By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. ‘Neuromyth’ or Helpful Model?
Greg Toppo, Inside Higher Ed, 2019/01/10
The original (and more accurate) title of this article was "In learning styles debate, it's instructors vs. psychologists." The focus is on science writer Ulrich Boser. He looked at the subject recently and found the debate alive and well. Where the two sides begin to converge, according to the article, is in the concern that "catering to learning styles in the classroom can actually foster a fixed mind-set, not a growth mind-set." As an overview this is a pretty good article - with its original title. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The “Grievance Studies” Hoax and the IRB Process
Steven D. Krause, 2019/01/08
I admit, I don't have a lot of patience with the Research Ethics Board (REB) (our version of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) discussed in the article). It's slow and it often feels like it's reviewing the research, not the ethics of what we're doing. But it is impossible not to be sympathetic with the purpose of the Board, which is to ensure that scientific research doesn't create harm. And that's what's wrong with the reserach conducted by James A. Lindsay, Peter Boghossian, and Helen Pluckrose and what hasn't really been made clear until now. It wasn't simply that they didn't consult their ethics board. It's that, under the guise of 'research', the study appears to have been designed to embarrass or humiliate its subjects. In so doing it discredits all research. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Teemu Leinonen[Edit][Delete]: Libre Educational Resources and Libre Universities âx" Should We Redefine What is An University?, FLOSSE Posse [Edit][Delete] January 6, 2006

Some interesting commentary on the recent UNESCO discussion on open educational resources (OER) ("I was surprised how UNESCO was able to find only North American moderators under the title 'provider perspective'. The 'user perspective' was provided from Egypt, China, African virtual university and a portal of Latin American universities) and on the distinction between OER and Libre Education Resources (LER). "Basically, it (LER) would mean that the content is free to be used for whatever: to changed it and to redistribute it. In practice this would mean releasing the resources under public domain or e.g. under GNU Free Documentation License. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Matt Pasiewicz[Edit][Delete]: An Interview with the National Research Council of Canada's Glen Newton, Educause [Edit][Delete]EDUCAUSE [Edit][Delete] January 6, 2006

From the abstract: "In this 16 minute recording, we'll hear from acting group leader of the National Research Council of Canada's CISTI Research. Let's listen in as Glen Newton compares and contrasts the superstructures supporting research in the US and Canada, shares thoughts about Canada's National Consultation on Access to Scientific Research Data, and offers some commentary on the open source, open content and open access." Looking at the document cited (which I don't recall being circulated within NRC, but my memory may be flawed) I feel a bit better about the potential for open access in the Canadian government. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Dave Warlick[Edit][Delete]: Hack the System, 2 cents Worth [Edit][Delete]2 Cents Worth [Edit][Delete] January 6, 2006

With a title like that, I had to run this item. Dave Warlick copmpares the "Industrial Model" of learning with the "Knowledge-Age Model," looking at conditions, goals, what we teach, how we teach, and assessment. You might want to contribute your ideas to his hack the system wiki. I like the comparison, so far as it goes, but I would like to see some of the more structural underpinnings examined. It's not just about information, job niches and a changing environment; that's kind of like saying 'the internet will be like television with more channels'. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Rob Reynolds[Edit][Delete]: Parables on Learning -- The Basic Principles, XplanaZine [Edit][Delete]XPlanaZine [Edit][Delete]Xplanazine [Edit][Delete] January 6, 2006

Well I think it's a bit sappy but I think people will like it (I've been wrong - and sappy - before). "These ten basic Principles of Learning are really a series of actions that successful people people can take in their daily lives. In fact, since learning is such an integral part of living, these rules might more appropriately be called the basic principles of a good life". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Thomas Bacher[Edit][Delete]: Another View on The Access Principle, Inside Higher Ed [Edit][Delete] January 4, 2006

It feels reading this article as though the Director of the Purdue University Press would like to support open access but just cannot see how it could work in beyond today's reality. Numerous points I could pick on, but I'll limit myself to this point, which comes up a few times: "In fact, the press would give away all scholarship if it could find a financial backer to allow this. However, the reality is that costs need to be recovered." One wonders, is the university library under the same constraint". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web.Mark J. Drozdowski[Edit][Delete]: Why I Write, Chronicle of Higher Education [Edit][Delete] January 3, 2006

This resonates: "In addition to articles for The Chronicle, I write essays, reviews, and features for several other publications. I do it because I have to. Don't laugh. Many writers will tell you they write because they have to. I think everyone, deep down, craves some form of creative expression. Painters paint. Landscapers landscape. Writers write. We all need to yawp... Call it ego, call it sharing knowledge and insights, or simply call it doing something for a side income, crass as that may sound. For writers, there's no greater satisfaction than seeing your words in print. Seeing your name alongside them is equally orgiastic". More...