There is a new post in The Atlantic about the program. The post concludes with an interview with a U. of Del. political science faculty member who opposes the new program and explains how much is required to pass muster at U. of Del. and have a program. He says, “…The senate gives careful review […]
What does it mean to “learn calculus”
October 7, 2013 by
In a recent post, Calculus on the Road, I pointed out that studnts who didn’t know the definition of a derivative were making good grades in their calculus class. So what does “learning calculus” mean? At some “elite” schools it doesn’t mean knowing any formal definition of a limit (part of the definition of a derivative). For […]
UPenn Vice-Provost Encourages More Tests But There is a Rub.
September 26, 2013 by
Prof Emanuel, Vice Provost and Professor at the Univ. of Penn., has a nice article on testing in The New Republic http://www.newrepublic.com/article/114793/american-schools-need-more-testing-not-less He has a good idea. But will it really be testing when put into practice? I directed his readers to my article. Here is what I wrote. “As someone who taught mathematics for […]
Is The Atlantic Right to Report on a Report the Way it Did?
September 25, 2013 by
I previously commented on an article about a paper by the president of Northwestern, Northwestern President Publishes Study About Northwestern And the National Bureau of Economic Research Publishes It? The paper apparently is getting lots of publicity and The Atlantic published a second post on it, http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/09/are-tenured-professors-really-worse-teachers-a-lit-review/279940/#comments I don’t agree with some of the reporter’s […]
Wonderful Essay on Education and Society in WSJ
September 17, 2013 by
Here is the link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324577304579055511904387286.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion#articleTabs%3Darticle It was hard to comment on this article since it was so good. I agree with it wholeheartedly. I did add information that readers of this blog already know. Here is what I wrote. “Thank you for this wonderful essay. From my perspective as a former professor, I think it […]
Good Short Article in The Atlantic with Informative Table.
Here is the link to the article http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/09/americas-wasteful-higher-education-spending-in-a-chart/280130/#comments Here is my comment: “Just read what Bill Gross, the billionare bond investor of Pimco wrote: “…Universities are run for the benefit of the adult establishment, both politically and financially, not students. To radically change the system and to question the sanctity of a college education would […]