TCCTA Blog

Is "Pretty Good" Good Enough?

Defining "excellence" has always been problematic—not to mention the whole matter of attempting to quantify it for funding purposes. If we are honest about it, much of the time quality in education is a matter of attitude and high aspirations, the reverse of what some policy makers have termed "the quiet bigotry of low expectations."

The following is a poem (perhaps in a style of what used to be labeled light verse) on the subject, a clever classic from Charles Osgood's "Osgood Files" of 1986. Mr. Osgood is the avuncular host of "Sunday Morning" on CBS, and a radio commentator for the network.

The poem arrived courtesy of Brian Dille, Odessa College. Enjoy.

PRETTY GOOD

by Charles Osgood

from the Osgood File, 1986

There once was a pretty good student

Who sat in a pretty good class

And was taught by a pretty good teacher

Who always let pretty good pass.

He wasn’t terrific at reading,

He wasn’t a whiz-bang at math,

But for him, education was leading

Straight down a pretty good path.

He didn’t find school too exciting,

But he wanted to do pretty well,

And he did have some trouble with writing

Since nobody taught him to spell.

When doing arithmetic problems,

Pretty good was regarded as fine.

5+5 needn’t always add up to be 10;

A pretty good answer was 9.

The pretty good class that he sat in

Was part of a pretty good school,

And the student was not an exception:

On the contrary, he was the rule.

The pretty good school that he went to

Was there in a pretty good town,

And nobody there seemed to notice

He could not tell a verb from a noun.

The pretty good student in fact was

Part of a pretty good mob.

And the first time he knew what he lacked was

When he looked for a pretty good job.

It was then, when he sought a position,

He discovered that life could be tough,

And he soon had a sneaking suspicion

Pretty good might not be good enough.

The pretty good town in our story

Was part of a pretty good state

Which had pretty good aspirations

And prayed for a pretty good fate.

There once was a pretty good nation

Pretty proud of the greatness it had,

Which learned much too late,

If you want to be great,

Pretty good is, in fact, pretty bad.

"Dear Professor: I Hate You"

Anonymous student evaluations of faculty, routinely required at colleges and universities, can produce interesting comments. In the February 27 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription), reporter Thomas Bartlett gathers some choice items from students at schools around the country. Much of the piece involves interviews with faculty members.

Some teachers get upset: "It's the nasty ones that get you," the article reports. Others just get annoyed when students incorrectly read the instructions:

Susan Montez has been mildly irked when students misread the instructions for the numerical portion of the evaluation, giving her consistently low ratings and then raving about her in the comments section. "So now I tell them, 'If you want to nuke me, use 1. If you want to praise me, put 4,'" says Ms. Montez, a professor of English at Norwalk Community College. Like several professors interviewed for this story, she says she stays away from Rate My Professors and similar Web sites.

Another excerpt from the Chronicle piece:

As for why professors tend to remember the pans more than the praise, John T. Cacioppo thinks he knows. Mr. Cacioppo, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, blames negativity bias, the human predisposition to focus on the bad. There are, he explains, sound evolutionary reasons for this tendency, such as remembering which fruits are poisonous and which caves contain bears.

But while it may be natural, it can also be a mistake. A small number of unhappy undergraduates does not mean a course, or a professor, is a failure, he says. "Just because a student doesn't like something doesn't mean it's wrong."

Mr. Cacioppo rarely gets worked up about his own evaluations. He tries to take the comments seriously, pro or con. One criticism, however, crops up again and again. "The standard one I've gotten for three decades is that I talk too fast," he says. "I would like to change that, but it's not under voluntary control."

In other words, students just have to deal with it.

Phi Theta Kappa Leader Addresses General Session

If you were unable to attend the General Session of the 2009 TCCTA Annual Convention on February 19, in Austin, one of the major highlights was a speech given by Katie Bierschenk, Phi Theta Kappa Texas Regional President. She is a student at Richland College.

Below are Ms. Bierschenk's remarks:

Thank you so much for having me this evening. It is both an honor and a privilege to be here today with so many distinguished professors and instructors from community colleges across the state. As a student at a community college, I have always been amazed by the diversity of the student body. Community colleges not only provide educational opportunities to traditional college students, but also to returning students, exchange students, and in my case, dual credit high school students. 
      With such a diverse student population, teaching to such a variety of students can be quite a challenge. I have always admired how my professors were able to gear their lectures towards such a broad age range, to students from such diverse backgrounds. Many students come straight from high school to college, others return to school after years in the workforce, while others have come from other countries for the opportunity of getting an education. By offering developmental courses in addition to regular college classes, community colleges offer more students an opportunity to receive an education they could not get at a four year university. 
     I have been privileged to meet one of these students. I first met this young man about a year ago through our mutual involvement in Phi Theta Kappa. It was not until several months later when I was reading an article in our college newspaper that I learned the story of his life. This young man came to the United States three years ago from Zimbabwe as a Green Card Lottery winner. He came with only fifty dollars in his pocket. He left his family and everything he had ever known behind, all for the hope of making a better life for himself and providing for those back home. Because he did not have the educational opportunities we so often take for granted in America, he placed into all developmental courses. While this would have discouraged many students, he never gave up. His professors continually encouraged him in his studies and soon he was taking all college level classes. This young man went on to win just about every scholarship Phi Theta Kappa offers and this past year he graduated from community college. Today, he is currently pursuing a business degree at Cornell University on a full scholarship. However, he would not be where he is today if it weren’t for the world of opportunities offered by community colleges. 
     It’s not just the community colleges in general which make the difference; without the individual professors that make up community colleges, there would be no “community” IN the college.
     As an instructor in a community, you are in a unique position to make a difference in the lives of many of your students. You are in a position to share your love and your passion for a particular subject or field with an entire generation of students. Now what other profession can boast of that? What other profession has the opportunity to influence not only the current generation, but future generations as well? Over the years, other than my family, no one has had more of an impact or influence in my life than my teachers. 
     Now believe it or not, I’m an engineering major. I mean, don’t I look like a future engineer to you? I’ve always enjoyed puzzles and problem solving and believe it or not, one of my favorite games as a child was to solve math problems my dad would write down for me. Sometimes this would even happen on napkins while we were waiting for our dinner at a restaurant. Even at an early age, I’ve always had a love for math and science. This love has continued into college and it doesn’t take much for a professor to make a math or science class interesting for me. Now British Literature on the other hand has never been very high on my list of favorite things. So when I found out British Literature was a required course for graduation, I started calculating how I could get through the class with the least amount of “cultural exposure” possible. I looked up the course schedule online and found a class that met on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I only had to spend two days of my week trying to decipher poetic metaphors instead of three. Before I ever set foot in the classroom, I had already decided I was going to hate this class. 
      However, my professor had other plans for me and his other students. On the first day of class when he started lecturing, I knew my views were about to change. His lectures were so interesting and engaging that he made literature come alive for me in a way I never thought possible. His captivating stories from his travels abroad entertained and engaged his class. Even those confusing poetic metaphors actually started to make sense. I was so amazed when I actually found myself not only enjoying, even understanding British Literature, but I actually looked forward to going to class each day. After the end of the semester, rather than selling my book back to the bookstore, I held onto it and still enjoy reading it today, just for fun!
     Even though my professor never knew it, he made a difference in my life. His passion for literature and poetry was evident in every lecture he gave. Whether it was by telling a humorous story to go along with his lecture or in teaching us how to decipher poetry on our own, he always held his students’ attention. He took a subject I disliked and turned it into something I enjoyed. Sometimes, you will never know the difference you have made in the lives of your students. But please know this, you DO make a difference. Whether you teach math, science, English, literature, history, philosophy, or speech, you have the opportunity of a lifetime. You have the opportunity to influence the future of America. Someone once said that “teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions.” You have the chance to instruct the future doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, authors, and teachers of America.
     The best community college professors see a student as a name, not merely a number, as opportunity, not an obligation. They encourage the potential they see rather than focusing on shortcomings. They see what can be, not what might have been. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that “The great teacher is not the man who supplies the most facts, but the one in whose presence we become different people.” Because of the encouragement and support of my teachers and professors, I am a different person today. Without encouragement of a certain professor, I never could have seen myself as the Regional President of Phi Theta Kappa and I most certainly never would have envisioned myself speaking to so many professors all at once. Now whether that encouragement was a good thing or not, I’ll leave you to be the judge of that. Thank you. 

LBB Proposes Centralized Textbook Selection

The Legislative Budget Board has proposed, as a cost-saving measure, statewide adoption of college textbooks for Core Curriculum courses. So far no bill has surfaced to enact the idea, which would require a statutory change to the Education Code. The recommendation includes a provision for a panel of faculty members to make the choices. The cost savings to the state would presumably result from a more efficient use of student aid funds.

TCCTA Lobbyist Beaman Floyd recommends that faculty members refrain from communicating with lawmakers on this particular topic until a bill surfaces in the House or Senate to enact the LBB recommendation. It is not uncommon for the Legislature to choose a different path from an LBB proposal.

Textbooks are chosen in centralized fashion for public schools in Texas—a process that generates controversy every year on a host of social and political issues. 

College textbook prices are a hot topic with the Legislature this session, with several bills designed to address the cost to students. TCCTA has consistently opposed measures that potentially restrict faculty judgment in choosing the most appropriate materials for students. Here's a link to the association's "Talking Points" on this subject, along with some background information.

Here's a link to the LBB recommendation. TCCTA will follow this issue closely. 

Bill Would Repeal Social Security Provisions

As reported in a variety of TCCTA communications over the last several years, employees of Texas community colleges planning to retire from schools that do not participate in the Social Security system are potentially affected by two provisions of federal law, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).

For those unfamiliar with this complicated issue, please consult the valuable information provided by the Social Security Administration about the GPO and WEP. Here is a good introductory site.

More precise information on the GPO, which potentially reduces or eliminates spousal benefits, and a background on the WEP, which can reduce benefits for those who are otherwise qualified for Social Security (due to previous or supplemental employment) are also available through the Social Security Administration. To learn about the GPO, visit this site. A discussion of the WEP is available here. It is very difficult to make general statements about these two provisions, since the effects depend upon individual work history.

Nationwide efforts continue for outright repeal of GPO and WEP. Success may be complicated, according to reports, by the projected budget deficit. In addition, these two provisions apply only in 15 "non-mandatory" states in which school and college districts have chosen (in most cases many years ago) not to participate in Social Security. In other words, elected officials from 35 states may not view the inevitable cost of changing the system as crucial. However, all states contain retired or potentially retired residents who are concerned, and their voices are being heard. 

U.S. Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA) and Buck McKeon (R-CA) have reintroduced the Social Security Fairness Act to repeal both the GPO and WEP. The 2009 bill number is HR 235.  An earlier version, which had over 300 co-sponsors, expired at the end of the last Congress. In previous sessions it has proven very difficult for repeal bills to escape the House committee system, notwithstanding an impressive number of co-sponsors. Some observers are newly optimistic, however, because of the shift in Washington leadership since the 2008 elections. 

Most national groups favoring repeal are urging citizens to ask their representatives in Congress to co-sponsor HR 235. Here is the text of the bill. According to a variety of sources, additional measures addressing the WEP and GPO problem will be introduced in the House this year. Complete repeal would have a greater budgetary impact than more modest proposals advanced by some members of Congress. Meanwhile the clock is ticking on the huge cohort of Baby Boomers who will retire and apply for Social Security during the next few years.

Supporters of reform are concerned that, given the current financial crisis, Congress may be unwilling to commit large amounts of prospective revenue, at a time when current stimulus funds are designed to produce rapid results. Many believe that substantive changes to the GPO and WEP are unlikely until federal policy makers address the entire policy universe of Social Security and "entitlement" reform. This is an old refrain, of course. 

To find out "Who Represents Me?" visit this link. The members of the U.S. House from Texas can be accessed from this site. For access to the U.S. Senators from Texas (Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison), visit this site. These "official" sites provide opportunities for comment from constituents.

Members are urged to be on the alert for further posts on this subject.

Join Us in Austin!

Now is the time for all community and technical college educators to come to the aid of themselves and their profession. The TCCTA annual convention begins on Feb. 19, with Community College Day at the Capitol, followed by the General Session that evening, featuring keynote speaker David Weinberger.

After that there are two days filled with activities providing the best professional development programs anywhere—and all at bargain prices. All events are at the Renaissance Austin Hotel, in the Arboretum shopping area, with plenty of popular dining and entertainment venues within an easy walk. 

Details, including updates and hotel information, are accessible using this link. Join us!

Surveys Underscore Complaints About Online Instruction

Faculty members often point out that online instruction requires more time and effort than traditional instruction. Preparation is more cumbersome and updating course content is a relentless series of tasks that quickly drain an instructor's resources. Then there's the whole problem of keeping up with student assignments and responding to questions. One professor remarked that her e-mails were like "Alfred Hitchcock's Birds" every morning. 

A couple of surveys confirm the above perception, as reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription). One survey reports that many faculty members believe that online instruction is educationally inferior. Not surprisingly, those who teach online are less likely to express this view.

Here's a key passage:

"What faculty tell us is, 'It takes me more time; it takes me more effort,'" said Jeff Seaman, chief information officer for the Sloan Consortium, who is helping Nasulgc oversee the faculty survey. The consortium works with institutions to improve online education.

Instructors' extra time and effort aren't being rewarded financially or professionally, and what's more, online education doesn't translate into better learning outcomes, said respondents in the faculty survey. More than 10,000 faculty members at 67 public campuses responded to the survey.

While 30 percent of faculty members surveyed felt that online courses provided superior or equivalent learning outcomes when compared with face-to-face classes, 70 percent felt that learning outcomes were inferior. Among faculty members who have taught online courses, that figure drops to 48 percent, but that still represents a "substantial minority" holding a negative view, Mr. Seaman said.

TRS Responds to Questions About Investments

Due to the current financial crisis, some members of the Teacher Retirement System have been concerned over headlines about the system's investment portfolio. In response, TRS has been offering video and audio programs from its Web site on a variety of subjects, including one directed toward answering questions on the fund's investment policy and strategy.

The site also offers transcripts (in pdf format), which may be more convenient for some viewers. Here is the transcript of a conversation between Ronnie Jung, Executive Director, and Britt Harris, the Chief Investment Officer of TRS. Members will likely find it interesting (and perhaps reassuring) in the wake of all the grim economic news.

Interestingly, Mr. Harris recently announced that he will forgo his incentive pay package. Of course, such bonuses are very much in the news lately nationwide. Here's a passage from Saturday's Austin American Statesman (registration) article by reporter Kate Alexander: 

The chief investment officer of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas will forgo his incentive pay after a burst of legislative outrage over investment bonuses at some state trust funds.

Britt Harris, who oversees the investment of the $81 billion pension fund, offered Friday to give up nearly $168,000 in incentives that would be due to him based on the trust fund's 2008 performance.
In addition, payment of the $2.5 million in incentives due to more than 80 other employees in the investment division will be deferred until the fund generates a positive return, the retirement system Board of Trustees decided in a 6-to-2 vote.

System policy already delayed all incentive payments until 2010 because the fund balance had declined about 27 percent last year as the economy took a nosedive.

The hasty change to the incentive policy followed a political firestorm earlier this month over bonuses paid at the University of Texas Investment Management Co. that led to the board chairman resigning in protest.

Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, said he appreciated the move by Harris and the teacher pension fund. But Ogden said his "focus is not on individuals but on the way we compensate our investment managers so that we maximize the returns of the funds."

The incentive deals at the state's endowments and pension funds, all of which took big hits in the market tumult this fall, appear to encourage investment managers to take more risk while taxpayers are ultimately on the hook, Ogden said.

As chief investment officer, Harris said, he should forgo his incentive pay because he must bear a greater responsibility for the fund's recent decline than the other investment employees.

Pension fund board members lauded Harris for his "gracious gesture" even as some tried to turn down his offer.

But others said it was important that the retirement system send the message that the concerns of the state's political leaders have been heard. 

House Higher Ed. Committee Announced

After great anticipation, new Speaker of the House Joe Straus announced the committee roster Thursday. Now the panels will start conducting hearings, and the struggle begins to determine which bills pass.

An important committee for community and technical college educators is the House Committee on Higher Education. This committee has jurisdiction typically over such matters as curriculum, textbook selection, and assorted issues related to instruction. It does not have authority over appropriations, so the panel's main impact is on items that do not involve (at least directly) tax revenue revenue. These policy areas can involve important matters, however. Several bills have been introduced that are designed to address the costs of texts for college students, for instance. 

The panel will undoubtedly get involved in tuition re-regulation, the "ten percent rule" for university admissions, and whether the state should have another "flagship" school, in addition to UT and Texas A&M. 

Chairing the committee will be Rep. Dan Branch (R-Dallas). The vice chair is Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio).

Members include: Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D-Dallas), Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler), Rep. Brian McCall (R-Plano), Rep. Ellen Cohen (D-Houston), Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin), Rep. Diane Patrick (R-Arlington), and Rep. Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs).

UT System Caps Non-Faculty Hires and Executive Pay

It's hard to say if this will become a trend, but the UT system's new chancellor announced recently a "partial statewide hiring freeze for non-faculty positions and proposed that salaries for senior executives like himself also be frozen," according to a recent article by Katherine Mangan in the Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription).

As legislative hearings get cranked up, this kind of story is becoming increasingly common with many state agencies and institutions. Hiring freezes would be particularly troublesome with Texas community colleges, where enrollment is growing in the wake of the current financial crisis—not to mention the Closing the Gaps initiative. Two-year schools tend to gain enrollment in tough economic times.

More from the piece:

“The leadership of the UT system and its institutions are keenly sensitive to the current economic climate, which has touched every corner of our great state and nation,” [Chancellor] Dr. Cigarroa said. “Just as Texans are tightening their belts, so must we.”

The steps that Texas is taking aren’t unusual today. The flagship universities in several other states are carrying out similar measures to deal with their budget woes. But Texas is generally considered to be a well-off state whose universities have been able to hire away faculty members from struggling states, so today’s announcement is another indication of just how widespread the nation’s higher-education budget problems have become.