<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18876">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY
style="WORD-WRAP: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space"
bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Response to Mo Hendrickson's request (see below):</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Here are <STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>outlines</FONT></STRONG>
of three ideas than could save the UI a lot of money, and at the same time
iimprove student performance:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>1. Video Classes</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>2. Refundable Performance
Deposits</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>3. Replace Tenure with Guaranteed Due
Process</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG>1. Video
Classes</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>This is not a new idea. Such things have been happening
at some major universities with effective results since the late
1950s.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>For some classes, like science and math classes, the best
instructor based on effective instructional performance is chosen. In the
first semester/year of classes with sections, the earliest morning class is
taught by this instructor. The class is videotaped. All the rest of
the sections see the videotape, monitored by TAs. If the videotape is of
suffficient quality and new advancements in the field do not render it obsolete,
the tape may be used for suceeding semesters without the need for
retaping. Likewaise, single section classes could be taped for use in
succeeding semesters.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Obviously, this will not work for all classes as they are now
taught, for example, Creative Writing, Intro to Philosophy, most graduate level
courses, etc. It has worked well for intro/lower level science and math
clases with lab/recitation elements. It can work well for classes like
English Comp where lab/recitation/practice writing elements are added/subsituted
for some of the lecture periods.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>After video class program is implemented,
there are a large salary savings possible since not as many faculty are
needed. In addition, educational quality is frequently
improved.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Again this is not a new idea. The university ought
research other large universities where such programs have been
successful.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG>2. Refundable Performance
Deposits.</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Student fees/tuition only cover a small part of the cost of
higher education (10% - 15%?). Taxpayers, endowments, grant providers,
other contributors provide the rest. Given this cost to others, it is not
unreasonable to expect students to put forth their best efforts to learn what is
offered to them.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Hence, in addition to each semester's normal fees/tuition each
student should be required to put up a performance deposit -- $500?,
$1,000?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>If the student performs satisfactorily, say passes all
courses, and has a certain minimum GPA, then they get their deposit back, else
not.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Of course, such a system would need to be fine tuned
to take into account illnesses, family tragedies, background, and other
unpredictable events/circumstances that might keep a well intentioned student
from making the grade.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG>3. Replace Tenure with Guaranteed
Due Process.</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Tenure was originally instituted basically to preserve
academic freedom and expression. In operation it frequently does not
achieve this goal, but may be counterproductive to such achievement.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Simply stated, the hoops and accomadations that have to met to
gain approval of existing tenured faculty with their personalities,
insecurities, prejudices, other idiosyncracies often surpress new, useful,
original, controversial, etc ideas and result in the denial of tenure especially
if the ideas of the candidate are not in accord with those of the existing
tenured faculty, has angered one or more tenured faculty, or has less
than stellar personal relation skills.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>After a probationary period no one should lose their job
except for failure to meet performance standards, unethical/criminal
behavior, or financial exigency.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>We've all had them: professors/instructors whose
teaching skills are horrible, who have retired on the job, and/or whose
so-called research is at best cream puffery, and at worst nearly worthless
garbage. </FONT><FONT size=2>There needs to be a way of getting these
ineffective performers off the payroll. There needs to be a gaurantted due
process system where they are encouraged to correct their performance,
bring it to an acceptable level, and their failure to do so would result in
termination.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>This is more or less the practice outside the university
system. Such a system would insure academic freedom without forcing the
university to carry substandard performing baggage.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Wayne A. Fox<BR>1009 Karen Lane<BR>PO Box 9421<BR>Moscow,
ID 83843</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><A href="mailto:waf@moscow.com">waf@moscow.com</A><BR>208
882-7975</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>_____</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff>On Mar 2, 2010, at 2:45 PM, Mo Hendrickson
wrote:</FONT></DIV><BR class=Apple-interchange-newline>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN
style="WIDOWS: 2; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; FONT: medium Helvetica; WHITE-SPACE: normal; ORPHANS: 2; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px"
class=Apple-style-span>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" class=hmmessage><FONT
color=#0000ff>I have been wanting to ask folks this question for a LONG
time....How would you solve the financial problems at UI? You all are
great at criticizing and griping about the decisions that are being made, but
I have yet to hear from any one of you a better way. Yes, it sucks that
people are going to be required to take furloughs, yes it sucks that programs
are being merged and so on and so on and so on. But guess what the
economy is in the shits, the state is taking money away from everything
including higher ed, and the university has to do something. <SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><BR><BR>So please, all of you who are
so wise and all knowing how would you solve the problem? Without laying
the administration off, that won't solve a thing. <SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><BR><BR></FONT></DIV></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></BODY></HTML>