Treating Candidates Like Supplicants, and 9 Other Recruiting Mistakes

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 15:07

By Dennis M. Barden. Top 10 missteps that backfire on administrative search committees.
As search consultants, my colleagues and I regularly observe candidates doing counterproductive things during a preliminary (yes, I mean "airport") interview, in the mistaken belief that they are scoring points with the hiring committee. But search committee have their own set of gaffes.
Last week's column focused on the 10 most common missteps made by would-be presidents, provosts, and deans. In the spirit of turnabout being fair play—and with continuing props to David Letterman as master of the form—I offer here the top 10 things that search-committee members do (or don't do) in interviews that backfire.  
10. Don't understand the job. Ironically, this happens all the time. Read more...

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As MOOC Debate Simmers at San Jose State, American U. Calls a Halt

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 15:05

By Steve Kolowich. In the latest salvo in a debate over MOOCs that has drawn national attention, the San Jose State University chapter of the California Faculty Association has thrown its weight behind recent criticisms of the university's partnerships with outside providers of massive open online courses—specifically, edX and Udacity.
Meantime, on the opposite side of the country, American University has announced a "moratorium on MOOCs."
The California faculty union, which represents more than 2,000 professors on the San Jose State campus, has written a memorandum sharply criticizing the university's president, Mohammad H. Qayoumi, for what the union sees as a preference for "private rather than public solutions" when it comes to online tools and content. Read more...

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Partnership Gives Students Access to a High-Price Text on a MOOC Budget

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 15:04

By Jake New. Later this month, Michael Schatz, a physics professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, will begin teaching a massive open online physics course through Coursera. Because of the complexity of physics and because the course uses computer modeling, students taking the MOOC will need access to something that doesn't often come with a free online course: an expensive textbook.
"This is an intro course," Mr. Schatz said. "The idea is this is a person's first course in physics. Textbook usage is a common feature of such courses. They play a central role. Without the book, this course is kind of a nonstarter."
But that textbook, which is called Matter and Interactions and is published by John Wiley & Sons, can cost more than $150. With many participants enrolling in MOOCs as a way to learn while saving money, how to bring high-quality, mainstream textbooks into a service that is meant to be free, or at least inexpensive, remains a puzzle. Read more...

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How Much Do You Pay for College?

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 15:01

By Richard Kahlenberg. A once-taboo topic emerges from the shadows. Over the past decade and a half, I've given talks on dozens of college campuses about the need to increase socioeconomic diversity, but never before had I witnessed what I observed during a recent speech at Middlebury College.
Before introducing me, students from the sponsoring organization, Money at Midd, began the forum by publicly announcing their names and how much they and their families paid each year in tuition and fees. The first student, Samuel Koplinka-Loehr, said that his family paid about $18,000, and that he added $3,000 from his job. He passed the microphone to the next student, who said his family paid the full $56,000 comprehensive fee. A young woman said that her family could not afford to pay anything, but that she worked to pay $1,200 toward college costs. Read more...

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Self-Sabotage in the Academic Career

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 14:58

By Robert J. Sternberg. 15 ways in which faculty members harm their own futures, often without knowing it. Pogo recognized long ago that we often are our own worst enemies. Sure, he was a cartoon character, but he had a point—­especially in higher education, where self-sabotage seems to be a standard characteristic of academic careers. In my 30 years as a professor, five years as a dean, and three years as a provost, I have observed many academics harm their own careers, often without realizing it. Here are 15 ways in which you can be most self-destructive.
1. You don't seek out multiple mentors. Too many faculty members sit back and wait for guidance and advice from their department heads or promotion committees. Successful academics, early in their careers, look for several mentors, including from departments other than their own. No one person or committee can be relied on to give you definitive career advice. In the end, you need to seek out multiple sources of advice, sort the good from the bad, and take responsibility for your own career development. Read more...

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Students Might Not Be 'Academically Adrift' After All, Study Finds

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 14:55

By Dan Berrett. Students show substantial gains in learning during college, as measured by a standardized test of critical thinking, according to two studies conducted by the creator of the test. While perhaps not a direct rebuke to Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses, the blockbuster 2011 book that documented what its authors argued was meager learning on campuses, the studies, by the Council for Aid to Education, do offer a sunnier counternarrative.
"It's probably a more nuanced story," said Roger Benjamin, the council's president, in an interview on Friday. The results described in reports on the studies, "Does College Matter? Measuring Critical-Thinking Outcomes Using the CLA" and "Three Principle Questions About Critical-Thinking Tests," were presented in an off-the-record session here at the American Enterprise Institute. Read more...

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Uni-Tests in Griechenland: Ptychiomania heißt Abschlusswahn

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 12:22

Aus Thessaloniki berichtet Georgios Christidis. Ihr Land liegt am Boden, das treibt sie an: Griechenlands Schüler kämpfen wie die Löwen um Studienplätze an den besten Unis. Die harten Auswahltests dauern zwei Wochen und sind ein nationales Faszinosum, TV-Sender berichten zur Primetime. Die Kandidaten leiden - die Eltern auch. Krise hin oder her, die Griechen sind nach wie vor vernarrt in universitäre Bildung. Am Freitag begannen landesweit die zwei Wochen dauernden universitären Aufnahmeprüfungen - für Tausende Oberschüler und ihre Eltern der Höhepunkt eines dramatischen, anstrengenden Jahres. Doch die Tests sind in Griechenland noch mehr als eine Feuerprobe für Schulabgänger und Familien - sie sind ein Faszinosum für das ganze Land und ein Ereignis für das Hauptabendprogramm im Fernsehen. Psychologen sind im Mai gefragte Zeitungskolumnisten und verteilen großzügig Tipps fürs Stressmanagement an die Leserschaft. Mehr...

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Korruption in Russland: Warum studieren, ich kann doch schmieren

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 12:18

Von Charlotte Haunhorst.Professoren bekommen in Russland nicht besonders viel Geld, deswegen verdienen viele durch Studenten dazu: Wer nicht lernen kann oder will, schiebt dem Dozenten einige tausend Rubel rüber. Erlaubt ist das nicht, trotzdem soll mindestens jeder dritte Student schon bestochen haben... Einer ernsthaften Überprüfung halten die wenigsten Promotions- oder Habilitationsschriften stand. Für Aufsehen sorgte kürzlich die Revision von 25 Dissertationen einer Moskauer Elite-Uni. 24 davon wurden als wissenschaftlich ungenügend enttarnt, darunter auch die Arbeit von Andrej Andrijanow, dem Direktor der Kaderschmiede für mathematisch begabte Studenten an der Universität Moskau, einem Vertrauten von Wladimir Putin. Andrijanow, so konnte nachgewiesen werden, hatte die Arbeit bei einem Doktormacher gekauft. Das erklärte auch, warum er als Diplomchemiker einen Doktor in Geschichte besaß, ausgestellt von einer Hochschule für Pädagogik... Denn jeder Student zahlt durchschnittlich 1000 Euro Studiengebühren im Jahr. Wer scheitert, fällt als Einnahmequelle weg. Bei der abnehmenden Zahl junger Menschen müssen die Unis um jeden Studenten kämpfen. Mehr...

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Studienplatzvergabe: Ein ganz klein bisschen weniger Chaos

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 12:16

Die Studienplatzvergabe über hochschulstart.de kommt weiterhin sehr langsam in Gang: Für nur 170 NC-Fächer können sich Studienanfänger auf der zentralen Website bewerben, für fast 5000 müssen sie sich direkt an die Hochschulen wenden. Ein Ende des Vergabe-Durcheinanders ist nicht absehbar. Nein, so richtig in Gang kommt der Nachfolger der einstigen Zentralen Vergabestelle für Studienplätze (ZVS) nicht. Im kommenden Wintersemester, also 2013/2014, können sich Studienanfänger zwar für immerhin 170 Studiengänge mit Numerus Clausus (N.C.) zentral über die Plattform hochschulstart.de bewerben - beim Start im Jahr 2012 waren es nur 22. Doch ist nach wie vor ein Großteil der fast 5000 zulassungsbeschränkten Studiengänge nicht dabei. Wie bisher müssen sich Studienberechtigte hier bei der jeweiligen Hochschule bewerben. Mehr...

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Besondere Studentenzimmer: Ab ins Containerdorf

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 12:12

Berlin, Berlin, wir ziehen nach Berlin: Das denken sich zu jedem Semesterstart Tausende Studenten. Doch bezahlbare Zimmer in halbwegs attraktiven Gegenden sind knapp. Ein Investor will jetzt ein Containerdorf errichten - und einen Waschservice für schmutzige Socken anbieten. Praktisch, diese Überseecontainer, mit denen Bananen, Klamotten oder Autoteile über die Weltmeere transportiert werden. Die Dinger sind groß, stabil und einigermaßen billig. Genau richtig für Studenten, dachte sich der Investor Jörg Duske. Schließlich muss Wohnraum her, weil immer mehr Abiturienten an die Hochschulen drängen und der Wohnraum knapp und teuer wird. Duske kaufte ein 11000-Quadratmeter-Grundstück in Berlin-Plänterwald, eine S-Bahn-Station von Neukölln entfernt. Hier, umgeben von Billig-Supermärkten, Bahnlinien und dem Treptower Park, entsteht nun ein riesiges Containerdorf für Hunderte Studenten. 13 Millionen Euro kostet das erste Bauprojekt dieser Art in Deutschland. Miete: 200 bis 300 Euro im Monat. Bewerbungen für ein Leben im Container sind ab Mai 2013 auf www.eba51.de möglich. Mehr...
See also Mondialisation des containers devenant des résidences étudiantes.

Vie étudiante | Permalien | Rétroliens (0)

Reading, Writing, Algorithms: Should IT Classes Be Required?

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 12:07

By Hilmar Schmundt. Education experts in Germany are pushing to modernize the country's basic curriculum by making instruction in computer science mandatory. But opponents say it doesn't deserve the same status as subjects like math, Latin and biology. Hannah is creating a red convertible for herself. The bright teenager painstakingly specifies every detail of the vehicle, line by line, using commands like "car.move(50,0)." Hannah is not writing an essay. She is working on the code for a vector graphic with the aid of the programming language called EOS. The final product pops up on screen: A block and two dots that together very vaguely resemble a car.
It's a Wednesday afternoon in the computer lab of Kreuzgymnasium secondary school in the eastern German city of Dresden. A dozen eighth-graders are sitting in front of computer monitors, typing, whispering and programming. The IT class at this school serves as an example for the entire country. These students have been learning how to work with computers since fifth grade. To them, it's just another subject alongside math and biology, supplemented by the usual school standards: Latin, choir, music and drama. Read more...

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Universities lure students with upscale dorms

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 11:54

By Masaaki Kameda. Universities in Japan are doing everything they can to attract students amid the aging society and decline in young people. One approach to lure applicants is to provide dormitories with state-of-the-art facilities. Takushoku University opened a dormitory in April last year at its Hachioji campus in western Tokyo. The orange and brown College House Fuso complex includes four four-story buildings and a three-floor one. They only admit residents who have cleared its strict security system.
There are 405 individual rooms in the dorm, each just over 17.5 sq. meters and featuring a bath, toilet, kitchen, bed, desk and a chair. The rent is ¥58,000 a month, which also includes two meals a day. The dorm also boasts a cafeteria, a convenience store and a bicycle shop for students. What makes Takushoku’s Hachioji dorm unique is its upmarket facilities — a large bathing area featuring a sauna and whirlpool spa, and a training gym — for use by dorm residents only. Read more...

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Police investigate 'cheating' service for uni students

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 11:51

Police and education authorities are investigating allegations of mass cheating by international students at tertiary institutes throughout the country.
ONE News spoke to the man who alerted the New Zealand qualification Authority to the potential problem.
He alleges he was contracted to write assignments for students at various universities who could not meet language standards. Read more...

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Uni funding cuts spark national outrage

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 11:48

Academics and students have vowed to campaign against university funding cuts of more than $2 billion, holding rallies around the country. The tertiary education union has vowed to launch a major campaign against university funding cuts in the lead-up to the federal election, as hundreds of students rallied in a national protest.
National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) general secretary Graham McCulloch said the academics' union would hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss action against $2.3 billion in cuts expected in Tuesday's budget. Read more...

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Columbia University still has 'whites only' scholarship

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 11:45

Columbia University still offers a “whites only” tuition fellowship, which is restricted to “a person of the Caucasian race” and may be in violation of the US Constitution, a Manhattan Supreme Court wrote in papers filed Monday.
Facing massive condemnation upon the discovery of this discriminatory restriction, Columbia University has called for an end to the scholarship program that came out of a fund now worth about $800,000.
The Lydia C. Roberts Graduate Fellowship, which was established in 1920, only considers Americans who are from Iowa, not studying law, “of the Caucasian race”, and returning to Iowa for at least two years upon graduation. A court order is required in order to change the conditions of the fellowship. Read more...

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Mother Tongue: South African University To Make Zulu Language Compulsory For All Students

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 11:40

By Palash Ghosh. A prominent university in South Africa will make learning the Zulu language compulsory for all incoming students starting next year, the first time the country’s higher education sector has ever made such a move to impose the teaching of an indigenous African language. The University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban called the measure a “watershed” moment in its history, requiring students to be at least bilingual in order to obtain their degrees, regardless of their field of study. UKZN explained that the decision would encourage “social cohesion” and promote "nation-building and [bring] diverse languages together" in a country still divided by race and culture. Read more...

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State fails to sponsor university students

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 11:37

GOVERNMENT owes $62 million in unpaid fees to its State universities, polytechnic colleges and teacher’s colleges, Parliament heard yesterday.
SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER
Director of Higher Education Martha Muguti disclosed that the Ministry of Finance had failed to meet its budgetary obligations to finance tertiary institutions since 2012, leaving them in financial dire straits.
Muguti made the disclosure when she appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology chaired by Insiza MP Siyabonga Ncube.
“Since January 2013, no single cent has been released for State universities and we find it difficult to deal with issues of accommodation, meals and the standard of life students now live is appalling,” she said. Read more...

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Universities offering cash to students who find a job

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 11:34

Shanghai's universities are offering a variety of incentives such as subsidies for students willing to return to their hometowns to work amid a tough job market. This is meant to ensure a steady enrollment next year by pumping up the proportion of graduating students finding jobs.
Some schools say they will offer career training programs, including communication skills, to the students who failed to land a job.
Around 44 percent of 178,000 senior students at local universities and colleges had secured a job as of last week, 2 percentage points down from last year, the Shanghai Education Commission said yesterday. Read more...

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'Fly in, fly out' scholars fail to take off in China

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 11:32

A new report shows that 'fly in, fly out' academics are a source of frustration for Chinese students taking UK degrees in their own country, writes Jack Grove for Times Higher Education. Full report on the Times Higher Education site.
Around 38,000 students in China were studying for qualifications taught by a total of 70 British higher education institutions last year, either through a branch campus, partnerships with Chinese universities or via distance learning. Read more...

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MOOCs – Past, present and future

pcassuto | 20 mai, 2013 11:25

By Hamish Macleod and Geoff Gould.The University of Edinburgh has a reputation for innovation and so being part of one of the first massive online open courses, or MOOCs, was a logical step for us. One of the most striking things about the university’s pilot MOOC was how it demonstrated the sheer appetite for online learning. Not really knowing what to expect, we were astonished with the level of enrolments, which exceeded 300,000. We had almost 90% of applicants coming from outside of the UK, so it is truly a worldwide phenomenon. Read more...

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