What's Next?

Is it just me, or are there others who are disgusted by the uncivil discourse of the Republican candidates? I admit to being a woman of a certain age, but I do live in the world, and know that debate sometimes gets heated. But the downright screaming competition at the last Republican match up (I can't dignify it by calling it a debate) was ludicrous. Are these men--and woman--so reduced by their desire to gain votes that they forget the common courtesies of normal civility? There's a great book by P.M. Forni titled Choosing Civility , and I wish a copy would end up in the reading pile of each of the candidates. Forni lists 25 rules for considerate conduct and writes a chapter about each rule: why it's necessary, what it benefits, and how it helps society. I've included the 25 rules at the end of this blog, just because it's a great list. I used this book as a teaching tool in 2008, and my students found it boring. They asked "Isn't this the stuff ...

In today's Inside Higher Ed, the editors juxtaposed two articles about online learning. Both were supported by research, both were written by recognized names. The article by Jeb Bush (former governor of Florida), advocated an increasingly strong focus on online learning; the article by Johann Neem, professor at Western Washington University, noted that the physical and cultural surroundings of college students, including their buildings, professors and classmates, were necessary to encourage higher learning. I strongly agree with Neem. Face-to-face higher education is necessary because almost all traditional 18-22 year old college students need daily motivation to study. The class at which they MUST show their face, the reading quiz that they MUST study for (in order to pass), and the professor who will express grave disappointment in poor test results are vital to early post-secondary education. In high school, that daily motivation comes from Mom ...