Scholars Culture Point Opportunity

I have heard from many of you that, although you have earned a lot of Scholars Culture Points, you haven't gotten around to reporting them.  Now that it is break, this is the time to sit down with a nice cup of something warming and report those events.  But that is not the point of this post.

Culture Point without Reporting Opportunity
The Controversial Coffee Conversations are fun, but it can be a bit intimidating to talk around all those people, some of whom you see every day in the hall.  Here is a proposal:

Find a TED Talk video on a topic you care about.  Organize a viewing and discussion with at least 3 other people (at least one other Scholar).  When that Scholar reports the discussion for one Culture Point and reports you as the organizer, you will AUTOMATICALLY earn two Culture Points (because you organized it).  Of course, you do have to get one of the attendees to report their participation.

Rape Culture and Feminism

Today in SCH 101, we had a presentation on Rape Culture and Feminism.  The first topic went pretty well with some of the quieter students expressing their concerns.  The second half got quite heated.  One of the students managed to poke me in a sensitive spot.  So, at the end of class, I said that the topic of Feminism might be better discussed in small groups and on our blogs, so I am going to take my own advice.  Much of what is included is going to be direct quotes from a variety of sources.

Claim: Men are better at math and science than women.

There is definitely a difference between math test scores between boys and girls.  However, the difference of means on math test scores has narrowed significantly as girls take more math courses in High School.

Over the last 60 years, the number of math and science courses taken by female high school students has increased and now the mean and standard deviation in performance on math test scores are only slightly larger for males than for females according to the Journal of Economic Perspectives—Volume 24, Number 2—Spring 2010—Pages 129–144.

However, they continue

Despite minor differences in mean performance, Hedges and Nowell (1995) show that many more boys than girls perform at the right tail of the distribution. This gender gap has been documented for a series of math tests including the AP calculus test, the mathematics SAT, and the quantitative portion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Over the past 20 years, the fraction of males to females who score in the top five percent in high school math has remained constant at two to one (Xie and Shauman, 2003). Examining students who scored 800 on the math SAT in 2007, Ellison and Swanson (in this issue) also find a two to one male–female ratio.

  .....

The objective of this paper is not to discuss whether the mathematical skills of males and females differ, be it a result of nurture or nature. Rather we argue that the reported test scores do not necessarily match the gender differences in math skills. We will present results that suggest that the abundant and disturbing evidence of a large gender gap in mathematics performance at high percentiles in part may be explained by the differential manner in which men and women respond to competitive test-taking environments.
We provide evidence of a significant and substantial gender difference in the extent to which skills are reflected in a competitive performance. The effects in mixed-sex settings range from women failing to perform well in competitions (Gneezy, Niederle, and Rustichini, 2003) to women shying away from environments in which they have to compete (Niederle and Vesterlund, 2007). We find that the response to competition differs for men and women, and in the examined environment, gender difference in competitive performance does not reflect the difference in noncompetitive performance. 

Thus, while tests may show that a larger number of boys perform exceedingly well on the math exams (and a corresponding large number perform exceedingly poorly since the means are nearly identical), it is not the case that the same larger number of boys understands mathematics excellently.

According to the research article "Math and Science Attitudes and Achievement at the Intersection of Gender and Ethnicity," in Psychology of Women Quarterly, 2013., 

Despite gender similarities in math and science achievement, female adolescents tend to believe their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) abilities are just not as strong as those of their male classmates even though male and female students earn similar grades in math and science while Asian American students of both genders outperform all other races.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-03-female-students-successful-males-math.html#jCp

The New York Times found that this difference between genders in science is highly cultural.  

According to a test given in 65 developed countries by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, among a representative sample of 15-year-olds around the world, girls generally outperform boys in science — but not in the United States.  Boys consistently outperform girls here, and that makes us an outlier. The only countries that boast a wider gap in favor of boys are Colombia and Liechtenstein.

 Even in Academics, there is a bias towards men in studying Science.  A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (which Kelsey was referring to) demonstrated that faculty (of both genders) base the competency of an applicant based on the perceived gender of the name.

In a randomized double-blind study (n = 127), science faculty from research-intensive universities rated the application materials of a student—who was randomly assigned either a male or female name—for a laboratory manager position. Faculty participants rated the male applicant as significantly more competent and hireable than the (identical) female applicant. These participants also selected a higher starting salary and offered more career mentoring to the male applicant. The gender of the faculty participants did not affect responses, such that female and male faculty were equally likely to exhibit bias against the female student. Mediation analyses indicated that the female student was less likely to be hired because she was viewed as less competent.

Claim: Pay differences are because women choose lower-pay majors 

I am not even going to get into the argument of why fields which are identified as feminine are traditionally paid less.  The pay gap is not as large when you compare students with the same academic background, but it is still intolerably large.  According to a 2007 study by the AAUW

Women one year out of college are paid 80 percent of what men are paid. Ten years after college graduation that number drops to 69 percent. After controlling for factors that affect earnings — like college major, job, and hours worked per week — women are still paid an unexplained 5 percent less than men one year after college graduation. This unexplained pay gap widens to 12 percent ten years after graduation.

According to the executive summary of this study,

Women one year out of college are paid 80 percent of what men are paid. Ten years after college graduation that number drops to 69 percent. After controlling for factors that affect earnings — like college major, job, and hours worked per week — women are still paid an unexplained 5 percent less than men one year after college graduation. This unexplained pay gap widens to 12 percent ten years after graduation.

The choice of major is not the full story, however. As early as one year after graduation, a pay gap is found between women and men who had the same college major. In education,
a female-dominated major, women earn 95 percent as much as their male colleagues earn. In biological sciences, a mixed-gender major, women earn only 75 percent as much as men earn. Likewise in mathematics—a male dominated major—women earn only 76 percent as much as
men earn. Female students cannot simply choose a major that will allow them to avoid the pay gap.

This is even true in Academia.  According to a study by Northwestern University professors, pay is often tied to "productivity" which means publishing papers.  The study found

the "productivity gap" varied depending on the discipline. In fields that require more resources, women publish less. This indicates the gap may exist because academic departments historically have not invested resources equally in female faculty from the start of their careers. Men are getting greater resources.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-12-tool-uncover-bias-female-faculty.html#jCp

Also, according to this Blog

A recent study at the University of Michigan found that female physicians and scientists are paid much less than their male counterparts, even when accounting for factors like work hours, academic titles, medical specialties, and age. All factors being equal, men’s salaries averaged $12,000 higher than women’s, which over the course of a career adds up to more than $350,000.

The study at Yale on new STEM grads also found that when professors in the study thought the applicant was male the starting salary offered was nearly $5,000 higher. 

Claim: There are more women going to college in the United States than men.

According to Forbes the total Fall enrollment of women in college surpassed men in the late 1970s and has been growing ever since.  In 2008, women made up 56% of the Public colleges and universities and 59% of the Private colleges and universities.

For more recent data, in a report by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics

Of the 3.2 million youth age 16 to 24 who graduated from high school between January and October 2012, about 2.1 million (66.2 percent) were enrolled in college in October. The college enrollment rate of recent high school graduates in October 2012 was little different from the rate in October 2011 (68.3 percent). For 2012 graduates, the college enrollment rate was 71.3 percent for young women and 61.3 percent for young men. The college enrollment rate of Asians (82.2 percent) was higher than for recent white (66.6 percent), black (58.2 percent), and Hispanic (70.3 percent) graduates.

Recent high school graduates not enrolled in college in the fall of 2012 were more likely than enrolled graduates to be in the labor force (69.6 percent compared with 38.2 percent). The unemployment rate for recent high school graduates not enrolled in school was 34.4 percent, compared with 17.7 percent for recent graduates enrolled in college.

Why?  According to the Chronicle of Higher Education the higher female college enrollment may be because of higher rates of dreams of college and better planning:

Female high-school students are more likely to aspire to attend college than are their male counterparts, and the young women enroll in college, persist, and graduate from it at higher rates as well, according to a report released on Tuesday by the National Center for Education Statistics.
The report, "Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence Study,"  says that, in 2004, 96 percent of female high-school seniors wanted to go to college, compared with 90 percent of males. When female high-school graduates enrolled in college, they tended to do so immediately after high-school graduation; half chose a four-year institution.
Male high-school graduates made similar choices, but at lower rates. For example, while almost three-quarters of female students who enrolled in college did so immediately after high school, just over two-thirds of male students did. Slightly less than half of young men first enrolled in a four-year institution. 

Crazy Idea

What if, instead of being told what classes you need to take for General Education, you had a high-stakes test you had to pass before graduation?  The test would be over everything you are expected to learn in a general education curriculum.  No notes, no books, just you and a pencil (or computer).  You could take the test at the beginning of your time in college and find out where you need to learn more, but you must pass to graduate.

What do you think?

Why College?

This past week in SCH 101, one of the topics that came up was paying for college.  There was a lot of discussion on why we go to college at all and why it is so expensive.  We never got around to talking about my favorite subject, why go to college at all?

After all, it is certainly possible in the Midwest to graduate from High School, learn a trade, and keep a good job.  There are some skilled-jobs that do not require a college degree and make good money.  Many of the Scholars are going to college because they want a specific job that does require a college degree. However, you might ask the question, why does that job require you to go to college?  After all, a trade school could stuff Anatomy and Physiology into your brain quite well.

Going to college that changes you in deep ways.  We tell you to live with strangers in rooms that, in some cases, are little better than the housing projects.  We make you take all sorts of classes that, on the surface, do not have anything to do with your chosen career path.  We talk about Leadership and Service, Faith and Learning.  We refuse to give you a well-codified rubric and tell you we are looking for your best effort. Maybe most importantly, we make you back up your claims with data.

"A liberal education is at the heart of a civil society, and at the heart of a liberal education is the act of teaching." - A. Bartlett Giamatti  Majors are a recent invention when it comes to college education.  The essential part of college is the gathering together of students who want to learn deeply about "stuff".  Although that stuff is different for each student, the learning happens when you share what you are passionate about with others around you.  That sharing happens sometimes in the classroom, but more often in the coffee shop, the Mensa, the gym, and in the residence halls when no one can sleep.  This is one of the reason I do my best to keep options open in SCH 101.  After all, in order to learn deeply about your stuff, you need to be passionate about it. “Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.” ― Leonardo da Vinci

You can meet someone at an event, talk with them for 10 minutes about nearly anything, and be 95% confident that you know whether or not they have been to college.  It isn't just that you "know more stuff," but that you are able to talk about other people's stuff, that you may not know a lot about, in a reasoned and logical way.  You read books because you find them interesting, not because they are required for class.  You take classes that are completely outside your comfort zone because they sound fun.  And, when you have children, they develop a love of learning because that is what everyone else in the family is doing.

Finally - some humor from one of my favorite authors:

“But we're a university! We have to have a library!" said Ridcully. "It adds tone. What sort of people would we be if we didn't go into the library?"

"Students," said Senior Wrangler morosely.” 

― Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent

Technology I use

I saw a student using Microsoft Explorer today in class and that inspired this post.  I am not going to tell you what technological products to use, but I do have some personal favorites.

• Chrome - I use this as my go-to browser.  One feature I like is that I can have it save my bookmarks and other items and share them on multiple computers.
• Dropbox - This backs up all the important data on my computer and synchronizes the files between computers.  Plus, I can access all files from any computer using a browser.  One too many hard-disk crashes and I keep everything backed up.  Plus, if you accidentally delete or write over your paper, you can retrieve an older version.
• Feedly - This is what I use to keep track of everyone's blog posts.  I can bring up one page and see all new posts, or look at all posts by a particular blogger if I wish.
• npr.org - I can't be listening to the radio all the time.  My students would be discouraged if I did that during class.  However, I have found this to be my source for the least-biased American news source.  If you want a more worldly source for news, you will need to look at non-English news sources.

If you are still using whatever came pre-loaded on your laptop, check out some of these alternatives.

Sabbath

Do college students take a Sabbath?  We know they should, but with homework, sports, and electronics it can be hard to set aside a day to breathe and celebrate the gifts they have been given.

Growing up in a secular household I never really appreciated the benefit of the Sabbath.  For those of you who have not grown up with weekly church services, you do not have to attend church to celebrate the Sabbath.  However, it helps because at the heart of it, church services were designed to make us mindful of our lives and our place within the universe.

Last year I challenged students to give up their electronic devices for a week.  No cell phone, no mp3 player, no television, limited computer contact, etc.  I was told it was impossible.  I still think this would be an awesome Lenten Practice, but perhaps we could start smaller.

So, students and friends, I challenge you to take a weekly Sabbath.  Perhaps you can't afford 24 hours, but start with 6 hours and work towards 24.  Take time to celebrate your place in the universe.  Spend time with your friends creating community.  Leave your cell phones on the charger. Attend a worship service. Go for a walk.   Leave your email on the computer.  Meditate. Ride a bike.  Play a fun game. Eat a meal together. Listen to music and sing along.

Next Big Project

I have been thinking about this off and on for a while.  A great research project would be to get geo-location data on historical markers around the state of Iowa (and elsewhere).

We could create a database of lat-long data on where the marker is, what it says, and perhaps additional information.  Then, we could make something you could load onto your car GPS that would bring up information when you drive by the marker.

Anyone else interested?

From Wartburg Scholar to Mayoral Candidate

Wartburg Scholar Jacob Martin is running for Waverly City Mayor.  Read more about his candidacy at the Waverly Newspaper site.  Although Jacob has found his life too busy to finish a Senor Scholars Project, once a Scholar, always a Scholar.

Scholars Director Transition

Over the next two years I will be transitioning a new Scholars Director.  Yesterday, the request went off for faculty who want to become Director.  The Dean will choose a new Director who will work with me next year to learn the ropes.  Then, in Fall 2014, I will hands the ropes off to the new Director, but will continue to teach SCH 101 for at least one year.

Mariah Birgen
Scholars Program Director

Faculty Mentors

This is just an idea I am working through for Scholars.  What would you think of being assigned (or choosing) a faculty mentor starting your second year at Wartburg?  This would be a person to help you navigate academia, Scholars, going to conferences, post-graduate fellowships, honors organizations, etc.

I am looking for ways to keep students in Scholars by making it more relevant to them personally.  I would need to find a way of rewarding the faculty and make sure that the ratio of Scholars to Mentor would be small (no more than 3).  The faculty may or may not be someone from your major depending on the number of students in your program.

Anyway - feedback is welcome.