This is a link to a Single Variable Calculus course as taught in 1970 at MIT. Calculus Revisited: Single Variable Calculus | MIT OpenCourseWare. Having this course, with videos, transcript and problems is a wonderful resource. Comparing this course with today’s courses helps us see what it really means, in terms of learning, for faculty to require so much less study effort for […]
Archives for December 2014
The Gift of Education – NYTimes.com
December 21, 2014 by
Good Essay in Today’s Times: “Your Waitress, Your Professor”
December 19, 2014 by
I recommend this. Your Waitress, Your Professor – NYTimes.com. In addition to being a good essay, this op-ed, when combined with some outside facts, makes another point. “By looking at one of the English Comp courses that Ms. Brandon teaches one can get a scary glimpse into today’s college scene – a scene where too many […]
Harvard President Misses What College Really Is in Most of the Country
December 18, 2014 by
Harvard President Faust on federal college ratings, campus sexual assault and more – The Washington Post. I commented. “I have read Pres. Faust’s speech. I read it as a former professor, (I taught at Wash. U. in St. Louis.) As it is, it is highly misleading – probably due to a lack of Pres. Faust’s […]
NY Times Notes “Steep Slide in Law School Enrollment”, But Misses Big Factor
December 18, 2014 by
A Steep Slide in Law School Enrollment Accelerates – NYTimes.com. “I pointed out the factor with this comment. Why isn’t anyone addressing the “elephant in the room”? Surely, its recognition by potential law students and their parents has an effect on attendance. And what is the elephant? Scott Turow has called legal education an “unscrupulous […]
Are You a College With a “Low-Performing” or “At-Risk” Teacher Preparation Program? Want a Grant For Programs with “High-Quality Teacher” Programs? No Problem.
December 16, 2014 by
I’m reading about the new proposed Federal Teacher Preparation Rules. (They look ok to me, so far.) In any case, I came across this. It is reminiscent of the program I wrote about here. (See Note below.) “…a teacher preparation program must provide high-quality teacher preparation in order to be eligible to award TEACH Grants. […]
Research Indicates Even Top Departments Calling A No-Go For a PhD, a Guess What? A PhD!
December 12, 2014 by
Here is a link to the paper. (I will make my point after quoting from the paper.) JEP (28,3) p. 205 – The Research Productivity of New PhDs in Economics: The Surprisingly High Non-success of the Successful. Here is an important conclusion quoted from the paper. “…At the majority of the departments ranked in the top […]
Colleges’ New Aid Target Sometimes is Just a Way to Make More “Profit”, Especially at Private Schools.
Colleges’ New Aid Target: the Middle Class – WSJ. Here was my comment. “Most private universities have only raised their published tuition. For over a decade, their net tuition has remained fairly constant. Basically, they give a discount by calling it “financial aid”. (I think economists call it discriminatory pricing, a way to maximize revenue and profit.) […]