According to the Associated Press, Virginia Tech officials did not make an announcement about the initial set of shootings today until two hours after the attack. officials assumed the shooter had already fled campus.
We now know the shooter went to a classroom building across campus and killed over 30 people.
Students are complaining that the first announcement was late, and that it was delivered by email instead of the public address system in campus buildings.
Previous posts:
9:45 am: Virginia Tech shootings highlight the need for campus emergency notification system
A text messaging system pushes information to subscribed users. The state of Hawaii is considering a similar system to send text messages to citizens about tsunamis, earthquakes, and traffic jams.
CNN quoted several students who said they were unaware of what was happening until they saw armed police officers in their classroom building. Some students and staff learned about the shootings when they checked the university web site. As we learned on October 15, timely official information can keep people from reacting to rumors.
Just in time for April 17, ZDnet reminds us that the US Internal Revenue Service is still using some really old computer technology to process Federal tax returns. One key piece of the IRS infrastructure, Master File, has been in use since 1962. A replacement has been deployed, but the system is late, and it cannot deal with all of the returns that it’s supposed to handle.
Today I read an article by Dr. Walter R. Tschinkel of Florida State University. He noted that while grades aren’t like sports scores, some students treat their academic marks as points to be collected and tallied.
The TurnItIn.com gradebook does a nice job of displaying a student’s grade, based upon the assignments that have been submitted. But at this point in the term, there are always some students who look at their scores and ask me what they “need” on their remaining assignments to “get” a certain final grade. Usually that final grade is a B, because their student funding depends upon maintaining a specific GPA.
Students don’t “get” grades. Grades are earned. Part of my job as an instructor is to set up assignments that help me measure a student’s mastery and understanding of course concepts.
There were some courses I took as a student in which I learned a lot, but my final grade wasn’t very good. Grades are just one outcome of a graduate education. As I mentioned on April 3, graduate students must learn how to become lifelong learners in their field of study. The practice of meta-learning takes time to master, and it’s more like building a house than playing a game.
At the end of a game, all we are left with are numbers. After graduation, the graduate student should have built a solid foundation of knowledge that can only be created through their efforts, day by day, brick by brick.
Tschinkel has replaced multiple choice exams with essays. I’ve used this method for the last few terms. While essays take more time to grade than a multiple choice exam, it takes almost a lot of time to write and validate good multiple choice questions. I have my own doubts about the utility of multiple choice exams, especially in online courses. However, I have few doubts that managers and professional need the ability to use, discuss and write about information systems.
Like Tschinkel, I sometimes ask similar questions throughout the term. That’s another way to gauge progress and understanding. It’s a not-so-subtle method of getting across the key points I need to make in a course, too. To quote an old Latin proverb, repetition is the mother of learning.
Students who have kept up with my blog this term have found that I tend to focus on specific issues. The tag cloud on my blog home page is one attempt at displaying this repetition. It’s hasn’t worked as well as I’d hoped, partly because I’ve got so many tags or categories in this blog. But it’s a start.
One other point that Tschinkel made is covered in the final paper assignment of my courses this term. The reflection paper gives students an opportunity to assess their performance before the final exam. It’s a motivational tool. Instructors can’t force students to read a blog entry or buy a textbook. That’s almost as hard as making someone learn. When people learn with enthusiasm, it’s because they see value in the content and the experience.
Campus Technology ran an article today about the University of Florida’s text messaging system. It costs the university nothing for this outsourced service, which has been used by 10000 students, staff and faculty since 2005.
Users can receive text messages from other members of the service through a group feature. If users join an interest group or a club listed on the service, they’ll receive group messages from the portal. That aspect sounds similar to MySpace and Facebook in some ways. The service keeps track of users phone numbers and manages group preferences. Users must pick up the cost of receiving the text messages through their carriers.
Mobile Campus operates the service generates revenue by sending digital coupons and discounts to the users. UF says that the service users will receive up to two offers per day. Ten other universities in 5 states also offer the service.
UF administrators also use the Mobile Campus system to send out notices about hurricanes and other events that affect the entire campus. This is useful and timely information for commuters, and for university members who are away from their computers. As long as users have a cell phone and are subscribed to the service, they’ll get the message.
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