| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

so-called Universities

Page history last edited by Andrew Alder 8 months, 3 weeks ago


 

 

What should a University be?

 

Two principles should stand out.

 

1. The best way to learn is to teach.

Researchers benefit enormously from the challenge of teaching. If they are to produce their best, every Professor however exalted should accept the challenge of teaching even the lowest grade of first year students every once in a while, and of answering their questions in terms they can understand. And at every other level up to the limits of their level of expertise. Answering their questions gives new perspectives and stimulates lateral thinking. There is no substitute for this.

 

There is a place for research institutes, for those who are not inclined or competent or both to teach. It is even sensible for them to share University premises and facilities, from the library to laboratories such as radio telescopes and nuclear research reactors.

 

Bu they are not the University. Their goals are complementary but distinct, and their funding and governance and that of the University should be independent.

 

2. The best preparation for teaching is to learn.

Every student should have the opportunity to sit at the feet of the foremost researchers in their chosen field. There is no substitute for this.  

 

There is a place for vocational education, and for tertiary institutions that provide it. It is even sensible for them to share University premises, and to a limited extent, courses and even staff.

 

But they are not the University. Their goals are complementary but distinct. University academic staff should not be required to teach courses that consist only of vocational students.  Wherever possible, even the most elementary courses should be available in both University and vocational versions.

 

Some less important non-negotiables

The responsibility for assessment is on the assessor. The responsibility for correctly grading a student lies entirely with the person who assigns the grade.

 

Which is the exact opposite of the way it seems to work. Isn't it? Why?

 

Think of the extreme case, when a student doesn't sit a compulsory exam. And they fail, of course.

 

But that is pure laziness and callous irresponsibility on the part of the University. If a student is competent, they should pass, and if not they should fail. In practice most universities have a clause that allows a student to "show cause" why they should not fail... If they had good and unforseeable reasons for their non-attendance, for example. That's good politics but lacks any sense of morality or logic.

 

No, the University calendar states something like "to pass, a student will attend such classes, submit such assignments, and pass such exams as the University shall determine..." and that is that. Or at least, there's always some sort of appeal... to the Academic Senate for example, typically a body of people of such incompetence that they see nothing wrong with failing a competent student just  because they got drunk the night before the exam and slept in.

 

A case in point. When I attended first year Philosophy at Macquarie University, the compulsory examination occurred on the day of the Vietnam Moratorium rally. The professor approached the Academic Senate for permission to waive attendance for those who attended the rally. This was refused.

 

An incompetent and irresponsible decision that would be repeated in many other universities worldwide.

 

The professor was not asking for these students to be given any credit for sitting the exam. It was possible to pass the course by attending the exam and submitting a blank paper (and I would have done so on my assignment grades but I studied for the exam anyway hoping to improve my grade). But it was under the regulations not possible to pass the course if you didn't attend the exam at all unless you showed "good reason" for your absence to the body of people who had already indicated that attending the rally would not be considered "good reason". 

 

The Academic Senate were saying, we approve of failing competent students. And it's not their fault. All their peers expect such behaviour. Nobody has ever told them that this is both irresponsible and incompetent behaviour on their part. And it's about time somebody did.

 

I'm sure they like the power they exercise, even if they complain that they'd prefer not to spend their time on such administrative tasks. And this is part of the problem. Assessment at a University should not be a burden on either the student or the teacher. It is a valuable part of the educational process.

 

And sometimes, if the student knows more than the teacher, it can even be a profound learning experience for both. It happens. And that's how it should work at a University.

 

It becomes a burden only because it is not understood in those terms. This idealism is of course not common in any part of the education system. It's a high ideal anywhere, but one a University should embrace and practise, at all levels. And as a side benefit, this good example will influence other educators, and improve the quality of candidates applying to the University.

 

Sanity

     

Because there are two rules for mental health.

 

Firstly, never accept responsibility for what you cannot control. That's obvious.

 

Secondly, always accept responsibility for what you can control. That's perhaps a bit less obvious but equally important.

 

(Another popular formulation of these two rules is the Serenity_Prayer of Reinhold Niebuhr. It works well for individuals, but it isn't obvious how to apply it to an institution.)

 

Universities that do not accept and practice these two principles are organisationally insane, and are driving both their staff and their students insane. Does that explain a lot of our world? Are there any Universities out there that do practice these basic principles of sanity? 

 

It's basic accountability. Which is another commodity in short supply in the world currently, is it not? See how to bust a bureaucrat and also sanity if you didn't follow the link above.

 

Universities can and should be part of fixing it. They are in a unique position to do so! But (sigh) don't hold your breath.

 

 

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.