Dear Karen and Rick,
First, I have to agree with you - we
need students to be able to "orient themselves", but I believe that a mandatory
course is not the right solution.
a)we would send the wrong signal, a
liberal arts education is supposed to set you free to pursue your own
(professional) interests; taking you by the hand is getting you somewhere, but
is not allowing you the choices: so many of our studies are regulated, a further
regulation would not help. It would penalize the BEST students, get them
bored. We need to challenge both. The old form of FIRST YEAR SEMINAR
was able to achieve this, and it offered CONTENT, was clearly academic, and
allowed to increase retention on the upper and lower ends of the scale. SMALLER
classes on the INTRODUCTORY LEVEL, with LES MULTIPLE CHOICE and more essay
questions, also allow to develop some of the independence needed in a college
curriculum (as a tradeoff, this would mean larger classes later).
b)I
agree, we need the skills, and electronic skills are part of literacy; however,
in view of growing micromanagment by assessment agencies, I believe we have to
defend our freedom to teach in the classroom what is needed according to the
judgment of the instructor - a mandated skill I would LIKE to see on this
campus: writing and critical thinking (immersed in the curriculum clearly does
not do the job, as the essays I am currently correcting show). Unlike
skills like use of e-mail, those don't outdate. And strangely enough,
those students that use e-mail less seem to do better in the writing and
research skills. It empowers those who have no access to computers at home
to compete on a different level - and time managment skills differ. Nelson
DuBois in Ed. Psych. was offering such courses successfully - but they would not
bring success to all. We should not attempt to become what high schools
seem to fail: a remidiate institution.
Your Achim
(Achim
Koeddermann, Philosophy)
-----Original Message-----
From: Teaching
Breakfast List on behalf of Karen Sterns
Sent: Tue 10/12/2004 8:39 AM
To:
[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Email Use by Students?
I agree
with you Rick...such a course would be a great idea for incoming
students.
Karen
-----Original Message-----
From: Teaching
Breakfast List on behalf of <Rick Jagels>
Sent: Mon 10/11/2004 8:56
AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Email Use by
Students?
Re: Email- I believe you may be correct. When students check
their mail (at my insistence) in our computer lab, they typically have hundreds
of spam messages- and don't even know how to delete them other than one at a
time. The problem is compounded by the fact that many use another service
(hotmail or aol) and never check their [log in to unmask] account. I wonder
(if it were important to you to have them read it) if a quiz grade was a reply
to X number of your e-mails. There is a way to request a notification to
sender when they open the message...
The blackboard issue is interesting;
for certain courses it seems invaluable. The posting of syllabus,
assignments, discussions, self-evaluation quizzes, lecture notes makes it a gold
mine for students inclined to use it. As someone who regularly checks on
students' awareness of their performance and progress as well as an occasional
tutor, I'd beg a teacher inclined to use it to PLEASE use it.
Both these
show, I believe, a need for a mandatory college orientation
course. Such a course would include time
management skills, reading a syllabus, blackboard familiarity, reasons for the
use of e-mail to contact professors, how to get tutoring (CADE is doing great
things, TA's are a great resource, some depts even sponsor drop-in!), even
note-taking and basic study skills. Even ivy leaguee schools realize that
students coming from GOOD highschools are entering college underprepared- never
mind the majority from mediocre schools!! Jim- weren't you working on such
a course??
Rick Jagels
College Assistance Migrant
Program
-----Original Message-----
From: Teaching Breakfast List on
behalf of Jim Greenberg
Sent: Fri 10/8/2004 10:38 AM
To:
[log in to unmask]
Subject: Email Use by Students?
I received
this email from a faculty member:
I have been sending email notes to
students as always this fall and in
discussions I have realized that many
students are checking email less
frequently than the used to. Is there any
data on this? It seems that
cell phones, instant messaging and the like is
rendering email a less
preferred method of communication.(?)
I am also
curious if we have any data on Blackboard usage. Some
students have
encouraged me to us it, but an approximately equal number
of students have
said they don't like it.
What are your observations/comments? Is
there something happening here?
Mr. James B.
Greenberg
Director Teaching, Learning and Technology Center
Milne
Library
SUNY College at Oneonta
Oneonta, New York 13820
email:
[log in to unmask]
phone: 607-436-2701
fax:
607-436-3081
IM: oneontatltc
"Ignorance is curable,
stupidity lasts forever"