Why I’m No Longer a Professor • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I’m No Longer a Professor

#11

Post by n0rm » Sat, Jun 28, 2014, 3:47 PM UTC

sj4nz wrote: post #8

n0rm wrote: post #3

Disengaging from yesteryear's institutions is not going to help them. Best way is to force them to adapt. MOOCs seem to be the thing that will make education assess its business practices. I wish I didn't have to refer to education as a business, but alas, the idea that you can fine-tune any organization through business cases has been perpetuated.

By MOOC you mean "Massive open online course" I assume?

Yes.

A diploma from a prestigious university only means you can go through better gilded doors. After that, your measure is how much money you helped your employer make.

After a while, the metric becomes what you've done (in the past) to prove your worth.

If MOOCs are taken seriously, and can compete with prestigious diplomas when it comes to that first job, then you've got a game changer.

Sadly, the only way to make a business (again, pains me to say that) pay attention is if they lose money.

Re: Why I’m No Longer a Professor

#12

Post by n0rm » Sat, Jun 28, 2014, 3:50 PM UTC

greggman wrote: post #9

Whenever I think about teaching I generally assume I'll run into similar problems. Teaching apparently has tons of politics and strict rules. The only thing I could think of is starting my own school but I haven't gotten myself to make that jump yet.

When you try to get it accredited, you'll have a better understanding of the problem.

Only when you threaten to rock the boat do the esteemed gentlemen show their mafia qualities.

Re: Why I’m No Longer a Professor

#13

Post by adamzerner » Sat, Jun 28, 2014, 3:55 PM UTC

Education is essentially a business.

You seem to think it's a broken one (so do I).

You're a savvy business man.

Change it!

Re: Why I’m No Longer a Professor

#14

Post by walshemj » Sat, Jun 28, 2014, 3:59 PM UTC

n0rm wrote: post #11

sj4nz wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By MOOC you mean "Massive open online course" I assume?

Yes. A diploma from a prestigious university only means you can go through better gilded doors. After that, your measure is how much money you helped your employer make. After a while, the metric becomes what you've done (in the past) to prove your worth. If MOOCs are taken seriously, and can compete with prestigious diplomas when it comes to that first job, then you've got a game changer. Sadly, the only way to make…

yes right so you get to work a MC Job instead of a good one - not exactly a endorsement for MOOCs is it.

You go to Oxbridge/ivy league universities for the contacts not just the piece of paper

Re: Why I’m No Longer a Professor

#15

Post by walshemj » Sat, Jun 28, 2014, 4:01 PM UTC

greggman wrote: post #9

Whenever I think about teaching I generally assume I'll run into similar problems. Teaching apparently has tons of politics and strict rules. The only thing I could think of is starting my own school but I haven't gotten myself to make that jump yet.

as they say "Academic politics is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, because the stakes are so low"

Re: Why I’m No Longer a Professor

#16

Post by drdeadringer » Sat, Jun 28, 2014, 4:05 PM UTC

petercooper wrote: post #6

drdeadringer wrote: post #2

I got to the part of "It wasn't giving me joy anymore" and, well... that accounts for a large portion of why anybody is no longer [fill_in_blank]. I believe circumstances make up most of the rest.

The first part of what you say is true, but that can result from systemic deficiencies or incompatibilities, which was the case here. Education is notorious for having people quit due to feeling disillusioned, constrained, or opposed by the systems around it. The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers in the UK did a survey of its members in 2013 and found 84% felt demoralized with 50% having c…

> people quit due to feeling disillusioned, constrained, or opposed by the systems around it

I think this happens more than just in education, but I can believe that education has a healthy stake.

Re: Why I’m No Longer a Professor

#17

Post by pgrote » Sat, Jun 28, 2014, 4:05 PM UTC

Estragon wrote: post #10

I saw a news article about suicides among 50-something men in the US going up by 50%. I'm curious, is this statistically significant? I'm having trouble finding information about the variance of suicide rates.

I, too, was hoping for a reference in the post. Checking google news shows no recent news reports.

I did find this:

http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/public-health...

"Before the recession, men were more likely to commit suicide than women. This gap grew once the economic crisis began: While suicide rates increased for both genders, the increase for men was four times greater than that of women."

Re: Why I’m No Longer a Professor

#18

Post by keithpeter » Sat, Jun 28, 2014, 4:27 PM UTC

greggman wrote: post #9

Whenever I think about teaching I generally assume I'll run into similar problems. Teaching apparently has tons of politics and strict rules. The only thing I could think of is starting my own school but I haven't gotten myself to make that jump yet.

UK: further education colleges (bit like community colleges in US I believe) have vocational qualifications called BTEC National Diplomas. These are 'level 3' (that means good for university entrance) and assessed largely by criteria. The teacher of each unit has to devise assignments/projects that cover the criteria. We have a moderation process on the assignments to make sure they do actually cover the criteria (before the students do the projects!) and then the student work itself is subject to sampling and moderation.

It can work very well indeed. Younger teachers with vocational experience (e.g. graphic designers teaching part time) can produce superb briefs that they even get 'customers' to evaluate.

I once had to write a University level module on 'scientific method'. That could be really dry, but I hit on the idea of getting the students to interview a research scientist of post-doc or higher experience level (the university in question had plenty of those around) about the extent to which the philosophers' idea of the scientific method actually worked. Each group of students rapidly found a lot of tension around the publishing and peer review processes. Big discussions! Good quality reports!

Do you have adult basic education in the US? Sorting out people's basic maths (I mean being able to check their change, find the value of a percentage, check wage slips) is another area where there is a lot of autonomy and opportunity for creativity.

Have the OA and others here given thought to mentoring teachers that are in training? They can challenge your assumptions and refresh your practice as well.

As you can see, I'm in mid-50s and still going.

Re: Why I’m No Longer a Professor

#19

Post by buro9 » Sat, Jun 28, 2014, 4:34 PM UTC

greggman wrote: post #9

Whenever I think about teaching I generally assume I'll run into similar problems. Teaching apparently has tons of politics and strict rules. The only thing I could think of is starting my own school but I haven't gotten myself to make that jump yet.

You could join other hackers who want to make better schools in the UK: http://adalovelaceacademy.com/

Re: Why I’m No Longer a Professor

#20

Post by hluska » Sat, Jun 28, 2014, 4:34 PM UTC

Estragon wrote: post #10

I saw a news article about suicides among 50-something men in the US going up by 50%. I'm curious, is this statistically significant? I'm having trouble finding information about the variance of suicide rates.

This information comes from a report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. I can't find the report itself, but it is referenced here:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health-jan-june13-suicide_05-...

Edit - I found the report moments after posting that link. Here it is:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6217a1.htm?mobile...