The Venting Thread

[clean]

They are encouraging the use of free textbooks.

What authors write text books for free?
What publisher sells "free textbooks"?

In the recent congressional hearings on Gamesmart one of the congresspeople noted, "if you are getting free stock trades, you are not the client, you are the product".  (As the trading platform is selling your order!)

Similarly, what is the going price/value (revenue stream) of the student/product using the free textbook? 

____________
Facebook users are not the Facebook 'customer'. Facebook users are the Product being sold to the advertiser - Facebook's true customer.
________________

[jimbogumbo]

They are encouraging the use of free textbooks.

What authors write text books for free?
What publisher sells "free textbooks"?

In the recent congressional hearings on Gamesmart one of the congresspeople noted, "if you are getting free stock trades, you are not the client, you are the product".  (As the trading platform is selling your order!)

Similarly, what is the going price/value (revenue stream) of the student/product using the free textbook? 

____________
Facebook users are not the Facebook 'customer'. Facebook users are the Product being sold to the advertiser - Facebook's true customer.
________________

Openstax.com is one source.

[mamselle]

IT IS FIFTY-NINE DEGREES IN MY OFFICE.  I can't type with mittens on.

What gets me is when this happens in the summertime....

In my previous office, I measured the temp as 85 degrees in the summer--we theoretically had air conditioning.

In my current office, the thermostat is broken. It is theoretically set at 72, but I'm sure it cannot be actually above 60.  When I have to be campus, I wear multiple layers including my coat and have purchased finger-less gloves due to the problem wareagle is describing.

That is too cold. In my building, we're not allowed to change the thermostat, well, we can't since it's controlled at another location.

I have a thermostat, but I think it is merely decorative.

Current office has a decorative thermostat as well.  So did previous office.  I am trying to figure out how to incorporate them into some kind of attractive wall art.  At least they'd be of some use then.

If it's round, you might consider something painted on the wall based on Sonia Delaunay's work:

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Delaunay#/media/File:Sonia_Delaunay,_1914,_Prismes_%C3%A9lectriques,_oil_on_canvas,_250_x_250_cm,_Mus%C3%A9e_National_d'Art_Moderne.jpg

or

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Delaunay#/media/File:Sonia_Delaunay,_Rythme,_1938.jpg

or

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Delaunay#/media/File:Delaunay,_Dessin_en_couleurs,_published_in_Der_Sturm,_1922.jpg

or Frank Stella's:

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Stella#/media/File:Frank_Stella's_'Harran_II',_1967.jpg

or

   https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Stella_%22Cones_and_Pillars%22_%28Part_2%29.jpg

Just for fun...

M.   

[clean]

Quote from: clean on Today at 02:52:21 PM
Quote
They are encouraging the use of free textbooks.

What authors write text books for free?
What publisher sells "free textbooks"?

In the recent congressional hearings on Gamesmart one of the congresspeople noted, "if you are getting free stock trades, you are not the client, you are the product".  (As the trading platform is selling your order!)

Similarly, what is the going price/value (revenue stream) of the student/product using the free textbook?

____________
Facebook users are not the Facebook 'customer'. Facebook users are the Product being sold to the advertiser - Facebook's true customer.
________________

Openstax.com is one source.

Great!  You answered the first part.  What is the answer to the second part?

Similarly, what is the going price/value (revenue stream) of the student/product using the free textbook?

____________
Facebook users are not the Facebook 'customer'. Facebook users are the Product being sold to the advertiser - Facebook's true customer.

[namazu]

Great!  You answered the first part.  What is the answer to the second part?

Similarly, what is the going price/value (revenue stream) of the student/product using the free textbook?
____________
Facebook users are not the Facebook 'customer'. Facebook users are the Product being sold to the advertiser - Facebook's true customer.

How does Openstax make money?
OpenStax is part of Rice University. We are also supported by foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation and other generous supporters. Foundations give us the funding to create high quality, peer-reviewed textbooks that are written by paid educators and experts, not crowd sourced. We also have partnerships with for-profit companies that provide sophisticated, optional online homework at a low cost. These partners give us a mission support fee in return for using our content, contributing to our sustainability.

Is OpenStax sustainable? How can you afford to make high quality learning materials for available for little to no cost?
Yes. OpenStax is supported by philanthropic foundations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, and more that provide funding for the development of our free textbooks. We also have partnerships with for-profit companies that provide sophisticated, optional online homework and adaptive courseware for our books at a low cost. These partners give us a mission support fee in return for using our content, contributing to our sustainability. This model allows us to create free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks and keep those titles up to date.

[Cheerful]

Great!  You answered the first part.  What is the answer to the second part?

Similarly, what is the going price/value (revenue stream) of the student/product using the free textbook?
____________
Facebook users are not the Facebook 'customer'. Facebook users are the Product being sold to the advertiser - Facebook's true customer.

How does Openstax make money?
OpenStax is part of Rice University. We are also supported by foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation and other generous supporters. Foundations give us the funding to create high quality, peer-reviewed textbooks that are written by paid educators and experts, not crowd sourced. We also have partnerships with for-profit companies that provide sophisticated, optional online homework at a low cost. These partners give us a mission support fee in return for using our content, contributing to our sustainability.

Is OpenStax sustainable? How can you afford to make high quality learning materials for available for little to no cost?
Yes. OpenStax is supported by philanthropic foundations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, and more that provide funding for the development of our free textbooks. We also have partnerships with for-profit companies that provide sophisticated, optional online homework and adaptive courseware for our books at a low cost. These partners give us a mission support fee in return for using our content, contributing to our sustainability. This model allows us to create free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks and keep those titles up to date.

Interesting, thanks.  Big role for foundations, including the ubiquitous Gates?  There's no such thing as a free lunch.

[bio-nonymous]

I really wish some people would stop be so sanctimonious, absolutist, loud, and aggressive about their political belief systems--not EVERYONE agrees with you...and just because they do not does not necessarily make them terrible people or stupid!

[FishProf]

Demanding documentation of the un-documentable, and withholding merit pay increases based on that lack, is EVIL.

How does one document "advising quality" when the only criteria in the contract is "Each faculty member advises up to 30 students.  Student advisees in excess of 30 counts toward College Community Service."

I advise 60-70 a year and we aren't allowed to give advising surveys on an individual level, only aggregated for the entire department.  How would I show that I do an good/great/superlative job at that?

[wareagle]

Demanding documentation of the un-documentable, and withholding merit pay increases based on that lack, is EVIL.

How does one document "advising quality" when the only criteria in the contract is "Each faculty member advises up to 30 students.  Student advisees in excess of 30 counts toward College Community Service."

I advise 60-70 a year and we aren't allowed to give advising surveys on an individual level, only aggregated for the entire department.  How would I show that I do an good/great/superlative job at that?

How many of your advisees were retained to the next semester/year?

How many of them changed majors?

How many went on probation, or were suspended?  How many made the dean's list?  How many were accepted into grad school/law school/fill-in-the-blank school?  How many found good jobs in your field?

Can your IR office give you those data?

[downer]

Dear Dean

Thanks for the info about professional development day you will have soon, via Zoom.

I guess you have to do professional development days, and I guess some people have a contractual obligation to attend, or at least some incentive vis-a-vis promotion.

But really, what a waste of time. Good luck.

[FishProf]

How would one document that any of that was a result of good or poor advising? How do I list the Pre-Meds who had no business being near a med school even as an organ donor, who I steered into other avenues? 

Advising, good and bad, is a slippery thing to measure, and especially to document.

[mamselle]

How would one document that any of that was a result of good or poor advising? How do I list the Pre-Meds who had no business being near a med school even as an organ donor, who I steered into other avenues? 

Advising, good and bad, is a slippery thing to measure, and especially to document.

Could your emails and/or online calendar serve as a "paper trail" (so-called)?

I've used mine to document when I've sent things out, to prove the work must have been done by then, etc. on occasion.

M.

[Vkw10]

How would one document that any of that was a result of good or poor advising? How do I list the Pre-Meds who had no business being near a med school even as an organ donor, who I steered into other avenues? 

Advising, good and bad, is a slippery thing to measure, and especially to document.

Think correlation, not causation. What did you advise and what did they do? If you routinely advise pre-med students taking GatewayCourse to participate in the free supplemental instruction program for that class, can you get info on how many attended at least one session and cite that? Has an advisee emailed you a “yeah, I did that” or “thanks” that you can include? From what I’ve seen, any documentation beyond “I advised 71 students” would likely be sufficient since documenting advising quality is hard.

[AmLitHist]

I've gotten a few things taken care of that have been needing done for awhile (finances, legal, and such). I was feeling a lot better, but then everybody in my orbit has been snippy, snarly, and downright mean for the past few days.

I took a day of medical leave for a mental health day today.  Sometimes you just have to, right?  (I'm going to sit out on the patio in the warm sun for a little while.  Maybe that will cheer me up.)

[mamselle]

I've gotten a few things taken care of that have been needing done for awhile (finances, legal, and such). I was feeling a lot better, but then everybody in my orbit has been snippy, snarly, and downright mean for the past few days.

I took a day of medical leave for a mental health day today.  Sometimes you just have to, right?  (I'm going to sit out on the patio in the warm sun for a little while.  Maybe that will cheer me up.)

Good to see you!

How's the quilting?

M.