Comments on: ppt dependency

By: Matt Schiavenza

Matt Schiavenza — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:45:05 +0000

Most universities do take extracurricular activities, personal statements, letters of recommendation, and of course financial status into consideration. I used the UC system as an example of a school that didn’t- and still had an enormous admissions staff. I can only imagine schools with a far less rigid evaluation system would have an even larger number of people engaged in admissions.

By: wangbo

wangbo — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:27:47 +0000

Thanks for the background info, Matt. My impression was many universities also take things like extra-curricular activities (and sometimes guanxi) into consideration.

I don’t think Xiong was saying students would take technology under consideration, rather teaching quality. “Ppt dependency” is apparently one currently common manifestation of substandard teaching.

By: Matt Schiavenza

Matt Schiavenza — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:20:27 +0000

Just to add a note or two about admissions at large American universities. I went to a large public university in California that had about 20,000 undergraduate students and about half as many graduate students. At the time the University of California relied on a mathematical formula to determine admission: one’s Grade Point Average (classroom marks, occasionally adjusted for things like advanced placement classes, honors classes, or high school difficulty), and one’s SAT scores.

Yet despite the relative simplicity of this system I found out later that the university employed several dozen full-time staff members in its admissions department. So I think the way they sort things through is by hiring an army of people to do it.

Secondly I would be surprised if technology within the classroom would be taken under consideration by a prospective student. When I matriculated in 1999 I remember being impressed with the two or three large computer labs on campus but being largely indifferent whether my professor used PowerPoint- then in its infancy-, ordinary overhead projectors, or simply white/black boards.

Your point about making students concentrate is spot on.

By: wangbo

wangbo — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:54:33 +0000

Chalk only in a brand new school? That’s no good. And I also don’t understand why whiteboards are so scarce in China- I still have whiteboard markers I used in one classroom (only one!) in Tianjin over 3 years ago.

By: Nicki

Nicki — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:50:32 +0000

Wow, I just wish I had any technology in my classroom! Yeah, it’s the chalkdust for me. I teach at a brand new private school and I don’t really get why they didn’t at least get whiteboards and dry erase markers instead. Oh well. At least I have multicolored chalk, I can draw pretty pictures!