Refracted Higher Education

TSTC in Second Life

Currently viewing a demonstration of Texas State Technical College's Second Life environment.  TSTC will be offering accredited degrees using SL beginning this fall.  "This is just the coolest thing I can think of," according to Kevin Brown, the project manager.  Individual team members have been involved with SL on their own for up to three years, and have been working on this project for a year.

We were teleported to a photography classroom that enables students to look at resources that might not be part of the regular class.  Learning kiosks enable students to view materials asynchronously, including a large cut-away of an SLR camera that enables them to see how the light path changes as it travels through the camera.  The simulation enables students to interact with the display and investigate topics of interest.

Another kiosk allows students to gain a greater understanding of the 'rule of thirds,' by enabling them to play with picture composition using actual photos provided by photographers.  They are able to play with the pictures and discuss the effect of changing the composition immediately.  Their understanding of the concept "was substantially better" as a result of this exercise, according to Kevin Brown, who has used this classroom with his courses.

Another area of the online island provides 'chairs' for the students to sit in, and gives them controls so they can raise their hands and ask questions of the instructor.  The lecture material is different in SL classes than in regular classroom sessions.  The instructor can include PowerPoint slides and have discussions to reinforce concepts and share insights among class members. 

Students can also display their own photography in a "gallery" setting, and can critique and discuss one another's work.  Uploading images costs about 1 cent/image in Linden dollars, which the class instructor paid for rather than having the students be charged for each image.  Below each student's display area, there are mailboxes that permit class members to send each other notecards to one another.  The notecards are not available to students to view until after the assignment is completed.  The comments, both positive and negative, were very helpful to students both in terms of developing their critiquing skills and learning more about photography.

In comparing SL classes with traditional classrooms and other online courses, one instructor noted that you can't just move materials online and have an effective experience.  Students expect a higher level of participation and involvement with the course and with other class members, and naturally build their own community within the class.  The students engage one another and have significant discussion, perhaps because they are able to be 'someone else' through the use of avatars.  Students are "e-social" and are comfortable with the technology and with its use to communicate, according to faculty who are involved with this project.  Even shy students seem to feel comfortable making comments and asking questions, and the instructor can send a note to any students who appear not to be participating to see if they have questions or need clarification. 

The instructor also noted that student mastery is better, and developed more quickly, in his SL courses. Retention in the class seemed to be higher.  One faculty member limited the number of students who could participate in the SL class initially, and interviewed each student to assess their level of understanding of the technology involved.  For a later class, he had a required orientation that each student completed (conducted by SL), and also spent some time going over expectations and answering technology questions.  He found that other students, who had experience in SL or who were avid gamers, were able to help one another with some of these questions.  "Some of the students took to it like water," while other students requested a little more time for orientation activities and to get used to the environment.

The goal is to not require any mandatory attendance 'in world,' but to make it engaging enough that students will want to attend.

Social Networking on Steroids

Mark Greenfield's presentation at the Innovative Educators conference today blew me away. The variety of social networking sites covered and the factors to consider in attempting to harness the Web 2.0 experience will have me muttering to myself for at least a week. I also can't wait to get to a real Internet connection, as opposd to my faithful Treo, to play with some of these sites--especially the aggregators. Will keep you posted!

History in Perspective

My husband called his 11-year-old goddaughter (we'll call her "Mary") early on Tuesday night, June 3.  He told her to stay up until 10:00 and watch TV so she could see history in the making.  She asked what was going to happen, and he told her that Barack Obama would be making a speech about becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee for President.  He said it would be historical because Obama is an African-American man.  His goddaughter asked, "What's so important about that?  Is this really the first time a black man has been nominated?"  She didn't understand the significance of the moment--to her, it was not a big deal that a person of color would be one of two people likely to become the next President of the United States.

Think about it.  At age 11, she couldn't fathom why having a black man be a few months away from possibly becoming President would matter. Meanwhile, as he and I watched Obama's speech on TV, we agreed that we could not have imagined this happening in our lifetimes.  As lifelong Dems, we remembered the days when Julian Bond, Shirley Chisholm, and Jesse Jackson were considered unique for running for President, and I particularly enjoyed Al Sharpton's insights and comments during the 2004 campaign.  But no matter how qualified those individuals may have been, the U.S. was not at a place where an African-American man, or a woman of any color, was likely to be a nominee for the nation's highest office.

As a member of the Millennial generation Mary has grown up with a different view of the world, one that is more diverse and inclusive. Approximately 41% of the population under age 23 is Latino or non-white.  Twenty percent of our students have at least one immigrant parent, and 10% have at least one non-citizen parent.  Women comprise close to 60% of all college undergraduate students.

In seven or eight years, Mary will--we hope--be heading off to college.  How will her college experience be different from the college experiences he and I had in the mid-1970s?  For that matter, how will it be different from the experiences of the students I worked with as a college administrator from the 1980's through 2005?  I don't know the answer, but I do suspect this much: It will be different.  And the difference might come down to this: what faculty and advisors and parents have been telling students for decades will finally be part of the American consciousness.  Our students--and we--will have seen that it doesn't matter who you are or what your background is; if you work hard enough, and you want it badly enough, you can make any dream come true.

 

Bad Customer Service -- Let's All Share!

These days, if someone has a bad customer service experience, you have to pray that they’ve never heard of the Internet, or that they don’t know how to Google “XYZ Sucks,” or that they don’t have a blog. Unfortunately for Sirius Satellite Radio, they messed with the wrong girl on all three counts…

"And Which of the Many Job Offers Will He Want to Accept?"

That was the question that sealed the deal for a friend with a son who was trying to decide which college to attend.  He's a good kid, responsible, decent (though not out-of-this-world) Board scores, good (but not outstanding) grades from a respected Northern Virginia high school.  He and his mom were very reasonable in the colleges they (emphasis on "they") decided to include in their search, and focused on those that had good Engineering programs because he's pretty certain that is what he will study in college.

Not as Many Choices as it Might Seem...

In a Washington Post article on May 1st, the plight of high school senior James Watkins was detailed.  It seems that Watkins, a young African-American man in the running to be valedictorian at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School, was admitted to eight colleges for this coming fall.  Yet, while having so many choices might seem like a good thing, it turned out that Watkins didn't have as many options as it might appear.

Too cool!

OK, I know I've geeked out when I get excited about being able to blog from my Facebook account. But considering how much time I spend on Facebook, even if it's only to check on friends using my phone, this could be a huge step forward (not to mention a much easier way to access my blog when I'm on the run).

It's interesting to watch the social web pull closer and closer.

We'll Make You a Star!

Wilkes University has begun a unique approach to enrolling the class of 2012.  The small, private college in Pennsylvania has initiated a marketing campaign that includes splashing the names and resumes of admitted--though not yet deposited--students on billboards, pizza boxes, and YouTube. An example of one such ad, created for Kellenberg High School senior Mike McCarthy, is available here.

The college has taken a 180-degree turn from the typical advertising approach, which usually features students and faculty members sitting on manicured lawns under a leafy tree, immersed in discussion. Instead, the institution is plastering ads for admitted students in unconventional places--and featuring unconventional stars: the students themselves.

In Mike McCarthy's case, the YouTube ad--which is a quick, colorful collection of facts about Mike including his role as an 8th grade mentor, captain of the soccer team, and starting forward position on the basketball team--asks why other universities aren't clamoring for him as well.  Clearly intended to continue the trend of making the Millennial student feel 'special,' the university's campaign is attracting a lot of interest.

In a segment on NPR, the success of last year's campaign involving similar ads was noted. The institution enrolled its largest freshman class, and students who were then juniors in high school were paying attention.  One noted that she had never really considered Wilkes before seeing the ads, but she decided to check the school out and decided that it would be a good fit for her.  This year, as a graduating senior, she is one of the students being featured in the ads.

Parents, too, are noticing the ads.  While every parent believes his or her child really is 'special,' having the rest of the world see what appears to be validation of this fact--on billboards and in other advertising media--may help them feel more warm and fuzzy toward the school.  And as most college admissions personnel are aware, the ultimate selection of which college to attend has become more of a 'co-purchasing decision' than in decades past.

On the one hand, I applaud Wilkes for its unique approach and for the obvious attention it has paid to  research on Millennials and their parents.  But on the other hand, I can't help but dread the potential for copycat campaigns.  Can you imagine a world where every milk carton, screen saver, newspaper, and online ad fetaures a barrage of "you're so special" messages?

Time to Completion - Adult Students and College

At a recent meeting involving the Presidents and upper-level administrators from community colleges, one CEO and I had a conversation about student retention for two-year institutions.  "Retention means something entirely different for community colleges," she said.  "Our students average 8 years to complete an Associate's degree." 

While the Department of Education (and some legislators) might be horrified to hear that, it's a reality that is directly related to the types of students populating many community college campuses.  Although there has been an increase in enrollment for 'traditional age' students in recent years, NPSAS data from 2004 show that 53% of students at community colleges are age 24 or older.  In addition, community college students are more likely than students at four-year institutions to be students of color, or to be raising children (whether as married couples or as single parents).

Financial Transparency, Clearly Demonstrated

In an article in today's Inside Higher Ed, the transparency of Oregon State's financial transactions is on display.  Want to know how much was spent on biology lab supplies?  Looking for evidence of questionable expenditures?  The information is all available online to anyone with a computer...all the way back to 1996.  You can even export it to Excel or Adobe Acrobat if you choose.

While specific individual payroll data is not shown--only the summary data is available--faculty, students, and staff can see overall payroll and related expenditures, and can drill down for details on other line items such as 'Telecom Usage Charges' in the President's Office.  As noted in the presentation demonstrating the system, The University's President wanted to to be able to show transparency regarding financial operations at the institution.

Pay Tied to Performance on the Horizon in Arkansas

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe is telling his state's higher education institutions that accountability and student retention will impact the funding formula for universities and colleges in the future, possibly as early as 2009.

Leaders of the state's institutions seemed to be in agreement with Gov. Beebe's agenda, but are worried about where the funds will come from and whether this will mean new money or a reallocation of current funding.  The Arkansas Democrat Gazette quotes Ed Coulter, Chancellor of Arkansas State University-Mountain Home, as saying

“The big question is there may not be enough new money...In the past, we’ve always started [in budgeting ] where we are, so any incentive money would have to be new money, so that would be the big question. There will be some who will be very concerned about [losing money].”