en-us By 2004, Andres founded his own sabermetrics (see sidebar) course at Tufts University, following the Red Sox's first World Series championship in more than 80 years. Now this full-time Boston University biology professor finds himself amidst a growing field of academic study (baseball, not biology). These days sabermetric courses can be found at many universities, with more on the way.

"Students are doing it on their own all over the country, and there's hundreds if not thousands of them that want to do this kind of work for their careers," says Andres. "I think there will be a slow groundswell. It's a niche course right now. I don't think it will remain that way."

But will we ever see a job  listing that reads: "Wanted: General Manager of Boston Red Sox. Requirements: extraordinary patience and an M.A. in baseball analytics"?

Likely not. But, in the post-"Moneyball" era, the MLB has certainly warmed to the eggheads in the front office.

"We're seeing the trend now: Baseball teams are hiring very good analysts. They're all college graduates," says Andres. "These people are very good at computer science and statistics. So, already, you need to be very proficient in these areas of your college study to work in baseball."

What is sabermetrics?

Sabermetrics is the use of statistical analysis to study baseball. It is typically used to better understand the value of individual players and the effects of in-game strategy. The term was coined by analyst Bill James and later popularized by Michael Lewis' 2003 book, "Moneyball," which chronicled the implementation of these principles by the Oakland A's.  ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1143567--sabermetrics-analysts-and-athletes-play-ball Sun, 20 May 2012 17:06:55 -0400 BRUCE WALSH, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1143567--sabermetrics-analysts-and-athletes-play-ball
In his latest book, "The Gamification of Learning and Instruction," Kapp lays out his vision for appropriating the principles of video game design for the classroom. Surprisingly, his theories have little to do with online learning and more to do with the nuts and bolts of the traditional classroom.
"If we're clever about it, we can get to what really matters in games: It gives people a sense of purpose and mission, and it taps into our internal drives to overcome challenges," says Kapp, a professor at Bloomsburg University. "It's about thinking like a game designer. They think challenge first, interactivity first, engagement first. In training, we tend to think content first. But content doesn't mean anything unless it's in a certain context."

For Kapp, at the heart of a well-designed course is providing students with an opportunity to learn as they fail -- to throw away the instruction manual and get right to work.

"Recently I oversaw an investigator training class, and the first day they said, 'today we're going to learn the model for investigating,'" explains Kapp. "I think that's a bad model. As soon as the person walks into the class, you should say, 'look, someone's been accused of embezzling $10,000. What are you going to do?'"

Common themes

Kapp has identified four common themes of video game design that can be applied to college-level lesson plans.

1. A challenge put forth at the outset of the course
2. Integration of the student's experience into a narrative
3. Constant feedback on individual progress
4. A freedom to fail without penalty ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1143559--can-video-games-help-us-learn Sun, 20 May 2012 16:30:38 -0400 BRUCE WALSH, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1143559--can-video-games-help-us-learn
Do you believe that we are facing the end of publicly funded higher education in the U.S.?

Yes. But what we mean by this is no longer being dependant on the state for the primary source of funding. It does not mean a lack of access or diversity.

You write that a truly public university is no longer sustainable. Is a 35 percent tax rate for the wealthy sustainable? Are these issues related?

Tax rates will have to go up for everyone over the next decade. Those long-term trends are pretty clear. That's the macro. But the micro here is the question of efficiency with most major public universities. For instance, most of them offer at least 80 undergraduate majors. Some offer more than 200. Is that scope efficient in any sense of the word? Our model is a high tuition, high financial aid model, rather than the current low tuition, high subsidy model. Ours is more market-focused, reacting to the needs of the marketplace and the students.

But when we alter public higher education to reflect consumer choices, do we risk having luxury gyms on campuses at the expense of rigorous study?

I think there's some truth to that. But the issue is that somebody's willing to pay for luxury gyms, and it's reflected in the price of their education. But if you're doing a lot of things on public campuses that people are not willing to pay for -- taxpayers, students, donors -- you have to ask why you're subsidizing it.

Are too many people influencing decisions at public universities?

We have a lot of governance resting with the faculty at the lower levels, and a lot at the board of regents -- the higher level -- and very little in the middle. That creates havoc with trying to be innovative.

That sounds democratic. Why is that bad?

The most democratized country in the world is India. Democracy is important. Too much of it is very inefficient. ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1143555--is-it-the-end-of-the-public-university Sun, 20 May 2012 16:22:28 -0400 BRUCE WALSH, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1143555--is-it-the-end-of-the-public-university
The compromise plan is the work of a behind-the-scenes group that includes New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney, state Sen. Donald Norcross and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, plus Rutgers President Richard McCormick and Rutgers-Camden Chancellor Wendell Pritchett.

Senator Norcross' brother George is a powerful South Jersey politician who has been actively promoting Christie's plan. George Norcross is chairman of the board of Camden's Cooper University Hospital. The hospital will be home to Rowan's new medical school.

Norcross and Christie were in Camden yesterday for the groundbreaking of a new cancer institute at Cooper.

Rowan representatives have not been involved in the compromise talks, according to Joe Cardona, associate vice president of university relations. Cardona hopes that some form of merger or collaboration will happen, whether under Christie's plan or some other plan.

Rutgers-Camden students, faculty and administration have very publicly opposed the loss of the Rutgers name, and on May 3 the board of Rutgers University overwhelmingly voted to reject the merger. ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/local/article/1143186--change-our-name-rutgers-says-no-way Tue, 15 May 2012 19:55:40 -0400 JUDY WEIGHTMAN, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/local/article/1143186--change-our-name-rutgers-says-no-way Why do people love superheroes -- not just the Marvel kind, but also characters by J.R.R. Tolkien or J.K. Rowling? "All superhero stories have one thing in common," says Craig Franson, assistant professor of English at LaSalle University. "They're all about wish fulfillment. But it's a mistake to lump them all together as though they're all the same thing."

Take Iron Man, one of the Avengers, for instance. "Iron Man is a weapons system with real human intelligence -- he's like a high-tech weapon with a heart," Franson says. "The wish fulfillment says something about our perceptions today of government, industry and the military."

This is typical of comic books and graphic novels over the last 20 years or so, Franson says. "They've become a very complex art form. That diversity has started filtering into how these stories are told in TV shows and films."

Their complexity makes them a legitimate subject for academic study. "In the literary criticism class I teach, we spend the second half of the semester on 'Watchmen,'" he says, referencing the graphic novel by Alan Moore. "Students quickly realize there's a lot of rich material there -- psychoanalysis, post-structuralism, Marxism."

Andrew Dolan of LaSalle's Religion Department also studies superheroes. He says: "Superheroes are usually not accountable to anyone but themselves. However, unlike those with unchecked power in the real world, superheroes actually adhere to a moral code that proscribes exploitation or abuse of those without power. All-too-frequent news of corruption among government and church leaders helps create a vacuum for heroes, if only in our imagination." ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1143065--humanities-meets-the-hulk-what-superheroes-can-teach-us Mon, 14 May 2012 19:21:15 -0400 JUDY WEIGHTMAN, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1143065--humanities-meets-the-hulk-what-superheroes-can-teach-us But this year, Soler gave a battalion of IT and marketing students specific instructions to take FIU commencement viral.

Each interdepartmental ceremony was posted on YouStream, but Soler's team's main focus was creating as many free, professional-quality Facebook-, Flickr- and Twitter-ready images as possible. Every student had the opportunity to pose for as many photos as they wished, and all of the photos featured the FIU logo prominently. With nearly 4,300 students walking, the idea generated an enormous boost to FIU's Facebook presence.

"I wanted to give the graduates something to take home. We offer paid photos, but we wanted to do something free and fun for everybody," says Soler. "Plus, we liked the idea of having something that our graduates could connect back to us after they graduate."

Washington and Jefferson College -- a small liberal arts school just outside of Pittsburgh -- has no intention of making its commencement ceremony more Web-friendly.

While schools around the country are pulling out all the stops to boost flagging commencement participation, W&J's 100 percent participation rate is holding strong, without going online. In 2012, all 320 graduating students donned the cap and gown. The reason is simple: At W&J, if you don't walk -- live and in person -- you don't graduate.

"We focus on relationships. We build it right from the beginning, so to be there in person is, to us, a very important part of that," says James M. Sloat, associate dean for assessment and new initiatives. "We're very intentional about how we bring people into the community, so it's so important to us that they continue that relationship with us right up to the moment they graduate." ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1142916--graduation-ceremonies-going-viral Sun, 13 May 2012 16:20:53 -0400 BRUCE WALSH, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1142916--graduation-ceremonies-going-viral
Now they've added five new minors, as well. Two are new interdisciplinary emphases: sustainable food studies and ecological planning and design. The others -- community and regional planning, environmental horticulture and landscape studies -- are extensions of existing majors.

"Our majors reflect a range of scale," says Pauline Hurley-Kurtz, interim chair of the department of landscape architecture and horticulture. "Community and regional planning looks at large-scale environmental issues. Landscape design has a smaller focus, and horticulture is smaller still."

"These new minors extend opportunities for students in different majors to develop expertise in areas we can serve," adds Deborah Howe, chair of the department of community and regional planning. The majors will strengthen graduates' skills for future careers or help prepare them for graduate studies.
All of the majors are designed to deepen what Temple Ambler is already doing. "The sustainable agriculture minor furthers our emphasis on urban agriculture," Howe says. "We look at production, distribution and land use."

This weekend on campus

In a tradition dating back 100 years, the Temple University Ambler campus will host a spring plant sale on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the campus greenhouse at 580 Meetinghouse Road. Plants will include annuals and perennials, vegetable starts, herbs, native plants and hanging baskets.

Members of Pi Alpha Xi, the national honor society for horticulture students and  Ambler Arboretum's staff and volunteers will be available to answer questions. ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1141791--minor-additions-to-temple-s-green-course-offerings Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:51:39 -0400 JUDY WEIGHTMAN, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1141791--minor-additions-to-temple-s-green-course-offerings
Coursera joins a raft of ambitious online projects aimed at making higher education more accessible and affordable. Many of these ventures, however, simply post entire lectures on the Web with no interactive component. Others strive to create brand-new universities.

The founders say Coursera will be different because professors from top schools will teach under their university's name and will adapt their most popular courses for the Web, embedding assignments and exams into video lectures, answering questions from students on online forums -- even, perhaps, hosting office hours via video conference.

Students will not get college credit. But Coursera may offer certificates of completion or transcripts for a fee. The company may also seek to turn a profit by connecting employers with students who have shown aptitude in a particular field, a spokeswoman said.

For their part, participating universities expect to benefit by boosting their reputations overseas, connecting with far-flung alumni and bringing in donations from grateful online students. "It will increase our impact on the world," said Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania.

Trial and error

In trial classes Coursera hosted this year, the production values were a bit rough.

Scott Page, a political science professor at the University of Michigan, filmed his lectures for a class called Model Thinking. Interruptions forced him to reshoot several segments -- and as a result, he looks undeniably grumpy in some takes. A few of his online quizzes contain errors. His slides are sometimes hard to read. From time to time, his dog wanders into the frame.

Yet 30,000 people from around the globe stuck with the class -- doing the homework, watching the lectures and chatting with one another in lively discussion forums. ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1141682--top-us-colleges-to-offer-free-classes-on-the-web Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:07:33 -0400 REUTERS http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1141682--top-us-colleges-to-offer-free-classes-on-the-web
Community College of Philadelphia
The Center for Male Engagement will be hosting a summer program geared toward African-American males entering the college for the first time for the fall of 2012. This free program is designed to orient incoming students to the expectations and rigors of the college experience prior to the start of  semester.

Gwynedd-Mercy College
A new satellite campus in Bensalem will officially open tomorrow, and classes will be offered this summer. The campus will offer accelerated degree completion and master's degrees for working adults.

Neumann University
Neumann is offering free career counseling and three master's degree programs at half off the usual tuition for all Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholic school teachers who lose their positions in 2012. The programs available for the discount are education, organizational and strategic leadership, and pastoral care and counseling. Teachers must enroll by the start of the May 2013 summer session.

Rutgers University-Camden
The 26th annual Summer Writers' Conference, June 18-27, will deliver an intensive program of workshops, lectures and readings, featuring a staff of nationally known writers, poets and editors. The conference is open to both Rutgers students and the community, though some prior workshop or experience is required.

Temple University
Perfect for anyone working toward a career in special education, or current teachers in search of continuing education credits, Temple University Institute on Disabilities' three-day "Beyond Inclusion" workshop (July 10-12) will explore strategies for extending education to disabled students. This year's event will feature a new emphasis on emotional disabilities, and an exploration of new ways to address bullying.  "For us, it's important to create a learning experience for future and current teachers, as to how to build a classroom that does more than simply include," says Institute on Disabilities staff member Susan Fullam.

Philadelphia University
PU's interior decorating certificate program is opening up two one-day electives: Designing for Small Spaces and Savvy Sustainable. Both courses -- offered between July 11 and Aug. 7 -- are perfect for weekend home remodelers. A more intensive monthlong course, Kitchen and Bath Design, will also be open to amateurs. The class will cover the nitty-gritty of cabinet and appliance installation, and much more.  

For high school students

DUCA: Drexel University Computing Academy

June 24-July 28
After Pennsylvania cut funding for the Governor’s School, Drexel transformed their GS computing program into their own summer academy. The monthlong college introductory camp for high school sophomores and juniors features courses on Web development, social networking, animation, cloud computing and more.

The tuition includes all expenses, including food and lodging.

]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1141176--summer-school-options-in-philadelphia Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:33:05 -0400 JUDY WEIGHTMAN AND BRUCE WALSH, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1141176--summer-school-options-in-philadelphia
MET-lab student Matthew Prockup created the musical arrangement for drums and three "hubophones," unique percussion instruments designed and built by the lab for the performance. The robots are autonomous, moving according to the computer software developed by MET-lab students. 

The performers are four of seven identical Korean-made HUBO robots that are currently headquartered at Drexel. Each is about four feet tall, and has joints and movement capabilities similar to that of a human being, including hands with functional fingers and opposable thumbs.

"It's unprecedented to have these robots all here," said Youngmoo Kim, director of the MET-lab. Because they're so expensive, most schools can't afford more than one. Having multiples of identical robots allow for comparative studies, which are otherwise impossible, says Kim.

Each of the seven robots will ultimately find a home in a different school, including the University of Pennsylvania,  with all schools collaborating on cutting-edge humanoid robotics research. For now, though, researchers from the other schools will travel to Drexel to receive training with the HUBOs.

One thing we can tell you

The "Come Together" performance has its roots in 2008, when Drexel received a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation Partnership for International Research and Education (PIRE). The grant has supported the close collaboration between Drexel and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, which designed and built the HUBOs.

Over that period, students at the MET-lab have developed a variety of algorithms for the HUBO, teaching it to dance, play the piano and accompany music with a tambourine. ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1141171--drexel-robots-spin-the-beatles-come-together Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:44:42 -0400 JUDY WEIGHTMAN, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/life/article/1141171--drexel-robots-spin-the-beatles-come-together