Pull the plug on the personal stuff (really long)

[Robert C. Williford]

irene upshur or bill baratta wrote:
> 
> Are we asking too much of faculty when we ask them to design and
> implement their own digital instruction?
> 
I agree that demanding faculty create their own multimedia extravaganzas
is a costly proposition.  I'm currently researching for an Information
Science 400 "Problems" course that looks at curriculum
resources--optimum versus what's on hand.  I joke that the delta between
the two is a Greek symbol for "We don't any money for that!"

When interviewing one of the faculty for this project, he explained very
clearly that administrators doesn't care to pay for technical support
(the specific issue was funding full-time support for a computer lab). 
The only reason they would ever make such an "investment" is if it would
increase enrollment or grants.  Things that "only" provide a better
education to students, it was suggested to me, won't catch the interest
of the administrators with money.  Those of us naive ‘60s idealists who
think college is about education tend to forget that it's really a
business.  

Maybe that's the approach to take; a cost-benefit analysis that says
it's cheaper to hire a techno-geek to do the html-ing, listserv
management, server-sitting, and cgi-scripting than to have a full
professor doing webmaster duties.

Please know that nothing in this rant is intended to impugn teachers.

> I am in the process of formalizing a proposal to establish a Digital
> Media Center at my University.  It is huge and expensive...comprehensive
> with very well paid staff.  

When can I start?

Bob Williford