Continuing education

[magid]

I've been thinking about going back to grad school to get a degree in nutrition at Tufts. I'll need to take some undergrad lab sciences classes first, though, so I decided it would be useful to get my feet wet by juggling a class with work, etc. Which is how I ended up taking an online class in nutrition at Bunker Hill Community College this summer.

So far, I'm not impressed. I'm not sure what I expected from an online class, but this isn't it. The professor's involvement is minimal: what I'm expected to do is read the (overpriced) book, do the three kinds of quizzes for each chapter, and the lab activity. There's also a midterm, a final, and a paper. I had assumed that there would be more interaction, or at least taped lectures, something.

It doesn't help that the book is annoying. It has useful information, but is obviously aimed at college freshmen, or perhaps high school seniors: I keep feeling talked down to. Just give me the information without the value judgements, please (For instance, no matter how many times the text reiterates the glories of the FDA and the new MyPyramid plan, I'm still not going to assume that the department has my best interests at heart, rather than being swayed by agribusiness' lobbyists.). Physically, it's not particularly well designed or made. There are a lot of gratuitous photos. The 'labs' are merely food analysis (write down one day's intake, analyze this way and that). And there's a bunch of wasted pages in the frontmatter listing all the changes from the last edition; really, there's no need for a list of last edition's corrigenda for the students. Nor are the pages addressing the professor, showing the glories of the ancillary package (mostly technology), an appropriate use of space. (Er, perhaps I've been working in textbook publishing too long?)

The only communication I've seen from the professor did not impress me, either. First off, when discussing multiple issues, please use multiple paragraphs. Secondly, when this will be the first thing most students see of you, it would be nice to have a pleasant tone, rather than a scolding one (it's not obvious that one sort of quiz should be taken at one site, while the other two kinds should be from another, when they're all listed at one of them). Thirdly, multiple exclamation points at the end of a sentence is distinctly inappropriate.

However.

I have learned some, and once I sit down to work my way through more chapters, I'll learn more, and that's really what it's about, however nice it would be to have a more engaging experience.

Comments

[fj.livejournal.com]

(Er, perhaps I've been working in textbook publishing too long?)

That was mt first thought by the last sentences of the book critique.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well, at least it means I've learned something of use in my zillions of years in one tiny niche field.

Or maybe not of use?

[alandd.livejournal.com]

Mine too. And I used to work in textbook publishing!

[magid.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you used to work on textbooks!

[alandd.livejournal.com]

There's a lot you don't know about me, my friend! *laugh*

I worked for Ginn Press, a division of Simon and Schuster, from 1990-1991, summers, nights & weekends...

[magid.livejournal.com]

That's only a couple of years or so before I started working at Prentice Hall, which was then also a division of Simon & Schuster.

[fairdice.livejournal.com]

Nor are the pages addressing the professor, showing the glories of the ancillary package (mostly technology), an appropriate use of space.

Really? My impression, from being the target of zealous calculus textbook marketing, was that publishers think the ancillary technology is what drives textbook choice, and the more they can push their extras at the prof, the better. Indeed, I didn't know there was any other point to those pages!

The only communication I've seen from the professor did not impress me, either...

Unfortunately, I've seen this too often from colleagues in the sciences. Yes, undergraduates expect the science-and-math folks to be incapable of writing, but I'd be more affronted by the stereotype if the rate of living down to it weren't quite so high. The one time I taught a literature class, I had to slap the students silly on the first paper just to get the point across.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I'm just used to public school texts, where all that razzle-dazzle for the teacher is confined to the teacher's edition and promotional materials, not taking up space in the student edition. There is no other point to those pages, which is why it seems a waste to have however many of them multiplied by the number of student books sold when the reason for those pages is long gone, now that the prof's assigned that as the text.

Actually, I assume that in non-technical communication, professors in any field should be competent users of English. Perhaps I expect too much?

[fairdice.livejournal.com]

In my experience, the most common way publishers try to convince you to adopt their book is by sending you a (regular "student") copy of it. Along with all their competing books for the classes you're going to teach. Every year. (It gets old.)

There are occasionally stand-alone "information" sheets with the books, that similarly trumpet its improvements and associated multi-media crap, but they're much easier to throw away than the text itself, I suppose.

Actually, I assume that in non-technical communication, professors in any field should be competent users of English.

Yeah, wouldn't that be nice?

[magid.livejournal.com]

What a plethora of books profs must be inundated by. Much with the nuisance value, I assume.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

(Er, perhaps I've been working in textbook publishing too long?)

Yeah, I would say so.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Um, thanks?

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Hm. I seem to have forgotten to post a smily-face icon with my comment, which was meant to be amused and ironic.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

To go further -- what I meant was that it was amusing to see you analyze the textbook with such adroitness.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks for the clarification. I hadn't been sure whether you were suggesting a career switch.