providing professors with time to think deeply

[woodsmoke]

This is an interesting article about how the present day "professor" has a lot of time taken up with just busy work, and office work, and meetings, you know the spiel... and, to a certain extent it is a REaction to the whole thing that happened over the last thirty years or so in the U.S. attitude toward "professors" that they spend their time in "ivory towers" spinning theories and not "applying them to the real world"...welll this is not that it isn't them applying things to the real world it is about not being able to "just sit and think".

And i got me to thinking about Linux developers...I actually did some very "basic" programming in BASIC and actually published an education program...and I DID...have to just spend time..."thinking"...actually rewriting code! :0

But... the article just got me to thinking about how much time that a "normal Linux developer" spends on "stuff" as opposed to code and whether that has changed...because of ...dunno...e-mail...it may be that since Linux devs are so far-flung that this is just part and parcel anyway here is the linky for what it is worth...and if a mod wants to remove it after a short while...one COULD do a regression curve on the number of new reads over time..lol

Title is "is e-mail making professors stupid".

https://www.chronicle.com/interactiv...fessors-stupid

woodsmoke

[TWPonKubuntu]

Interesting thinking woodsmoke. When I was teaching, I ran into the bureaucracy which lies on top of the public school system... That bureaucracy is why I left the profession after 11 years. While I was still in that system, my "thinking time" was either during classes (eight hours a day) or on my own time outside of class. I did both until it become overwhelming. And that was before email was even a thing. I used a hand calculator...

When I think about what my classes would look like today, with email, messaging, 24/7 'net access, I'm amazed if any education gets done at all. "We don't need no steenkin' classes, we got the Internet"... I want my ivory tower time.

[woodsmoke]

TWPK
very informative reply, thank you.
yep, things have changed a lot...I used to walk into my classroom with a gradebook and a slide rule now I walk in with an attendance book, in addition to the online attendance, the ATTENDANCE is all that really matters nowadays because it is the "be all and end all" in terms of federal and state monies...and I won't get into the difference between the obsessive compusiveness now and the lakadasiacal attitude of 8 years ago...but...yeah...

I sent my dean the article and SURPRISINGLY he had actually tried to get "cogitation time" built into the schedule, the whole college with many campuses is a "drive in" place, there are no dormitories so students study at the libraries or in commons rooms or at home...and it was discussed a lot but the scheduling of classes to REDUCE DRIVE TIME for the students is of overriding importance... so that they have to make as few trips as possible to the campii.

hey, thanks again!

any other comments by any others?

woodsmoke

[andystmartin]

While it may hit professors particularly hard, the constant distraction of emails/test messaging/facebook/twitter/news flashes is something that needs to be managed by nearly every "connected" person. I am a pretty strong believer that the interruptions (or context switches) actually make us slower and less sharp. I read a book a while back called the "Myth of Multitasking."

We try to manage this in my house by having a no-cell-phone-at-dinner rule. This keeps family members present for dinner time conversation. And helps, show that most interruptions like from your cell phone are not urgent (emails can fit into model as well). That being said, I had a job a few years back that required me to monitor my cell messages 24-hours a day: very stressful, not productive, and needless to say I am no longer at that job.

Even 30 years ago (before most people had cell-phones or email) managing interruptions from phone calls was a problem for many people. Eventually, folks figured out that with caller-ID and answering machines, less urgent phone calls could be managed and addressed "later", if at all.

I, personally, think that our daily interruptions need to be managed. In addition, we should strive to low the expectation from people that we are available for interruption 24x7.

[TWPonKubuntu]

andystmartin; You're correct on the interruption factor working against both productivity and job satisfaction. Back in the day, I was an independent contractor for a particular database framework. One of my clients asked me to use a pager (before the Internet evolved to universal email). I was available 24/7 because the client was large enough to need that kind of service. It was not good for my health, even if I could charge more for my time.

With email, today, at least I can choose to ignore or postpone such interruptions, except when I'm actually online. I no longer own a cellphone/smartphone and love the freedom that gives me. Conversely, my income is lower... It's a trade off but also a conscious choice.

Sadly, so many people no longer believe that they have that choice. They are the ones who run into trees or are hit by cars because their heads are bowed 24/7 as they pray to the device in their hands... You know who I'm talking about, the meme is used often.

This makes me hope for the day when the 'net goes down, even if the other consequences would be worse.

[woodsmoke]

Hi guys
Nice replies both!
AndysMartin...I ALMOST read that book!

If anyone else wants to chime please so do!

woodsmoke