Hoping To Fix College Teaching, CMU Open-Sources Trove of Software (edsurge.com) 71
Wednesday CMU announced the open sourcing of its adaptive-learning software platform -- plus analytics and dozens of other related tools for improving college teaching -- as part of a national push "in an unusual move intended to shake up how college teaching is done around the world," writes EdSurge.
Long-time Slashdot reader jyosim shares their report: Officials estimate that developing the software has cost more than $100 million in foundation grants and university dollars. The goal of the software giveaway is to jump-start "learning engineering," the practice of applying findings from learning science to college classrooms. If it takes off, the effort could result in a free, open-source alternative to a growing number of commercial adaptive-learning and learning analytics tools aimed at colleges. One of the biggest concerns by college leaders about buying such tools from commercial vendors is whether colleges will have access to the underlying algorithmic logic -- or whether the systems will be a "black box...."
"We need a scientific revolution in education akin to the one that we had in medicine 150 years ago," said Michael Feldstein, coordinator of the Empirical Educator Project, in a statement. "This isn't a silver bullet, and it isn't charity. It's an invitation to the educators of the world for us all to solve big problems together."
CMU's Nobel prize-winning economics professor Herbert Simon once argued of colleges that "we must step back and view them with Martian eyes, innocent of their history, to appreciate fully how outrageous their operation is... [W]e find no one with a professional knowledge of the laws of learning, or of the techniques of applying them."
Kenneth R. Koedinger, a professor of human computer interaction and psychology at Carnegie Mellon, now argues that "we need to change higher ed from a solo sport to a collaborative research activity."
Long-time Slashdot reader jyosim shares their report: Officials estimate that developing the software has cost more than $100 million in foundation grants and university dollars. The goal of the software giveaway is to jump-start "learning engineering," the practice of applying findings from learning science to college classrooms. If it takes off, the effort could result in a free, open-source alternative to a growing number of commercial adaptive-learning and learning analytics tools aimed at colleges. One of the biggest concerns by college leaders about buying such tools from commercial vendors is whether colleges will have access to the underlying algorithmic logic -- or whether the systems will be a "black box...."
"We need a scientific revolution in education akin to the one that we had in medicine 150 years ago," said Michael Feldstein, coordinator of the Empirical Educator Project, in a statement. "This isn't a silver bullet, and it isn't charity. It's an invitation to the educators of the world for us all to solve big problems together."
CMU's Nobel prize-winning economics professor Herbert Simon once argued of colleges that "we must step back and view them with Martian eyes, innocent of their history, to appreciate fully how outrageous their operation is... [W]e find no one with a professional knowledge of the laws of learning, or of the techniques of applying them."
Kenneth R. Koedinger, a professor of human computer interaction and psychology at Carnegie Mellon, now argues that "we need to change higher ed from a solo sport to a collaborative research activity."
What we really need! (Score:2)
Separate research/publication and teaching as distinct abilities and reward each for what they are.
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Separate research/publication and teaching as distinct abilities and reward each for what they are.
That would be a good start. My best college courses were taught by non-tenure-track lecturers. The worst instructors were old professors who wanted to be doing something else, and whose time was way more expensive than the lecturer.
Professors should do research and teach graduate seminars. Undergrad classes should be taught by professional instructors who know how to teach.
But colleges can also make much more use of technology. They could use online instruction for many of the lectures, and only meet in
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Colleges cannot afford a two tier level of instruction and research.
A two tier system costs less, and colleges that have adopted that model have mostly done so to save money. The improvement in teaching quality has been a side effect.
What colleges can't afford is to pay a world class researcher to teach introductory freshman courses.
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The best learning sessions I had were during the tutorials and that was dependent upon the specific skills of the tutor. No machine learning for that, one tutor with good knowledge and a desire to teach and ten students or less, that worked the best. All the rest, meh.
Computers should only be used in STEM subjects (win, lose or draw on your own skill set and tested under pressure because all STEM learning will be applied in the workplace under pressure, fail and you can cause real harm), most other subjects
Opportunity (Score:4, Interesting)
Sounds like a golden opportunity to set up some learning portals/schools for highly specific fields or niche pursuits.
Re:Opportunity -- What Professors Are (Score:1)
Professors are not always enthusiastic about teaching because much of the expectation is to get out research. That's the "something else" they'd rather be doing or more so realize they really have to be doing.
Research universities have these two sides: research and teaching -- the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge. The research is critically important and it's believed that those who do research consequently have more to offer learners. However, there is a great deal of pressure to produce -- ev
It isn't High School (Score:5, Insightful)
Parents and others have been sold a bill of goods that without a college education, a person is less than worthless. So they will pay any price. And spend a hundred K for a bachelors degree.
And since the goal has morphed from a saleable skill to mere posession of a degree, ridiculous majors like philosophy and gender studies graduates ant their parents are expecting the graduate to be firmly emplaced in a 6 figure career right after graduation.
Research has become the raison d'etre for the Universities while the parents are expecting the kids to get that valuable degree.
There are so many layers of middle management being added that one would think that the main purpose of Universities is not education, not research, but middle management.
Finally, having spent several decades at a University, they have really become pretty toxic environments for around half of the population, leading to over-representation of the other half, and unfortunately many of that half are not pursuing degrees that lend themselves to financial solvency or paying back that 100 K loan.
Nw tell me about how open sourcing software is going to fix this?
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It isn't. It's intended to be a distraction.
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That should probably be *which* smartass. But it might not even be a smartass at all.
In any case, I haven't figured it out yet.
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That should probably be *which* smartass. But it might not even be a smartass at all.
In any case, I haven't figured it out yet.
I dunno - which of us is the bigger smartass? Guys are so competitive yaknow.
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It isn't. It's intended to be a distraction.
There are pretty much two separate Universities in the same place. The one is the University of the people who are taking the majors that will allow them to have something of a skillset to support themselves. Engineering comes to mind.
The second one is degrees in subjects that mainly consist of people giving their opinion. The careers available for these majors are mostly replacing the present instructor or one at another campus.
But Gee - why don't people just take those courses that give them a good
Re:It isn't High School (Score:4, Informative)
Where did you get the idea that the purpose of a university was to give you a "skillset" so you could be a wage slave? You can go back in history and that has literally never been the purpose of a university.
That isn't a description of any system of higher education in the world, or any course of study.
I think you should talk to some people who have actually spent time at university.
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I think you should talk to some people who have actually spent time at university.
Only at University (employed status) for 35 years, and been called back because they want my skillset. Believe or not, it is your choice.
You usually aren't so insulting. A bad day?
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I think you should talk to some people who have actually spent time at university.
Only at University (employed status) for 35 years, and been called back because they want my skillset. Believe or not, it is your choice.
You usually aren't so insulting. A bad day?
If you wish to have an actual discussion on how I have come to an opinion that you think is a lie or just wrong, let me know. Elsewise, good day sir.
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My mistake, Ol. I shouldn't have dismissed your criticism. That hasn't been my experience working in higher education.
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My mistake, Ol. I shouldn't have dismissed your criticism. That hasn't been my experience working in higher education.
No problem - yup, people do have a range of experiences.
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Indeed. Having done the CS thing myself, there were some parties, but not a lot. One of the Profs said in the beginning "This course is intended to bring you to your limits. If you are still with us after that, then you are one of those we want." He was right, and those partying all the time were gone pretty soon. STEM majors are intellectually tough. They can understand things. That puts them ahead of 80% of the population, including most students and graduates of other subjects. It also makes them replace
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Indeed. Having done the CS thing myself, there were some parties, but not a lot.
True enough. I think the difference is something like an end of semester get together, or myself and a few friends/cohorts might get out after a hard evening's work. Assuming the bars were still open. But good heavens, many of the gut majors were busy getting ready for Friday and Saturday by hitting the bars on Thursday. And of course, the sports, esp football that were an excuse to get loaded on Saturday morning.
STEM majors are intellectually tough. They can understand things. That puts them ahead of 80% of the population, including most students and graduates of other subjects. It also makes them replaceable by nothing else than similar graduates, even if the software economy is still trying to do demanding engineering jobs with amateurs. With predictable results.
Yeah - that software economy. Another problem of modern social mores.
We live in an age of "
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Exactly.
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While the people having the College experience are busy partying and abusing their livers, and having a grand old time
Also, don't discount the value of networking in college. This is the chief value of the Ivy Leagues. By and large, the intellectual environment at Harvard is not any more elevated than it is at the best state schools, or small institutions like Smith or Reed. The Ivies mostly provide a sandbox for the cream of society to rub elbows with each other.
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My take also. By know everybody really involved must know that teaching is not a tech-question. I could teach my software security course without any problem just with a blackboard and email and the students would need some networked computer access to code the exercises. That is massively below what is available anyways. No, good teaching requires good teachers, time, selection of the right students (Ones that want to learn stuff and not just want to get that degree on the cheap and the best grades possibl
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unfortunately many of that half are not pursuing degrees that lend themselves to financial solvency or paying back that 100 K loan.
Once AOC is elected president, all the student loans will be forgiven. Problem solved.
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unfortunately many of that half are not pursuing degrees that lend themselves to financial solvency or paying back that 100 K loan.
Once AOC is elected president, all the student loans will be forgiven. Problem solved.
Now if they can just find gainful employment with that communications degree.
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Now if they can just find gainful employment with that communications degree.
Not a problem. They can just live off UBI.
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While you probably meant that as a joke, it is likely the only option to keep society going medium-to-long-term. 20% of the population doing hardcore jobs, the rest basically not working or volunteering. And even that will be a huge problem as especially those 80% that are not really fit for academic education often have trouble finding meaning in life without work. And that creates unrest, mental illness (strongly on the raise, I wonder why?), destructive behavior, etc.
An UBI is necessary, but it is nowher
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Philosophy graduates often earn way more than engineers, and unlike engineers, have no ceiling for their salaries.
only dumbshit classless culture-less friendless engineers think philosophy is ridiculous, and ironically philosophy reserves the notion of absurdity just for them.
Coo story bro!
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A yes, that would be "those" programmers. I have cleaned up a few of the messes they routinely make because of lack of insight and talent.
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You seem to be unaware what an "implication" is and mistake if for an "equivalence". You just failed CS 101.
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A yes, that would be "those" programmers. I have cleaned up a few of the messes they routinely make because of lack of insight and talent.
Amazing how that coward seems to think that someone who spends 100K on a gender studies degree simply "becomes a programmer". When the very things that cause a person to select that major are more likely to interfere with the intellectual ability to think like a programmer than augment it.
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Indeed. Gender studies seems to teach nothing of use and seems to be a "modern" feminist replacement for the traditional "home economics" studies were the primary purpose was to allow women to find a husband with academic education. They seem to have replaced that with the opposite in the "modern" variant, making it even less useful as the traditional one.
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Indeed. Gender studies seems to teach nothing of use and seems to be a "modern" feminist replacement for the traditional "home economics" studies were the primary purpose was to allow women to find a husband with academic education.
Definitely one of the opinion majors. I watched a video in which a woman in one of these classes launced into a scathing dismissal of critical thinking and science as one of the tools of the white male patriarchy, and was a racist and sexist concept that must be eliminated. She spent the time not spouting her nonsense looking at her smartphone. When some of the people started laughing at the kook, the instructor threatend to kick them out.
They seem to have replaced that with the opposite in the "modern" variant, making it even less useful as the traditional one.
Home economics is so desperately needed again, as well as civics cla
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There is a
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As for the whole college degree is necessary, there are plenty of opportunities elsewhere - the trades are deeply lacking, and as such can pay extremely well. 6 figures is not beyond the realm of possibility, and while it's not an office job, it's still a respectable job, just one where one might get their hands actually dirty.
The amazing thing is how long that BS has been going on. Personal anecdote here:
In the early 70's I took both Academic and Electronics, which was considered Vocational/Technical. It wasn't easy, because the calendar was filled with no spare time. No lunch, no study halls, nothing but classes.
I even got called into the principle's office - "You're a smart boy Ol - why would you want to take such a strange set of courses?"
I explained - it was good to have more options.
"But people will think you are
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If you find the idea of majoring in philosophy ridiculous, then I submit that you have no idea what a university--or a university education--is for. Apparently you think it's a fancy trade school. That attitude is every bit as destructive to real education as credentialism is.
Unless you are independently wealthy, or happy to take a job that involves dishing out French Fries at the Drive through window, Your choices are pretty limited. Your best hope is to become the next professor of philosophy after hitting a couple different Universities and coming back with your Doctorate.
The instillation of knowledge is a worthy goal. The world needs philosophers. Just not very many.
Ah yes - you handed me the old Fuck Jobs - we're here to expand minds! Well, that's nice and all. But
are universities for learning? (Score:3)
If we want to improve learning and teaching at universities, the first question that should be answered is: what is the purpose of a university?
Universities make most of their money off of either contract research and social networking, and those areas may be where their biggest contribution to society is. If we need universities to focus on education, should we split the education function out from the contract research and social networking functions?
This is similar to asking whether retail banks should also be allowed to perform investment banking. There is a potent financial and cultural pressure to optimize activities like research grants and NCAA sports. While it is possible to also be excellent at education, generally more attention, oversight, and effort is put into other activities.
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You americans are crazy, this isn't even a question in the rest of the world. You have a serious problem conflating your educational institutions with businesses.
Re:are universities for learning? (Score:5, Informative)
It is shocking what people who didn't go to university think goes on at a university.
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Universities make most of their money off of either contract research and social networking,
you kinda misspelled SPORTS there.
College teaching not broken (Score:1)
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College teaching is not broken and does not need fixing.
The cost of college has skyrocketed, student debt has soared, and graduates are not prepared for the job market.
Our current system of higher education is broken, and absolutely needs fixing.
What does need fixing is the insanity of administrators who look at student results and blame the faculty for them.
The bad results are happening broadly, so it clearly is not the fault of a few faculty. It is the "system" that needs to be fixed.
Costs need to be reined in. Students need to be counseled so they have realistic plans and expectations. We need to change our values so that completing a trade school education in welding
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The cost of college has skyrocketed, student debt has soared, and graduates are not prepared for the job market.
Our current system of higher education is broken, and absolutely needs fixing.
Yes concerning the costs and debt. But teaching has not changed (which is the complaint of the article). So why does teaching need fixing?
Regarding the last point: this of course is the problem, but it is one caused by branding and sales pitches. And this is precisely what needs to change.The point of the university is emphatically not to train employees.
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What is the purpose of a university? Is it a professional research organization? What is the difference between places like Salk and Broad and their academic neighbors?
If education is what distinguishes a university from an institute or professional research organization, then improving educational methods and metrics should be a goal of universities. The problem is that many people working at universities would rather be working at research institutes.
Really, many of those folks should be at research inst
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If that were true, it would be a problem. It is not true. May as well say standardized components have killed the market for mechanical engineers. It has not.
What has killed the software engineering market is a flood of really cheap but really bad coders and management too stupid to see that you cannot do engineering jobs with amateurs and expect a good outcome.
No blockchain? (Score:4, Funny)
No blockchain? Count me out.
Learn to code (Score:1)
An Open Letter to Grantmakers On Copyright (Score:2)
Something I first wrote in 2001: https://pdfernhout.net/open-le... [pdfernhout.net] "Foundations, other grantmaking agencies handling public tax-exempt dollars, and charitable donors need to consider the implications for their grantmaking or donation policies if they use a now obsolete charitable model of subsidizing proprietary publishing and proprietary research. In order to improve the effectiveness and collaborativeness of the non-profit sector overall, it is suggested these grantmaking organizations and donors move to