Friday, December 11, 2009

Commencing on to Life's Next Great Adventure

The end of this semester should conclude your undergraduate career at the University of Central Florida. As you prepare for Commencement and look toward the future, I would encourage you to consider the advice that Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, provided at Stanford's 114th Commencement on June 12, 2005.




Make sure to use all of your talents and aptitudes to your advantage, make good use of your time, make informed and educated decisions, and make the most of each opportunity presented to you.

Best wishes in your future endeavors.

"What Are You Waiting For? Why Are You Not Being Everything You Can Be Right Now?"

The phrase Carpe Diem (Latin for "Seize the Day') has been around long before the movie Dead Poets Society brought it in to the pop-culture consciousness of America.

Turn the volume up and listen carefully as Gabrielle Bouliane challenges and inspires you with her performance from the Austin Poetry Slam.

CAUTION: Some language Not Safe For Work [NSFW]

Friday, December 4, 2009

"You Are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring"

As the semester draws to a close and graduation approaches, you are [hopefully] preparing for life's next great adventure. Whether it be graduate education or a career in your chosen field of endeavor - there is always someone willing to share some wisdom and advice. This is not an assignment but I would encourage you to read the following, consider the information, feel good about the future and welcome the opportunities and challenges along the way.

The Commencement Address by Paul Hawken to the Class of 2009, University of Portland, May 3, 2009


http://yesmagazine.org/issues/columns/you-are-brilliant-and-the-earth-is-hiring

Academia vs. Business cartoon

There is a saying that "art mirrors life" and this may be a pretty good example of one of the differences between academia and business. Enjoy.

From http://xkcd.com/664/


"Don't Shrug Off Student Evaluations" article

The Chronicle of Higher Education, a publication focused on the world of post-secondary education and educators, recently (September 14, 2009) ran an article [Don't Shrug Off Student Evaluations] focusing on the importance of critical feedback and evaluation in classroom instruction from the faculty perspective.

Read the article at: http://chronicle.com/article/Dont-Shrug-Off-Student-Eva/48338/

WARNING!!! To access this article, you will need to do so from the UCF network. Why? UCF pays for a subscription that only gets authenticated via the network. If you attempt to access the article from somewhere other than UCF, you'll be asked to subscribe (which wouldn't be a bad thing but is not necessary for the sake of this assignment).

In the comments section, provide answers to the following questions in consideration of your own collegiate experiences.

1) How important do you feel honest, constructive feedback is in shaping undergraduate education?

2) What role do you think websites such as ratemyprofessor_dot_com play in sharing honest, constructive feedback with others?

3) In consideration of the current system we have for students assessing faculty instruction, is there a way we can improve this system? How?

Deadline to comment is Thursday, 12/10/2009, 11:59am

"Interdisciplinary Hype" article

The Chronicle of Higher Education, a publication focused on the world of post-secondary education and educators, recently (November 22, 2009) ran an article [Interdisciplinary Hype] providing an alternative perspective on the utility and future of interdisciplinary education.

Read the article at: http://chronicle.com/article/Interdisciplinary-Hype/49191/

WARNING!!! To access this article, you will need to do so from the UCF network. Why? UCF pays for a subscription that only gets authenticated via the network. If you attempt to access the article from somewhere other than UCF, you'll be asked to subscribe (which wouldn't be a bad thing but is not necessary for the sake of this assignment).

In the comments section, provide answers to the following questions.

1) In consideration of the authors academic and experiential background, do you agree with his vision of interdisciplinary education? Why/why not?

2) What implications would there be for UCF if the author were selected as the Provost of this university?

3) Has this article changed your perspective on interdisciplinary education? Why or why not? If so, in what way(s)?

Deadline to comment is Thursday, 12/10/2009, 11:59am

"Latin America Looks to Europe for Teaching Reform" article

The Chronicle of Higher Education, a publication focused on the world of post-secondary education and educators, recently (November 22, 2009) ran an article [Latin America Looks to Europe for Teaching Reform] focusing on efforts to transform Latin American higher education based on the European model.

Read the article at: http://chronicle.com/article/Latin-America-Looks-to-Euro/49214/

WARNING!!! To access this article, you will need to do so from the UCF network. Why? UCF pays for a subscription that only gets authenticated via the network. If you attempt to access the article from somewhere other than UCF, you'll be asked to subscribe (which wouldn't be a bad thing but is not necessary for the sake of this assignment).

In the comments section, provide answers to the following questions.

1) Is the Latin American model for higher education moving toward rote or experiential education? Explain.

2) If successful, what do you believe the results of this overhaul will mean for these college graduates?

3) How does this article relate to the "Needed: a New Generation of Problem Solvers" article [
here]?

Deadline to comment is Thursday, 12/10/2009, 11:59am