tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post5715666387914810193..comments2024-03-16T04:17:51.852-07:00Comments on 100 Reasons NOT to Go to Graduate School: 89. Virtually no one reads what you write. 100 Reasonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13655155303350793785noreply@blogger.comBlogger247125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-72388998791808931262019-08-03T15:46:29.224-07:002019-08-03T15:46:29.224-07:00They could read it. They would just discover how i...They could read it. They would just discover how irrelevant it actually is. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-63430924672995539172015-06-08T12:31:24.689-07:002015-06-08T12:31:24.689-07:00Well, here is a suggestion: why not publish someth...Well, here is a suggestion: why not publish something that is actually useful?<br /><br />Why not work (yes, real industry work), in your field for 5 or 10 years? Then you would know what the actual problems are, and what issues need to be raised. If you can offer some legitimate solutions such as designing, optimizing, new uses for something, removal obsticles in your field, you will be well sought out.<br /><br />But this is rather pointless: publishing obscure topics, then complaining that no one reads your work.<br /><br />Yes, arts Phd are probably S.O.L, but at least professional programs can benefit from this.Mechienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-90380876234768300982015-06-07T20:27:13.391-07:002015-06-07T20:27:13.391-07:00Very true.
I make the following suggestion. (Par...Very true.<br /><br />I make the following suggestion. (Pardon if it sounds pretentious). If you have an urge to publish, why not work 5-10 years in a field, make notes of what you see, and publish your own solutions? How to better make something/design something/provide a treatment/remove an obsticle? You may have to remove the names to avoid legal issues, just call them X, Y, Z. However, you would be writing topics which people in your industry would actively seek out.<br /><br />There are far more people in the work world than academia, so why not appeal to ''THAT'' audience? Write for them. You can't write for a miniscule audience, then complain because your work has no broad appeal.<br /><br />Of course, if your Master's/PhD was in a subject with no corresponding profession (like Arts) .... you are kind of screwed in that account.<br /><br />Example: U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts made the infamous quote that all of the very abstract law review articles that get published may be of great interest to the authors, but don't help the bar make decisions. Crude version: your articles are useless in actual court settings.Mechienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-60988465027977746272014-05-05T16:35:23.953-07:002014-05-05T16:35:23.953-07:00It is not in the economic interest of many PhD pro...It is not in the economic interest of many PhD programs to have students know their completion rates and tenure track placement records. You would not believe the spin that can occur to avoid outright lying. Sometimes, of course....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-84514248683176186542014-05-05T16:24:32.129-07:002014-05-05T16:24:32.129-07:00Once your department has courses on line, why will...Once your department has courses on line, why will they need local faculty to service and maintain them? This can be more cheaply outsourced (in various way--use Adjuncts, use MOOCs, ect.). You are making yourself obsolete. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-25147419376918181832014-05-05T16:18:22.338-07:002014-05-05T16:18:22.338-07:00AaronMay 24, 2013 at 9:45 AM
Keeping the curriculu...AaronMay 24, 2013 at 9:45 AM<br />Keeping the curriculum up to date and varying it every year is a TON of work. <br /><br />I'd have thought it part of the job. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-60726417288462141892014-05-05T16:12:55.253-07:002014-05-05T16:12:55.253-07:00A lot of this discussion is comparing MOOCs to som...A lot of this discussion is comparing MOOCs to some idealized classroom experience which rarely occurs. Often the reality is a classroom with 200 students enrolled (though only 150 present most days) where the teacher knows almost no ones name, meaningful discussions in class are impossible, students spent the lecture tuned out and surfing the net, the teacher does no grading and rarely sees students outside of class. Unless, as is increasingly likely, the course is taught by an Adjunct. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-66203057781067669872014-05-05T16:05:08.402-07:002014-05-05T16:05:08.402-07:00Sounds like thei subtext is: our product isn't...Sounds like thei subtext is: our product isn't as good as Sandel's so we can't compete with him. Which is no doubt true. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-11865979796380738752014-04-30T09:37:54.080-07:002014-04-30T09:37:54.080-07:00I was an excellent instructor, not an entertainer.... I was an excellent instructor, not an entertainer. The problem was that there were students who took no responsibility whatsoever in learning the material. It wasn't my job to make it "interesting" or "fun" or "engaging". It was their job to *pay attention* to what I was doing and to make an effort to understand it.<br /><br />Sorry. This IS part of your job. It's the hallmark of a really good teacher. I'd have to agree your teaching probably left something to be desired. If I were a student, I'd prefer a good MOOC.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-16557416428827928312014-04-30T09:33:03.450-07:002014-04-30T09:33:03.450-07:00AaronMay 14, 2013 at 9:55 AM
If MOOCs were going t...AaronMay 14, 2013 at 9:55 AM<br />If MOOCs were going to replace classrooms, online classes and colleges would have already done so. <br /><br />Why think this? Any evidence. , their kinks are being worked out, really good ones are now under development (check out iTunesU), tuition costs continue to increase making cheaper alternatives more attractive every day. I see no reason whatsoever to think this Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-5404917434677551392014-04-30T09:18:37.055-07:002014-04-30T09:18:37.055-07:00No one disagrees. If you want to do that go for it...No one disagrees. If you want to do that go for it!. But should hard-working taxpayers or students be footing the bill?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-13983666754728858372014-04-30T09:13:08.668-07:002014-04-30T09:13:08.668-07:00What you should fear from MOOCs isn't loss of ...What you should fear from MOOCs isn't loss of control. It's loss of your job. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-84353962258488753712014-04-30T09:02:21.741-07:002014-04-30T09:02:21.741-07:00MOOCS aren't perfect. But these people act lik...MOOCS aren't perfect. But these people act like they should be compared to some perfect classroom experience. Many are terrible. Way to many students for meaningful interaction in class, many students tuned out or alienated cruising the web. Often the teachers is an overworked adjunct. It's only a very rare, highly idealized version of a classroom that can sound a lot better than a Good MOOC. The professors who wrote that letter can dress things up with all manner on unrealistic claims, but it sounds like they want job security despite an inferior product. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-10645336111435894172014-04-30T08:49:46.657-07:002014-04-30T08:49:46.657-07:00If they are worried about competing with Sandel, t...If they are worried about competing with Sandel, they need to do a better (probably a much better) job teaching. Do the work or get out and let someone who can. Why deprive their students of superior teaching so they can make a buck. Is that what education's come to?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-57505040834413919122014-04-30T08:43:58.269-07:002014-04-30T08:43:58.269-07:00Does anyone know of recent empirical studies of ac...Does anyone know of recent empirical studies of actual size of readership in academic writing in the humanities? Thanks. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-2670079457133903022014-04-30T08:32:08.744-07:002014-04-30T08:32:08.744-07:00Yes, I think it would be even harder to spend thos...Yes, I think it would be even harder to spend those long hours plugging away on it if one didn't believe it had some sort of value. I've even heard faculty in the humanities, argue that the taxpayers of their state should appreciate them more, because their particular research benefits so many of them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-77541049489811745892014-04-16T12:26:55.861-07:002014-04-16T12:26:55.861-07:00Many of the papers are so boring and inconsequenti...Many of the papers are so boring and inconsequential even the NSA won't read them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-12087433921486517142014-04-16T11:35:36.861-07:002014-04-16T11:35:36.861-07:00It's mostly so boring and inconsequential even...It's mostly so boring and inconsequential even the NSA doesn't read it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-31810022103080616872014-04-16T11:30:28.914-07:002014-04-16T11:30:28.914-07:00As they say, most academic writing is so boring an...As they say, most academic writing is so boring and inconsequential even the NSA doesn't read it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-67002409008034771192013-09-09T09:06:20.418-07:002013-09-09T09:06:20.418-07:00This is idiotic. Should a poet, a novelist, a scri...This is idiotic. Should a poet, a novelist, a script writer, etc. not write? Should they not put all their energy and time into it? That's absurd logic. You have to write and practice your art/skill/knowledge in order to hone it. Some people will read it, critique it, and then you move forward. You also never know when you will strike gold. <br /><br />Seriously this is a stupid argument. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-7897273385943602032013-07-17T21:58:11.289-07:002013-07-17T21:58:11.289-07:00About the number of people reading academic papers...About the number of people reading academic papers, I wonder if the growth of Wikipedia (which links to academic papers, though many are behind paywalls) and the use of Reddit Scholar (which distributes papers that are behind paywalls) will change thingsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-1310400323127942032013-06-02T19:01:21.386-07:002013-06-02T19:01:21.386-07:00"So where did educational administrators get ..."So where did educational administrators get this notion that any(one) can come in off the street and teach anything to anybody else?"<br /><br />One earlier manifestation of this idea was during Chairman Mao's rule. The phrase "Better red than expert" was cited. Many professionals were turfed out and replaced by laypersons in the CCP, including in fields like medicine and engineering, which led to some interesting consequences. Similarly, many urban people were relocated to the countryside, where, despite a lack of related qualifications, they might be put in charge of tasks like providing medical care for the locals.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-19297135209750801412013-06-02T15:35:17.584-07:002013-06-02T15:35:17.584-07:00Does MOOC characterize the courses themselves or t...Does MOOC characterize the courses themselves or the people taking them?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-50057423068721417372013-06-02T15:33:59.603-07:002013-06-02T15:33:59.603-07:00Some of this is called 'marketing.'
Howev...Some of this is called 'marketing.'<br /><br />However, the repetitious aspect may be more than accidental or market-driven similarity. Try looking up "Ohio University engineering plagiarism" on Google, then think about how the same problems are playing out in engineering programs across the US. <br /><br />Hey, if we ignore it, it will go away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-78456928616437026172013-06-01T15:31:06.048-07:002013-06-01T15:31:06.048-07:00"One person said, "I am a dynamo in the ..."One person said, "I am a dynamo in the classroom" to describe his teaching experience. Wtf does that mean?"<br /><br />It means when he operates you can hear a high-pitched whine.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com