I like the idea of a colouring contest. From what I have been told, it could be more productive and civil than some of the seminars actually ....
On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 3:31 PM, Don V Black <[email protected]> wrote: > April it is not, > yet one may leap a dateline, > to join in laughter. > > Cheers, > Don V > ==== > At 08:44 PM 3/31/2010, Saurabh Bhattacharya wrote: > > Very smartly done indeed :-) I think in poetic terms this would be called an > acrostic structure? > > --- [email protected] wrote: > > From: David Braddon-Mitchell <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: [SydPhil] The seminars this month > Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 13:45:42 +1100 > > All attenders of seminars should note that, in order to encourage better > understanding and discussion at seminars, from next week we will be > administering a short test after each seminar, and before discussion. > > Probably this will ensure that discussion is more informed. Depending on the > results of the test, discussion time will be allocated to each member of the > audience, from a maximum of 10 minutes down to nothing. > > Relatively simple test questions will be requested from each speaker prior > to their seminar. Although the speaker will provide answers, in order to > ensure that these do not just reflect their idiosyncratic take on the > issues, and that the test properly reflects the background , the answers > will be vetted by ad-hoc committees. > > In order to ensure a degree of fairness, and that discussion from across > sub-sdisciplinary boundaries can take place, members of the audience will > asked to nominate how close their areas of study or research are to the > paper. The grading of the test will reflect this, with much higher grades > required to earn time for experts in the field. Thus, in a paper on Fichte, > an expert on German idealism might require 80% to earn seven minutes, a > Mill scholar would require only 60% and a teleonomist only 40%. > > Leading experts in teaching and learning have suggested to me that we could > incorporate a further test if this trial proves successful: additional > questions could be asked after the discussion, to see if people's > understanding has improved. Evidence of continual improvement could be used > to allocate bonus time in future discussions. > > Fair treatment is very important, and I encourage all attenders of the > seminar series to give this system a fair go. > > On the other hand I apologize in advance for any inconvenience or teething > problems. Please outline your suggestions and concerns and send them to me > as the new system is implemented. > > Ordinarily I will be able to reply immediately, but I do plan to move to an > implementation of the system at the meta level: those participants whose > suggestions for improvement have been most helpful, and delivered in the > most collegial way, will have their suggestions prioritized for trials. > > Let it be very clear that this is an efficiency matter; I have calculated > the salary cost to the taxpayer of 40 academics listening to questions; it > comes to $82.80 per minute and this does not include on-costs, room hire > etc, toilet facilities etc. It is thus imperative that each minute be of a > high quality, that we can fully justify. > > > > > > > David Braddon-Mitchell, > Professor of Philosophy, > Department of Philosophy, SOPHI > Main Quad A 14 > University of Sydney > NSW 2006 > > fax +61 2 9351 6660 > Time in Sydney, NSW: > http://www.worldtimeserver.com/current_time_in_AU-NSW.aspx > > > > > > _______________________________________________ SydPhil mailing list: > http://sydphil.info 939 subscribers now served. To UNSUBSCRIBE, change your > MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS, find ANSWERS TO COMMON PROBLEMS, or visit our ONLINE > ARCHIVES, please go to the LIST INFORMATION PAGE: http://sydphil.info > > ________________________________ > Get your free email! ---> http://www.lifepositive.com > _______________________________________________ > SydPhil mailing list: http://sydphil.info > > 939 subscribers now served. > > To UNSUBSCRIBE, change your MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS, find ANSWERS TO COMMON > PROBLEMS, or visit our ONLINE ARCHIVES, please go to the LIST INFORMATION > PAGE: http://sydphil.info > > =================================== > Don V Black, Chairman > IEEE-OC Video Game Engineers > http://www.gamesig.org > Executive Committee Member, > IEEE CS Task Force on Game Technology > 1-949-548-1969 > [email protected] > =================================== > Doctoral Candidate, Center of GraVITy > Electrical Engineering & Computer Science > University of California at Irvine > http://newport.eecs.uci.edu/~dblack/ > =================================== > > _______________________________________________ > SydPhil mailing list: http://sydphil.info > > 939 subscribers now served. > > To UNSUBSCRIBE, change your MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS, find ANSWERS TO COMMON > PROBLEMS, or visit our ONLINE ARCHIVES, please go to the LIST INFORMATION > PAGE: http://sydphil.info > > _______________________________________________ SydPhil mailing list: http://sydphil.info 939 subscribers now served. To UNSUBSCRIBE, change your MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS, find ANSWERS TO COMMON PROBLEMS, or visit our ONLINE ARCHIVES, please go to the LIST INFORMATION PAGE: http://sydphil.info
