Comments on: Duh!

By: Jane S. Shaw

Jane S. Shaw — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:23:36 +0000

Dance: I appreciate your comment — and I liked your linked article. We (I’m the president of the Pope Center) actually directed the paper at administrators, because they are the ones who have to make posting syllabi technically feasible. We received mixed responses. One university administrator said it’s too difficult technically right now (posting all syllabi at one site), and some faculty don’t like the idea of being required to have a syllabus available four or five months before the course begins. We understand the difficulties but would like to see some movement in the right direction.

By: dave

dave — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:52:11 +0000

Dance,
Good point, it is really hard for students to find the syllabus and correct registration material as it is often stored in separate places, with no link to get from one to the other. You have to know to look in several places.

I still think though this is a huge problem with professors as you wouldn’t believe how many, “You post your syllabus online for everyone to see?” comments I get when I talk to others in academia.

By: Dance

Dance — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:32:28 +0000

Sorry, messed up my link.

By: Dance

Dance — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:31:21 +0000

Everyone has a bad analysis of the issue. The article writes:

“But providing detailed course descriptions and reading lists lets students know what they’re signing up for and makes professors accountable for what they teach”

Sure, absolutely, definitely, good thing. Except that at most schools I’ve been at, many students have no clue they can look for syllabi or course description on a dept website, part of why professors feel little pressure to make it available. This is the real key point:

The report “highlights online systems at the University of Washington and Duke University that give students information on a course’s content, method of instruction, reading list, exams, and assignments before they register for classes”

Posting and sharing syllabi is not the issue at all. The REAL issue is presenting real course information integrated into the online course registration system, such that students can click on a course in the online course catalog and see real information, not the standard three-line generic printed course catalog text of yesteryear. Not have to register and then check the Blackboard site. Not have to search for the professors name or check the dept site to see if anything comes up. I’ve

The Pope Center needs to be pressuring institutions to get this automated, not professors to post syllabi. Registrars are the roadblock encouraging uninformed students here.

By: Bill Genereux

Bill Genereux — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:27:13 +0000

Hadn’t thought of CC licensing for syllabi. I think that’s a great suggestion & will look further into it.

By: dave

dave — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:54:02 +0000

Prentiss,
Point taken, you are right in that it actually says more about academia that such a report needed to be produced than it does about the organization which produces it.

By: Prentiss Riddle

Prentiss Riddle — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:38:46 +0000

“Syllabus stealing” sounds to me like “table of contents stealing”: if someone can write a better book than you using your outline, then more power to them.

However, I wouldn’t rag too hard on the Pope Center folks. Sometimes there’s value in authoritatively stating the obvious, specifically for the people to whom it isn’t obvious.