evaluation systems give credit for memorized information.

I ask my academic colleagues this hard question. "In your exams, what percent of the points could be earned by a student who was merely a good memorizer of facts and procedures but understood nothing?" Few can honestly claim any less than 50%. I consider this to be the real scandal of education.

http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/decline1.htm

Cicada Rhythm--College Ediiton

Like cicada, every semester a few students "wake up" about two days before the end of classes, and attempt to "catch up" the semester's work in a vain attempt to pass the class.

This illustrates the paradox of college academic life: those whose past endeavors in high school was characterized by teachers constantly hounding these students for assignments (and the student responding with less-than-complimentary characterizations of these teachers) are the same students that, once having entered the "hassle-free" academic life of a college campus, show that they need that "nagging" high school teacher.

And my experience has been that intelligence and talent vary widely among these cicada students . . . . some are quite talented, but haven't practiced the self-discipline that will allow that talent to produce academic results.

Luckily, every semester I also have students who have been struggling with the material all term long; they may not always test well, but these students have slogged through all the assigned exercises, and have a good working knowledge of the material. These are the students who sometimes find themselves the recipient of a few extra points to "blow them over" into the next higher grade.

That same wind doesn't blow for my cicada students--they just get enough dirt to bury them until the same time next semester.

Money Well Spent????

Please double-click on the diagram for a larger view.

The Consent of the Governed . . .

The Associated Press reports a new study concerning the degree of political involvement among college freshman is spiking higher.

And that many of those freshman were not able to attend their "first choice" school for financial reasons.

And that 41% of those same college freshman support legalizing marijuana, though apparently about 32% of high school students have tried the illegal drug. And the Associated Press draws the conclusion that this attitude about marijuana may have less to do with these freshmen's attitude toward illegal drugs as it does about the role of government.

Well DUH!!! All during the previous administration, these young folks have seen older siblings ship off to an ideological war (not that any war isn't ideological, but Iraq was to the extreme) all the while mom and dad's ability to provide the "extra" funding dwindled.

Oh yes---and the promissory note to pay for the above mentioned ideological war--guess what's awaiting this young person on the far side of graduation????

Is it any wonder that today's uber-connected freshman wants his government out of the bedroom and into the boardroom???

While it's far from unusual for young folks not to want to be told what to do by older-boardroom-authority-figure types, now that they have 1) discovered the power of the ballot and 2) have a new standard-bearer in the White House,

the governed just became those who are governing.

Trampling Dinosaurs . . . .

Managers and their companies will have to deal with the 76 million children of baby boomers, born between 1978 and 2000, who have started pouring into offices across the land. Four generations are being asked to coexist at once: traditionalists (born before 1945), boomers (born 1946-1964), generation X (1965-1977), and millennials (alternately known as gen-Y, echo boomers, Net gen, and even "generation why," because they never stop questioning the status quo). Managers will be challenged to minimize the friction and maximize the assets of four distinct sets of work values and styles simultaneously.

The more I teach (a variety of traditional and non-traditional students), I'm more and more aware of the "Culture Clash" as written about in Fast Company Magazine (which I heartily recommend to all business students).

The article goes on to say that

Millennials aren't interested in the financial success that drove the boomers or the independence that has marked the gen-Xers, but in careers that are personalized.

And "personalization" is not a bad thing!!! The Web 2.0 "revolution" has been fueled by those who, rather than taking what corporate America wanted to offer via the web, have instead created a web of their own.

But I also realize that I and many of my teaching colleagues (apologies for pointing this out, folks) are quickly becoming dinosaurs, thinking and teaching "old" methods and skills to students who rapidly discount anything that isn't personally profitable. And no (as the Fast Company articles explains) this won't "wash away with time." These attitudes are here to stay.

My challenge will be to find the right approach to Personal Knowledge Management that will stress the Personal part, make it immediately relevant, but also allowing students to grasp the importance of those skills to the larger organization.

Of course, the humbling possibility is that they will not only catch up, but surpass me--and that they will then teach me how to manage one's own "personal" knowledge.

It's not being kept on my toes that I mind; it's the fear that if I stop to catch my breath, I'll be run over . . . . .

Kudos to a College Who Gets "IT" Right . . . .

As notebook computers become much more affordable, HP's slogan of "the computer is personal again" is quite apt.

While most two-year colleges compete by keeping their tuitions low (and could not offer this), and many other schools either provide or require students taking certain majors (e.g. engineering) to purchase a particular computer (e.g. a "tablet" computer), Grove City College here in Pennsylvania gets my vote for grasping the importance of integrating "personal" computing with one's professional life.

I'm particularly impressed that their selection is that of a "tablet" computer, which is (IMHO) the interface we'll all be using soon . . . .

Since its founding, Grove City College has believed that a quality education is also a practical education. Given the prevalence of computer technology in most career fields, we believe learning about and using computers is important across the curriculum.

All full-time students receive the use of a notebook computer and printer. Students who are full-time when they graduate get to keep the equipment. There are network ports (10 Mbps switched Ethernet) for every bed in the dorms, every classroom and many public spaces on campus to connect the students to the Internet and a variety of campus services.

Our Repair Shop is staffed by certified computer technicians who provide on-site repairs for all college provided equipment. Note that standard warranties only cover normal wear and tear, so all students are encouraged to provide their own insurance coverage for those unfortunate incidents of life! A student run Help Desk provides excellent support and information for all types of computer questions.

Freshman Computers

Since 1994, the college has handed a new notebook computer and printer to each incoming freshman. Fall 2008 freshman computer system specifications include:

• HP Compaq Tablet PC tc4400 mobile computer
  - 2.16Ghz Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T7400 (4MB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB)
  - 3GB RAM (667 MHz Shared DDR II SDRAM)
  - 120GB SMART Hard Drive (5400 RPM SATA)
  - 12.1" TFT XGA WVA Enhanced Outdoor-viewable Display with Fingerprint Reader
  - Dual Pointing Devices (Pointstick and Touchpad)
  - Digital Eraser Pen with tether and clip
  - 10/100/1000 NIC and 56K modem
  - Integrated Intel® Pro Wireless 3945ABG (WLAN 802.11a/b/g)
  - Embedded TMP 1.2 Security Chip, Integrated Bluetooth Module
  - External MultiBay II with DVD+/-RW Combo Drive
  - 4 GB USB 2.0 Memory Key
  - 6 CELL Lithium-Ion Battery, Travel Battery
  - Targus Computer Backpack for Tablet PC
  - 4 year extended warranty
  
  
• HP Photosmart C4280 all-in-one printer/scanner/copier
  - Professional photo quality with fast, versatile performance
  - Prints up to 30 pages per minute in laser-quality black
  - Prints up to 23 pages per minute in color
  - Optical scan resolution 1200 x 4800 dpi
  - Copy resolution up to 1200 x 4800 dpi
  
  
• College Provided Software
  - Microsoft® Windows® Vista SP1 Business Edition
  - Microsoft® Office Enterprise 2007, Sharepoint Designer 2007 and OneNote™ 2007
  - Sophos Corporate Antivirus 7.0

The World's Toughest Exam

This may just be an "urban legend," but the lesson is still valuable . . . .

At Georgia Tech (we've also heard this from Duke), there were four sophomores taking Organic Chemistry. They did so well on all the quizzes, the mid-terms and labs, etc. that each had an "A" so far for the semester. These four friends were so confident that the weekend before the finals, they decided to go up to the University of Virginia and party with some friends there.

They had a great time; however, after all the partying, they slept all day Sunday and didn't make it back to GA Tech until Monday morning. Rather than take the final then, they decided to find their professor after the final and explain to him why they missed the exam. They explained that they had gone to UVA for the weekend with the plan to come back that evening to study, but unfortunately, they had a flat tire on the way back, didn't have a spare and couldn't get help for a long time. As a result, they missed the final.

The professor thought it over and then agreed they could make up the final the following day. The guys were elated and relieved. They studied that night and went in the next day at the time the professor had told them. He placed them in separate rooms and handed each of them a test booklet, and told them to begin.

They looked at the first problem, worth five points, something simple like free radical formation. "Cool", they thought at the same time, each one in his separate room, "this is going to be easy."

Each finished the problem and then turned the page. On the second page was written: (For 95 points): Which tire?

Making the Most of College

Ben Jones works for the admissions department of MIT, one of the best schools in the country. Apparently Ben graduated from MIT only 10 years ago. On his blog, he lists his "50 Things" addressed to the class of 2010.

I've included them all, but bolded those with which I particularly concur:

1. Your friends will change a lot over the next four years. Let them.

2. Call someone you love back home a few times a week, even if just for a few minutes.

3. In college more than ever before, songs will attach themselves to memories. Every month or two, make a mix cd, mp3 folder, whatever - just make sure you keep copies of these songs. Ten years out, they'll be as effective as a journal in taking you back to your favorite moments.

4. Take naps in the middle of the afternoon with reckless abandon.

5. Adjust your schedule around when you are most productive and creative. If you're nocturnal and do your best work late at night, embrace that. It may be the only time in your life when you can.

6. If you write your best papers the night before they are due, don't let people tell you that you "should be more organized" or that you "should plan better." Different things work for different people. Personally, I worked best under pressure - so I always procrastinated... and always kicked ass (which annoyed my friends to no end). ;-) Use the freedom that comes with not having grades first semester to experiment and see what works best for you.

7. At least a few times in your college career, do something fun and irresponsible when you should be studying. The night before my freshman year psych final, my roommate somehow scored front row seats to the Indigo Girls at a venue 2 hours away. I didn't do so well on the final, but I haven't thought about psych since 1993. I've thought about the experience of going to that show (with the guy who is now my son's godfather) at least once a month ever since.

8. Become friends with your favorite professors. Recognize that they can learn from you too - in fact, that's part of the reason they chose to be professors.

9. Carve out an hour every single day to be alone. (Sleeping doesn't count.)

10. Go on dates. Don't feel like every date has to turn into a relationship.

11. Don't date someone your roommate has been in a relationship with.

12. When your friends' parents visit, include them. You'll get free food, etc., and you'll help them to feel like they're cool, hangin' with the hip college kids.

13. In the first month of college, send a hand-written letter to someone who made college possible for you and describe your adventures thus far. It will mean a lot to him/her now, and it will mean a lot to you in ten years when he/she shows it to you.

14. Embrace the differences between you and your classmates. Always be asking yourself, "what can I learn from this person?" More of your education will come from this than from any classroom.

15. All-nighters are entirely overrated.

16. For those of you who have come to college in a long-distance relationship with someone from high school: despite what many will tell you, it can work. The key is to not let your relationship interfere with your college experience. If you don't want to date anyone else, that's totally fine! What's not fine, however, is missing out on a lot of defining experiences because you're on the phone with your boyfriend/girlfriend for three hours every day.

17. Working things out between friends is best done in person, not over email. (IM does not count as "in person.") Often someone's facial expressions will tell you more than his/her words.

18. Take risks.

19. Don't be afraid of (or excited by) the co-ed bathrooms. The thrill is over in about 2 seconds.

20. Wednesday is the middle of the week; therefore on Wednesday night the week is more than half over. You should celebrate accordingly. (It makes Thursday and Friday a lot more fun.)

21. Welcome failure into your lives. It's how we grow. What matters is not that you failed, but that you recovered.

22. Take some classes that have nothing to do with your major(s), purely for the fun of it.

23. It's important to think about the future, but it's more important to be present in the now. You won't get the most out of college if you think of it as a stepping stone.

24. When you're living on a college campus with 400 things going on every second of every day, watching TV is pretty much a waste of your time and a waste of your parents' money. If you're going to watch, watch with friends so at least you can call it a "valuable social experience."

25. Don't be afraid to fall in love. When it happens, don't take it for granted. Celebrate it, but don't let it define your college experience.

26. Much of the time you once had for pleasure reading is going to disappear. Keep a list of the books you would have read had you had the time, so that you can start reading them when you graduate.

27. Things that seem like the end of the world really do become funny with a little time and distance. Knowing this, forget the embarrassment and skip to the good part.

28. Every once in awhile, there will come an especially powerful moment when you can actually feel that an experience has changed who you are. Embrace these, even if they are painful.

29. No matter what your political or religious beliefs, be open-minded. You're going to be challenged over the next four years in ways you can't imagine, across all fronts. You can't learn if you're closed off.

30. If you need to get a job, find something that you actually enjoy. Just because it's work doesn't mean it has to suck.

31. Don't always lead. It's good to follow sometimes.

32. Take a lot of pictures. One of my major regrets in life is that I didn't take more pictures in college. My excuse was the cost of film and processing. Digital cameras are cheap and you have plenty of hard drive space, so you have no excuse.

33. Your health and safety are more important than anything.

34. Ask for help. Often.

35. Half of you will be in the bottom half of your class at any given moment. Way more than half of you will be in the bottom half of your class at some point in the next four years. Get used to it.

36. In ten years very few of you will look as good as you do right now, so secretly revel in how hot you are before it's too late.

37. In the long run, where you go to college doesn't matter as much as what you do with the opportunities you're given there. The MIT name on your resume won't mean much if that's the only thing on your resume. As a student here, you will have access to a variety of unique opportunities that no one else will ever have - don't waste them.

38. On the flip side, don't try to do everything. Balance = well-being.

39. Make perspective a priority. If you're too close to something to have good perspective, rely on your friends to help you.

40. Eat badly sometimes. It's the last time in your life when you can do this without feeling guilty about it.

41. Make a complete ass of yourself at least once, preferably more. It builds character.

42. Wash your sheets more than once a year. Trust me on this one.

43. If you are in a relationship and none of your friends want to hang out with you and your significant other, pay attention. They usually know better than you do.

44. Don't be afraid of the weird pizza topping combinations that your new friend from across the country loves. Some of the truly awful ones actually taste pretty good. Expand your horizons.

45. Explore the campus thoroughly. Don't get caught.

46. Life is too short to stick with a course of study that you're no longer excited about. Switch, even if it complicates things.

47. Tattoos are permanent. Be very certain.

48. Don't make fun of prefrosh. That was you like 2 hours ago.

49. Enjoy every second of the next four years. It is impossible to describe how quickly they pass.

50. This is the only time in your lives when your only real responsibility is to learn. Try to remember how lucky you are every day.

Be yourself. Create. Inspire, and be inspired. Grow. Laugh. Learn. Love.

Welcome to some of the best years of your lives.