I was advised today by the head of department that I made a number of students uncomfortable last week when I used my mobile phone to record attendance at the exam. I apologise for making anyone uncomfortable.
I was necessary to record who was at the exam so that in the event of an issue, like a script being lost or unidentified, I could establish who was there and who was not. A roll call would have eaten into the time we had available to the exam. Not all of the people there on the day were personally known to me. I did not want to interrupt students by asking those I did not know for ID. And there was no certainty that they would even have had ID.
It clear, however, that I made some students uncomfortable. I am sorry for that.
It was always my intent to keep the recordings for only a few days until after the results were published so that if there was an issue it might be a useful record.
The recordings were never actually viewed. They were never copied nor backed up.
I deleted them from my phone today immediately on discovering that their existence made some students uncomfortable. However, they would have been deleted over the next few days in any event because there were no issues.
It is clear that different people have different comfort levels when it comes to the recording of their images or voices, or indeed any data about them. It is always difficult to find the right balance between the convenience provided by technologies and the risks they pose. In fact, I think this is one of the big questions of our time. I clearly got it wrong, and, again, I apologize for this.
I have decided to err on the side of caution from now on and so will be more sensitive in future. I will also discontinue my practice of recording lectures and putting them on YouTube. There is a risk that this practice may prevent some students from asking questions or may make them uncomfortable for other reasons. Since I never actually asked anyone's permission I will cease the practice and I have removed those recordings that were made in the past without permission.
Showing posts with label Reflection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reflection. Show all posts
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
What if I'm crap?
I had a discussion today over coffee with some people about the Internet and the role it will play in Higher Education. It got me thinking about this blog and my YouTube videos and podcasts. What if they are crap? Now, I'm not having an existential crisis or anything and I'm proud of most of the work I have online. But what if it is crap? I saw a statistic once that 90% of lecturers think their teaching is average or above average. But of course 90% of us can't be above average.
The Internet has transformed my dark and dusty classroom in an obscure outpost on an island off the edge of Europe that no one can see into, into a dark and dusty classroom in an obscure outpost on an island off the edge of Europe that anyone can see into. Little has changed as a result of this quiet revolution. If I was a really crap lecturer, these recordings of classes would be a problem for the Institute. All the glossy brochures, polished YouTube videos, and shiny happy clip art people on billboards, would be quite pointless if people could see into classrooms and see that what goes on in class is not quite perfect. Worse still, what if the material I was teaching was irrelevant, out of date, or at too basic a level? Everyone would know exactly what going on. I can see why that terrifies people who are responsible for developing and maintaining the Institute's image and reputation.
But these concerns raise some more fundamental questions. If everyone finds out that I am a bad lecturer, what's the real problem? That I'm a bad lecturer, or that people know? What if the courses are not relevant or the quality of the graduates poor? Is the problem really that people might find out? It was only a few years ago that there was consternation at CIT when it was discovered that the students' union had put past exam papers on its public website where anyone on the Internet could see past exam papers for CIT courses. People were genuinely horrified.
I am actually not that worried about where I am on the curve, mostly because at CIT I am pretty much the only data point on the curve. I haven't seen many other blogs, nor YouTube videos, and there are no other courses available as podcasts. I will happily accept criticism from any other lecturers who put themselves out there, but not from others. I am not Pat Kenny and can never be. I have some good days and some bad days. Everyone does. I have given some very dull lectures in my time, and some very interesting one.
I am concerned though that as the Institute's managers finally wake up to the importance of the Internet in Higher Education they may attempt to control how the world sees CIT by censoring which of the Institute's many voices the world may hear. Only approved messages via approved channels will be permitted. I think this would be a mistake. Allowing the world to see what goes on at CIT, warts and all, is hugely valuable. Consumers of information are increasingly sophisticated. They know advertising when they see it. People won't actually buy that CIT is populated by attractive shiny happy clip art people. Authentic credible information suggesting that CIT is well above average, is more valuable than fake bumf. If the truth about CIT is not good enough to attract students and command respect in the wider community, then the problem is the truth, not the discovery of it. If the reality doesn't cut it, then address the reality, not the perception.
One of the main risks the Internet poses to the shiny happy clip art world view is that the web provides a forum where people can criticise the Institute. This can make for an uncomfortable working environment for people unused to having to explain the decisions they make to those affected by them. However any organisation that prohibits criticism is unlikely to take corrective action when it is making mistakes. The recent banking crisis and consequent bankruptcy of the state are an excellent example of what can happen when dissenting voices are silenced. Fear is understandable. Exposing yourself to potential criticism is uncomfortable. But delusion can be dangerous. Does anybody really believe that North Korea is a paradise? Is our disbelief North Korea's real problem?
Which brings me back to my own delusions. I first started recording classes and putting them online just over 10 years ago. If I had a bit more time to prepare the classes could be better, but like 90% of my colleagues I still think I am above average. I think the online classes have been useful to students on the course. The classes have had a small audience outside of CIT. I definitely think that the knowledge that the recordings would be make public has had a positive impact on the quality. It has upped my game. I wonder if that tiny insight could be a lesson for the wider Institute. Does public scrutiny improve quality?
I don't believe that the best lecturer is the one that never says the wrong thing because he never says anything. But at least then all 100% of us would be above average.
The Internet has transformed my dark and dusty classroom in an obscure outpost on an island off the edge of Europe that no one can see into, into a dark and dusty classroom in an obscure outpost on an island off the edge of Europe that anyone can see into. Little has changed as a result of this quiet revolution. If I was a really crap lecturer, these recordings of classes would be a problem for the Institute. All the glossy brochures, polished YouTube videos, and shiny happy clip art people on billboards, would be quite pointless if people could see into classrooms and see that what goes on in class is not quite perfect. Worse still, what if the material I was teaching was irrelevant, out of date, or at too basic a level? Everyone would know exactly what going on. I can see why that terrifies people who are responsible for developing and maintaining the Institute's image and reputation.
But these concerns raise some more fundamental questions. If everyone finds out that I am a bad lecturer, what's the real problem? That I'm a bad lecturer, or that people know? What if the courses are not relevant or the quality of the graduates poor? Is the problem really that people might find out? It was only a few years ago that there was consternation at CIT when it was discovered that the students' union had put past exam papers on its public website where anyone on the Internet could see past exam papers for CIT courses. People were genuinely horrified.
I am actually not that worried about where I am on the curve, mostly because at CIT I am pretty much the only data point on the curve. I haven't seen many other blogs, nor YouTube videos, and there are no other courses available as podcasts. I will happily accept criticism from any other lecturers who put themselves out there, but not from others. I am not Pat Kenny and can never be. I have some good days and some bad days. Everyone does. I have given some very dull lectures in my time, and some very interesting one.
I am concerned though that as the Institute's managers finally wake up to the importance of the Internet in Higher Education they may attempt to control how the world sees CIT by censoring which of the Institute's many voices the world may hear. Only approved messages via approved channels will be permitted. I think this would be a mistake. Allowing the world to see what goes on at CIT, warts and all, is hugely valuable. Consumers of information are increasingly sophisticated. They know advertising when they see it. People won't actually buy that CIT is populated by attractive shiny happy clip art people. Authentic credible information suggesting that CIT is well above average, is more valuable than fake bumf. If the truth about CIT is not good enough to attract students and command respect in the wider community, then the problem is the truth, not the discovery of it. If the reality doesn't cut it, then address the reality, not the perception.
One of the main risks the Internet poses to the shiny happy clip art world view is that the web provides a forum where people can criticise the Institute. This can make for an uncomfortable working environment for people unused to having to explain the decisions they make to those affected by them. However any organisation that prohibits criticism is unlikely to take corrective action when it is making mistakes. The recent banking crisis and consequent bankruptcy of the state are an excellent example of what can happen when dissenting voices are silenced. Fear is understandable. Exposing yourself to potential criticism is uncomfortable. But delusion can be dangerous. Does anybody really believe that North Korea is a paradise? Is our disbelief North Korea's real problem?
Which brings me back to my own delusions. I first started recording classes and putting them online just over 10 years ago. If I had a bit more time to prepare the classes could be better, but like 90% of my colleagues I still think I am above average. I think the online classes have been useful to students on the course. The classes have had a small audience outside of CIT. I definitely think that the knowledge that the recordings would be make public has had a positive impact on the quality. It has upped my game. I wonder if that tiny insight could be a lesson for the wider Institute. Does public scrutiny improve quality?
I don't believe that the best lecturer is the one that never says the wrong thing because he never says anything. But at least then all 100% of us would be above average.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
HIgher Education App Style
The higher education sector is struggling to provide quality services despite fewer resources and governments around the world are insisting that colleges and universities find new revenue sources. What would higher education look like of the sector adopted some business modules from the web and computer companies?
Well first of all a basic university education would be free for everyone. Students could attend classes for free, but if they wanted to actually speak to a professor they would have to pay. These support sessions could be paid for on a single incident basis, or students could subscribe to a premium support service that allowed them to talk to a professor whenever they wanted. Only the basic course content would be free. Students would have to pay to unlock the advanced levels. Good students could earn gold stars by getting good test scores and by attending class regularly. Students could sell their gold stars online and weak students could buy gold stars for cash. Tests would be difficult, but students would be able to purchase power-ups to make them easier. Cheat sheets would be available, but at a price. Students would constantly be bombarded by targeted advertising. But they could pay to make the advertising go away. Professors wouldn’t actually know students’ names, but they would know everything else about them. Their eating habits, reading habits, web surfing history, and social interactions would all be logged and sold to marketing companies. Students could earn extra gold stars by telling all their Facebook friends how great the course is.
Well first of all a basic university education would be free for everyone. Students could attend classes for free, but if they wanted to actually speak to a professor they would have to pay. These support sessions could be paid for on a single incident basis, or students could subscribe to a premium support service that allowed them to talk to a professor whenever they wanted. Only the basic course content would be free. Students would have to pay to unlock the advanced levels. Good students could earn gold stars by getting good test scores and by attending class regularly. Students could sell their gold stars online and weak students could buy gold stars for cash. Tests would be difficult, but students would be able to purchase power-ups to make them easier. Cheat sheets would be available, but at a price. Students would constantly be bombarded by targeted advertising. But they could pay to make the advertising go away. Professors wouldn’t actually know students’ names, but they would know everything else about them. Their eating habits, reading habits, web surfing history, and social interactions would all be logged and sold to marketing companies. Students could earn extra gold stars by telling all their Facebook friends how great the course is.
Friday, November 9, 2012
SOFT6008 Assessment 1 Results
Assessment 1 did not go as well as I had expected it would. The average mark was 41%
The results are available here. Use the last 4 digits of your ID number to find your result. If your number does not appear, it is because there was some issue. The issue was most likely that you are not registered. I will try to find out on Monday if I can give out results to students who are not yet registered.
[Update: unregistered students' results appear there now too]
If you got a in this assessment then you need to get at least
(400-4a)/6 in assessment 2 to be sure of a pass.
The marking scheme is here
Suggested solution:
function realman (fin)
{
var valid = new Boolean("true");
datepart = fin.substring(0,6);
individualpart = fin.substring(7,10);
bothstring = datepart + individualpart;
bothnumber = parseInt (bothstring, 10);
themod = bothnumber % 31;
checkletter1 = fin.substring(10,11).toUpperCase();
madfinstring = "0123456789ABCDEFHJKLMNPRSTUVWXY";
checkletter2 = madfinstring.charAt(themod);
if (checkletter1 != checkletter2)
{
valid = "false";
}
individualnumber = parseInt(individualpart);
sex = individualnumber %2;
if (sex == 0)
{
valid=false;
}
return valid
}
Monday, November 5, 2012
SOFT6007 Assessment 1 results
The results of Assessment 1 are now available online. You can find your own result using the last 4 digits of your ID number.
The average mark was 51% (including 4 who didn't sit). The chart above show the distribution of the marks (excluding 4 who didn't sit).
Any mark below 100% for this exam should be cause for disappointment, as it was a good opportunity to get some marks in the bank. Any mark below 70% should be cause for concern.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Teaching Naked Discussion
I hosted a discussion on Teaching Naked & the Inverted Classroom this morning. Everyone who attended was very keen on the idea, but they thought that CIT students would find it very hard to take on the degree of responsibility required.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Educational Triage
I was discussing a student with a colleague a few weeks ago and she made a
comment that got me thinking. She said “Oh, I’m not a bit worried about him. He’s not going to be here
next year anyway”. That reminded me of triage.
On the battlefield, or where there are mass casualties, medical treatment is rationed so that it does the most good. Incoming casualties are sorted into different categories. Systems vary, but generally there are those casualties who are likely to be fine without immediate treatment, those who would benefit from treatment, and those who are so badly injured that they are likely to die irrespective of the treatment they receive. They are usually assigned green tags, red tags, and black tags respectively.
I wonder do lecturers (myself included) engage in educational triage. Does there come a time in our dealings with students we categorize them into those who will be fine anyway, those who need our intervention, and those who are so far gone that there is no point wasting our time on them. Are students walking around with invisible triage tags attached, that only lecturers can see? Is this fair? Or is it just pragmatic? Like battlefield medical attention, lecturers’ attention is finite. And as class sizes and workloads increase, it is becoming scarcer.
Should every student get the same amount of attention? Should those who need the most get the most, or should it be allocated where it can make the biggest difference.
What if we make mistakes? On the battlefield being classified as beyond help is fatal. If a student is written off in error and not given much assistance, he is likely to fail.
It’s interesting to think what signals or vibes we might be using to categorize students, consciously or subconsciously. For me the question “what am I supposed to be doing?” is like bullet wound to the head. YouTube and Facebook during lab time are like serious infections.
And of course educational triage requires an additional category not seen on the battlefield. Those seriously injured students who refuse medical treatment by not turning up to class, put themselves beyond the reach of the help they need. What colour tags should we use for them?
On the battlefield, or where there are mass casualties, medical treatment is rationed so that it does the most good. Incoming casualties are sorted into different categories. Systems vary, but generally there are those casualties who are likely to be fine without immediate treatment, those who would benefit from treatment, and those who are so badly injured that they are likely to die irrespective of the treatment they receive. They are usually assigned green tags, red tags, and black tags respectively.
I wonder do lecturers (myself included) engage in educational triage. Does there come a time in our dealings with students we categorize them into those who will be fine anyway, those who need our intervention, and those who are so far gone that there is no point wasting our time on them. Are students walking around with invisible triage tags attached, that only lecturers can see? Is this fair? Or is it just pragmatic? Like battlefield medical attention, lecturers’ attention is finite. And as class sizes and workloads increase, it is becoming scarcer.
Should every student get the same amount of attention? Should those who need the most get the most, or should it be allocated where it can make the biggest difference.
What if we make mistakes? On the battlefield being classified as beyond help is fatal. If a student is written off in error and not given much assistance, he is likely to fail.
It’s interesting to think what signals or vibes we might be using to categorize students, consciously or subconsciously. For me the question “what am I supposed to be doing?” is like bullet wound to the head. YouTube and Facebook during lab time are like serious infections.
And of course educational triage requires an additional category not seen on the battlefield. Those seriously injured students who refuse medical treatment by not turning up to class, put themselves beyond the reach of the help they need. What colour tags should we use for them?
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
"Teaching Naked" video
During the week I recorded the audio for a short video I am making on "Teaching Naked". I had tried to record it at home at the weekend but the house was to noisy.
When I started recording in my office I couldn't believe just how much noise there was. I couldn't, as you might think, hear the DJ Society doing it's thing 20m away, but I could hear all sorts of ambient noise. My desk is constantly vibrating, but I don't feel or hear it. My computer hums gently. As soon as I turned on the mic I could hear all these hidden sounds.
Audicity, like a lot of audio editing programs, has a fantastic noise reduction feature. You select a sample of "silence" and it analyses the noise. You can then subtract noise with those characteristics from the recording. It only works for structured noise, like a fan, or a hum. It won't work for people passing the the hall for example, or slamming doors. It if so impressive though I suspect I could record something on a plane and it would be fine.
A buddy of mine in Portugal is going to illustrate the video for me, if he has time. If not I'll have to do it myself.
When I started recording in my office I couldn't believe just how much noise there was. I couldn't, as you might think, hear the DJ Society doing it's thing 20m away, but I could hear all sorts of ambient noise. My desk is constantly vibrating, but I don't feel or hear it. My computer hums gently. As soon as I turned on the mic I could hear all these hidden sounds.
Audicity, like a lot of audio editing programs, has a fantastic noise reduction feature. You select a sample of "silence" and it analyses the noise. You can then subtract noise with those characteristics from the recording. It only works for structured noise, like a fan, or a hum. It won't work for people passing the the hall for example, or slamming doors. It if so impressive though I suspect I could record something on a plane and it would be fine.
A buddy of mine in Portugal is going to illustrate the video for me, if he has time. If not I'll have to do it myself.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
iTunesU
I was all set today to start uploading my classes to iTunes you. Two years ago I setup of a podcast server. I had imagined that the latest version of the software would be a huge improvement on the previous one, but it's still very clunky. I held off publishing classes so far this semester in anticipation of submitting them to the automated server. But if the pieces don't fall into place soon I must have to manually type the RSS feed myself. That's pointless donkey work.
If Apple plans to sell an iPad to every student and wants lecturers' content to be the draw it is going to have to take seriously the server side part of the equation. Using the server product it is hard to believe it's from the same company that makes iPods. The list of things I would fix if I was in charge is too long for me to start on.
On a positive note, Google+ is working out well for be so far. The ease with which I can publish a video is amazing (take note Apple). There hasn't been too much interaction with students on G+ yet, at least not with me. They may be interacting with each other, but I don't think so. I think the social element of education technology is often ignored. That's why I think something like G+ or FaceBook is the way to go.
If Apple plans to sell an iPad to every student and wants lecturers' content to be the draw it is going to have to take seriously the server side part of the equation. Using the server product it is hard to believe it's from the same company that makes iPods. The list of things I would fix if I was in charge is too long for me to start on.
On a positive note, Google+ is working out well for be so far. The ease with which I can publish a video is amazing (take note Apple). There hasn't been too much interaction with students on G+ yet, at least not with me. They may be interacting with each other, but I don't think so. I think the social element of education technology is often ignored. That's why I think something like G+ or FaceBook is the way to go.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Anonymous comments disabled
I have disabled anonymous comments for this blog. I had believed that allowing students to post anonymously would allow for a free-er exchange of ideas, but that turned out not to be the case. I was very disappointed with the tone and character of the comments that were left. I think I may have done students a disservice. In publishing the comments I may have given the impression that that kind of behaviour is acceptable.
Comments can still be added to any post, but the poster will have to log in. Of course fake gmail addresses remain an option.
Comments can still be added to any post, but the poster will have to log in. Of course fake gmail addresses remain an option.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Thursday, October 28, 2010
HEA report on drop out rates
A HEA report on dropout levels found that only 73% of students who start computing courses progress to second year. Of all the courses in the country computing courses fare the worst.
A success rate of 73% at CIT would be considered a very good year. Our retention rates are much lower. The report does compare the university sector with the IOT sector, but does not compare individual institutes. This is probably wise.
The report found that there was a correlation between the number of points required to get onto a course, and the retention rate. Retention rates in medicine are much higher. But it would be crazy, of course, to conclude that computing is more difficult than medicine. One can conclude that students with higher points in the leaving cert do better than those who have low points. But we didn't need a HEA report to tell us that.
A success rate of 73% at CIT would be considered a very good year. Our retention rates are much lower. The report does compare the university sector with the IOT sector, but does not compare individual institutes. This is probably wise.
The report found that there was a correlation between the number of points required to get onto a course, and the retention rate. Retention rates in medicine are much higher. But it would be crazy, of course, to conclude that computing is more difficult than medicine. One can conclude that students with higher points in the leaving cert do better than those who have low points. But we didn't need a HEA report to tell us that.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Cheating
This summer a student from the department of Computing was advised that, following a decision of the Examinations Infringements Board, he could not continue his studies at CIT until 2012 . This is perhaps as harsh a punishment as has every been handed down to a CIT student caught cheating. While this is not a good result for the student, it is a good result for all other students. If the awards given to students who graduate are to have any value in the marketplace then they have to mean something. When students who are not competent in their profession field gain their awards by deception they devalue the awards. It is also very unfair to students who study hard to pass, if other students can pass by cheating.
It is clear that CIT is now prepared to take cheating seriously and deal with it. This is good for everybody.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes for this new reality to affect student behaviour.
It is clear that CIT is now prepared to take cheating seriously and deal with it. This is good for everybody.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes for this new reality to affect student behaviour.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
SOFT6008 Review
This module was not a big success. Many students struggled right from the beginning and never really got on top of things. I think they many have lacked the required programming skills coming into the module. The results for this module were disappointing but not surprising. I haven't yet figured out what I will do differently next year to improve matters.
Many students did not attend class often enough. There is not a lot I can do about that.
We should have dealt more with the Document Object Model and modifying CSS properties. I don't think we did enough of that. Next time this module is offered I will try to get more of that in.
I believe that a small number of students cheated. Some withdrew their submissions and some others had their work referred to the Registrar's office for further investigation. Continuous Assessment is a much better form of assessment for some subjects. However it can be easily undermined by cheating. At present at CIT the consequences of cheating are so few, that the cost-benefit balance makes cheating profitable, in the main. I think the tide is turning, however, and perhaps word will get out that cheating is riskier than students think.
Many students did not attend class often enough. There is not a lot I can do about that.
We should have dealt more with the Document Object Model and modifying CSS properties. I don't think we did enough of that. Next time this module is offered I will try to get more of that in.
I believe that a small number of students cheated. Some withdrew their submissions and some others had their work referred to the Registrar's office for further investigation. Continuous Assessment is a much better form of assessment for some subjects. However it can be easily undermined by cheating. At present at CIT the consequences of cheating are so few, that the cost-benefit balance makes cheating profitable, in the main. I think the tide is turning, however, and perhaps word will get out that cheating is riskier than students think.
SOFT6007 Review
I was pleased with how SOFT6007 went this year. I think I and the other lecturers teaching on the module to other students did a better job of it this year than last. We also did a good job of ensuring that all the students taking the module did much the same.
I think the assessments this year were more realistic and provided enough of a challenge to the students while still being easy enough to do. I got much more CSS done this year than last year. I had been kind of avoiding it a bit up to now, but if it absolutely necessary that students learn CSS early. I think we did just the right amount of JavaScript.
I found that I progressed very quickly at the start of the semester. But although I was making great progress, I did not bring all the students with me. I will have to watch that in future, and take it slower at the beginning. I think I will have to be stricter on attendance next year. Attendance is the key to success for a module like this.
The results were poor. Students that passed did very well indeed, but they were few. The evening class did better, but that is not surprising. Evening students are a self selected sample and they can drop a class more easily. So that alone can account for the difference. However there was a marked difference in worth ethic also. This year's COM1 class is probably the least interested group of Computing students I have ever encountered.
I believe that a number of students cheated on Assessment 3 for this module. I did not have sufficient evidence to refer the issue to the registrar's office. I might, however, have fewer open lab based assessments in future. I will certainly have to watch students more closely if I do.
I think the assessments this year were more realistic and provided enough of a challenge to the students while still being easy enough to do. I got much more CSS done this year than last year. I had been kind of avoiding it a bit up to now, but if it absolutely necessary that students learn CSS early. I think we did just the right amount of JavaScript.
I found that I progressed very quickly at the start of the semester. But although I was making great progress, I did not bring all the students with me. I will have to watch that in future, and take it slower at the beginning. I think I will have to be stricter on attendance next year. Attendance is the key to success for a module like this.
The results were poor. Students that passed did very well indeed, but they were few. The evening class did better, but that is not surprising. Evening students are a self selected sample and they can drop a class more easily. So that alone can account for the difference. However there was a marked difference in worth ethic also. This year's COM1 class is probably the least interested group of Computing students I have ever encountered.
I believe that a number of students cheated on Assessment 3 for this module. I did not have sufficient evidence to refer the issue to the registrar's office. I might, however, have fewer open lab based assessments in future. I will certainly have to watch students more closely if I do.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Mid-semester review
It's the end of week 5 and so it feels like the half-way point of the semester, even though it's not. So it seems like a good time to reflect on how the semester has been going, how I have been performing, and how the classes have been going.
I think I have been a bit grumpy this semester. I have been less tolerant of students than I have been in the past. I'm not sure if that is actually a good thing or a bad thing.
I was a bit put out that my teaching assignments changed around so much at the start of the semester. At one point I was teaching CMOD6001 to DNET/DCOM, ITS, and COM. In the end I ended up teaching only DNET/DCOM. I actually I think I was lucky to get the best of the three groups. But over the years I put a lot of effort into this module and it was disappointing to have my hours reduced.
For CMOD6001 this semester I have reduced the workload for students. I used to require them to do a presentation and an essay. Presentation skills and writing skills are very useful things that students will need later in their college and work careers. They will be huge factors in students' future successes. However in the past some students did not take these assignment seriously and failed the module as a result. It has become clear to me however that failure has consequences, not just for students, but for the lecturer that fails them. So I have essentially dumbed down this module. This semester I am even giving 10% for just turning up. Interestingly I have found that just as many good students rise to the challenge of a difficult module, so weak students drop down to the level of easy modules. I would not be surprised if the failure rate for this module is largely unchanged as a result.
I was neither surprised nor disappointed that the COMP6023 Web Publishing did not run this semester. It was offered last year and I think most of the students that wanted to do it, did it then. I was frustrated that my HoD did not take my advice and offer some other elective in place of this one. I was very keen to run the Computing Ethics module that I have been developing. I was also worried that my HoD seems to believe that the lack of interest this module is due to the fact that I was teaching it, and that students are avoiding my classes where possible. I'd be happy to take the Pepsi Challenge any day and subject myself to market forces with some decent elective modules that I'd like to develop and teach.
My web Application module business studies is going well. I have found it interesting how people from different disciplines do things in a different way and I haven't adapted as well as I should have. It has been an education. The bulk of the students are smart, keen, and interested. I didn't have much of a plan going into this module, but I am glad now because I would have had to tear it up. Next week's exam will tell a lot. I think overall it will be a success, and if the chance comes up I think I'd like to teach it again.
I think I have been a bit grumpy this semester. I have been less tolerant of students than I have been in the past. I'm not sure if that is actually a good thing or a bad thing.
I was a bit put out that my teaching assignments changed around so much at the start of the semester. At one point I was teaching CMOD6001 to DNET/DCOM, ITS, and COM. In the end I ended up teaching only DNET/DCOM. I actually I think I was lucky to get the best of the three groups. But over the years I put a lot of effort into this module and it was disappointing to have my hours reduced.
For CMOD6001 this semester I have reduced the workload for students. I used to require them to do a presentation and an essay. Presentation skills and writing skills are very useful things that students will need later in their college and work careers. They will be huge factors in students' future successes. However in the past some students did not take these assignment seriously and failed the module as a result. It has become clear to me however that failure has consequences, not just for students, but for the lecturer that fails them. So I have essentially dumbed down this module. This semester I am even giving 10% for just turning up. Interestingly I have found that just as many good students rise to the challenge of a difficult module, so weak students drop down to the level of easy modules. I would not be surprised if the failure rate for this module is largely unchanged as a result.
I was neither surprised nor disappointed that the COMP6023 Web Publishing did not run this semester. It was offered last year and I think most of the students that wanted to do it, did it then. I was frustrated that my HoD did not take my advice and offer some other elective in place of this one. I was very keen to run the Computing Ethics module that I have been developing. I was also worried that my HoD seems to believe that the lack of interest this module is due to the fact that I was teaching it, and that students are avoiding my classes where possible. I'd be happy to take the Pepsi Challenge any day and subject myself to market forces with some decent elective modules that I'd like to develop and teach.
My web Application module business studies is going well. I have found it interesting how people from different disciplines do things in a different way and I haven't adapted as well as I should have. It has been an education. The bulk of the students are smart, keen, and interested. I didn't have much of a plan going into this module, but I am glad now because I would have had to tear it up. Next week's exam will tell a lot. I think overall it will be a success, and if the chance comes up I think I'd like to teach it again.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Well, all's well that ends
I spent most of the day correcting. I'm pretty pissed off actually, more than other times. The modules I was teaching this semester were really easy to pass. The subjects were not difficult and not complex. All people had to do was a bit of work. But a lot of students did not do that.
I'm actually looking forward to next semester because the subjects I have are more meaty and there's no waffle in them. It'll be good to be teaching real stuff.
I'm actually looking forward to next semester because the subjects I have are more meaty and there's no waffle in them. It'll be good to be teaching real stuff.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Valuable Lessons
Bill Clinton: "No, thank you, Lisa. For teaching kids everywhere a valuable lesson: If things don't go your way, just keep complaining until your dreams come true."
Marge: "That's a pretty lousy lesson."
Bill Clinton: "Hey, I'm a pretty lousy president."
Monday, November 17, 2008
Turn It In
www.TurnItIn.com is my new favourite toy. I used to spend hours before correcting assignments identifying those that were ripped off from web sites and the sites they were ripped off from. TurnItIn does all that for me.
The interface is poorly designed, but it does the job. And it's not terribly sophisticated. But the cheating strategy of the average CIT student is not terribly sophisticated either. A product like TurnItIn shifts the balance of effort so that the trouble a student has to go to to avoid detection is much closer to what it might take to actually do the work for real. And the effort the lecturer has to go to catch (and more importantly verify) cheating is greatly reduced.
I don't know what I'll do with all the time I'll save. Maybe real work!
Perhaps I should conserve my enegry for the "No one told me cheating was wrong" Appeals.
The interface is poorly designed, but it does the job. And it's not terribly sophisticated. But the cheating strategy of the average CIT student is not terribly sophisticated either. A product like TurnItIn shifts the balance of effort so that the trouble a student has to go to to avoid detection is much closer to what it might take to actually do the work for real. And the effort the lecturer has to go to catch (and more importantly verify) cheating is greatly reduced.
I don't know what I'll do with all the time I'll save. Maybe real work!
Perhaps I should conserve my enegry for the "No one told me cheating was wrong" Appeals.
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