3 August 2001
Copyright © 2001 World Expertise LLC – All rights
reserved
A periodic electronic newsletter for engineering education leaders,
edited by Russel C. Jones, PhD., P.E.
Asiaweek magazine has abandoned its controversial
rankings of universities in Asia and the Pacific, according to an article in the
Chronicle of Higher Education by David Cohen. The annual survey, which
attempted to rank the ‘best’ multidisciplinary institutions from across the
region, has been highly controversial as educators questioned the objectivity of
its methodology. Similar regional surveys and rankings conducted by US News
and World Report, The Financial Times, and Maclean’s have been similarly
controversial in their respective areas. In last year’s Asiaweek rankings,
77 multidisciplinary institutions were surveyed, along with 39 science and
technology institutions, spread out over 14 countries. The survey had many gaps
in its coverage, with whole countries and territories missing. A number of
institutions of higher learning declined to participate in last year’s survey,
including the University of Tokyo which ranked No. 1 in two earlier surveys. See
http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001072006n.htm
Laboratory chiefs in Japan have criticized government
policy which pushes for strategic research, according to an article by Dennis
Normile in the 20 July 2001 issue of Science. Fourteen current and four
former heads of major government laboratories have sent an open letter to the
Prime Minister pleading for greater recognition of the value of basic research
and a larger role for active researchers in shaping the nation’s research
policies. The letter is in response to a July report from the Council for
Science and Technology Policy which recommends that the government realign its
research priorities “to strengthen industrial competitiveness, invigorate the
economy, and promote a high quality of life in a vigorous society”. The
laboratory heads argue that the report is shortsighted in promoting “the short
term goal of strengthening industrial competitiveness”. Their letter goes on
to argue that “advanced science and technology must be supported by the
cultivation of basic research in a wide range of fields”. See http://www.sciencemag.org
Australia has imposed new visa restrictions on foreign
students from China, India and Pakistan, according to an article by Geoffrey
Maslen in the Chronicle. University leaders have reacted angrily, saying
that their institutions will lose valuable revenue – especially from Chinese
students. The new regulations are intended to reduce the likelihood that
students from certain countries will become illegal immigrants. Of the 96,000
foreign student enrolled in Australian universities last year, 6000 were from
mainland China and another 13,000 were from Hong Kong. Foreign students pay
universities about $500-million in fees annually. The Australian immigration
department noted that while universities saw this substantial income, they did
not realize how much the government was spending in tracking down illegal
immigrants and deporting them. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001070902n.htm
In turning former President Slobodan Milosevic over for
trial in the Hague, Yugoslavia has unleashed a flood of Western aid to rebuild
its shattered country. Some $1.28-billion has been pledged, according to an
article by Richard Stone in the 20 July 2001 issue of Science. But hopes
that major funding would be allocated to nourish scientific research have been
dashed, as several Yugoslav science initiatives failed to win funding from this
pool of funds. Most of the funding is being allocated to such reforms as
overhauling the banking industry and tightening the social safety net. Only one
of a dozen proposed scientific projects is being funded – upgrading Internet
connections. Research has been struggling for support in Serbia and Montenegro,
and it is estimated that half of the county’s top scientists have left the
country for greener pastures. Although funding is scarce, new contacts are being
established with European researchers, and the Yugoslav government is making
available funds go further by funneling money to the best labs. See http://www.sciencemag.org
Two Chinese scholars with US ties have been given 10-year
prison sentences for alleged espionage, according to an article in the Chronicle
by Beth McMurtrie. Another scholar with US ties has been deported. US
supporters of these individuals maintain that they were conducting legitimate
scholarly research, and that the Chinese government’s actions could threaten
scholarly exchanges between American and Chinese universities because they
indicate no respect for academic freedom. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001072501n.htm
The Spanish government has cut off aid to some promising
Ph.D. students from developing countries, according to an article by Xavier
Bosch in the 13 July 2001 issue of Science. Breaking a commitment for
three-year support packages to hundreds of students from around the world, the
government has shifted the funds to target links with Latin America. The
government has decided that the foreign student grant program is too expensive,
and that too many of the students found ways of staying in Spain rather than
returning to their own countries. Some 900 such students are likely to be sent
home without the opportunity of completing their studies in Spain. The funds
transferred to Latin American projects will be used to support cultural and
educational programs. See http://www.sciencemag.org
South Korea has announced steps to attract more foreign
students, according to a note by Michael Chan in the Chronicle. Measures
aimed at making Korean universities more attractive to foreign students –
especially those from English-speaking countries – include easing entry and
job regulations for such students, so that they can work up to 10 hours a week
in paid jobs. The government is also providing funds for expanding the number of
classes conducted in English. Some 150,000 Korean students go abroad to study
each year, but only 6160 foreign students studied in Korea last year. The
government hopes to double the number to 12,000 with its new initiatives. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001073106n.htm
Researchers and doctors in poorer nations will get free or
low-priced electronic access to nearly 1000 biomedical journals, according to an
article by David Malakoff in the 13 July 2001 issue of Science. The six
largest commercial journal publishers have agreed to open their Internet
editions to universities, laboratories, and health agencies in nearly 100
nations. The initiative was led by the World Health Organization. The six
publishers involved publish 80% of the 1240 biomedical journals. See http://www.sciencemag.org
A German court has upheld the right to charge tuition to
‘eternal students’, rather than allowing them to study indefinitely at
taxpayer expense, according to a note in the Chronicle by Burton Bollag.
Studies are generally free in Germany’s predominantly state-run
higher-education system. Some 16 German state universities have adopted policies
that charge tuition to students who extend their studies beyond a certain point,
in order to reduce the burden on taxpayers. A typical pattern charges $450 for
each semester beyond the official study time for a given academic program, plus
two years. Germany’s education minister, while opposing calls to introduce
tuition across the board, feels that these limited charges to encourage students
to finish their studies in reasonable times are justified. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/08/2001080202n.htm
Representatives of 178 countries have agreed to begin
fighting global warming, according to an article by Richard Kerr in the 27 July
2001 issue of Science. Seventeen hundred diplomats established a complex
but flexible method of accounting for greenhouse gas emissions and uptakes,
which will allow countries to receive due credit for their efforts. Enough
countries are expected to ratify the agreement to put the Kyoto protocol into
effect next year, without the Unites States. See http://www.sciencemag.com
A former president of Harvard University has created a stir
in Britain with critical comments about the state of its higher education
system, according to an article in the Chronicle by David Walker. Neil
Rudenstine made the remarks about insufficient government support and
Britain’s lagging research capability in a Harvard postgraduate seminar that
the former president thought was confidential. Mr. Rudenstine’s remarks appear
to have played into a British debate about the future of elite institutions such
as Oxford and Cambridge. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001071605n.htm
When President
Bush yanked US support for the Kyoto Protocol and called for more research to
reduce the “uncertainties” about global warming, many policy makers and
scientists worldwide groaned. According to an article by Richard Kerr in the 13
July 2001 issue of Science, they said it was just an excuse for inaction.
But some scientists see this as an opportunity to focus climate science on key
research, reining in the country’s sprawling research enterprise. A NASA
official has said “we have lots of talent and capabilities in the US, but they
aren’t as coordinated as they need to be”. One problem Is that agencies
priorities have taken precedence over the coordinated needs of the program, with
agencies protecting their own interests in tight budgetary times. Another
problem is a loose interpretation of “global change”. To address such
problems, President Bush will “establish the US Climate Change Research
Initiative to study areas of uncertainty and identify priority areas where
investments can make a difference”. See http://www.sciencemag.org
President Bush has announced that NASA will receive
$120-million over three years to study climate change, according to a note in
the Chronicle by Jennifer Jacobsen. NASA will use $50-million to study
how carbon cycles through the earth’s system, and $20-million to study the
global cycle of water and energy. An additional $22-million will be spent to
determine whether aerosols have a net warming or cooling effect and whether
climate change will hinder the ozone layer’s ability to recover. NASA is
currently investing heavily in computer systems and models to improve simulation
of climate systems. President Bush plans to join with Japan, the European Union,
and others to develop better climate models to predict the causes and
consequences of climate change. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001071604n.htm
The potential for abrupt, drastic climate changes on a
regional scale is being underestimated by policymakers, according to a major
article by Alexander MacDonald in the Summer 2001 issue of Issues in Science
and Technology. Director of a Laboratory at the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the author states that while the debate on long term
global warming goes on, there is a real threat that the greenhouse effect may
trigger unexpected climate changes on a regional scale – and that such changes
may happen fairly quickly, last for a long time, and bring devastating
consequences. For example, summers may become much drier in the mid-continents
of North America and Eurasia, with the potential to devastate some of the
earth’s most productive agricultural areas. Or the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
may collapse, leading to a rise in sea level around the world.
The author notes that current funding for climate change programs is
skewed toward earth-observing satellites, and that a new global system based on
in situ sensors is imperative for understanding regional climate change. See http://www.nap.edu/issues
Congressional earmarks are finding their way into NSF
budget bills working their way through Congress, according to an article by
Jeffrey Mervis in the 27 July 2001 issue of Science. As House and Senate
panels approve increases in NSF funding beyond what the Administration has asked
for, individual projects not recommended by NSF are creeping in – such as an
underground laboratory in South Dakota, an expanded search for neutrinos at the
South Pole, and a high altitude research plane. Delays in funding of major
projects, caused by the Bush administration’s decision to delay any new
starts, has led some researchers with projects stuck in the NSF pipeline to
plead their cases directly to Congress. See http://www.sciencemag.org
The National Science Foundation has named Judith Ramaley,
former President of the University
of Vermont, as the head of its education division. According to an article by
Dana Mulhauser in the Chronicle, Dr. Ramaley has a strong interest in
elementary and secondary schools – which may match with President Bush’s
push to involve universities more in mathematics and science education in public
schools. NSF’s education and human resources division has an $800-million
budget to support research in science education and teaching methods at all
levels, with a focus on troubled school systems and minority youth. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001071603n.htm
Liberal arts colleges and small universities in the US that
focus on undergraduate education have been hiring science faculty at record
rates in the past few years, according to an article by Jeffrey Mervis in the 13
July 2001 issue of Science. Educators see this trend as one of many signs
of research vitality at these schools, which educate a disproportionate share of
the nation’s scientific workforce compared with the big research universities.
The data come from a new study of the research environment at 136 predominantly
undergraduate schools, funded by five foundations. See http://www.sciencemag.org
Postdocs and junior faculty members generally have a tough
time convincing courts that they have been denied a share in the financial
rewards from discoveries they may have participated in. But, according to an
article in the 20 July 2001 issue of Science by Eliot Marshall, a US
court has removed a major roadblock facing one such claim. Patent attorneys say
the ruling sets a strong precedent for similar cases. The court admonished
universities and senior faculty members to keep their junior colleagues fully
informed of intellectual property claims they file. See http://www.sciencemag.org
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has
signed a deal to bring online courses to its 35 million members, at a discount,
according to an article by Dan Carnevale in the Chronicle. AARP members
will get a 5% discount from Fathom, a for-profit online-education provider owned
by Columbia University and a dozen other institutions. In addition to providing
courses, Fathom will help AARP develop a section of its web site dedicated to
online learning. The web site will include courses from a number of different
providers besides Fathom. People over 50 are seen as a growing Web audience, and
AARP says that its members are interested in finding new ways to increase their
knowledge on various subjects. See http://chronicle.com/free/2001/07/2001072401u.htm
An Internet “portal” where soldiers can enroll in
online courses has been declared fully operational by the Army and its
contractor, PricewaterhouseCoopers. According to an article by Florence Olsen in
the Chronicle, the portal
will quickly be put to the test as the infrastructure expands to serve 80,000
soldier-learners within five years. It is anticipated that this project may be a
model for serving targeted large communities of learners in the future, such as
teachers, bankers, electrical engineers, etc. PricewaterhouseCoopers worked with
60 subcontractors to build the portal, including more than 20 accredited
institutions that deliver courses online. See http://chronicle.com/free/2001/07/2001072301u.htm
Temple University has quietly shut down its fledgling for-profit spinoff company that it created in late 1999 with the hope of making money from distance education, according to articles in the Chronicle by Goldie Blumenstyk. The feasibility of the venture, known as Virtual Temple, had been questioned from the start by many faculty members who felt that the university’s profit expectations were unrealistic. Temple’s current President, who inherited the venture from his predecessor, has said that the university would continue to pursue distance education. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001070901u.htm
Other universities have started similar ventures over the
past two years, including Columbia, Cornell, and New York Universities and the
University of Maryland University College. Since their founding, most of them
have found the need to revamp their business models – but executives in such
spinoffs maintain that their companies have sound financial plans and the
potential to make money. See http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i45/45a02901.htm
An Open University online course in Britain, “You, Your
Computer and the Net”, has drawn more than 12,000 students both times that it
has been offered, according to an article by Sarah Carr in the Chronicle. The
course is divided into three parts focusing on the history of the computer, the
past and future of the Internet, and e-commerce. Each student has a personal
tutor, who works with approximately 20 students throughout the 30-week program.
The course is offered for credit, at a tuition cost of $280.The course is geared
toward students with relatively little computer experience, who may feel
disenfranchised by their ignorance. See http://chronicle.com/free/2001/07/2001071001u.htm
Telecourses – television courses with telephone links to distant classrooms – are still a major form of distance education, according to an article in the Chronicle by Dan Carnevale and Jeffrey Young. Enrollment in televised courses continues to grow, though at a much slower rate than in new online courses. Some experts estimate that more people take courses each year delivered by television – whether via interactive video networks, videocassettes, or cable or broadcast television – than take courses on the Internet. Many telecourse producers are rapidly incorporating new technologies, including high-speed data networks, online discussions, and digital videodisks, and are using the Internet to allow interactions between students and instructors. Colleges producing high-end online courses are also exploring ways to add more video segments to their courses. See http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i44/44a02901.htm
Some professors are using the Web to publish portfolios of
teaching techniques, according to an article by Jeffrey Young in the Chronicle.
In an effort to analyze and improve their teaching, they are creating
multimedia portfolios that try to capture the complex interactions that occur in
the classroom. A collection of such portfolios can be found in the new Knowledge
Media Laboratory, a virtual resource center created by the Carnegie Foundation
for the Advancement of Teaching. The Foundation supports about 40 faculty
members each year to think about and hone their teaching skills, then publishes
their work at the online laboratory. The Foundation hopes that their portfolios
will inspire others to review their own teaching. So far the laboratory’s
gallery contains nine multimedia portfolios – which feature video clips of
classroom interactions, audio clips of commentary by professors, syllabi and
other teaching materials, examples of student assignments, and textual
descriptions of what worked and what did not. See http://chronicle.com/free/2001/07/2001071902t.htm
Professors are often given little or no training before
teaching their first online course, so 23 Maryland colleges have banded together
to train them to teach online. According to an article in the Chronicle by
Jeffrey Young, the Faculty Online Technology Training Consortium offered its
first intensive training program last summer, putting 40 professors through nine
days of training on how to teach in a virtual classroom. In addition to the
training, members of the consortium have developed a library of teaching
materials on its Web site. The consortium is also building a series of online
courses for faculty members, which are expected to be ready this fall. The
materials and online courses are free, and colleges outside the consortium are
encouraged to use them as well. See http://chronicle.com/free/2001/07/2001072701u.htm
Online technology is pushing pedagogy to the forefront at
universities, according to a major article in the Chronicle by Frank
Newman and Jamie Scurry. The authors state that digital technology and software
that directly engages students in more-effective learning is having impacts in
the classroom well beyond the efficient handling of communication tasks. For
some time evidence has shown that when students are involved in a self-driven
learning project, they learn more and remember it longer than when they are
passively sitting and listening. Digital
technology is giving professors the means to use such teaching methods without a
lot of extra time and effort. It can provide practical ways to engage students
in active learning, connect learning with real life, offer easy access to
massive amounts of information, allow faculty members to tailor teaching styles
to each student’s needs, shift the faculty member’s role to coach of the
learning process, allow students to review previously covered material, and
provide preliminary experience in a safe setting. See http://chronicle.com/weekly/v47/i44/44b00701.htm
Student math scores on a widely watched national exam inched up from a decade ago, but the vast majority of US children still have a limited grasp of mathematics and fell below the test’s definition of being competent in the subject. According to an article by June Kronholz in the August 3rd issue of the Wall Street Journal, the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress highlighted woeful student performance and the persistent gap between the scores of white and minority youngsters. Students improved the most in states with strong testing programs, adding fuel to President Bush’s call for yearly student tests and for a system of rewards and punishments for schools where test scores do not improve. Administered by the US Education Department to a statistical sample of 50,000 students in a dozen subjects on a rotating schedule, the tests are important to policy makers. Nationally the NAEP math score for fourth-graders rose to 228 on a scale of 500, up four points from 1996 and 15 points from 1990. Similar small increases or decreases were seen in eighth- and twelfth-graders. The Senate and House have passed education bills that include yearly testing, but the legislation has run into stiff opposition from the governors, teachers unions, and other education lobbies who fear that the exams will identify and sanction too many schools for low performance. See http://www.wsj.com
A recent study has found that student aid has risen sharply
over the past four years, according to an article in the Chronicle by
Dana Mulhauser. The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study conducted by the US
Department of Education indicates that 55% of undergraduates received some form
of financial assistance in 1999-2000, up from 50% in 1995-96. Among
undergraduates receiving aid the average award was $6256, an inflation adjusted
increase of 17% over 1995-96. Half of the increased financial aid simply covered
the rising cost of college education, which increased 9% over the same four year
period. Increases in government aid were largely due to the expansion of Pell
grants. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001073101n.htm
State higher education leaders want to see improvements in
job training, according to an article in the Chronicle by Peter Schmidt.
At a recent meeting of the State Higher Education Executive Officers, the
leaders focused on the work-force needs of local businesses, and on the failure
of public schools to produce enough graduates who are ready for college and
work. Discussions indicated that public colleges are largely responsible for the
inadequacies of today’s workforce, and must be pressured to improve education
and job training at all levels. Many officials said that they were already
working to prod colleges into paying more attention to the needs of local
employers. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/08/2001080103n.htm
The first class of Gates Scholars, some 4050 minority
student recipients, recently completed their first year in the major scholarship
program, according to an article by Eric Hoover in the Chronicle. The
Gates Millennium Scholars Program, funded by Bill Gates two years ago to deliver
grants to 20,000 students over the next 20 years, is being administered by the
United Negro College Fund. The program selects successful college-bound minority
students on the basis of nontraditional criteria – a pattern of community
service, leadership skills, and the ability to cope with racism – rather than
heavy reliance on the traditional standardized tests, grade-point averages, and
class rank. Critics of affirmative action criticize the program, while it has
won rave reviews from academics, politicians, and civil-rights leaders. See http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i44/44a03401.htm
The American Council on Education has announced that its
“College is Possible” campaign, aimed at low-income minority students, is
entering its second phase. According to a note in the Chronicle by
Stephen Burd, the Council in 1998 put together a coalition of 1300 colleges and
30 academic groups to better inform the public about the availability of college
financial aid. As that effort nears an end, the Council is beginning a more
focused project to find effective ways to motivate and prepare low-income
minority students to go to college and graduate from it.
See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001072703n.htm
Thousands of disadvantaged Irish students will be receiving
retroactive payments to cover a shortfall in their grants for last year’s
college expenses, according to a note by Karen Birchard in the Chronicle. The
payments are part of a new blueprint for improving access to higher education in
Ireland, which includes increasing grants to some disadvantaged students. A
report containing some 77 recommendation for improving access resulted in the
payments from the ministry of education. About 40% of the country’s students
currently receive financial aid which does not have to be repaid, and the report
calls for the government to double the levels of such aid. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001071305n.htm
Educators need to work harder to improve the representation
of women in mathematics, science and engineering, according to a new report
reported on in the Chronicle by Alex Kellogg. The report, “Balancing
the Equation: Where Are Women and Girls in Science, Engineering and
Technology” was released by the National Council for Research on Women. It
urges policy makers and educators alike to help remove the lingering barriers
for the advancement of women in these fields, and also recommends that they
increase women’s interests in those fields by diversifying the curriculum.
Among other suggestions is one that colleges design curricula that take an
interdisciplinary approach to learning and demonstrate the real-world relevance
of coursework, since both approaches have been shown to boost female enrollment
and retention. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001071802n.htm
About 200 female faculty members in the University of Maine
System are getting pay raises after a statistical analysis turned up salary
inequities between male and female professors, according to an article in the Chronicle
by Scott Smallwood. A joint committee of administrators and faculty union
members determined that there was a problem after taking into account relevant
differences such as longevity, rank, discipline, and academic degree. Of the 451
female professors in the seven campus system, 199 were found to be underpaid.
The underpaid women will get immediate raises that average $2000 a year,
although some are as high as $6000. See http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/07/2001071902n.htm
Many colleges will have to pay more for Microsoft products,
according to an article in the Chronicle by Goldie Blumenstyk. Microsoft
is making changes to its three academic-pricing plans that will result in many
colleges paying more for the software that they use to run their computer
networks and operate their desktop PC’s. The changes, which could go into
effect in August for some institutions, raise prices from 10 to 60 percent for
some software packages. Microsoft officials say they are making the changes in
response to feedback from colleges indicating that campus customers want greater
flexibility in how they acquire software. Under the new Campus Agreement, the
number of products automatically included in the base subscription in smaller,
theoretically giving colleges greater flexibility to reduce costs by eliminating
products they do not want. But because Microsoft is also increasing prices, many
institutions will not realize any net savings. See http://chronicle.com/free/2001/07/2001070901t.htm
Eight Midwestern colleges say they have avoided millions of
dollars in hardware and software expenses since 1995 when they formed a
non-profit corporation to maintain their student records, financial accounting,
payroll, and other administrative systems. As reported in the Chronicle by
Florence Olsen, the cooperation among Iowa and Illinois colleges is unusual
because they are separated by state lines and are as far apart as 700 miles. The
largest cost savings have come from sharing the 11 computer programmers and 4
computer operators who operate the consortium’s information systems, all of
which are located on one campus. See http://chronicle.com/free/2001/07/2001071101t.htm
The Harvard University Library and three major publishers
of scholarly journals have joined forces to design an experimental archive for
electronic journals, according to an article by Burton Bollag in the Chronicle.
One issue the group will examine is how to design long-term digital
archives. Because digital technologies are developing so fast that they soon
become obsolete, archiving may require a different technology than that used for
current access to digital materials. While finding long term solutions for
archiving text presents more modest problems, archiving materials such as sound
and video files, computer simulations and computer data sets present a much
greater challenge. The project will extend for the current calendar year, with
the outcome expected to be a detailed proposal for an experimental archive of
electronic journals at Harvard. See http://chronicle.com/free/2001/07/2001072001t.htm
Writing in the August 2001 issue of Civil Engineering, John
Voller has identified 25 technologies to watch in the near future. The author
observes that the engineering field’s high level of interest in electronic
commerce may be diverting attention and resources from other valuable
opportunities inherent in information and computing technologies. He observes
that changes in what engineers specify and install in facilities and
infrastructure will be fast and furious, and that engineering firms unable to
keep pace will lose out to specialty firms that stay on top of new technologies.
He cites examples such as a system of data storage and retrieval currently under
development that is based not just on two-dimensional digital methods, but on
methods that use holographic techniques to store millions of bytes in a piece of
crystalline material no bigger than a pinhead. See http://www.pubs.asce.org
From the 27 July 2001 Chronicle of Higher Education:
Ø Head, Department of Chemical Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Ø Dean, College of Engineering, University of Rhode Island
Ø Dupont Chair in Engineering Education, Queens University, Canada
Ø President, Koc University, Turkey
Ø
President, University of South Carolina at Columbia
See: http://chronicle.com/jobs
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