Weber State College Comment, : % January 1986, page 11 reo Business, schools work together for education ago years wo cited report with what he said are the three most in- , again state inadequacies | fluential groups : School of Natural Science and chairman of the governor's subcommittee for the State Advisory Council on Science and Technology, is looking at the current status of math and science education in the state and has talked , > : 3 more in-house bet- association ween those that train students to be “These people are the experts,” he | teachers and those that teach math, exsaid. “Can you think of another group | science, and more incentives for that has more impact on this area than | cellence. from the colleges and universities in the | state to come up with recommenda- | tions for improvements in math and | science education, and once that was completed he did the same with business and industry leaders and then | | | | | | | F Continued from page 10. . 66 t science assistant professor, is develop- | tions about ing what he calls knowledge maps as a | will change ‘ : superinten- , lege, The school deans also stated that the these groups?” time for everyone to “put up or shut | tion in the state,” Dr. Travis said. in Dr. Travis said that the recommen- | state needs to be more involved The WSC dean invited deans of the up.” of programs and money, Dr. terms | different were group each of dations | math and education Dr. Dennis M. Travis, dean of the | schools of science, £ > t | in mathematics subcommittee on that subject said it’s | the quality of science and math educa- . school public with and | dants, principals and teachers. sciences education in the state. “We're genuinely trying to improve science | and_ the chairman of a math in. education and now 5 y a Emphasis 89” ' but the goal was essentially the same, | Travis said. “The deans’ bottom line is that the and from that common goal came some workable, affordable solutions. | state government needs to take a He noted that college deans sug- | strong and pervasive role,” he said. gested closer partnerships between business, public schools and the col- looks at future health 55 the subject and the map | to reflect the answers to | part of “Emphasis 89.” Dr. Gundy said | your questions,” Dr. Gundy said. generated In addition, “Emphasis 89” includes sciences, satellite education ' and plan to use system teaching the to state’s | study came the basis of “Emphasis 89.” “If we believe the trends, conveteach nience is one of the major trends and students at off-campus locations. Dr. Stringham said, “We think there | convenience in education is definitely a are computer the maps of ways to learn. | part of that,” he said. graphics that give the students the | research that would make computer | are a whole variety In the future, people, especially out to replace the faculty ability to probe various levels of health | teleconferencing between faculty at the | We're not removed from college cities, will those | technology, with setting classroom and | many the at students and college education. be less likely to leave their home town but we will use them as aids.” outreach education areas in the state a A student could, for example, have the computer create a skeleton on the screen and then highlight the arm. The computer would then draw an expand- ed version of the arm, complete with pertinent information, and that process could be repeated until the student had learned practically all pertinent information. “Further, you can ask ques- possibility. Dr. Stringham said the health educators are also looking at closed circuit broadcasting of health classes to areas such as Blanding, St. George, Vernal and other cities where outreach programs exist, are developing a new computer delivery system for nursing and clinical laboratory He added, “We want to use these things in the appropriate place in our curriculum. It’s not a gimmicky thing.” Dr. Stringham said that five years ago the faculty in the health school did an extensive study to try and project the future of health care and the role education should play. From_ that to attend college, and many of the projects currently under development are addressed to that issue. “I'm not saying we should do away with the campus, but (outreach education) will be a major part of education and definitely a part of lifelong education,” he said. Continued from page 7. Prof makes goodwill trip to China Before leaving the university, Dean Yang Xhian took us on a tour of their new library building that was just dedicated the day before. It was a beautiful structure — some 18 stories high. It was reported $10 built with million funds (a American) donated by a Chinese shipping magnate from Hong Kong. Hong Kong has to be the most beautiful city in the world. Skyscrapers appear in every direction. High green. tropical plant covered mountains spring up behind the silvery blue water of the harbor. Large ships, Chinese junks and small oriental sanpans dot the natural waterway. We saw the “boat people”— 45,000 of them make up part of the 5.5 million population that inhabits this 29 square mile area. It’s no wonder that the city is built vertically. We took to the Hong Kong streets and were greeted by literally millions of people. The streets were narrow and crowded with signs, cars, people and almost everything else. We walked through the market street where we observed workers cutting up whole pigs, cleaning vegetables, stacking crates of live chickens and other types of food preparation in anticipation of the days purchases. We even saw live ducks tied together waiting to be ‘bought and slaughtered. We were totally amazed at the number of Merceded-Benz parked on the streets and many were used for taxi’s. ] thought I had seen a lot of people in Beijing and Nanjing, but they were rural areas compared to this place (Shanghai). Every street has wall to wall people. One can’t even find a place to move on the sidewalk and must proceed to the road to make any progress. Shanghai has over 12 million people. (I wonder if any of them work.) It appears that they spend their time milling around on the narrow streets. It all seems so futile. I wonder if these people ever think of the tuture or if their lives are spent on day by day survival. The trip to China has been an unbelievable experience. One | shall never forget. I have observed things and witnessed events that were beyond imagination. I was very impressed with the basic, and I might add, the important characteristics of the Chinese people. They are indeed an_ honest, trusting, and hard working people. But their technology and living conditions are as if they belong to another world. Continued from page 3. College inaugurates 9th president tightening of resources, | submit we cannot simply respond by doing more | of the same — more of the same is not enough. New approaches are needed by each participant in the education proccess. Faculty members, policy makers, and students alike must all search for new responses to the challenges we face. As faculty members, we need to reassess both what we teach and how we teach. We are all aware that we are witnessing a great explosion of knowledge. It is no longer possible (if it ever were) to suppose that students will be prepared because we have conveyed to them a body of knowledge which they have memorized and can partially repeat on the appointed day of the ex- am. We must teach an integrated process that begins by learnig how to access information — not only from books but also from microfilms, computer data bases, and audio and visual tapes. We is the basis for developing problemsolving skills. We cannot hope to convey all the information that is available on a subject, or to expect that it can be retained. We are all aware that in the business of memorization and feedback computers have a distinct comparative advantage. It is the integrated process of conceptualizing and problem solving that humans have a comparative advantage. As Coach Farmer affectionately observed upon watching me play basketball, “You're small, but you're slow.” In a world of rapid motion and great change we cannot afford to be both slow and dumb. We must change our approach to education and begin teaching in ways that maximize our comparative human advantage. We must teach an integrated process that promotes continuous, selfmotivated, and life-long learning. As educational policy makers in the state, we must continue the ap- ty, reliability, and accuracy of infor- propriate balance between state leadership and support on the one hand and mation. We must teach the process of institutional must teach something about the quali- conceptualizing and we must demonstrate that time and effort invested in understanding those concepts autonomy on the other. This balance has been a hallmark of our system, and it has served us greatly. Faced with tight budgets and demands for accountability, some state bureaucracies have tended to tighten detailed procedural controls which stifle initiative, sap the energies of institutional leaders, and restrict essential management flexibility. We should arrest and reverse any tendency toward more costly centralized staffing and paperwork burdens. Obstacles should be replaced with incentives. Every effort should be made toward innovation and responsible risk-taking. As students and life-long learners, we must realize that not all paths to education are equally good. Many have been bewitched by the siren call to “take classes that you like.” It does not seem to be in the nature of most of us to like demanding math classes; tough English classes; science, statistics and computer classes. These classes and others like them require concentration, they require ef fort, and most of all they require patience. : Whether we are 20 or 80, now is the time to acquire critical intellectual skills. There is not another time when they can be acquired so easily or so painlessly. For young learners we say that four years of easy classes is too high a price to pay for 40 years of mediocre opportunity and frustration that are the inevitable result of poor preparation. We who are your mentors do you no great service by expecting less of you than your best. This generation is as able and faces as bright a future as any generation ever has. You should not expect less nor accept less of yourself than is necessary to realize your great promise. Collectively, we are aware of the great challenges we face — in finding resources, in developing new approaches, and in expending effort and energy. Collectively, we can respond. We will plan together; we will analyze together. Together we will dream dreams and forge a vision of our future. Individually, we will teach and administer and analyze and learn. We will proceed with energy and integrity. We will go forward with a sure knowledge that having done our best we can look back from some future time with feelings of satisfaction for our achievements associates. and love for our