tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27054305.post7932657040524785669..comments2023-12-23T04:56:29.702-05:00Comments on Ferule & Fescue: Antioch U: where "flexible" and "individualized" mean cynical and exploitativeFlaviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17832765671541392835noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27054305.post-78104181672957821382012-05-28T15:44:49.839-04:002012-05-28T15:44:49.839-04:00Oh, Flavia, I know exactly what the potential for ...Oh, Flavia, I know exactly what the potential for abuse is. When it works, it is terrific. When it doesn't, well, it doesn't. The model is one that does not scale well -- there was a point where my program grew by a significant number of students, and it was a disaster. Just as at f-t-f institutions, there are people who are extraordinary and people who phone it in. My real concern is with the people for whom working individually is a way of not having to deal with people you disagree with. <br /><br />The real question of quality is how much oversight Antioch faculty have over what students do... And the value added is the flexibility.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09716705206734059708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27054305.post-5077745661939681602012-05-28T10:47:03.212-04:002012-05-28T10:47:03.212-04:00Susan:
Thanks for this alternate perspective from...Susan:<br /><br />Thanks for this alternate perspective from the inside. I can certainly see how a similar model <i>could</i> work, but the potential for abuse also seems quite high; it requires students who aren't just self-directed, but already know their prospective field very well (well enough to find suitable faculty members--in this case, the course this particular student wanted me to adapt was completely unsuitable for the purposes she wanted it to serve; indeed, neither my specialty nor my discipline are quite what she seems to need).<br /><br />As for the expense. . . well, I teach the exact same course she was interested in at a public institution! (And at an institution that I presume has much more overhead than Antioch, and not a lot of state support these days). My point is that she could get what seems to me a significantly better education for a lower price. At some private institutions the price differential reflects real value added, but it's not clear to me what Antioch's higher price tag is actually buying students.Flaviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17832765671541392835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27054305.post-19994943697260785272012-05-28T09:37:24.548-04:002012-05-28T09:37:24.548-04:00I spent many years working as a full time faculty ...I spent many years working as a full time faculty member at a place with a model somewhat like Antioch's. Our doctoral students identified scholars in their area of interest to serve as "adjuncts" on their doctoral committees. We always thought the adjuncts were really badly paid. At its best, the model worked really well - good (and interesting) students worked with terrific people, who were interested in their work. It was hit and miss, though, because finding adjuncts was hard. And it works best for people whose interests don't fit into neat academic boxes.<br /><br />Low residency programs like Antioch's are very different from online ones in that they do not have a formula for what you should learn. They often serve some of the same target audience, though.<br /><br />Private education will always be more expensive than public.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09716705206734059708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27054305.post-91772416936829333712012-05-28T03:12:38.607-04:002012-05-28T03:12:38.607-04:00I agree with your outrage, Flavia, yet I can't...I agree with your outrage, Flavia, yet I can't say I'm surprised in a culture that has gradually driven us to pump our own gas, scan our own groceries, and get money from ATMs rather than human tellers, all to drive a business bottom line, that students would eventually be expected to find their own instructors. Worst of all, having to pay more than they would at a public university to do so, sometimes incurring disproportionate amounts of debt. It is pathetic, and your outrage is justified.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18218035068983715832noreply@blogger.com