[LINK] Outrage as University of Newcastle to track student attendance using mobile phones - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

[Roger Clarke]

> On 5/2/20 10:30 pm, Karl Auer wrote:
>> ...  Many "lecturers" ... add no value at all ...

On 7/2/20 8:11 am, Tom Worthington wrote:
> Yes, I gave my last lecture in 2008: 
> https://blog.tomw.net.au/2008/08/my-last-lecture.html
> 
> Since then I have been working out how to move the boring bits online, 
> and have more interactive things for students to do in the classroom (or 
> online).
> 
> These techniques may be useful, if students can't get to campus due to 
> the Wuhan coronavirus. 
> https://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/search/label/Wuhan%20coronavirus

At least the ANU's moved on a *little* bit.

In 1994-95, when I put to my Dean that I intended dropping several 
lectures in my IS units in order to invest more in web-based resources, 
he threatened to sack me.


For the record, I see lectures as continuing to have a place.

A person doing a fresh and enthusiastic presentation to introduce a new 
unit of study, or a new segment of a unit, can help a lot of (not all) 
students grasp what the unit's about, and energise them (if only 
temporarily).  And it's *much* easier to do enthusiastic presentations 
when you're not doing all that many of them, and each seems a little 
special, because it is.

Some students like to be in the same venue as the lecturer.  But it's 
fine if the usual 50-70% prefer to watch it streamed-live, or watch it 
later.  What matters is the liveness of the performance.

And students do like a lecture at the end of a unit of study.
They like it because they hope that:
(a)  they might be able to tune back in, and recover lost time;
and mainly:
(b)  the lecturer might drop hints about what's in the final exam.

And of course the skilful lecturer satisfies (b) - by re-emphasising 
where the must-knows and should-knows are to be found in the course 
materials (which is what the bulk of the final exam should focus on in 
any event).


Maybe that'll tempt Liddy back into the fray again  (:-)}
(Liddy, it's been *years* since you posted!).


-- 
Roger Clarke                            mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
T: +61 2 6288 6916   http://www.xamax.com.au  http://www.rogerclarke.com

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Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University