Depressed

I like to maintain a positive attitude about our low enrollment situation and other problems plaguing community college electronics programs. Someone has to put on a happy face, so to speak, and boost the morale of those of you struggling with the problem. I actualy still do have hope that we can change things and develop a turnaround. But I have to admit, with predominantly bad news coming in, I get to feeling it is hopeless. A recent piece of news really knocked me down.

Just recently, I spoke with a department head at a California community college who had developed a new curriculum to help rebuild enrollments. The college had given him a year to correct the continuing downward spiral. He put together a very unique distance learning base curriculum. It is a form of the so-called "inverted" curriculum I have mentioned in this blog before.

An inverted curriculum is essentially the reverse of what most schools use now. That is, we teach bottom up. We start with the math and physics, add DC and AC, electronic components and circuits, then finally get to the equipment and applications. An inverted curriculum does the opposite. It starts with the big picture, applications and equipment, then digs deeper with components and cirucits and the electrical theory as needed. The idea is to get the student interested....actually turned on.....to the applications at a system level then dig deeper into the specifics as needed by the jobs to be filled. No one I have talked to has ever done this, at least that I have heard. If any of you have done something like this, do write and tell us about it.

Anyway, the new curriculum was a modified form of inverted. It started with a very general electronic theory course then went directly to microcomputers. Everything has an embedded controller in it anyway so why not start with this? And you can teach it with minimum electrical details. A digital course was next. Then there were courses in other electronic specialites. At the very end were circuit analysis and related courses.

The department head was all set to implement this when it was killed by the rest of the faculty. I guess they got cold feet or just could not stand such a drastic change. So at this point, the department is in limbo. I do think that the new curriculum if promoted aggressively would have turned things around. But, just like most faculties I have worked with, they cannot accept even the smallest change. Yet, surely someone as smart as a college professor should be able to see that if you don't change you will die. Guess the faculty would rather lose their jobs than change. It is an all so common problem. And with essentially no solution.

If there is a solution, what is it? Let me hear your ideas for change.

And like me keep repeating to yourself "we will survive".

Creat Comments

If you have not looked at my blog called Conference Report of 2/19 please do so. Then take a look at the two posted comments. Both contain excellent feedback and information.

I thanks to those who comment. We need all the input and views possible.