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Volume LXIII Number 4
April/May/June 2010
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The TACT Quarterly eBulletinApril/May/June 2010 - Volume LXIII Number 4
In this quarters TACT newsletter...
Letter from the Presidentby Gary Coulton
Executive Directors Report
by Chuck Hempstead
Two Too Big Problems
by Elizabeth Lewandowski
Walking the Talk in a University Teacher
Preparation Classroomby Gloria Gresham and Kimberly Welsh
Textbooks for Texasby Allen Martin
Debunking Myths about Online Courses
by Rob Robinson
Distance Education: A Discussionby Allen Martin
Pictures from the Spring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contrubutions
Membership Application
Page 3
Page 5
Page 6
Page 8
Page 10
Page 12
Page 15
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
President
Gary Coulton
University of Texas -
San Antonio
Immediate Past President
Debra Price
Sam Houston State University
VP of Financial Affairs
Frank Fair
Sam Houston State University
VP of Membership
Elizabeth Lewandowski
Midwestern State University
VP of Legislative Affairs
Cindy Simpson
Sam Houston State University
Members At Large
Allen Martin
University of Texas - Tyler
Mark Gaus
Sam Houston State University
Peter Hugill
Texas A&M
Executive Director
Chuck Hempstead
(512) 873-7404
Texas Association of College Teachers
5750 Balcones Dr., Suite 201 Austin, Texas 78731
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Copyright 2010 by the Texas Association of College Teachers. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be produced in any form without permission; Chuck Hempstead, Editor.
TACT
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Cover Page
Index
Letter from thePresident
Executive DirectorsReport
Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
3
The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
TACT
Letter from the President
by Gary CoultonTACT President
Greetings everyone. Its that timeagain; time for another issue of the TACT
eBulletin. I hope your semester is winding
down nicely. Regardless of whether or not you
teach summer courses, I think most of us in
the profession would agree that college teach-
ing is a full time job. In my opinion, part of
the job is to stay up to speed on developments
in traditional and non-traditional instructional
methods. Of course there remains signi-
cant controversy about the value of various
classroom technologies. That controversy is
unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. And as
the controversy lingers technology continues
to evolve.
Whether or not you embrace any of
the new classroom technologies, we owe it
to our students to keep abreast of available
instructional methods. Also in my opinion,
we are best served by keeping an open mind
regarding new instructional technologies. To
paraphrase one of my brightest professors in
graduate school, before rejecting something
(he was referring to theories) you should rst
have an adequate understanding of it.
With that said I must admit that
although not really a Luddite, I am not as
technologically savvy as most of my col-
leagues. Recently, I was fortunate enough
to have a particularly valuable professional
development opportunity materialize (at least
guratively) in my own back yard.
In April the 2nd Annual Southwest
Teaching & Learning Conference was held at
my home institution, Texas A&M University-
San Antonio (TAMU-SA). (TACT was fortu-
nate enough to co-sponsor the conference.)
The event was very successful, due
largely to the efforts of conference founder
and organizer Dr. Tracy Hurley of TAMU-
SA. Enrollment this year increased more than
20% from the inaugural conference. Attend-
ees came from virtually all corners of Texas,
including Tarleton State in Stephenville,
A&M-Commerce, UT Brownsville, and UT
Pan American in Edinburgh.
The conference program included
more than 50 sessions. Some dealt with rather
traditional methods, some concerning on-line
instruction, and a large number of sessions
focusing more recently developed methods of
delivering courses (e.g., Web conferencing,
use of social media, in-class response systems
Hybrid courses, and the creation and use of
E-books).
I think its safe to say that the major-
ity of TACT members spend the majority of
their time engaged in instruction. Thats what
makes keeping up with what instructional
tools are out there so important. (Of course
under the current economic conditions, a little
refresher course on grant writing [to obtain
new instructional equipment] wouldnt hurt
either.)
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Index
Letter from thePresident
Executive DirectorsReport
Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
4
The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
TACT
In closing, I would be remiss if I didnt remind you about the 2011 legislative ses-
sion. It may seem like its a long way off, but before you know it youll receive a TACT
First Alert about the opening day of the session. Perhaps most importantly much preparation
is taking place now for the upcoming legislative session. Governor Perry has already had
state institutions pare back their budgets 5%. More funding issues affecting higher education
will certainly arise during the session. How can you help TACT prepare? The best way is to
contribute to the TACT Government Relations Fund (GRF). We understand that economic
conditions are far from ideal, but please contribute what you can. Any amount will help.
Contribute on-line. Its easy. Go to: www.tact.org.
Gary F. Coulton, Ph.D.
Texas A&M University - San Antonio
Presidents Letter
(contd.)
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Cover Page
Index
Letter from thePresident
Executive DirectorsReport
Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
5
The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
TACT
Executive Directors Report
by Chuck HempsteadTACT Executive Director
Tax em All and Let God Sort em Out?
Remember? State government, two issues: the budget, and everything else.
2011 updated version: Budget, redistricting, and nothing else.
If a billion here and a billion there pretty soon adds up to real money, why cant we agree if
were facing an $11 Billion shortfall, $15 Billion, or this weeks $18 Billion? The latter comes
from Appropriations Committee Chair Jim Pitts, so we might want to honor its potential ac-
curacy. Here comes gambling and the slashing of sales tax exemptions and who knows what,
depending on the number of special sessions necessary to wear out enough elected ofcials to
vote for something to be able to go home.
Those of you who have been watching for decades know that not much happens during redis-tricting years, except maybe the theater of quorum-busting groups hiding out in someones
garage apartmentor New Mexicoor Wichita Falls until the media or Texas Rangers suggest
they return to the Granite Dome before their freedom or constituencies become at risk.
O.K., back to higher education. A signicant difference between Texas and other states is
that our college-age population is still growing and fast. With enrollment countercyclical
to economy, and the success of our Closing the Gaps initiative, Texas higher ed is exploding.
The Legislature added signicant appropriations increases last time, especially to student aid
programs. But in interim committees now, Commissioner Paredes is already being asked how
he suggests reprioritizing nancial aid if it were to remain at or decrease.
Two upcoming dates of importance: last chance for your colleague to join TACT at our try usrate of $109 through Fall; and, the TACT Board is meeting June 5 to begin drafting our legisla-
tive agenda for January. What would you like for it to include?
Chuck Hempstead
Executive Director
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Index
Letter from thePresident
Executive DirectorsReport
Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
6
The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
TACT
Deep in the throes of the end of the
semester, surrounded by papers and projects
to grade, committee reports to nish and a red
light on my phone telling me I have more voicemail, I had no intention of writing an article
for the Bulletin this month. Let the bigwigs
deal with it I thought. As I ate my sandwich, I
perused my email and news online and decided
that two stories were getting too big and full
of too much truthiness to go by without
responding.
Story # 1: From www.quorumreport.
com, an article about a large jump in scholarship
dollars for higher education in which THECBCommissioner Raymund Paredes states that
Texas state aid for higher ed scholarships has
increased 424 percent over the last decade (in
2000 it was $91 million; in 2010, $477 million).
The suggestion made is that scholarship money
in Texas is plentiful for todays college student.
Reality #1: While Texas higher
ed scholarship appropriations have indeed
increased in the last ten years, the reality is
that much of the money goes unclaimed. This
money, in the form of the B On Time Program,while a favorite of the Governor, is not a
favorite of modern students. Todays students
are concerned that they will be unable to fulll
the requirements of the grant. The program
species that if students enrolled in the program
graduate with a B average (3.0 gpa) the money
is a grant but if the student graduates with a gpa
below 3.0 the money is a loan which must be
paid back. This money is not nearly as enticing
to a student as a grant or working extra hours
at a job to avoid having loan payments after
graduation.
The Too Big Truth #1: The storys
allegation that there is plenty of money being
spent on scholarships falls short of the truth
While the money is available, large numbers
of dollars are going unused. At my university
with a student body over 6,000, fewer than 10
students participate in the B On Time Program
Story #2: From www.trnonline
com, an article relating the results of a study
conducted by the National Council on TeacherQuality (NCTQ). The $300,000 study was
pushed for by two Texas senators, one o
whom was Senator Florence Shapiro, and paid
for by the Houston Endowment, a foundation
in Houston. According to the report, teache
education in the state of Texas is abysmal.
Reality #2: While NCTQ did in fact
conduct a study, the study was done using
research methods that would be unacceptable
in any college freshman class. NCTQ initially
sent a complex request to the deans of Texascolleges of education. The request was long
and involved with no clear purpose and the
deans, already busy with various nationally
reputable accrediting bodies, decided not
to participate in the study. The study was
therefore completed by reviewing the
information available on university websites
If no information was available on a particular
question, the resulting answer to the question
Two Too Big Stories, orTruthiness in Action
by Elizabeth LewandowskiTACT VP of Membership
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Index
Letter from thePresident
Executive DirectorsReport
Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
7
The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
TACT
was not no information available but no or 0. This questionable method of gathering
data resulted in the information one might expect i.e. the universities with the most detailed
websites were ranked the highest and those with the least detailed websites were ranked as the
worst teacher training programs.
The Too Big Truth: The research was conducted in such a manner that the results of
the study are worthless in evaluating the quality of teacher education programs. Large amounts
of money were spent to receive worthless data.
Why do I care? Im not a college student and Im not a member of a teacher educationprogram. I am however a member of TACT and I am appalled by the use and abuse of money
While those of us in higher education are perceived as ivory tower faculty out of touch with
reality, I suggest that is not we who are out of touch but some of our representation in Austin
If funding Texas scholarships means appropriating money for a program that history tells us is
unsuccessful and spending $300,00 for essentially worthless research is our state governments
idea of careful nancial management in the current economy, then I am indeed sorry to be a
Texan.
If you feel as I do that our leaders in Austin are not tuned in on the realities of todays
higher education then join me in supporting TACT. Join me in making a $50 donation to the
Dr. James M. Puckett Ph.D. Government Relations Fund to help TACT provide our state leaders
with relevant, useful information about higher education. If each member of TACT donates$50, our organization will be able to spend more time telling our state leaders the Reality and
the Truth about Texas higher education.
Two Too Big Stories
(contd.)
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Index
Letter from thePresident
Executive DirectorsReport
Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
8
The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
TACT
According to Douglas, Frey, & Lapp
(2009), modeling may be our most powerful
learning tool. Learning how to manage a
classroom where students are actively engaged
is not fostered through lecture-based, teacher-
centered classrooms. This type of learning is
promoted when the instructor walks the talk
each and every day. One delivery method
that allows students to construct knowledgeis the workshop approach. For the past two
years, the workshop approach was utilized
as the instructional delivery method in my
university classes for the early childhood and
middle level teacher candidates. As Bennett
(2007) describes it, the workshop allows the
daily pursuit of understanding important
things (p. 6). The workshop provides a
predictable structure, regular routine, ritual,
and orchestrated system for learning. It is
cyclical and has three main components: mini-
lesson, worktime, and debrief (Bennett). The
components are not static but allow the teacher
to rotate through the cycle multiple times in a
single class.
Mini-lesson
At the beginning of each meeting
time, students are summoned to the large
group area with a transition. A transition is a
short jingle, song, or chant that relates to the
learning. Students sit on the oor encircling
the instructor. At rst, this takes some ofthe students by surprise, especially the male
middle level candidates. After explanation of
the delivery method, students adapt and eagerly
await the beginning of class as was expressed
by this middle level teacher candidate, I
really enjoyed the workshop approach. It
was a relaxed atmosphere, and I really felt
comfortable in participating. It denitely was
an attention getter. I did not have time to let
my mind wander to other things. Image 1
shows teacher candidates assembled in the
large group area.
Image 1: Students gather for the mini-lesson
For about 10 minutes, the instructor focuses the
students on the topic for the day, and leads them
through a think a-loud or demonstration.
Immediately, students complete guided
practice over the topic to ensure understanding
as demonstrated in Image 2.
Image 2: Students rehearse content through a pair
share under the careful eye of the instructor.
When the instructor is sure students are ready
to complete work related to the content taught
they are released with a transition to engage in
individual, pair, or group work.
Walking the Talk
In a University Teacher Preparation Classroomby Gloria Gresham and Kimberly Welsh
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Index
Letter from thePresident
Executive DirectorsReport
Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
9
The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
TACT
Worktime
In worktime, students engage in the
work. The work may involve implementing
a new strategy, reading an article related
to the content taught, or reecting through
writing. During this time, the instructor is
conferencing with individuals/small groups or
moving about the room to question or listen
in. Image 3 displays a student conference.
Image 3: The instructor is assessing studentcomprehension over content taught..
Debrief
The class ends as it begins in the large
group area. Students celebrate their learning
by sharing their understanding, thinking, and/
or work accomplished during worktime as is
revealed in Image 4 (Bennett, 2007).
Image 4: An early childhood teacher candidate
early exhibits her work.
The power of this method is relayed by
this student, This type of modeling is exactly
what we need as developing teachers so tha
we can see exactly how the type of lesson
approach works in a practical, real world
example. I liked the large group time because
it created an environment that felt safe and
exhilarating. In small groups, we were able to
help each other explore the material while the
teacher had more time to observe, assess, andsupport us in our educational goals. Learning
was transparent for us and the teacher. In
debrief time, we had the opportunity to reiterate
what we had just learned. I could sum this up
no more eloquently. The workshop approach
is a powerful instructional delivery method
to use in university classrooms, especially
classrooms where teacher candidates are
preparing for a teaching career.
References
Bennett, S. (2007). That workshop book;
New systems and structures for
classrooms that read, write, and think
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Douglas, F., Frey, N., & Lapp, D. (2009). In a
reading state of mind: Brain research
teacher modeling, and comprehension
instruction.Newark,DE: International
Reading Association.
Walking the Talk
(contd.)
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Cover Page
Index
Letter from thePresident
Executive DirectorsReport
Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
10
The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
TACT
Textbooks for Texas: Just Right, Right ofCenter, or Outrageous?
by Allen Martin
Wild things have been asserted about
how the public school social studies books are
going to be written. One problem is that weare just nished with the SBOE mark-up of the
Text Book Committee draft. Many discussions
and changes are certain. Second, the wording
of the TEKS draft is scattered and confusing,
not just because it is in a mark-up stage, but
also because the choices of editorial terms
are confusing and undened. I have seen
excoriations in newspapers across the country
of the new social studies books. Remember,
also, that the idea that all the other states
adopt the texts that the SBOE adopts is just
overwrought.
The Tejano heroes, i.e., the Mexicans
who fought with the Texans during the
revolutionary period, are indeed included in
the current draft. Contrary to newspapers in
other states, Texas is not planning to throw out
mention, or even respect, for Jos Navarro,
Lpez Zavala, Erasmo or Juan Segun,
etc. Nor are the text books planning to do
away with African American notables such
as W.E.B. Dubois, Barbara Jordan, Martin
Luther King, and Thurgood Marshall. Study
of various people may be moved to different
grade levels (e.g. Thomas Hobbes, Bill Martin,
Jr., Dolores Huerta, than in the past and several
will be dropped entirely from social studies
texts: Florence Nightingale, Henrietta C. King,
Miriam A. Ferguson, Henry Cisneros, Roy
Bedichk, Sandra Cisneros, Clarence Birdseye,
Robinson Crusoe and Paul Bunyan, Louis
Daguerre and C.M. Dad Joiner, Phil Gramm,
Susan B. Anthony, Shirley Chishom, Eugene
Debs, Robert Lafollete, H. Ross Perot, Ralph
Nader, John Steinbeck, Archimedes, RoberBoyle, Nicolaus Copernicus, Marie Curie
Albert Einstein, Erathosthenes of Cyrene
Robert Fulton, Galileo Galilei,Vladimir Lenin
Sir Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, Pythagoras o
Samor, Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, James
Watter, Sigmund Freud. (Cactus Jack was no
deleted, he just had his real name claried
John Nance Garner.) Thats all of the deleted
names I found from the social studies books
at this stage of the revision process. Some o
these names are now only in other texts, such
as science books.
Figures added in 2010: Santa
Barraza, Diane Gonzales Bertrand, Denton
Cooley, Glenn Curtiss, Horton Foote, Rau
a. Gonzalez, Jr., Milton Hershey, Stonewal
Jackson, Lydia Mendoza, Chelo Silva, Sam
Walton. But also added at some recent time
were: Abigail Adams, John Q. Adams, Richard
Allen, Susan B. Anthony, James Armistead
Crispus Attucks, James A. Baker, Philip
Bazaar, Todd Beamer, Alexander g. Bell
William Blackstone, Simn Bolvar, Omar
Bradley, William Carney, George W. Carver
Csar Chvez, Wentworth Cheswell, and many
others (but the SBOE seems to show some
gures as being recent inclusions that were
not so recent).
In April, a member of the State Board
of Education, Barbara Cargill, stated the
following:
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Index
Letter from thePresident
Executive DirectorsReport
Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
11
The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
TACT
Here are examples of some of the outstanding standards that have passed so far:
American History:
The student understands the concept of American exceptionalism.
Describe how American values are different and unique from those of other nations.
Describe U.S. citizens as people from numerous places throughout the world who hold a
common bond in standing for certain self-evident truths.
Discuss the meaning and historical signicance of the mottos E Pluribus Unum and In God
We Trust.
This is a huge, contentious issue process. Lots of confusion will continue because ofmany reasons, including that there is a lot to it.
You can always email [email protected] to express yourself on the state
education issues.
Textbooks for Texas
(contd.)
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Index
Letter from thePresident
Executive DirectorsReport
Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
12
The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
TACT
In the roughly 15 years since the
rst truly web-based online courses were
introduced, a number of persistent myths
have emerged among faculty regarding
quality, motivations, and workload. Inmy role as "dark side administrator" of a
large online operation, I hope to be able
to dispel some of these myths. These
myths are much like the storied Phoenix.
In this case I am referring to the mythical
bird rather than the oft-criticized universi-
ty, as these are myths which continuously
emerge from the ashes of debunking.
Myth: Online courses are of poor qual-
ity.
This is absolutely the most per-
sistent myth out there, and it is re-ignited
every time a "degree mill" is exposed.
The basic fact is that the quality of an
online course is directly proportional to
the plan and execution of the instructional
design of the course. You, as a teaching
faculty member, should not be left un-
trained to wander into the world of digital
pedagogy. Quality courses emerge froma partnership between the faculty and
instructional designers. There are simple,
powerful ways to engage students in an
online course.
I am frequently asked to provide
evidence regarding the quality of online
instruction. My initial response is to ask
what evidence we have that classroom
instruction is of the highest quality? Why
is classroom instruction, which is seldom
ever systematically reviewed for qual-
ity, the benchmark? However, there is a
growing body of research literature whichpoints to the quality of online courses
as being on par with if not superior
to classroom courses. One of the more
recent pieces of evidence is a Department
of Education report titled Evaluation
of Evidence-based Practices in Online
Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review
of Online Learning Studies. It is worth
highlighting one of their conclusions:
Students who took all or part of
their class online performed better, on av-
erage, than those taking the same course
through traditional face-to-face instruc-
tion. (p. xiv)
The quality of any course, regard-
less of delivery modality, is related to the
effort put into it. This leads to the next
myth
Myth: Online courses require a lot
more work than classroom courses.
Honestly, this myth is based
in fact. The development of an online
course is a non-trivial amount of work
on the part of the faculty. Partnering
the faculty with instructional designers
and multimedia specialists can reduce
the workload, but the intellectual effort
Debunking Myths About Online Courses
by Rob Robinson, Ph.D.Director, UT TeleCampus
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Letter from thePresident
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Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
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required by the faculty can be signicant.
In fact, I am of the opinion that this activ-
ity should be recognized as the schol-
arly work that it is. However, the most
frequently heard complaint regards how
much work is required to teach an online
course, rather than the work expended in
developing it. Again, there are straight-
forward ways to mitigate some of the
work. Elements like establishing clearguidelines in the syllabus regarding when
you, as the instructor, will respond to
student emails; making sure that students
have all-hours access to technical sup-
port, and designing the course for scale,
all help reduce teaching workload.
In fact, perhaps the worst thing
one can do when designing an online
course is to simply replicate the activitiesand assessments that are used in a face-
to-face class. The move to online instruc-
tion presents the opportunity to use the
technology of the Internet to manage the
workload. Use group-based activities via
discussion boards or Web2.0 applications;
scatter quick online assessment through
the course; make the syllabus very com-
prehensive and require students to read it,
and then have a quiz over it to reduce the
administrivie load of student questions.
Myth: Online courses result in a loss of
control by the faculty of their intellec-
tual property.
While anecdotal evidence
abounds to keep this myth in circulation,
by far the most common policy regard-
ing intellectual property issues in online
courses is that the authoring faculty
member and the institution share joint
copyright of the course. This allows the
author to keep control over her materi-
als, while allowing the institution to have
continuity in their course offerings if
the faculty members departs the institu-
tion. In those cases where the institution
asserts sole copyright of the course, the
authoring faculty member should review
their employment contract to review thework-for-hire language.
Myth: Online courses are simply a
ploy by the administration to generate
more revenue.
Perhaps based on history, this
myth is understandable. Many highly
touted online ventures were launched
with great fanfare in the early 2000s,
were expressly designed to generate in-stitutional revenue. Most of those opera-
tions have now ceased to operate. Those
left standing are institutions and organi-
zations which approach online programs
as a way to increase access and improve
learning and not just a simple money-
making venture. While online delivery
is not the money-machine many thought
it would be, it is a profound game-chang-
er in terms of allowing adult learning to
gain access to the intellectual riches ofour institutions.
Myth: Online courses are a way for
administration to replace high salary
faculty members.
It is true that the ranks of full-
time, tenured faculty are declining as a
percentage of instructors in institutions
all across the country. What is false is
Debunking Myths
(contd.)
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Letter from thePresident
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Two Too Big Stories
Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
14
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that this is a result of the proliferation of online courses. In fact, the rapid growth of
enrollments in online degree programs at traditional colleges universities argues for
more, not fewer, full time teaching faculty.
There is no reason to fear or pooh-pooh the growth of online courses. They
clearly meet student needs, increase access to learning, and have comparable quality to
face-to-face courses. They are no longer just something that continuing education units
or those for-prots do they are now at the academic center of most institutions.
The pedagogical opportunities for innovation in online courses are quite exciting, and
it is my hope that you wont fall prey to the recurring myths regarding them.
Debunking Myths
(contd.)
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Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
Pictures from theSpring Conference
Key Election Dates/GRF Contributions
Member Application
CONTENTS
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Let us consider The Last Profes-
sor, Stanley Fish (NYT 1/18/09). He
states that higher education, properly un-derstood, is distinguished by the absence
of a direct and designed relationship be-
tween its activities and measurable effects
in the world. . There is an important
difference between learning which is con-
cerned with the degree of understanding
necessary to practice a skill, and learning
which is expressly focused upon an enter-
prise of understanding and explaining.
I was a Ph. D student at UT when
Frank Erwin proclaimed that the Univer-
sity of Texas should teach work-skills, not
scholarship. If you want to teach a skill,
do it by distance. If you want to edu-
cate, you have to be there (WAM, Being
There, Academe, 1999). Ideas must be
worked on, eshed out, and tested (life
is not a multiple guess test), all with the
consultation of professors and fellow
students.
But this leads into my rst point:
With distance education (DE), who needs
professors, that is content providers.
The content is in the tank or private col-
leges, thank you for your contributions.
Now, the work is for the actor, commu-
nicator, talking head. I began studying
this issue in the early 1990s by becoming
a Senior Fellow at THECB. And then
wrote in the TACT Quarterly Bulletin
about DE and faculty protection. Inthose days faculty had rm defense: just
say no. But that was when faculty were
enticed to teach distantly, and if they
agreed, they bargained. The bargaining
has not totally gone away, I did this just
last year ( a special sort of case). But for
the most part, a faculty member faces a
heavy hand, and the bargain is close to
the notorious offer he cant refuse.
I was amazed that when the UT
System rst presented DE to my campus,
that the faculty missed all the larger is-
sues, thinking only of mites while missing
the monsters. We had a big brain-storm-
ing session, all the brains seemed to be
blown and washed away. A year or two
later, as I tried to bring the light, profes-
sors here and elsewhere would perceive
the dawn and say, Oh, one professor
could teach the course for the wholeuniversity system. Well, that was a start.
For several years, my campus has been
teaching courses to the world, including
ying; 9/11/01 was in the old days when a
terrorist had to go to Florida to take nal-
approach training.
Distance Education: A Discussion forTACT/TCFS/AAUP
by Allen Martin
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Textbooks for Texas
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Distance Education: ADiscussion
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CONTENTS
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Throughout this time of profes-
sional insouciance, their/our percentage
of the university/college work force be-
gan to nose dive. We are being overtaken
by all sorts of teachers and machines
that are not tenured and who will not be.
Years ago, when I was writing articles
for the AAUP, I became aware that most
of the University Professors werent.
Now, its not even close: where did theygo? You might say, replaced by junior
college faculty, and that would be sub-
stantially correct, but further, why would
someone pay university prices for a DE
course that is also offered at the local JC?
So, who cares if the professoriate
is on its way to being a curious memory?
I hope that you can think of many rea-
sons. One that some might miss is that it
is the professoriate that guarded against
the corporatization of the academy; i.e.,
we have been in the teaching and scholar-
ship business, not the money and power
business, ad are our modern administra-
tors. We kept the universities honest and
the students, too. Individual professors
still care, but they have lost the ability to
ght the good ght because their numbers
and power are ebbing. Today, we are be-
ing replaced by those who teach to greatnumbers of people via DE. At least this
used to be synchronous, now the latest
gimmick is to infuse the synchronous into
synchronous education modules. Oh, we
have come so far. The rub, dear Watson,
is that technology is not the issue: rather,
while you were gushing over gadgets,
your ilk was being bum rushed into the
side streets.
Can you believe that people are
still defending this stuff by talking about
the disabled? Let us count the puns: that
has always been a crutch, the excuse has
never had a leg to stand on: all in bad
taste you say; what do you have to say
about the shortchanging of genuine edu-
cated, deep thinking, the idea of advanc-
ing people onto higher planes (no, get the
spelling in your head)?
But there is point #2. The pur-
pose of distance education has always
been curious. What has driven DE? Why
have universities been so manic about
providing all this stuff? Lots of reasons,
but quality education is not one of them
(my Really Smart Classrooms TACT
Bulletin 200?). Why did your chancellor
say we have to spend tons of money on
this method of delivery? I mean, what
was really the driving motive? Competi-
tion perhaps, but why did the 1957 Chevy
have ns, why were those bigger the next
year and the year after? Well, I submit
that it was not crippled people or frivolity
but huge money and power, the perennial
driving forces. Where is it going to come
from? At last, the answer: You. You
have been an expensive trouble maker
or at least youve been put in the way.You want to be paid only a bit less than
administrators, you want AAUP right
and input, even shared governance. UT
Administrators scoff at the idea that there
is big money to be garnered by stealing
your lectures, but they are lying. Many
corporations and universities are awash in
money from lectures.
Distance Education
(contd.)
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Textbooks for Texas
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Distance Education: ADiscussion
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The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
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Such outrages had been building
up those cocky fellows of the 1960s
remember the epigram, The Huns are
not only at the gates but theyre inside the
university, and theyve got tenure! The
answer was to stop them dead; the death
was to be slow, but that was acceptable
to administrators. The endish plot was
to steal the brains of the scholars! Then,
once the administrators have the brains(in the can as the expression was a few
years ago), they could foresee running
universities without challenge and without
professorial expenses (except for those
whose research brings in big bucks), the
only expense that had to grow was money
for the administrative class.
Now, lets see how this works. I
made the quip land then months later itwas a New Yorker cartoon: a professor
comes home and tells the family he has
lost his job, replaced by his own lectures.
Thats the ticket. Get the professor to
teach a DE course; get the course, and
then adjuncts (cheap people) can be the
teachers of record (a pun there) again and
again. As I traveled the country talking
about these issues and was getting calls
from all over the country and the UK
(mainly through my article in AUTLOOK,UK, 2000), I heard the stories of dead
people teaching courses for years. This
is not so often painful to the bereaved
now, since this is not so commonly done
on public access TV, but the heirs make
no money off the pilfered lectures. The
popular administrative trick is to get a
hireling, get them to DE, then let them go.
This has been slightly difcult in the past,
because of professors rising to the aid of
the neophytes. When the only profes-
sors left are researchers with a course on
the side, they are unlikely to rise up and
defend the professoriate or the non-tenure
track faculty.
Yes, this is point #3, the intellec-
tual property policy; youre welcome. Butafter I worked on getting this going and
then my partner, Georgia Harper, put it in
lawyereeze, and it was approved by the
UT System and then adopted by every
university in the country (save one, that
I know of), faculty are still getting taken.
How is this? Well, the IP policy makes it
clear that if you create it, it is yours; but,
as I wrote in Intellectual Property Cov-
ers Distance Education, if You Work at It(ASA 8/18/01), you must not be a chump.
Professors are rarely chumps but they are
becoming rare. The pigeons are the young
chickadees, another sucker born every
minute. The administrator says that you
will teach a course by distance, sign here.
Most everyone does, thereby giving away
years of hard work and rights, heck, you
could be sued for using your own words
without a signed letter of permission.
Heres a brilliant solution: dont sign thecontract, keep your IP, better yet, refuse
to DE. The IP issue is huge: I spent three
days talking about it at the 1998 Summer
Workshop of the AAUP in Marquette,
MI, in the Upper Peninsula one summer.
(I looked forward to the relief from the
Texas sun the Uppers had 105 degrees
and no air conditioning!) The attendees
Distance Education
(contd.)
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Letter from thePresident
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Walking the Talk
Textbooks for Texas
Debunking MythsAbout Online Courses
Distance Education: ADiscussion
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CONTENTS
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The TACT Quarterly eBulletinTexas Association of College TeachersDefending Academic Freedom
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came to understand and embrace the IP
issue, but it took hours for them to fully
get it. Few faculty members, except the
few professors left in universities, will
ever take the time to learn the law and be
prepared to protect themselves. Thus, in
general, I think that We Are Doomed, to
cite Derbyshires book.
Turning now to the little problem,
point #4, that is obvious to all who have
any awareness of DE: It fosters grade in-
ation, that is, academic fraud. You have
not seen and talked with those distant peo-
ple, you dont know who took those tests
(in the cases I know about where the fac-
ulty member sits with the test takers, the
grades are vastly lower than when the tests
are taken remotely and without professo-
rial proctors). Who wrote those papers?Yes, we have good ways to see online pa-
pers, but it is expensive who pays for the
online papers that have to be bought in or-
der to prove that the students bought the
online papers? Moreover, there are many
other ways to have papers written by oth-
ers (one encyclopedia company has been
doing custom jobs for years). They, and
more and more faculty, do not care nearly
as much as they used to this is all part
of the corporate university. Again, keepin mind that DE is run by real corpora-
tions (they teach all subjects at all degree
levels), like the ones that had me be the
skunk at the picnic at Jackson Hole, 1997,
and legitimate universities (see Atlan-
tic Monthly, The Corporate University
rst made the general population aware
of what the modern American university
is mainly all about, i.e., make money off
the geese that lay the golden eggs and let
them go). Yes, corporations and universi-
ties are competing for mega-dollars: The
universities have whole ofces to scoff at
the idea that they are making a killing, but
the professoriate is dying and both corpo-
rations and universities are killing us.
Distance Education
(contd.)
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Pictures from the Spring Conference
Image 2: Rob Robinson, Allen Martin.
Image 1: Peter Hugill, Mark Gaus, Debra Price, Lieutanant Governor
Dewhurst, Chuck Hempstead, Allen Martin, Gary Coulton.
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Textbooks for Texas
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Distance Education: ADiscussion
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