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Vanderbilt U. Students Object to Institution’s Possible Ties With Arab Nation

April 20, 2011, 12:59 pm

Even before Vanderbilt University has finalized any plans, students are objecting to the institution’s interest in developing educational ties with the United Arab Emirates. Two students have started a new group, Students Against Vanderbilt in the Emirates, or Save, which will “work to combat the perception that a Vanderbilt campus in Abu Dhabi would benefit the university, the city of Nashville, or the state of Tennessee,” according to a statement. The group’s organizers say they are worried about anti-Israeli government policies, workers’ and gay rights abuses, and the lack of academic freedom, citing recent news about the detention of Nasser bin Ghaith, a political activist and lecturer at the Sorbonne campus in Abu Dhabi.

They outlined their concerns in a recent opinion article in the Vanderbilt student newspaper. The newspaper last week reported that Vanderbilt’s chancellor met with Abu Dhabi officials to discuss potential cooperation.

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  • emin123

    Only two students are mentioned as members of SAVE; perhaps there are others, but surely, surely, the headline could have read “Some Vanderbuilt U Students…” instead of implying there was some sort of huge groundswell of anti-UAE opinion. Whether one is pro or con stance on this isn’t the issue: one should be able to demand fair reporting and intelligent headlining in the CHE.

  • old nassau’67

    “The group’s organizers say they are worried about anti-Israeli government policies, workers’ and gay rights abuses, and the lack of academic freedom,….”
    If these perceived wrongs motivate SAVE, why just the UAE? Many totalitarian countries stomp on Jews, women, workers, GLBT’s, and professors, usually because these groups articulate forbidden ideas such as “rights”, “democracy”, and “freedom”.

  • mbelvadi

    Why is it that when some students protest ties/investment relating to one country on the grounds of moral concerns about that country’s government policies, they are accused of harboring one of the most despised ethnic prejudices that can be flung at a person in Western culture, but when other students make what is exactly the same kind of protest on exactly the same kinds of grounds (not literally the same issues, but the same kinds of socio/economic/political issues) against a different country, there not only are no parallel accusations, there is even no equivalent epithet in the English language to accuse them of. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read this other recent CHE article, http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/some-complaints-of-campus-anti-semitism-are-called-attempts-at-censorship/32321?sid=pm&utm_source=pm&utm_medium=en

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nick-Eke/754151731 Nick Eke

     I am inspired by this wonderful article. The ability to have multidimensional mind to accommodate other people’s perception about life generally helps one to lead. I think creative writing makes you create your own world even as you respect others.

  • stac9116

    Updates to the technology are helpful as well.  Many people still treat “online” in the same manner as “correspondance” and there are other options.

  • rthezel

    This is a side note, but important, as I take issue with your assertion:
    “As a result, today’s online campus is a far cry from the early days of distance education, when just about any faculty member could teach online and more than a few went that route just to avoid driving to campus five days a week. Online instructors these days tend to be both highly trained and highly committed. ”

    Ever since the 1980s distance learning–at most colleges that have been serious about it–has engaged faculty who were highly committed to learning new methods of teaching and learning.  Rarely have online faculty taught in that mode to avoid the commute. For many faculty, the training for teaching via DL (later online) required their first considerable, formal entree into the world of pedagogy.  The discipline that PhD faculty never learned in their doctoral program became mandatory when they stepped up for DL/online teaching.

    In many ways, as I see it, DL has led institutions into a deeper look at the pedagogy and broader study of the teaching processes not just online, but also in the traditional classroom.

  • ardvaark55

    So how does this help those students who fail? It seems intended to help the course be successful. Something is off here.

  • lindamorosko

     At Stark State College, we have always required students to complete a free, non-credit online orientation course.  The orientation course is delivered through our LMS to give students a feel for what a class looks like and how the software works.  Students are prevented from accessing their online class by a customization requiring them to complete the orientation first.  If students are unable to complete the orientation, this is a good indicator that they should not be taking an online class and I have no problem suggesting that online learning may not be for them.  Our success in offering online classes is only 3-5% lower than the success students have in a face-to-face classes.  Required orientation does make a significant difference.

  • drassessment

    At the community college where I teach online classes we used to require students to complete a student tutorial and pass the quiz at the end with an 80% or higher in order to participate in the class. The school no longer requires this. I have been asking for the requirement to be reinstated ever since but, to no avail.

    There seems to be too many students who appear to believe that, since they can check their email and log in to Facebook, they have the requisite knowledge and skills to take an online class. Sadly, this is just not true!

    I still put in my syllabus that students must take the tutorial before participating in the class but, I can’t enforce it because of the school’s policy.

  • 12073063

    “The answer, I believe, lies not in improving our courses but in improving our students.” Are you joking?  So, if hospitals are not making their numbers, perhaps they should follow your suggestion and decide, “The answer, lies not in improving our healthcare, but in treating healthier patients.”  How about if faculty start doing their jobs and TEACHING all the students -

  • rpoulin

    While the “improving our students” comment was an unfortunate one, I think that Rob has the start of a good proposal.  I take issue with the response from “12073063″ – what Rob is suggesting is exactly what you are suggesting.  We’ve identified a skill that some students don’t possess (learning in an online course) and we’re TEACHING them how to do so.  What’s wrong with that?  Online learning is unfamiliar to many, especially in a community college setting where a large number of returning adults might not have any experience with this teaching modality. Help students where they need to be helped.  That’s teaching.

  • glorenzo

    You might be interested in this report, recently published by The SOURCE on Community College Issues, Trends & Strategies, titled “Online Education Learner Engagement and Academic Success Strategies at Community Colleges” – http://www.edpath.com/sourcelibrary.html

  • robjenkins

    I’m confused by your objection, 12073063. What is the purpose of education if not “improving our students”? I didn’t say, “get better students.” Your analogy doesn’t work.

    Rob 

  • akprof

    What happened to the Report Abuse option tha tused to exist. The message I am replying to has no place as a response to this article.

  • hasharris

    Is the study referred to in the first paragraph of this post the study that looked ONLY at Virginia Community Colleges and ONLY at introductory college-level math and English courses? Or is there another study I am missing? Can we extrapolate about online success across the board based on the results of students lack of success in two types of courses at community colleges in one state? From what I understand, developmental math courses have an 8% success rate whether online or face-to-face, so maybe there are greater issues at play than the modality. Maybe we can draw larger conclusions…but I am skeptical about the study that forms the premise of this piece.

  • wyandersen

    I think the problem with online student success is actually something called Optimism Bias (http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2074067,00.html).  

    Students, especially those at 2-year colleges, believe that they are supermen and superwomen, that they will be able to work 40+ hours a week, take care of their families, and go to school full time.  When they sign up for traditional classes, they come face-to-face with the fact that they cannot simultaneously be going to work AND attending a live class.  They cannot be simultaneously taking care of children AND attending a live class (without making childcare arrangements).  With online classes, these students never face this discordance.  They optimistically believe that they will somehow “find the time” to attend the class (even if it is not reasonable).  Optimism bias is a part of human nature, and some of us have it stronger than others. 

    Rather than a course on time management or how to succeed in online classes (neither of which would solve the optimism bias issue), I would prefer a 1-credit “topics” or “seminar” course on some new topic to be learned compressed into a 2-week period.  If students are successful in this 1-credit course (where they are required to learn NEW material) then it shows they will likely be successful in online classes.  If they are not successful, then it is a sure sign that full-time online semester will not go well.

  • 11237108

    There is no excuse for bad manners or bad behavior. Kindness and compassion are good rules of thumb BUT one isn’t entitled to consideration if one is being a jackass.  I think it is inappropriate and unproductive to reward bad behavior. However, apologies are a way of recognizing and reflecting on one’s behavior.  All of us can redeem ourselves by a change in behavior but it has to begin with acknowledging it. Until that, consequences are the natural result.

  • educoachsarah

    I think an online orientation for credit is a great idea and
    I wish more programs would do it. At Ivy Bridge College, our students are
    required to take a one credit college success skills class (FRE100). In it they
    learn how to navigate the online learning experience and get familiar with the
    specifics of our online learning platform. In addition to the specific,
    technical side of the course, students are also introduced to general study
    skills with tips specific to online learning—how to set a schedule at home,
    setting up a learning environment, online communication tips, how to utilize
    search and other online study tools, and developing healthy habits. While there
    are other topics covered, those are the core themes.

    Introducing this course as a requirement hasn’t effected enrollment
    in a negative way at all and most students are very happy to have the
    introduction. I think it’s hard to jump into any program (online or offline)
    without having some kind of introduction and for the most part it’s very well
    received.  We struggled more to support
    the students (both in and out of the classroom) before the course was in place.

    Another type of “front door control” we’ve found especially
    helpful is that we also introduce students to the philosophical foundation
    behind our institution. Admittedly, this is really more of a front door support
    and our version of “laying down the welcome mat” but it’s another way to
    prepare students for the work ahead.

    At Ivy Bridge we believe in introducing our students to the
    idea of growth mindset, a model and theory created by Stanford professor and
    author, Carol Dweck. In Dweck’s book, Mindset, she explains that the brain is a
    muscle that can be exercised and developed.

    It may seem obvious but a lot of students join online
    programs (or any program for that matter) thinking, “I’m just not good at
    math,” or, “I’m just not a strong reader.” So instead of simply telling them,
    “Yes, you can do it!” we introduce them to scientific evidence that proves they
    can succeed with the proper effort.  We
    stress the idea that college is hard work but we also frame it in a
    motivational message. In the end, we’re asking students to rethink what they’re capable of achieving. We
    ask students to redefine the expectations they have about their own abilities,
    and stretch to discover what they can do.

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