News

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A little online education for the folks in Sacramento

Byuclafaculty

From the LA Times: In a crossing of swords between academics and politicians, the University of California’s top two faculty leaders on Friday strongly criticized legislation that would allow students bumped from overcrowded core courses at state schools to instead take online courses from other colleges or private companies. The bill, authored by state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), “raises grave concerns,” Robert L. Powell and Bill Jacob, the chairman and vice chairman of the UC system’s faculty Senate, wrote in a letter to colleagues. Among other things, “the clear self-interest of for-profit corporations in promoting the privatization…

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With One Question on Funding, Regents Approve UCLA New Med Center Building

Byuclafaculty

As predicted, the UC Regents approved the architectural and CEQA review for the planned new UCLA Teaching and Learning Center for the Health Sciences with a virtual rubber stamp.  There was one question on funding from a regent and the answer was that $120 million (!) would be raised from gifts.  No follow up on funding or costs was part of the approval.  By the way, if you raise $120 million by tapping donors, that means there will be less money from gifts that could be tapped for some other purpose.  In past regental reviews of this project, the issue…

Laptop Danger

Byuclafaculty

No, we’re not warning about computer viruses.  Inside Higher Ed yesterday had a brief note about a study indicating that students who are using laptops in class for non-class purposes – email, browsing of websites, etc. – not only are distracting themselves but also the neighboring students. Some instructors forbid laptop use in class but the reason has typically been to avoid the negative effect on the direct user.  Now it appears there is a negative externality involved for non-users. The Inside Higher Ed piece is at:http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/03/14/danger-secondhand-laptop-browsing-students A news release on the study is at:http://news.yorku.ca/2013/03/13/multitasking-on-laptop-impedes-classroom-learning-york-u-study-shows/ The release refers to some…

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Oh! So Clever!

Byuclafaculty

When it came to unveiling a new push to create a series of online courses for California college and university students, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg thought it was fitting to deliver the news in a decidedly digital fashion. So instead of holding a traditional press conference, the Sacramento Democrat and other supporters of the effort logged into Google to stage a “Hangout” video conference. “(Technology) is overwhelmingly I think a positive force in our lives we want to use it to try to help as many young people, as many students, as possible be able to keep their dreams and compete in the modern…

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There’s a Place on Campus

Byuclafaculty

From time to time, we like to remind you that even without a new hotel-conference center, events are routinely held on campus.  The photo is of yesterday’s UCLA Anderson Forecast held at Korn Hall.  (Sometimes the event is at Ackerman.) Parking, food service, etc., was all accommodated. There were even some TV cameras from a local station. Just a reminder that there is (already) a place for us somewhere:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BQMgCy-n6U?feature=player_detailpage] And if you still can’t find a place:http://www.uclameetings.com/Meeting-Event-Spaces/Overview.aspx

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More on Yudof Private Thoughts

Byuclafaculty

In an earlier post, we reproduced part of a Daily Bruin article that dealt with UC President Mark Yudof’s comments on “privatizing” the UCLA Anderson School of Management at the March 7 IMED Seminar.  Below is a link to what he actually said (audio with a still picture).  Yudof’s comments were more ambiguous than the news item suggested.  First, the interviewer, Prof. Lee Goodlick, used the word “privatize” without defining it.  (The P-word hasn’t been used in actual proposals regarding the Anderson School; “self-sufficiency” is preferred.  In addition, the latest version of the proposal referred only to the MBA program…

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Now here’s a bright idea…

Byuclafaculty

From Inside Higher Ed today: A powerful California lawmaker wants public college students who are shut out of popular courses to attend low-cost online alternatives – including those offered by for-profit companies – and he plans to encourage the state’s public institutions to grant credit for those classes. The proposal expected today from Darrell Steinberg, a Democrat and president pro tem of the state Senate, aims to create a “statewide system of faculty-approved, online college courses,” according to a written statement from Steinberg’s office. (A spokesman for Steinberg declined to discuss the bill.) Faculty would decide which courses should make the…

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Nowhere to go on Sepulveda Boulevard

Byuclafaculty

We might as well provide a pretty picture but the real news is: Southbound Sepulveda Boulevard at Constitution Avenue will be reduced to one lane beginning Wednesday.  The closure will affect commuters between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through Friday while traffic signal reconfiguration is completed at Constitution Avenue, according to a Metro construction notice… Source: http://centurycity.patch.com/articles/sepulveda-closure-could-snarl-westside-traffic

Even if tempting, don’t click on anything you find in the comments

Byuclafaculty

Online fraudsters put spam-type “comments” on our blogsite regularly.  We delete them as we find them. Some explicitly claim to offer porn. Some just offer websites and invite you to click on them. Don’t click on them!  You are more likely to get something harmful to your computer than anything else. A typical comment of this type will have a message that may say something like “What a great post!”  But it generally won’t have anything specifically relevant to the posting.  If you find such a comment that is more than a day old, we may have missed it when…

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Harvard is Shocked and Appalled that Emails Aren’t Private

Byuclafaculty

We have noted that at public universities such as UC, emails you may consider private might be demanded as part of a public documents request.  At private universities, of course, those external rights of the public to see such material doesn’t exist.  However, in this day and age, nothing online can be assumed to be private.  Recently, Harvard faculty and deans were shocked and appalled to find out that the powers-that-be in the administration were snooping in deans’ emails to find a leak:  From the Boston Globe: Harvard College issued a partial apology and a lengthy statement this morning offering…