The New York Times article last Sunday (12/26/10)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/education/26grades.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=grades&st=cse
got me to thinking about my own grades. Here are the conclusions:
1. I inflate grades.
2. My students make me do it.
Theoretically, student attributes, including ability, should be normally distributed within a class. For that population, there should be some As, more Bs, mostly Cs, and some Ds and Fs. Look at my grades and you see mostly As, some Bs, a few Cs, and no Ds or Fs. Are my classes composed of better than average MSU MBA students? Unless there is a way of stacking the deck, I don't think so. Maybe I'm a brilliant instructor who has this unusual ability of getting the average and below students to excel. I don't think so; besides, that would make me a poor instructor for the above average students who would not advance as far as the other students. Nope, pure and simple, I inflate.
Why? My students make me do it. Not all students, some students. I'm talking about the students who decided not to check out some of the tech tools or reflect on the impact of the tools. I'm not talking about getting a 1/2 on the reflection, I'm talking about not doing it. It was so easy: play with the tool, show me you did, and then write a reflection. Mostly, if you wrote anything, you got 2/2. Couldn't be easier.
I'm talking about students who didn't contribute much (or any) to wiki and/or decided to skip some/all of the SI initiative reflections. Contribute to wiki, get credit, regardless of the value added. Write an SI reflection, get full credit, regardless of the value add. Couldn't be easier.
Sure, I did my part. For the presentations--both consultants and C-level--I started at 5 and deducted. Normal distribution would say start at 2.5 and go up or down from there. Class participation? Same thing--start at 20 and deduct for absences and missed opportunities to contribute to class. My guess is that the mean is above 18. Imagine if we subtracted 8 from your participation score.
An MSU MBA graduate once told me that 50% of her job as a supervisor was "getting employees to show up." I was shocked. People don't show up! How/why miss the easy part. Now I get it. Getting some people to do the work--show up, if you will--is the hard part. The good news for the rest of you is that to inflate grades of these students I must inflate your grade. So, students really do make me do it.
The other side of this, of course, is that by not doing the work the student gets a lower grade and inflation is offset. Eurika! I still have too many As, but you give me Bs and Cs. Thank you, sort of.
Sorry if I sound grumpy. I'm not, just a little surprised and maybe a touch disheartened.
Dr. P.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Generations
My how times change! I was just looking at typical characteristics by generation (Lancaster and Stillman, 2003) and, surprise, surprise, there are differences between me and my students. Here are a few:
Key Descriptor: Loyal (that's me, the first one) -- Realistic
Notion of Command: Chain of Command -- Don't command, collaborate
Career Goals: Build a legacy -- Build a parallel career
Motivation/Rewards: A job well done -- Make a difference
Job Changing: Carries a stigma -- Mart of the daily routine
Training Attitudes: I learned the hard way, you can to -- Continuous learning is a way of life
Performance Reviews: No news is good news -- Feedback whenever I want
Productivity Measures: Inputs and outputs matter -- outputs and collaboration
Career Pace: Prove yourself with loyalty -- where can I go from here
Work-life Balance: No balance, work until retirement -- Flexibility to balance all activities
WE need to keep our differences in mind. My generation and the next will be your bosses for some time :)
Key Descriptor: Loyal (that's me, the first one) -- Realistic
Notion of Command: Chain of Command -- Don't command, collaborate
Career Goals: Build a legacy -- Build a parallel career
Motivation/Rewards: A job well done -- Make a difference
Job Changing: Carries a stigma -- Mart of the daily routine
Training Attitudes: I learned the hard way, you can to -- Continuous learning is a way of life
Performance Reviews: No news is good news -- Feedback whenever I want
Productivity Measures: Inputs and outputs matter -- outputs and collaboration
Career Pace: Prove yourself with loyalty -- where can I go from here
Work-life Balance: No balance, work until retirement -- Flexibility to balance all activities
WE need to keep our differences in mind. My generation and the next will be your bosses for some time :)
Friday, September 3, 2010
Fron LOTS to HOTS
A researcher named Benjamin Bloom developed a taxonomy of learning (here's a modern day version http://www.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm). The ides was to order cognitive activity from easiest--rote--to hardest or most sophisticated, from Lower Order Thinking Skills to Higher Order Thinking Skills. The link will give you some idea of what Bloom had in mind. Learning, he suggested, proceeded from the lower level to the upper level. Don't know about you but I memorized multiplication tables as the first step toward long division.
Well, I came across an ordered set of communication skills that I thought was of interest. In order, from easiest to most sophisticated, mentally:
Texting
Instant messaging
Twittering
Emailing
Chatting
Contributing
Networking
Posting & blogging
Replying
Questioning
Reviewing
Video conferencing/Skyping/Net meeting
Debating
Negotiating
Moderating
Collaborating
Do you have a theory as to why the more popular communication types are among the lowest in cognitive effort?
I wonder, where is your comfort zone? Are you looking forward to moving up the ladder to some of the higher-order skills we will use in this class?
Well, I came across an ordered set of communication skills that I thought was of interest. In order, from easiest to most sophisticated, mentally:
Texting
Instant messaging
Twittering
Emailing
Chatting
Contributing
Networking
Posting & blogging
Replying
Questioning
Reviewing
Video conferencing/Skyping/Net meeting
Debating
Negotiating
Moderating
Collaborating
Do you have a theory as to why the more popular communication types are among the lowest in cognitive effort?
I wonder, where is your comfort zone? Are you looking forward to moving up the ladder to some of the higher-order skills we will use in this class?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Locus of Control
There's a psychological concept called locus of control. It refers to where the control of your behavior comes from--internal or external. For example, the adolescent relies on others to guide his/her behavior where the adult tends to guide their own behavior. Bad example maybe, but the adolescent smokes because it's cool and it helps the smoker identify with some group. The adult smokes because they to or need to--both reasons are internal to the person, one is emotional and the other physical.
We can see the same thing in learners. Some learners have an external locus of control. They need others, mainly the professor, to tell them what to do, maybe they work for grades or for approval of their parents. We see this mostly through the undergraduate degree. For graduates, we hope the motivation is intrinsic, a sort of hunger for information and knowledge brought on by the felt belief that the effort will be worth it. One of the reasons we encourage MBA students to have some business experience is to give them time to build up this hunger, to come to know what they want and to settle for nothing less.
As you are learning, of course I believe in the latter. My feeling is that you should be pushing me for answers, rather than me trying to pull information from you. We are going to conduct our class that way--push vs pull. You've sen that in the syllabus where I've asked you to tell me what you want. What information do you expect to accumulate? What decision making power do you want? What skills and attitudes do you want to develop? What capabilities do you have on your checklist? I have some ideas--good ones, I think--but I don't live in your shoes, report to your employer, have the same career ladder in mind. You have to tell me, er push me in that direction.
Sure, we have assignments, deadlines, grades, etc., but these are more mechanical in my mind, created by the necessity of giving you a grade as required by the University. I guess, they are also for the folks who need some external locus of control. If you are not hungry--and/or I don't make you hungry in the first few weeks--we need to talk. If you're intrinsic, my experience is that grades will take care of themselves.
We can see the same thing in learners. Some learners have an external locus of control. They need others, mainly the professor, to tell them what to do, maybe they work for grades or for approval of their parents. We see this mostly through the undergraduate degree. For graduates, we hope the motivation is intrinsic, a sort of hunger for information and knowledge brought on by the felt belief that the effort will be worth it. One of the reasons we encourage MBA students to have some business experience is to give them time to build up this hunger, to come to know what they want and to settle for nothing less.
As you are learning, of course I believe in the latter. My feeling is that you should be pushing me for answers, rather than me trying to pull information from you. We are going to conduct our class that way--push vs pull. You've sen that in the syllabus where I've asked you to tell me what you want. What information do you expect to accumulate? What decision making power do you want? What skills and attitudes do you want to develop? What capabilities do you have on your checklist? I have some ideas--good ones, I think--but I don't live in your shoes, report to your employer, have the same career ladder in mind. You have to tell me, er push me in that direction.
Sure, we have assignments, deadlines, grades, etc., but these are more mechanical in my mind, created by the necessity of giving you a grade as required by the University. I guess, they are also for the folks who need some external locus of control. If you are not hungry--and/or I don't make you hungry in the first few weeks--we need to talk. If you're intrinsic, my experience is that grades will take care of themselves.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Learning is Tough -- For Both of Us!
With September down the block I've been putting on my game face for this tussle called learning. Not teaching, mind you, but learning. Teaching is where I'm the "sage on the stage." I do my thing and, hopefully, you learn something, perhaps even in spite of me. No, I'm talking LEARNING; changing who you are, what you know, how valuable you are to your employers
Some have proposed a knowledge development matrix that has a learning sequence--the learning steps--on the Y axis and a continuum of learning as the X axis. The goal is for the student to move from the top left to the lower right. The steps are:
The continuum moves from awareness of the information, to understanding it, to applying it, to analyzing it, to synthesizing it, to evaluating it in the light of additional information. You might think of these steps as recall facts, explain facts, use this understanding in a new situation, manipulate the information (tear apart or put together) to form some new understandings, and finally match criteria of this information to a specific situation as a first step to starting the continuum all over again. Think of the continuum as remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. For those of you whose brains are swelling just remember awareness, recall, application, and mastery. (There are similar notions for the development of affective objectives.)
The message here is that we--both oif us--need to work the matrix if anything is going to happen. My job, more or less, is to set the table and pull or push you as much as I can. Your job is to have a passion for getting from the top left to lower right. Are you ready?
Some have proposed a knowledge development matrix that has a learning sequence--the learning steps--on the Y axis and a continuum of learning as the X axis. The goal is for the student to move from the top left to the lower right. The steps are:
- Prior knowledge activation -- connecting what you know to what you are about to learn
- Information preview -- objectives, imagining the final goal, dealing with questions
- Motivation -- enough said
- Information acquisition -- student engagement with the information (you might call this homework)
- Practice and feedback -- this is where you test your understanding, assignments, if you will, but even more
- Closure -- learner reflection on what has been accomplished
The continuum moves from awareness of the information, to understanding it, to applying it, to analyzing it, to synthesizing it, to evaluating it in the light of additional information. You might think of these steps as recall facts, explain facts, use this understanding in a new situation, manipulate the information (tear apart or put together) to form some new understandings, and finally match criteria of this information to a specific situation as a first step to starting the continuum all over again. Think of the continuum as remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. For those of you whose brains are swelling just remember awareness, recall, application, and mastery. (There are similar notions for the development of affective objectives.)
The message here is that we--both oif us--need to work the matrix if anything is going to happen. My job, more or less, is to set the table and pull or push you as much as I can. Your job is to have a passion for getting from the top left to lower right. Are you ready?
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Business Week just published an expose on Gen Y Learning Needs vs. Babyboom/Gen X faculty learning delivery.
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jan2010/bs20100121_624849.htm?campaign_id=bs_nws_Jan25&link_position=link8
There are always tensions between learners and teachers due to generational differences. These tensions may be exacerbated at the MBA level as the old salts seem to bring more value to the table when they have "been there, done that." But Gen Y, with the technical sophistication, may be starting the learning process further away from babyboom/Gen X faculty, expecting much more virtuality than is currently offered.
Opposed to the BW article, I would offer that then need of Gen Y students is to learn the style of the babyboom/Gen Xers who will be employing them. While some of those employers will embrace 100% virtual, most likely there will still be meetings--plenty of them--old fashioned memos and hard copy reports, and, yes, ties for the gentlemen. I understand we need to go to where the Gen Yers are to reach them,. but we also need to bring them back to where they need to be in terms of understanding the world of work as conducted by the old _arts.
What do you think?
Dr. P.
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jan2010/bs20100121_624849.htm?campaign_id=bs_nws_Jan25&link_position=link8
There are always tensions between learners and teachers due to generational differences. These tensions may be exacerbated at the MBA level as the old salts seem to bring more value to the table when they have "been there, done that." But Gen Y, with the technical sophistication, may be starting the learning process further away from babyboom/Gen X faculty, expecting much more virtuality than is currently offered.
Opposed to the BW article, I would offer that then need of Gen Y students is to learn the style of the babyboom/Gen Xers who will be employing them. While some of those employers will embrace 100% virtual, most likely there will still be meetings--plenty of them--old fashioned memos and hard copy reports, and, yes, ties for the gentlemen. I understand we need to go to where the Gen Yers are to reach them,. but we also need to bring them back to where they need to be in terms of understanding the world of work as conducted by the old _arts.
What do you think?
Dr. P.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Are My Expectations Out of Whack?
I became a professor after 20+ years as a corporate figure--first as a worker bee and eventually the boss. I think I showed initiative, drive, and independence from the get-go and I think those attributes were the rungs on my ladder of success. As I moved into managerial roles I expected the same of my new hires and existing employees--simply, getting things done without being prodded or beaten-up. If you showed initiative, you got ahead, if you waited until you were told what to do or you needed deadlines to get things done, well, you were not my kind of employee.
I brought that same view here 12 years ago. I think I'm right. The folks who are going to get a job, keep a job, and advance in a career are those who get things done. They go so far as to pull the company rather than being pulled by the company into doing things. Not sure you agree? Look in the help wanted ads or ask your boss about the importance of initiative, being a self-starter, taking responsibility, working independently. I would be very surprised if your boss didn't rate each of these as more important for an employee than specific technical skills. I'll go so far as to tell you I know companies who hire new grads with these attributes and NO specific job skills. It's that important.
So, I manage my classes the way I would manage in corporate. I see you as "employees" and I'm hoping to give you the opportunity to prove yourself. My rationale is that you need the opportunity to practice these attributes I've mentioned. Fail here, if you must, but don't fail on the job. If I continue to TELL you what to do you will miss the opportunity to do things on your own.
But, this is not exactly working. Most of you are behind on using the tech tools and writing your reflections. For the my undergraduate students I found I needed to establish some hard deadlines. I haven't done that with the graduate students, but I am certainly being pushed in that direction. So, in a period of self-reflection I ask "Are my expectations out of whack?"
Some theorists believe we're all lazy and the only way to get us to do things is to bring out a big club. Maybe we're not lazy, just busy? Maybe you're too young or too busy smelling the roses. Maybe we don't know what to do and are afraid to ask? Maybe we don't see WIIFM (What's In IT For ME?). Maybe we don't see the link to being hired, starting salary level, salary increases, and the like. Maybe my easy-going manner confuses my seriousness about my expectations of you and my grades for you. I'm curious--what do you think the explanation is?
I have a little secret--I'm an easy grader. I have another secret--my grades are among the lowest of the 40+ faculty in my department. What gives? Well, when I look back at my grades for past semesters I see a distinct pattern: the low grades were not GIVEN by me, but rather EARNED by the student not handing in assignments! In my view, as your employer, not handing in assignments is akin to refusing to do work assigned to you by your boss. At work it's called insubordination. We don't have a name for it here, but it sure is disheartening--and frustrating--for me. Look, to be perfectly frank with you, I made a ton of money in business. I know what it takes and I know how to get you there. And, I can't imagine that my goals for you are not akin to your goals for you.
So, again, are my expectations out of whack?
I brought that same view here 12 years ago. I think I'm right. The folks who are going to get a job, keep a job, and advance in a career are those who get things done. They go so far as to pull the company rather than being pulled by the company into doing things. Not sure you agree? Look in the help wanted ads or ask your boss about the importance of initiative, being a self-starter, taking responsibility, working independently. I would be very surprised if your boss didn't rate each of these as more important for an employee than specific technical skills. I'll go so far as to tell you I know companies who hire new grads with these attributes and NO specific job skills. It's that important.
So, I manage my classes the way I would manage in corporate. I see you as "employees" and I'm hoping to give you the opportunity to prove yourself. My rationale is that you need the opportunity to practice these attributes I've mentioned. Fail here, if you must, but don't fail on the job. If I continue to TELL you what to do you will miss the opportunity to do things on your own.
But, this is not exactly working. Most of you are behind on using the tech tools and writing your reflections. For the my undergraduate students I found I needed to establish some hard deadlines. I haven't done that with the graduate students, but I am certainly being pushed in that direction. So, in a period of self-reflection I ask "Are my expectations out of whack?"
Some theorists believe we're all lazy and the only way to get us to do things is to bring out a big club. Maybe we're not lazy, just busy? Maybe you're too young or too busy smelling the roses. Maybe we don't know what to do and are afraid to ask? Maybe we don't see WIIFM (What's In IT For ME?). Maybe we don't see the link to being hired, starting salary level, salary increases, and the like. Maybe my easy-going manner confuses my seriousness about my expectations of you and my grades for you. I'm curious--what do you think the explanation is?
I have a little secret--I'm an easy grader. I have another secret--my grades are among the lowest of the 40+ faculty in my department. What gives? Well, when I look back at my grades for past semesters I see a distinct pattern: the low grades were not GIVEN by me, but rather EARNED by the student not handing in assignments! In my view, as your employer, not handing in assignments is akin to refusing to do work assigned to you by your boss. At work it's called insubordination. We don't have a name for it here, but it sure is disheartening--and frustrating--for me. Look, to be perfectly frank with you, I made a ton of money in business. I know what it takes and I know how to get you there. And, I can't imagine that my goals for you are not akin to your goals for you.
So, again, are my expectations out of whack?
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