(Part I is here: How Competition Leads to “Content Deflation” in One Anecdote. I suggest reading it first.) What heat? the heat of what Chicago’s President Hugo F. Sonnenschein (in 1998), called “…the commodification and marketing of higher education…” He went on to say “…we can’t jolly dance along and not pay attention to them. One […]
Archives for November 2013
Gina Kolata’s New York Times Article Gives Helpful Insight for Flawed Cholesterol Calculator
November 19, 2013 by
Gina Kolata wrote again today about the cholesterol calculator that exaggerates “…the true risk of a heart attack or stroke by an average of 100 percent…” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/health/flawed-gauge-for-cholesterol-risk-poses-a-new-challenge-for-cardiologists.html?ref=us This article gives more insight into the statistical/mathematical problems: “…Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a medical professor at Dartmouth [says] the calculator, like many others used in medicine, is […]
The Chonicle of Higher Education Headlines: The STEM Crisis: Reality or Myth? But…
November 13, 2013 by
More on The Atlantic’s Article on Teaching Math
November 13, 2013 by
(The article is here http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/11/the-stereotypes-about-math-that-hold-americans-back/281303/#disqus_thread ) There were some interesting replies to my comment on the article. I am posting my response to this one because it might be informative for some readers of this blog. It states my view, and probably the view of many others, of two of the problems facing professors now. The […]
Excellent Explanation of How to Teach Math in The Atlantic – But…
November 13, 2013 by
…as I commented on the site, where do we get the teachers? (The article, which I recommend is at http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/11/the-stereotypes-about-math-that-hold-americans-back/281303/#disqus_thread) “I am a former math professor. I totally agree with the author about how math can best be learned. There is a gigantic hurdle: where do we get the people (teachers) who themselves were taught […]
Compare “Feeder Schools”: Another Addendum to the Previous Post
November 12, 2013 by
Just posted a reply to Mel Murphy, who wrote, “Read your article. Having kids in the college selection mode, and having received mailings and invitations from WUSTL as well as other “prestigious” institutions, I am most appreciative and find it eye-opening. Caveat emptor, indeed” I think the following is useful advice for anyone looking at schools. “Maybe, […]
The Economist Cover Story “How Science Goes Wrong” and NY Times “Risk Calculator for Cholesterol Appears Flawed”; Connected?
Both of these stories focus on what could be a failure of professionals to understand and utilize quantitative data and methods. In the case of the cholesterol test, I have no way of knowing exactly how the failure occured. But I am worried that it is symptomatic of our problems in higher education. I posted […]