University Life

Right in the midst of the toughest part of the teaching semester now. It’s busy but not terrible because the students are really showing signs of mastery. 

Here’s an old card that fell out of a book recently. This looks like an okd request but something about it makes me think its probably from the 1990s when I was in college. 

University has changed in one way that is definitely not for the better. Endless little assignments brought on by the demands and desires of having a 24 hour electronic classroom. Instead of reading and thinking about difficult works with a professor and peers in class, all their time goes to discussion board posts and endless comments to them.

I do like all the changes we've had in higher education - they are very powerful and allow me to do some amazing things teaching and studying. But they also come with a demand for their use. That demand is never discussed and faculty are never taught how to properly balance the demands of capacity. Because there is a feature available it doesn't mean you have to use it all the time.