Grades cause anxiety in universities – for teachers as much as for students. 

While there are occasional mavericks who try to get by without grades, I think grading is necessary and even quite useful. One possible suggestion is to think differently about grading. Currently, grade reports and summaries are a dry list of absolute scores with little useful information about how to improve or how past performance connects to course goals and objectives. Thomas Goetz' TED talk below has provocative implications for grading within the university. 

Now, I know that this model depends upon Bell curves, uniformity, standardized curriculum design and so on. There is a governmentality piece of this which we shouldn't accept wholesale. But I claim that it certainly isn't worse than what we are doing now.
Add Comment
 
 
I have to admit it. When I wrote the last entry, I already had Jacek Utko in mind. You may have read Newspaper Troubles: Part 1 and thought: "that's so 2008". I agree. But since nothing has changed, I don't feel redundant. 

To summarize: newspapers are great. But they suck. That is, newspapers provide important, timely news in print form, and there's nothing like reading on real paper. (Sorry Kindle.) Furthermore, we should stave off the tabloidization of everyday news as long as possible. And I just can't imagine a world without lots of quality, local reporters. 

But newspapers suffer from a failure of imagination. It's like the automobile: 100 year old technology running on the fumes of advertising. Newspapers could –and should– become more relevant by submitting to a complete redesign process.

Which brings us to Utko. His approach to newspaper design is cutting-edge. It will leave you wondering, "why didn't someone think of that earlier? And why aren't more newspapers doing this now?" 

So watch. Enjoy. Then send this video to the editor of your local paper.

Add Comment