Colleges are turning students’ phones into surveillance machines. . . . [washingtonpost.com]

The flava:
When Syracuse University freshmen walk into professor Jeff Rubin’s Introduction to Information Technologies class, seven small Bluetooth beacons hidden around the Grant Auditorium lecture hall connect with an app on their smartphones and boost their “attendance points.”

And when they skip class? The SpotterEDU app sees that, too, logging their absence into a campus database that tracks them over time and can sink their grade. It also alerts Rubin, who later contacts students to ask where they’ve been. His 340-person lecture has never been so full.

“They want those points,” he said. “They know I’m watching and acting on it. So, behaviorally, they change.”

Short-range phone sensors and campuswide WiFi networks are empowering colleges across the United States to track hundreds of thousands of students more precisely than ever before. Dozens of schools now use such technology to monitor students’ academic performance, analyze their conduct or assess their mental health.

The article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/12/24/colleges-are-turning-students-phones-into-surveillance-machines-tracking-locations-hundreds-thousands/

A day in the life. . . . (Cambridge and UC Davis)

since you can't say "leave me the fuck alone" [from Wombat of the Copier]

Dear Friends in the Pasture,

When the extra credit assignment was due 10 days ago and your students are literally reading their transcripts while e-mailing you, so even if you *were* willing to accept it late (I'm not), it would require 3 signatures and paper work delivered in person to an office that doesn't open for 17 days, and your phone lit up like Vegas at your kid's holiday party, it's time to set the auto-reply.

I've never used it before.

What do yours say?

--Wombat of the Copier

MIT prof finds that adding an hour of sleep can bump students up a letter grade [timesofisrael.com]

The flava:
Students who consistently added one extra hour of sleep a night jumped a full letter grade, from a B to an A, said Dr. Kana Okano, first author on the paper and Grossman’s research assistant.

Getting more sleep might seem counter-intuitive to some university students, Okano said.

“The first thing that goes away for most of these students when they get to college is sleep. They feel they have to sacrifice sleep to study. However, sleep is so important for memory consolidation and you’re not going to get that without consistent sleep,” she said.

The article:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/mit-prof-finds-that-adding-an-hour-of-sleep-can-bump-students-up-a-letter-grade/

end of semester crap, from Krabby Kathy

Another nonspectacular semester has ended, and I am still searching for a nonteaching job, but old age and nondiversity is stacked against me.

Some of the Krabby nonhighlights –

A student asked me if it was too late to revise papers the week before finals.  I have had a revision schedule throughout the semester and announced end dates on Canvas and in class.  This kid has spent the whole semester with the hood of his hooded sweatshirt up, on his phone, with his laptop open, playing games.  I announce in my syllabus that I will ask students to put away their electronics if they are not being used for classwork (unfortunately, I have all material online), so if I walk by a student playing a game, I will say something, but generally I don’t bother since too many students are e-junkies, and they have to have their come to Jesus moment on their own.

I make sure students don’t get points for terrible first drafts, as they could in high school. They have to revise papers for points.  I had a chatty couple who hid in the back, came in late every day, and never revised.  After each paper, I got “I told you I gave you my paper and never got it back” (the paper is on Canvas), “why didn’t I get any points for my paper” (as explained), and finally “I’ve never failed a class before.  No wonder you have such a poor review on Rate My Professor.”   That made my Krappy day!

--Krabby Kathy

Clery

https://www.ajc.com/news/suspect-student-unthinkable-murder-spent-time-with-victim-family/0K12JcMgkE9o9MkIcs3ekI/
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/cold-case-of-college-student-murdered-in-burned-apartment-remains-unsolved
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2019/11/25/20982530/ruth-george-donald-thurman-strangled-uic-parking-garage-remembered-naperville-central-high-school
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/nyregion/tessa-majors-barnard-stabbing.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49041642

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clery_Act

"Please let me know. . . ."

"Please let me know how a professor making a sincere and honorable effort, going out of his way to help a student, ends up facing an allegation of sexual harassment, especially when there is no evidence of anything 'sexual' and when offering help is considered 'harassment.'"
--Buck Ryan, University of Kentucky Professor

Kennesaw State University Student Receives $145,000 In Settlement After Kneeling During National Anthem [essence.com]

The flava:
The Kennesaw State University cheerleader who was disciplined after taking a knee during the national anthem two years ago just won a $145,000 settlement from the state of Georgia.

According to the Marietta Daily Journal, which obtained a copy of the agreement, Tommia Dean and and a representative for Georgia’s Department of Administrative Services signed the lawsuit settlement agreement for $145,000 in October.

The article:
https://www.essence.com/news/kennesaw-state-university-student-settlement-kneeling-national-anthem/

Feces-throwing incidents at 2 Toronto universities being investigated

Palo Alto College offers winemaking degree for a booming Texas industry [expressnews.com]

The flava:
With nearly 600 wineries and more than 100,000 jobs, a surging Texas wine industry requires skilled labor to keep up with it — a need Palo Alto College aims to fill.

Starting in the spring, the college will offer an associate degree in viticulture and enology — that’s grape-growing and winemaking — a regional first designed to supply vineyard and winery workers who know what they’re doing.

The article:
https://www.expressnews.com/news/education/article/Palo-Alto-College-offers-wine-making-degree-for-a-14867827.php

The College Board's SAT Adversity Score

Click here. 

Krabby Kathy submits an article for your perusal. . . .

"The Midwestern Black Professor Teaching MAGA Babies Is Not Alright" 

Rate My Professor detrimental to professors reputation [LSUReveille.com]

The flava:
Imagine a world where humans based their societal interactions on review-style ratings of other human beings. You don’t have to envision this Black Mirror episode plot because it already happens every semester on college campuses across the country.

The article in The Reveille:
https://www.lsureveille.com/opinion/opinion-rate-my-professor-detrimental-to-professors-reputation/article_33d0e8fc-0403-11ea-9d5a-1360f3df400e.html

1

0

college football priorities

“You can lose your eligibility if someone gives you money. Rape is still not an NCAA violation.”
--Brenda Tracy

UTSA announces new policy to fight sexual misconduct by student-athletes [San Antonio Express-News]

The flava:
In a new policy it described as the first of its kind in the country, the University of Texas at San Antonio is banning students with verified histories of violence or sexual abuse from participating in its athletic programs.

Such students will be prohibited from receiving sports scholarships, competing in games or attending practices, the university said Tuesday

The move follows a recent outcry on campus over what some students have called a pervasive “rape culture” at UTSA.

The article:
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/UTSA-announces-new-policy-to-fight-sexual-14448010.php

You only get one chance... [from Wombat of the Copier]

Dear Professor Wombat, 

Hello.  I wanted to apologize for missing the first day of class.  I thought I would be able to make it from my doctor's office to class in time, but there was a problem with public transportation.  It won't happen again, and I already met with some of my girls to go over what you did so I'll be caught up. 
Sorry about making a bad first impression.  Looking forward to the 2nd week of the semester!

Super Keener Kelly

---

Dear SKK,

The semester started two weeks ago.  I don't know which girls are yours, but maybe all of you can head on over to Staples and find a calendar. 

Love,
Professor Wombat

New students: What are you most excited about?

College of Science and Engineering, UMN

Felicity Huffman gets 14 days in prison for college cheating scam [ABC News]

Expert predicts 25% of colleges will fail in the next 20 years [CBS This Morning]

A discouraging note submitted by Southern Bubba, Ph.D.

I just read this New York Times article about "contract cheating."

And then I wrote a really long post about all the demoralizing stuff in higher ed today.

And then I read what I had written and I deleted it because it was so long and yet it was barely even the tip of the iceberg.

--Southern Bubba, Ph.D.

Big Hungry

Do you really want to keep working at a college?

Tirebiter Comes Back for More, by George Leroy Tirebiter XII

So, I’m back, at least for this round of… thoughts? “Pensées?” Well, whatever.

Wherever I share my opinions, if and when I have them, I guess it would have to be here—-as many of you may be aware, the Chronicle forum closed, and some of the regulars built a new space. But since the founder and inveterate thread-killer is a long-time House Troll, the unholy amalgam of Frederick Winslow Taylor (of Time Management theory); Thomas Rhodes (the arch-villain of Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology); and Scut Farkus (of A Christmas Story); that venue’s relevance will be limited to pretty much nil (as, perhaps, it always was).  If you’re so inclined, you should check out what the leader did to an otherwise semi-interesting discussion about Steven Salaita—jeez. I’m reminded of one of the last lines of Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”: “She would have been a good woman . . . if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.”  Note: this rant is not meant to be gendered—-I would find the line appropriate irrespective of the correct pronouns involved.

Speaking of pronouns, did I mention I’m using them now? I mean, yes, we all use pronouns—-I’m referring to the “Hi, my name is blank and my pronouns are blank, blank, and blank” kind of using pronouns.  Someday, I think I’d like to say “my pronouns are blank, blank, and blank” and let my audience figure it out.

I’m starting my ninth year here at possibly-second-tier state school, and I’ll turn 56 in about six weeks.  I’m not ready to go up for Full Prof yet-—maybe next year if I get my ducks in a row, but I’m reasonably happy.  The kids are still special needs and full of beans, but we’re a family, and the wife and I are in it as we become caricatures of “those parents”-—I see it happening in the mirror every day, wherein my features become more and more cartoon-like-—and not Pixar animation, but closer to the world of Spongebob. I might dabble in some department administration soon—-I’m supposed to take over some Assistant Chair responsibilities in the spring, and I’ll see if I can do that with any success. I am more or less genially tolerated in my department, with a few hiccups here and there, and in general the genial toleration is mutual (that’s about as ecstatically positive as I get). My main goal was outlined for me at a Leadership Institute I attended last month-—I’m seeking to “perform calmness.” I like this, because you don’t actually have to BE calm—just do what calm people do. Worth a try, anyway.

I’ve talked a little about “work” and “life,” but one thing upon which I’ve given up is the “Work-Life Balance”-—it’s kind of bullshit, I think. (You know what else is bullshit? That famous quote by Eleanor Roosevelt-—“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. You do not need to consent, because words can be powerful as fuck, and they will knock you on your ass before you have time to say, “Uh. . .”  I mean, I could almost hate that woman because of that quote, and I mostly think she’s very cool. Anyway, back to the paragraph.) Work and life don’t balance, and they’re not meant to. If there’s anything to be done, I think it has more to do with leaning into and embracing the work-life chaos-—because chaos is what’s meant to happen, and happen it most certainly does. Or to put it another way, there’s no way in hell I’m getting the three kids on two separate busses and umpteen different activities and try to negotiate the simple concepts of respect and consequences and occasionally keep my marriage intact and the missus refreshed, and still try to attend to the students, colleagues, administrators, and other miscellaneous minions who have a say in my work environment in a way that’s balanced. Now, accomplishing this in a way that’s chaotic-—there, I’ve got a chance.

All right, then. That felt okay. I might be back later. Tirebiter out.

The Grambling State University World Famed Marching Into The GSU vs ULM

MY FIRST DAY OF COLLEGE [Elliot Choy]

SAT "Adversity Score" Is Abandoned in Wake of Criticism [nytimes]

The flava:
The College Board, the company that administers the SAT exam, said on Tuesday that it would withdraw its much-debated plan to include a so-called adversity score on student test results, saying it had erred in distilling the challenges faced by college applicants to a single number.

The adversity score was made up of the average of two ratings between 1 and 100 — one for the student’s school environment and the other for the student’s neighborhood environment — that indicate the obstacles a student might have overcome, like crime and poverty. The school and neighborhood scores will still be provided to admissions officers, along with other socioeconomic information.

The article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/27/us/sat-adversity-score-college-board.html

Wombat of the Copier sends a message to a dean

Dear Dean of Another University,

     Using your title in your e-mail requesting that I discuss your daughter's grade with you does not make me feel intimidated.  In fact, it makes me less afraid of blowback than had you used
SusiesMommy@Kmail.com.  The fact that you're demanding that I violate FERPA gives me reason to suspect that you've violated FERPA yourself at some point and, if anything, I now have something on you, not the other way around.  FU.

Love,
--Wombat of the Copier

2019: Green River College Graduates Transfer to Top Universities.

Deep Springs College - "CBS News Sunday Morning" April 19, 1998

Fall 2019 Admitted Student Day for Stony Brook University

Christian School Fires Professor for Writing Novel With Un-Christian Characters [patheos.com]

The flava:
This spring, T.J. Martinson received a job offer to teach English at Olivet Nazarene University, a religious school outside Chicago where he, his parents, and his grandparents all attended. No doubt he was excited about the opportunity as a newly minted Ph.D.

But last month, before even stepping foot in a classroom, Martinson was told he was fired. All because of a novel he published in March called The Reign of the Kingfisher. (A novel, mind you. Not a memoir or a work of non-fiction or anything else that suggests his own beliefs.)

The article:
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/07/11/christian-school-fires-professor-for-writing-novel-with-un-christian-characters/

A former admission officer at the University of Pennsylvania speaks.

"I certainly was not struck by any sense that I'm sitting before a genius. Certainly not a super genius."
--James Nolan

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/07/09/trump-overstated-academic-record-report-says

Cokie Roberts and Steven Roberts: No more 'poverty' naps

"The public policy goal should be completely clear and compelling: No more growling stomachs in classrooms. No more 'poverty naps' instead of lunch."

--Cokie & Steven Roberts

Boston’s community college problem: Abysmal graduation rates are failing young people of color [commonwealthmagazine.org]

The flava:
Less than 3 percent of newly enrolled, full-time students graduate on time from community colleges in Boston: 2 percent at Bunker Hill Community College and 1 percent at Roxbury Community College. It’s college decision time, and most students in Boston Public Schools will become part of a broken system of “well-meaning” adults, who are severely allergic to accountability.

The article:
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/bostons-community-college-problem/

The Surreal End of an American College [theatlantic.com]

The flava:
Like most other colleges across the country, Newbury College, a small, private liberal-arts school in Brookline, Massachusetts, held classes through the end of this past spring semester and then bid farewell to cap-and-gown-wearing seniors. But unlike almost every other college, those classes, and that farewell, were the school’s last: Newbury officially ceased operations at the end of May.

The article:
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/06/what-its-like-when-your-college-shuts-down/591862

To Save The Science Poster, Researchers Want To Kill It And Start Over [NPR]

Wombat of the Copier makes a statement.

I swear this is relevant:

https://thehustle.co/botto-bistro-1-star-yelp/

--WotC

Ohio bakery awarded $11 million in libel lawsuit against Oberlin College over alleged racial profiling [CNN.com]

The flava:
An Ohio jury has ordered Oberlin College to pay $11 million to a bakery which said it was libeled and wrongfully accused of racially profiling students.


The article:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/09/us/oberlin-college-bakery-lawsuit/index.html

The Anti-College Is on the Rise, By Molly Worthen [NYTimes]

The flava:
A small band of students will travel to Sitka, Alaska, this month to help reinvent higher education. They won’t be taking online courses, or abandoning the humanities in favor of classes in business or STEM, or paying high tuition to fund the salaries of more Assistant Vice Provosts for Student Life. They represent a growing movement of students, teachers and reformers who are trying to compensate for mainstream higher education’s failure to help young people find a calling: to figure out what life is really for.

The article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/08/opinion/sunday/college-anti-college-mainstream-universities.html

Overcoming Gaslighting in a Higher Education Setting [medium.com]

By Mark Patterson, Ombudsman at William & Mary

". . .  Because gaslighting is not illegal, administrators will need to identify a specific policy or policies that have been violated.  Depending upon an administrator’s relationship with the suspected gaslighter, there may be a tendency to downplay a complaint that does not align with their perceptions. . . ."

Location:
https://medium.com/@stimpmark/overcoming-gaslighting-in-higher-education-bff81a45def7

Carrie Nugent receives 2019 Carl Sagan Medal

Carrie Nugent, producer of Spacepod and assistant professor of computational physics and planetary science at Olin College, has been awarded the Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication in Planetary Science by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society (AAS).

Professor defends facial recognition research project that captured photos of students on Colorado campus [9news.com]

Billionaire Robert F. Smith Pledges To Repay Loans For 2019 Morehouse College Class [NPR]

University professor fired for having sex with 2 female students must be reinstated, Pa. court rules [pennlive.com]

The flava:
Concluding he didn’t violate any school policy, a state appeals court panel has backed the reinstatement of a Bloomsburg University professor who was fired for having sexual relationships with two female students.

The Commonwealth Court ruling upholds a June 2018 arbitrator’s decision that voided the termination of Assistant Professor John Barrett. University officials had appealed that award, which the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties union secured on Barrett’s behalf. The arbitrator ordered Barrett’s reinstatement with full benefits and back pay.

In the state court’s opinion, Judge P. Kevin Brobson noted the relationships between Barrett and the women were consensual, that neither woman was taking classes from Barrett at the time, and that the relationships were not barred by the university’s sexual harassment policy.

The article:
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/05/university-professor-fired-for-having-sex-with-2-female-students-must-be-reinstated-pa-court-rules.html

Note-taking [from Aca Deme]

I have been particularly frustrated this past semester... students never seem to take notes. I've tried a number of approaches... including requiring note taking, and doing weekly notebook checks, but I feel this is a bit ridiculous for college-level work. Taking notes should be a given. And why should I have to make more work for myself, policing students.

Besides, when I did notebook checks, I'd say students averaged 1/2 page of handwritten notes per hour or hour and a half of lecture. Pitiful.

I do give some handouts, but I do not provide everything via handout as I feel the act of writing things down (or typing them) helps one learn. I wonder is this because students don't learn cursive any more? In which case, they sit at computer workstations, so they could type their notes. Do they know how to type? They could ask to record my lectures but they don't.

They claim they are "visual learners". Well, so am I, but I still take notes. How would they feel if I lectured/demonstrated without notes, meandering through the material at will, covering some things but not others? Clearly they don't remember things from one class to the next. Final projects were just turned in, and one student still couldn't perform a simple task (which consisted of choosing a command from an application menu) even though we had been doing it for every assignment for the past 4 weeks, and I'd showed this student many times. But I never saw her write it down. Or look it up on the Web?

What gives? Or am I just getting old and grumpy.

--Aca Deme

My Turn: High-stakes testing leads to high-stakes cheating [concordmonitor.com]

The flava:

By KRISTIN TICHENOR
For the Monitor

Published: 5/12/2019 12:30:16 AM

The University of New Hampshire announced on Monday that it will no longer require applicants to provide SAT/ACT scores during a three-year pilot program.

The public university is the latest in a growing roster to recognize that the standardized test is not a reliable predictor of college success. This is a step in the right direction – for both applicants and the university.


The article:
https://www.concordmonitor.com/High-stakes-testing-leads-to-high-stakes-cheating-25384419

posts

Thank you for submitting posts.
If they aren't somehow directly related to academia or higher education, then they might not be used.
Sincerely and gratefully,
--Zooze

"rape attic" is no more.

One down, one thousand to go.

The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water.

Speedy rant, from Wombat of the Copier

Word to the not wise:

If she isn't smart enough to take her name off of her lab reports before uploading them to CourseHero, she isn't smart enough to copy.

--WotC

damaging brains in higher education

"I really thought at first that we could play football safely with better rules and better equipment; I drank the Kool-Aid.  I can’t go there anymore. I don’t believe it can be played safely anymore. I want these young men to leave C.U. with minds that have been strengthened, not damaged."

     --University of Colorado Regent Linda Shoemaker

coming soon to a CC near you... [from Wombat of the Copier]

Overheard from the next booth at a burrito place - 

Optimist (delusional friend):  I don't think it's as bad as you think.  No one has to find out.  Like when it goes on Facebook no one looks for like proof unless they already have some idea.  I'm your bro - no one is going to hear it from me, so...

Realist (main character, totally fucked):  When what goes on Facebook?  What the fuck are you even saying?  This is really bad.  

Optimist:  No, calm down, listen.  Not even your mom read it right so if she hasn't figured it out, how is anyone going to know?  You were going to live off campus anyway and now you know you're going to need a job.  So, just go there and find a job there and go to some of the games anyway.  Then post the pictures on Facebook and everyone from school will be like "Yo, there's Jay in State College" no one is going to be like "hmm is that the section where students sit?  is that a new Penn State sweatshirt, or the one he's always had..."

Realist:  Are you insane?  My mom is going to flip her shit when she finds out and SHE will put "Jay didn't actually get into Penn State because he fucking failed social studies and now he's at [local community college] and he needs a fucking job because I'm charging him rent!" on Facebook.

Optimist:  No that's what I'm saying, don't tell anyone.  Just go there.  Instead of putting in for that dip shit bagel shop job just put in for one in State College and...

Realist:  I can't afford an apartment on bagel shop money, moron.  I can't believe you got in and my acceptance was rescinded.  And what exactly will happen when my parents keep writing tuition checks and Penn keeps not cashing them?  

Optimist:  Maybe tell your parents the checks have to be written to you and that way you can actually take some of that money to make up the rent issue and then...

Realist:  I can't believe you got in and my acceptance was rescinded.  

students taking selfies [from Moriarty from Midland]

It is mortifying to see that it is even tinily common for students to be falling to their deaths because they are focused on using their cell phones to take selfies.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/15/fordham-university-student-dies-after-falling-clock-tower-ny/3470498002/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/16/college-student-falls-death-class-trip-ozarks/3490251002/

email exchange with a student [from Wombat of the Copier]

Dear Professor Wombat, 
     I won't be able to make it to class next Tuesday and I know we get 2 drops, but I just wanted to know what chapters we're going to do that day so I can make sure I study it while I'm home for Easter so I'm not behind when we get back.  
Thanks, 
Raring to Rate You Ralph



Dear Ralph,
Hi. I'm sorry, I don't know whose class you're in, but I don't teach on Tuesday. I'm just course coordinator, so sometimes people think they have me because I post the assignments on Blackboard. You should be doing chapters 31 and 32, though. Have a good break.
Wombat.

Dear Professor Wombat, 
     Crap, are you serious?  I said awful things about you on RMP because I thought I had you.  Whoever I really have, she's stupid and mean and whatever a course coordinator is, if you can fire her, you should.
RtRYR

. . .

"The most important thing in an argument, next to being right, is to leave an escape hatch for your opponent, so that he can gracefully swing over to your side without too much apparent loss of face." 
   
        --Sydney J. Harris

Another N.J. college opens a food pantry for students, public - no questions asked [NJ.com]

The flava:
Not all four-year college students follow the same path. Some live on campus, some commute. Some get a meal plan, some do not.

And some are hungry. Not for snacks and munchies, but basic, life-sustaining food.

The article:
https://www.nj.com/mercer/2019/02/another-nj-college-opens-a-food-pantry-for-students-public-no-questions-asked.html

Sunday video

Universities Scour Yearbooks After Northam [NPR]

"After the controversy over a blackface photo in Ralph Northam's medical school yearbook, universities are reviewing their yearbooks for material that could be considered racist or offensive. . . ."

Florida State University Transitions To 100% Electric Bus Fleet [insideevs.com]

The flava:
Proterra announced that StarMetro, the city of Tallahassee’s public transit system, placed its third order for electric buses.

The deal is for 22 35-foot Proterra Catalyst FC (fast charge, short range) buses for Florida State University (FSU), which already has 5 electric buses.

The article:
https://insideevs.com/florida-state-university-electric-bus-fleet/

#metoo 2.0

"This is not an objective search for the truth. It is a fishing expedition.  President Boren emphatically denies any inappropriate behavior or unlawful activity. He has been a dedicated public servant for more than 50 years and his life is an open book in Oklahoma."


--Bob Burke, former OU President David Boren's attorney

CU Boulder professor inducted into National Academy of Engineering [colorado.edu]

The National Academy of Engineering has elected Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences professor Penina Axelrad and alumnus Dereje Agonafer (AeroEngr’72) as new members in 2019. . . .

Monday Magic in February

When was the last time a student's actions made you feel delight?

Police break up "riot" near West Virginia University that school says started as "playful time in the snow" [cbsnews.com]

Police called an incident Friday near West Virginia University a "riot" after the crowd began throwing glass bottles and rocks at officers. . . .

Spruce Street is an absolute war zone right now! #VivaWV #StayStrongSpruce pic.twitter.com/8dL3JpQ1my

— WVU Barstool (@WVUBarstool) February 1, 2019

Working class ‘increasingly excluded’ from German academia [Times Higher Education]

The flava:
The professoriate has become closed off to people from lower social backgrounds as increased competition for academic jobs favours the middle classes, according to a study from Germany.

The German professoriate of the 1970s was disproportionately made up of graduates from humble backgrounds as their more privileged peers chose other career paths.

Yet by the 2000s, this had reversed.

The article:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/working-class-increasingly-excluded-german-academia

An Adjunct Instructor’s Final Syllabus [nytimes]

Res ipsa loquitur, in so many ways.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/opinion/sunday/adjunct-instructor-syllabus.html

Read this before signing up for an online college course [marketwatch.com]

The flava:
Online courses aren’t living up to their promise to disrupt higher education.

That’s one conclusion from a pair of studies released this week analyzing trends and outcomes of different types of online learning opportunities.

The first, which focused on Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, offered by Harvard University and MIT, found that the majority of students taking these courses don’t return after their first year, that participation in the programs is largely concentrated in affluent countries and that the courses’ low completion rate hasn’t budged much in six years.

The second, a review of research on the outcomes of fully-online degree programs, found that on average, these programs have actually contributed to widening educational attainment gaps between well-off and low-income students without improving affordability.

The article:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/read-this-before-signing-up-for-an-online-college-course-2019-01-18

11-year-old Louisiana prodigy heads to college [KTVE]

"What Is a University Without a History Major?" [nytimes.com]

The flava:
Chancellor Bernie Patterson’s message to his campus was blunt: To remain solvent and relevant, his 125-year-old university needed to reinvent itself. . . . The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Dr. Patterson explained in a memo, could “no longer be all things to all people.”

The article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/12/us/rural-colleges-money-students-leaving.html