mit faculty newsletter vol. xxv no. 1, september/october...

in this issue we offer continuing commentary on MIT 2030 (see Editorial)and related graduate student housing concerns (page 6); two perspectives on MITxand edX (below); reports from both the Dean for Undergraduate Education (page 8)and the Dean for Graduate Education (page 9); and the results of last spring’sFaculty and Staff Quality of Life Survey (page 17).

MITFacultyNewsletter

Vol. XXV No. 1September/October 2012

http://web.mit.edu/fnl

MassachusettsInstitute ofTechnology

continued on page 12

edX: Hostile Takeoveror Helping Hand? HumanitiesX

continued on page 14

Sidney-Pacific

T H E A N N O U N C E M E N T O F M I T X

and edX last spring set the Institutebuzzing. Everywhere people were talkingabout how to do online education in theirdiscipline and whether it was a good ideaand what had already been planned andeven implemented. MIT metamorphosedovernight into one big educational thinktank for…well, whomever is going toprofit from online education in the longrun. I suppose most readers of thisNewsletter think that media-based educa-tion is inevitable and that we may as wellget in there early and do it intelligently.But sometimes it feels like a solution forwhich we are being asked to develop aproblem.Some humanists at MIT have eagerly

joined this race to someone else’s finishline; some are skeptical about whetherthere are platforms sophisticated enough

Woodie Flowers Ruth Perry

I. Addressing Graduate StudentHousing Difficulties

TH E E D UCATION, R E S EARCH train-ing, and instructional experience of grad-uate students are at the core of researchuniversities. The MIT graduate commu-nity, engaged directly in the researchenterprise, interacting intimately with itsmembers, with faculty and with under-graduates, is a major force in MIT’s cre-ative engine. The quality and dedicationof our graduate students form the foun-dation of MIT’s productivity.Given their importance, it is deeply

disturbing to learn of the difficulties thatgraduate students face to secure afford-able, decent housing. Last June, theFaculty Newsletter published an informa-tive article describing the acute housingshortage off campus. On page 6 of thisissue we carry an article by several gradu-

EditorialI. Graduate Student Housing Difficulties

II. Response to MIT 2030 Concerns

III. edX Front and Center

IV. 25th Anniversary of the FNL

continued on page 3

I N T H I S N E W S L E T T E R L A S T

January, I speculated that we had stum-bled in our effort to help education takeadvantage of digital technologies.OpenCourseWare (OCW) offers users achance to sort through an unfiltered andunorganized pile of stuff we generatedwhile doing what we do. The missedopportunity, I argued, involved recogni-tion that education and training are dif-ferent and that training could bedramatically improved through use ofwell structured, high quality modules thatwould help students train themself soperson-to-person time could be used foreducation. Essentially the strategy wouldoutsource training and nonjudgmentalgrading to digital systems, and therebyfree instructors to serve as mentors. Such a system could serve K-death and

be versatile in the extreme. It could have

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Vol. XXV No. 1 September/October 2012

Robert BerwickElectrical Engineering & Computer Science

Nazli ChoucriPolitical Science

Olivier de WeckAeronautics & Astronautics/Engineering Systems

Ernst G. FrankelMechanical Engineering

*Jean E. JacksonAnthropology

Gordon KaufmanManagement Science/Statistics

*Jonathan King (Chair) Biology

Helen Elaine LeeWriting and Humanistic Studies

*Stephen J. LippardChemistry

Seth LloydMechanical Engineering

Fred MoavenzadehCivil & Environmental Engineering/Engineering Systems

James OrlinSloan School of Management

*Ruth PerryLiterature Section

*George Verghese (Secretary)Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Patrick Henry WinstonElectrical Engineering & Computer Science

David LewisManaging Editor

*Editorial Subcommittee for this issue

AddressMIT Faculty NewsletterBldg. 11-268Cambridge, MA 02139

Websitehttp://web.mit.edu/fnl

Telephone 617-253-7303Fax 617-253-0458E-mail [email protected]

Subscriptions$15/year on campus$25/year off campus

01 edX: Hostile Takeover or Helping Hand?Woodie Flowers

01 HumanitiesXRuth Perry

Editorial 01 I. Graduate Student Housing Difficulties

II. Response to MIT 2030 Concerns

III. edX Front and Center

IV. 25th Anniversary of the FNL

From The 04 Comings and GoingsFaculty Chair Samuel M. Allen

06 Concerns Over Affordability of On-Campus HousingHeather Murdoch, Andrea Dubin, Amy Bilton, Pierre-Olivier Lepage,Anders and Anna Haggman, Alan Richardson

07 Alumni Association Seeks Traveling FacultyLouis Alexander

08 New Strategic Directions for DUE Dan Hastings

09 From Imagination to Impact: Empowering Graduate Students to Create the Future Christine Ortiz

11 Teaching this fall? You should know . . .

13 Nominate a Colleague for the MacVicar Faculty Fellows Program

16 Request for Preliminary Proposals forInnovative Curricular Projects

Letters 16 Thanks and some reflectionsPaul M. Newberne

17 Survey Says: Faculty Happy But Stressed

M.I.T. Numbers 20 From the 2008 and 2012 Faculty Survey

contentsThe MIT FacultyNewsletterEditorial Board

MIT Faculty NewsletterSeptember/October 2012

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Editorialcontinued from page 1

ate students who are very familiar, as res-idents and as office holders, with the stateof on-campus housing. They note theincreasingly untenable costs to graduatestudents of on-campus housing, despitethe importance of such accommodationto graduate student life and work.MIT has taken some important steps in

ensuring on-campus housing for first-yeargraduate students, through construction ofresidences such as Sidney-Pacific. However,beyond the first year, the Institute appearsto have no overall policy for protecting andenhancing the ability of our graduate stu-dents to secure affordable on-campushousing. The Graduate Student Councilshould not have to negotiate with housingmanagers. These costs should be set byMIT as institutional policy. Graduate students involved in hands-

on research need to live close to thecampus, a requirement that sharply limitstheir housing options. The failure of theMIT 2030 and MITIMCo proposals toaddress this acute problem is one of thereasons those proposals need to be care-fully scrutinized. New housing may needto be built, for example in the EastCampus, or off-campus housing costssubsidized from Institute resources.Clearly we need to develop a coherent

policy to ensure adequate and affordablehousing for our graduate students. Theadministration needs to create a task force– one that includes significant representa-tion of the Graduate Student Council – todevelop a comprehensive graduatehousing policy. It may turn out that theMITIMCo proposal needs to be revised,so as to include adequate graduatehousing on the East Campus.

II. The New Administration Respondsto MIT 2030 ConcernsFaculty Chair Sam Allen’s article on page 4describes the establishing of the Provost’sTask Force on Community Engagementin 2030 Planning. This necessary andhealthy step to re-examines MIT 2030 andthe MITIMCo up-zoning proposals forthe East Campus. We commend thePresident and the Provost for respondingto the widespread faculty and graduatestudent concerns (see for example theMay/June issue of the Faculty Newsletter,Vol. 24, No. 5).

III. edX Front and CenterThe implementation of edX will representa significant transformation in highereducation. The front-page articles byWoodie Flowers and Ruth Perry raise avariety of questions about how toproceed. edX will be a continuing themein the Faculty Newsletter over this nextyear. We need to explore not only facultyroles but the identity, training, and com-pensation of the teaching assistantsrequired to service courses with tens ofthousands of potential students. Ourgraduate student community has not yetbeen included in this discussion. In addi-tion to printing articles relevant to edX,we plan to organize forums for directexchange and debate. We welcome letters,articles, and participation at the forums.

IV. 25th Anniversary of the FNLThis year is the 25th anniversary of thelaunching – by Prof. Vera Kistiakowskyand other faculty – of the MIT FacultyNewsletter, in response to events thatmade clear the acute need for an inde-

pendent vehicle for faculty communica-tion and discourse. (See “20thAnniversary of FNL: A Brief History of itsFounding” at: web.mit.edu/fnl/volume/201/abs.html.)During the ensuing years,the FNL has provided a forum for expres-sion of faculty concerns and views, amajor channel of communication amongthe faculty, and a means for candid debateon difficult issues. Areas where the inde-pendence of the Newsletter have beenimportant include exploration of thestatus of women faculty; undergraduatecurricula; health insurance, pension, andretirement issues; compacts with foreigngovernments; minority recruitment andpromotion; graduate housing andcampus planning. We believe the lessons are clear and

increasingly relevant: Faculty need ameans for independent expression andexchange of views. The resulting increasein communication and transparencyresults in improved decision making andpolicy formulation.The FNL is edited and published by a

faculty Editorial Board that is directlyelected by the faculty. We hope to con-tinue the tradition begun by Prof.Kistiakowsky and her colleagues. (See thatfirst issue of the Faculty Newsletter at:https://mit.edu/fnl/vol/archives/fnl00.pdf.)We plan to host a number of special lec-tures and forums to mark this milestone25th anniversary, review key issues at MIT,and discuss the role of research universi-ties in American life.

Editorial Subcommittee

MIT Faculty NewsletterVol. XXV No. 1

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Samuel M. AllenFrom The Faculty ChairComings and Goings

W E LC O M E BAC K F R O M W H AT Ihope has been a restorative summer! Thissemester promises to be particularly inter-esting, as our new President and Provostbegin to make their mark on MIT. Sincehis appointment was announced in May,President Reif has had several conversa-tions with faculty members on the SearchCommittee in which he has expressedkeen interest in the attitudes and concernsvoiced by the MIT community during thesearch.A lot has happened at the Institute

since my column in the May/June issue ofthe Faculty Newsletter when the search fora new President was not yet complete, andthis is a good opportunity to summarizesome of the most significant occurrences.

The Search for MIT’s SeventeenthPresident – ConclusionSpring semester 2012 was especiallymomentous for MIT because of PresidentHockfield’s unanticipated announcementthat she would step down, and the subse-quent formation of the Search Committeethat would seek her successor. A signifi-cant portion of the MIT community pro-vided thoughtful input to the searchprocess and the Search Committeeworked tirelessly and efficiently over athree-month period, ultimately selectingthen-Provost Rafael Reif as MIT’s seven-teenth president.Many people were astonished at the

speedy conclusion of the search. TheBoston Globe opined erroneously that theSearch Committee focused on internalcandidates from the outset. In fact, bothinternal and external candidates were inthe running throughout the search. From

my perspective, three factors helped accel-erate the Committee’s work: First, JohnReed (chair of the MIT Corporation)immediately initiated a process to deter-mine membership of the SearchCommittee. Second, John named

Corporation member Jim Champy aschair of the Search Committee. Jim hadbeen chair of the committee that lead toSusan Hockfield’s selection as MIT’s six-teenth president in 2004, so he broughtprior experience and excellent manage-ment skills to the search process. Finally,the members of the Search Committeequickly established the requisite degree oftrust with each other necessary to workefficiently throughout the search process.The Search Committee sought and

received very useful advice from the keystakeholder groups of faculty, students,and staff. The process of getting studentinput via the Student Advisory Group was

extremely valuable. Many people havetold me how much they valued the oppor-tunity to speak directly to members of theSearch Committee as the search pro-ceeded, and leaders from theUndergraduate Association and Graduate

Student Council related that they werevery satisfied with the process. This is sig-nificant, because so often students feel iso-lated from important decisions on issuesthat have major consequences for them.During the search two themes arose

that seem to have resonated beyond thesearch itself. During several meetings withSHASS faculty the phrase One MIT wasused. To me it represents the desire andcapacity for the community to pulltogether toward common mission-ori-ented goals. It could also be applied to thesynergies between our research and teach-ing. The second theme, MIT is our home,emerged from the Student Advisory

During the search two themes arose that seem to haveresonated beyond the search itself. During severalmeetings with SHASS faculty the phrase One MIT wasused. To me it represents the desire and capacity for thecommunity to pull together toward common mission-oriented goals. It could also be applied to the synergiesbetween our research and teaching. . . . Subsequent tothe conclusion of the Presidential search, the newadministration took further shape when President-electReif named Professor Chris Kaiser as Provost. I amlooking forward to working with these new leaders in thecoming academic year as priorities are set and ongoinginitiatives are nurtured.


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Committee’s work. It is a particularlycogent image as decisions that affect stu-dents are being made, and in planning forthe future of the MIT campus.

Subsequent to the conclusion of thePresidential search, the new administra-tion took further shape when President-elect Reif named Professor Chris Kaiser asProvost. I am looking forward to workingwith these new leaders in the coming aca-demic year as priorities are set andongoing initiatives are nurtured.

Developments Over the SummerIn mid-July we held a Faculty Forum onthe MIT 2030/Kendall Square planning.Presentations by Associate Provost MartySchmidt and Professor Jonathan King(with several other colleagues) preceded ageneral discussion. A significant outcomeof the Forum was the formation of an adhoc Task Force on CommunityEngagement in 2030 Planning,announced by Provost Kaiser in August.The Task Force is charged with “advisingthe Provost about decisions related specif-ically to the development of MIT propertyin Kendall Square and about the mosteffective ways to engage the MIT commu-nity in the 2030 decision process gener-ally, going forward.” Members of the TaskForce include Thomas Kochan (chair),Samuel Allen, Xavier de Souza Briggs,Peter Fisher, Dennis Frenchman, LornaGibson, William Wheaton, and Patrick

Winston. (Five of us were on thePresidential Search Committee, andthereby gained a broad sense of the MITcommunity’s views.) The Task Force

began weekly meetings on August 7, andwill be meeting with a number of stake-holder groups during the course of itsinitial work.Late in July, Provost Kaiser and

Chancellor Grimson announced develop-ments relating to edX and MITx. TheUniversity of California at Berkeley hasjoined MIT and Harvard University as apartner in edX. Fall semester 2012 will seeseven subjects offered through edX:Harvard will offer PH207x, “Health inNumbers: Quantitative Methods inClinical and Public Health Research,” andCS50x, “Introduction to ComputerScience I.” MIT will again offer 6.002x,“Introduction to Computer Science andProgramming,” and will also add twoclasses: 3.091x, “Introduction to SolidState Chemistry” and 6.00x, “Circuits andElectronics.” UC Berkley will contributeCS169.1x, “Software as a Service,” andCS188.1, “Artificial Intelligence.” Moredetails about edX and these offerings areavailable at: edx.org/.With the rapid expansion of MITx

there are faculty governance questions tobe considered by the Committee on theUndergraduate Program and theCommittee on Curricula. For instance,will MIT students be eligible to receive

credit for MITx offerings? Can MIT stu-dents use MITx subjects to prepare forAdvanced Standing examinations? Willstudents (especially freshmen) betempted to take one or more MITx offer-ings while also enrolled for a full load ofregular MIT subjects? These and otherquestions are already under discussion,but significant time will need to bedevoted this fall to more thorough andconclusive consideration of the role thatMITx offerings will play in our students’educational experience.In August, the News Office announced

“that MIT and 13 other universities filedan amicus brief with the United StatesSupreme Court in the case of Fisher v.University of Texas, a case that challengesthe constitutionality of the considerationof race in university admissions deci-sions.” I highly recommend reading thebrief, available via the link fromweb.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/amicus-brief-fisher-u-texas-0814.html. Not onlydoes the brief inform you about details ofthe legal case, but it also elaborates on thevalues of diversity within and beyond auniversity community. It is easy to alignoneself with activities and initiatives thatpromote diversity, but a greater challengeis to be able to speak convincingly about itto someone more skeptical. Reading thebrief will help enable you to do that. Iexpect that reading the brief will alsoincrease your sense of pride in being partof the MIT community – it certainly didfor me. So, a lot has been happening in recent

months, and the fall semester should bevery interesting. I urge you all to partici-pate in President Reif ’s inauguration andrelated events on Friday, September 21. Itrepresents a great opportunity for theMIT community to gather as One MITand join with distinguished guests for acelebration that anticipates the Institute’sevolution in sync with a world filled withtechnical, social, and political challengesand opportunities.

Samuel M. Allen is a Professor in theDepartment of Materials Science andEngineering and Faculty Chair([email protected]).

In mid-July we held a Faculty Forum on the MIT2030/Kendall Square planning. Presentations byAssociate Provost Marty Schmidt and ProfessorJonathan King (with several other colleagues) precededa general discussion. A significant outcome of theForum was the formation of an ad hoc Task Force onCommunity Engagement in 2030 Planning, announcedby Provost Kaiser in August. The Task Force is chargedwith “advising the Provost about decisions relatedspecifically to the development of MIT property inKendall Square and about the most effective ways toengage the MIT community in the 2030 decisionprocess generally, going forward.”


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Heather MurdochAndrea DubinAmy BiltonPierre-Olivier LepageAnders and Anna HaggmanAlan Richardson

Concerns Over Affordability of On-Campus Housing

R E N T I S T H E L A R G E S T expense ofgraduate students, consuming over half ofpretax income. Each year, the rising cost ofrent is the largest factor in the graduatestudent stipend adjustment calculatedand recommended by the GraduateStudent Council (GSC) to the senioradministration. For the past five years, therates for on-campus rents have beencapped at a maximum 3.5% yearlyincrease. This agreement between theGSC and the Dean of Student Life expiresthis year, bringing the future of affordableon-campus housing into question. Higherrents will affect MIT’s competitiveness asa research institution by pushing currentstudents further away from their work oncampus, deterring potential students, andstraining research budgets as stipendsadjust to escalating living expenses. The problems are twofold. First,

Cambridge off-campus housing will con-tinue to grow scarcer and less affordable asarea development continues. This is along-term crisis that requires measuredattention. Second, and what we as currentand past leaders in the on-campus resi-dences wish to bring to your attention, isthe untenable rising cost of on-campushousing. For students already at MIT, highon-campus rents cause them to seeklower-cost options elsewhere. Accordingto the recent Graduate Student Survey,approximately 60% of off-campus stu-dents cited on-campus housing cost as amajor factor contributing to their deci-sion to move. Given the escalatinghousing prices in Cambridge, students areoften forced far from campus to findaffordable options. Being located far fromcampus limits the students’ access to the

lab, especially for those students who mayneed to work after hours. For those stu-dents whose research is not laboratorygroup based, living far from the campus

community may contribute to further iso-lation. Additionally, transportation toareas far from campus is often inadequate,making it difficult and more time con-suming for students living further away tocommute to their research environments.Some students are also forced to live inareas with higher crime rates as the cost ofoff-campus housing increases.High on-campus rents present a barrier

to attracting talented students and to main-taining a satisfactory quality of life once stu-dents are here. Boston has the third mostexpensive rental market in the country.Many graduate students come from areaswith a different rental environment andpaying more than $1100 a month (thecurrent rate per person for a two-bedroomapartment in Ashdown House, Edgerton,or Sidney-Pacific) for an on-campushousing spot is difficult to justify.Additionally, finding off-campus housing isa challenging prospect, especially for theinternational students who compriseapproximately 37% of the graduate studentpopulation. Affordable on-campus housing

is an appealing option that helps ease thetransition into life at MIT.On-campus housing also impacts

student life on campus. Graduate dorms

are one of the locations where students areable to build community in a non-aca-demic setting. They are the center ofstudent life for many graduate students,and provide resources for student well-ness. Graduate dorms also provide anopportunity for students to gain leader-ship experience within a graduate com-munity. These experiences should be opento all students regardless of their savingsor income. Increasing rents may rob stu-dents of these experiences by drivingthem off campus.As graduate students who have bene-

fited from the on-campus housing expe-rience, we want to hold MIT Housing tothe same standards to which our advisorshold us. We would like to understand thenature of rent increases by looking at thecalculation and reviewing the contribut-ing costs. Off-campus renters are able totrack their own utilities usage, and areinformed by their landlord of increases inrent due to market value; as on-campusresidents, we have simply received risingrental charges. A survey of local utility

For students already at MIT, high on-campus rents causethem to seek lower-cost options elsewhere. Accordingto the recent Graduate Student Survey, approximately60% of off-campus students cited on-campus housingcost as a major factor contributing to their decision tomove. Given the escalating housing prices in Cambridge,students are often forced far from campus to findaffordable options.


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rates shows that electricity rates have fallenin the past four years, with over a 20%drop in mid-2009. Water and sewer rateshave remained constant for the past threeyears and MIT’s voluntary payments in

lieu of property taxes to the city ofCambridge (as buildings classified as aca-demic, which includes residences, are notsubject to tax) has decreased in the last fiveyears. Market value should absolutely notbe a factor, as MIT Housing should not be

making a profit on its students’ research-funded stipends. On-campus rentincreases prior to the 3.5% agreement havebeen as high as 6.5% in the past 10 years;undergraduate rent increases have been as

high as 8% per year. It is unclear whatthese variable and unpredictable increasesstem from, but it is clear that future rentincreases will affect students and theInstitute alike. We therefore ask that stu-dents and faculty be informed as to the

sources of rising on-campus rent andinvolved in the future assessment ofhousing increases.

As graduate students who have benefited from the on-campus housing experience, we want to hold MITHousing to the same standards to which our advisorshold us. We would like to understand the nature of rentincreases by looking at the calculation and reviewing thecontributing costs. Off-campus renters are able to tracktheir own utilities usage, and are informed by theirlandlord of increases in rent due to market value; as on-campus residents, we have simply received risingrental charges.

Heather Murdoch is a graduate student in theDepartment of Materials Science andEngineering, and former Edgerton President([email protected]);Andrea Dubin is a graduate student in theDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric andPlanetary Sciences, and Ashdown HouseExecutive Committee Chair ([email protected]);Amy Bilton is a graduate student in theDepartment of Aeronautics and Astronautics,and Sidney-Pacific Trustee and former President([email protected]);Pierre-Olivier Lepage is a graduate student inthe Department of Civil and EnvironmentalEngineering, and Sidney-Pacific President([email protected]);Anders Haggman is a graduate student in theDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, andEastgate President ([email protected]);Alan Richardson is a graduate student in theDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric andPlanetary Sciences, and former WarehousePresident ([email protected]).

A M O N G T H E M O S T F R E Q U E N T LY

received requests from alumni to theAlumni Association are for opportunitiesto hear presentations from MIT faculty.Knowing of the pressures on your time,we are always grateful when it is possiblefor faculty in the course of their travels tospeak with MIT alumni groups abouttheir research.

If you do have time in your travels totalk about your work, we can offer you anaudience of lively and curious people fullof intelligent questions. But, we need toknow if you are interested and where youwould be travelling. The first step is to fill out the Faculty

Travel Form! This will take less than aminute to complete. Normally, we need

about a six-week lead time to make anevent happen. To start, visit https://alum.mit.edu/

learn/lectures/faculty-speaker-resourcesand click on the link to the Faculty TravelForm at the bottom of the page.

Louis AlexanderAlumni Association Seeks Traveling Faculty

Louis Alexander is the Director of AlumniEducation in the ([email protected]).


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Dan HastingsFrom the Dean for Undergraduate EducationNew Strategic Directions for DUE

I N S PR I N G 2011 , TH E Office of theDean for Undergraduate Education (DUE)began a review of our 2006 Strategic Plan.The primary goal was to lay out new andrefreshed strategic directions that advanceDUE’s mission to “enroll, educate, andinspire some of the brightest students in theworld with a passion for learning so theybecome the next generation of creativethinkers and leaders in a global society.”

Since the 2006 plan was developed, thehigher education environment and thenation as a whole has changed greatly,marked by extreme economic turmoil,demographic shifts, and continued pressurefor efficiency and accountability. Internally,several new units were added to DUE at therequest of members of Academic Councilor senior officers; there have been changesin Institute leadership; the growth of severallarge international ventures; and new issuesand priorities, such as the development ofMITx. These factors pointed to the timeli-ness of renewing our strategic plan.

We engaged our mission partners inthe review, notably the Division ofStudent Life, Office of the Dean forGraduate Education, InformationServices and Technology, and the faculty,through the DUE Faculty AdvisoryCommittee. While the process reaffirmedmany things we said in 2006, new themes,emphases, and needs emerged. Forexample, the DUE Faculty AdvisoryCommittee emphasized the importanceof improvements in the advising processwhile they and others suggested anincreased emphasis in the role DUE playsin educational innovation.

With this as background, we developeda sharpened set of six strategic themes,each with an associated set of metrics anddeliverables on a five-year timescale:

• Transforming Learning through Research,Best Practices, and Innovations inPedagogy, Curricular Materials, andAssessment

• Catalyzing the UndergraduateEducational Commons: MaintainingExcellence, Increasing Innovation,Improving Communication

• Valuing and Leveraging Diversity,Benefitting from a True Meritocracy

• Leveraging Educational Technology forEducational Effectiveness and Change

• Empowering Students to Leverage theirExperiences and Maximize theirConfidence to Become Creative,Innovative, and Global-ready Leaders

• Evolving the Student Information System toSupport a Dynamic Educational Experiencefor our Faculty, Students, and Staff.

These crosscutting strategic emphasesallow DUE to focus our resources in theareas most critical to advancing educationat MIT. As we move forward in developingeffective strategies that support our themes,it is imperative that we work closely withthe faculty. The faculty and students are thekey stakeholders in the delivery of effectiveeducation. DUE is here to help enable us allto do the best for our students in givingthem a great education, both the curricularand co-curricular pieces. We look forwardto continuing to work with you.

I encourage you to view the DUE strategicplan on our Website (due.mit.edu/about-due/strategic-plan) where you will find thefull description, key goals and metrics, andcurrent initiatives for each of the themes.

DUE Vision

Serving at the nexus of MIT, we enrich the educational experience and ensureenduring value that transforms the future.

DUE Core Values

These values form the foundation on which we strive for excellence in realizing our vision and fulfilling our mission:

• Educational Excellence • Visionary Thinking• Integrity • Students at the Core• Diversity and Inclusion

Dan Hastings is the Dean for UndergraduateEducation ([email protected]).


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Christine OrtizFrom the Dean for Graduate EducationFrom Imagination to Impact: EmpoweringGraduate Students to Create the Future

A Five-Year Strategic Plan

AS I JOI N E D TH E Office of the Deanfor Graduate Education (ODGE) inAugust 2010 and began to appreciate theextent and significance of its ongoingwork, it was important to me to heardirectly from the constituencies that theoffice serves while developing strategic pri-orities. I therefore carried out an extensive“listening tour” during which my admira-tion for our students, faculty, and staffgrew ever deeper. Both individually andcollectively, the quality, diversity, and spiritof our community are truly awe-inspiring. In the past two years, I have observed

the optimism of the Society of EnergyFellows for contributing to the futurehealth of our planet; the momentum ofGraduate Women at MIT’s leadershipconference; the Goodwin Medalawardees’ remarkable talent and passionfor teaching; the creativity of multidisci-plinary student teams impacting under-served communities in the Ideas GlobalChallenge; and the startling silence of theMIT Electric Vehicle Team’s converted1976 Porsche battery electric vehicle. Ihave read fellowship nominations detail-ing graduate students who are redefiningparadigms, solving fundamental decades-old problems, creating artistic beauty, andpushing forward the frontiers of theirfields in bold new directions. I have wit-nessed the dedication of our staff in sup-porting, listening, and comforting manyin our community during times oftragedy. Clearly, graduate education atMIT is thriving like never before; it iscentral to the mission of MIT and vital tomaintaining our leadership status as aworld-class research university. Togetherwith the ODGE team, I embraced the

work of defining a strategic plan tosupport this enterprise.

What We Heard During the strategic planning process,faculty raised the interrelated issues ofcompetitiveness in graduate studentrecruitment, in the context of increasingglobal competition; the need for addi-tional and flexible graduate fellowships;the cost of research assistantships chargedto grants; current and expected reductionsin federal funding; as well as a desire forimproved diversity and an inclusivecampus climate. Graduate studentsexpressed a desire for increased interdisci-plinary interactions; a need for multi-use,24-hour campus spaces; enhanced men-toring/advising and interactions withfaculty; increased and greater awareness ofpersonal support resources; an acceptablestandard of living and affordable housing;as well as the ability to live a balanced andhealthy lifestyle in a time where productiv-ity expectations continue to increase. Allconstituencies, in particular staff involvedin graduate education, emphasized thedetrimental effect of the numerous andinefficient graduate admissions platforms.Lastly, and more recently, MITx onlineeducation initiatives have stimulated con-versations across the Institute on theirimpact and strategic potential to enhanceresidential education.

Our Mission and Vision The ODGE team was pleased to use thelarge amount of information collectedduring the listening tour to inform ourstrategic plan. Our mission involvesservice to individual graduate students, pro-

grams, and Schools in order to make gradu-ate education at MIT empowering, exciting,holistic, and transformative. Our visionrepresents an evolution beyond the classi-cal isolated apprentice model to a gradu-ate community of scholars whose membersare ever more intellectually and sociallyengaged, valued, interactive, and rapidlyconnected to resources, information, eachother, the Institute, the nation, and theworld.While our final strategic plan com-prises five distinct themes, I will describethree broad areas most relevant to faculty,as well as some progress to date in each ofthese areas.

Our Priorities and ActivitiesPromoting Educational Innovation andExcellenceAs a key priority, ODGE is creating a

robust support infrastructure for gradu-ate programs and students with the goalof increasing and diversifying fellowshipsupport. These efforts will include dedi-cated staff; outreach to granting organiza-tions; identification and dissemination ofinformation on new funding sources;development of a comprehensive elec-tronic database; personalized guidance forgraduate student fellowship applications;as well as collation and distribution ofdepartmental best practices. Over the pastfew years, ODGE has contributed to theacquisition of a diverse set of new gradu-ate fellowships and this initiative willfurther amplify these efforts. Programmatically, ODGE will support

and develop new mechanisms to promoteeducational innovation and enhancecross-departmental and cross-School

continued on next page


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graduate student interactions. Currentexamples of support include the IdeasGlobal Challenge, Systems andComputational Approaches to LifeSciences (SCALeS) Seminars, and theMIT-China Innovation andEntrepreneurship Forum. Administratively, the ODGE will strive

to ensure that all graduate students partic-ipate in Responsible Conduct of Researchtraining in collaboration with the Officeof the Vice President for Research. ACommittee on Student Entrepreneurshiphas been formed to examine currentactivities, best practices, and policy con-siderations for students engaging in entre-preneurship activities, co-sponsored bythe Office of the Vice President forResearch and the Office of the Dean forUndergraduate Education. Additionally,the ODGE Website (odge.mit.edu) hasbeen dramatically upgraded to highlightgraduate student accomplishments inarticles and video profiles called “StudentSnapshots” which will grow to encompassstudents from each department over thenext few years. Given the extreme urgency of the

systems-based issues identified with grad-uate admissions and their importance tograduate recruitment, aggressive and earlyaction was taken, driven by faculty taskforces and committees. Currently, we arein year two of a three-year transition planto the new, more efficient online platform“GradApply” developed by ElectricalEngineering and Computer ScienceProfessors Frans Kaashoek and RobertMorris; enormous improvements havealready been realized.

Supporting the Whole Graduate StudentThis second broad theme area focuses

on graduate student personal support andprofessional development. Over the pastseveral years, requests to the ODGE foroutreach, advice, referral, or other assis-tance related to personal and academicmatters have increased significantly fromstudents, faculty, and administrators, and

we have been hard-pressed to meet theneed. Happily, in July 2011, staffing forgraduate student personal support wasincreased with the addition of an assistantdean for graduate education, which hasallowed us to more efficiently and effec-tively manage the increased volume,reduce waiting, and spend the timeneeded to be most helpful to those whoseek advice and assistance. Our prioritiesin the area of personal support includecompiling a detailed needs assessmentfrom survey and focus group data, creat-ing new mechanisms to connect graduatestudents to resources, and increasing out-reach and resource awareness to academicdepartments. We will work in collabora-tion with various groups, such asCommunity Wellness at MIT Medical andStudent Outreach and Support under theDean for Student Life, to focus on areas ofconflict resolution, cultural sensitivity,and mental and physical wellness. Tosupport our efforts internally, we areimplementing an electronic student casedatabase for improved tracking andadministration of support, advising, andleaves of absence. In addition to creating original knowl-

edge at the frontiers of the field, today’sgraduates also need the ability to recognizeits meaning in a broader context, and topossess a more extensive skillset in order toact on this new knowledge for the benefitof society. Hence, it is becoming importantto provide professional developmentopportunities in order to prepare studentsfor a range of career paths. Our activities inthis area have included co-sponsoring thenew “MIT-Imperial Global FellowsProgram” with the Office of the Dean forUndergraduate Education; the launch of anew Professional Development VideoPortal, or PRO-DEPOT; and the forma-tion of a Task Force on Graduate StudentProfessional Development. The TaskForce is reviewing desirable skillsets invarious disciplines and employmentsectors and identifying core competencyareas, and will provide recommendationsfor formulating a comprehensive andcoherent set of offerings to all MIT gradu-ate students.

Creating a Diverse and Inclusive CampusClimateMIT is incredibly rich in its diversity.

We have students hailing from every statein the nation and 101 different countries,from a broad range of economic and cul-tural backgrounds. In the last five years,MIT has experienced encouragingincreases in the domestic diversity of itsgraduate population in terms of genderand ethnicity, due to collective effortsacross the Institute at every level. We mustcontinue to amplify our recruitmentefforts to increase the applicant pool andyield of under-represented minority(URM) students. Accordingly, we have begun to deepen

our engagement with partners in minor-ity serving institutions. This past winterthe ODGE hosted a “DeeperEngagement” workshop at MIT whichgenerated new ideas and strengthenedconnections with our partners that willmove us closer to our diversity goals. Weare expanding the reach of our “GradSchool Clinic” to include an onlineversion that supports undergraduates inplanning their academic trajectories inorder to be strong graduate school candi-dates, thereby strengthening our pipeline.We have increased Institute-level fellow-ship support with the goal of enhancingdiversity, and garnered financial supportfor the MIT Summer Research Program(MSRP) for another five years. Simultaneously, it is imperative that we

foster a nurturing, caring, and inclusivecampus environment in order that allgraduate students are able to excel andachieve their academic personal and pro-fessional goals; climate is a critical factorin retention, time-to-degree, and aca-demic excellence. We have formulated atri-level approach to climate whichincludes: 1) cohort and community build-ing through a series called “CriticalConversations” which facilitates theunderstanding, articulation, and explo-ration of multiple backgrounds and expe-riences; 2) “bridging activities” moreclosely connect students with their labs,departments and the Institute; and 3) institutional-level activities, for example,

From Imagination to ImpactOrtiz, from preceding page


11

celebrating accomplishments, emphasizingthe positive correlation between diversityand excellence, and promoting studentengagement at the Institute level.

The Changing Path AheadNow is one of the most exciting times inhistory for graduate education at MIT.Higher education stands at a historicalmoment in time where dramatic advancesin computation, communication, andinstrumentation are opening up transfor-mative possibilities in education thatcould not have been imagined even adecade ago. The majority of our initiativesabove involve online components inte-grated with physical programs and activi-ties, and I am optimistic that MITx willprovide further opportunities to enhanceresidential graduate education in the areasof recruitment; building intellectual, col-

laborative and cross-disciplinary net-works; graduate student engagement withalumni; innovations in teaching andresearch; professional development; andsupport of preparation and academicmilestones (e.g., qualifying exams, labora-tory training, etc.). The ODGE strategicplan will surely evolve over the comingyears in response. MIT is taking a leader-ship role in all of these emerging areas ingraduate education to maintain its statusas a world-class research institution.Clearly it will be an exciting, challenging,and, ultimately, rewarding journey ahead.I would like to extend my gratitude to

all who participated in the listening tour;to the ODGE Faculty Advisory Board; andto Chancellor Eric Grimson and PresidentRafael Reif for their great intellectual con-tributions and financial support, both ofwhich were critical in the development of

the strategic plan and new initiatives. Iwould like to acknowledge PresidentEmerita Susan Hockfield and formerChancellor Phillip L. Clay for their input,support, and guidance. I would also like tothank the Graduate Student Council fortheir participation and collaboration, andODGE Communications Officer HeatherKonar for contributions to this article.Lastly, I would like to acknowledge theOffice of Institutional Research for theirextensive work in compilation and analy-sis of relevant data used in the develop-ment and presentation of the strategicplan. Our full strategic plan is availableonline (odge.mit.edu/about/strategy/). Iwould be happy to receive comments andsuggestions via e-mail.

Christine Ortiz is the Dean for GraduateEducation and Professor of Materials Scienceand Engineering([email protected]).

Teaching this fall? You should know …

the faculty regulates examinations and assignments for all subjects.

Check the Web at web.mit.edu/faculty/termregs.html for the complete regulations.Questions: Contact Faculty Chair Sam Allen at x3-6939 or [email protected].

No required classes, examinations, exercises, or assignments of any kind may be scheduled after the last regularly scheduled class in a subject, except for final examinations scheduled through the Schedules Office.

First and Third Week of the TermBy the end of the first week of classes, you must provide:

• a clear and complete description of required work, including the number and kinds of assignments;• the approximate schedule of tests and due dates for major projects;• an indication of whether or not there will be a final examination; and• the grading criteria and procedures to be used.

By the end of the third week, you must provide a precise schedule of tests and major assignments.

Undergraduate Subject Tests Outside Scheduled Class Times Shall:• not exceed two hours in length;• be scheduled through the Schedules Office; and• begin no earlier than 7:30 PM when held in the evening.

Tests, required reviews, and other academic exercises outside scheduled class times shall not be held on Monday evenings.

End-of-Term Tests and AssignmentsIn all undergraduate subjects, there shall be no tests after Friday, December 7, 2012. Unit tests may be scheduled during the finalexamination period.

For each graduate subject with a final examination, no other test may be given and no assignment may fall due after Friday,December 7, 2012. For each graduate subject without a final examination, at most, either one in-class test may be given, or oneassignment, term paper, or oral presentation may fall due between December 7 and the end of the last regularly scheduled class in the subject.

Collaboration Policy and Expectations for Academic ConductDue to varying faculty attitudes towards collaboration and diverse cultural values and priorities regarding academic honesty, students are often confused about expectations regarding permissible academic conduct. It is important to clarify, in writing, expectations regarding collaboration and academic conduct at the beginning of each semester. This could include a reference tothe MIT Academic Integrity Handbook web.mit.edu/academicintegrity/.


12

direct dramatic positive influence on MITresidential programs and leverage the thou-sands of dedicated teachers who need help.I repeat here a version of those argu-

ments and a plea that more of us getinvolved in making sure that MIT’s educa-tion strategy is carefully crafted and notquickly copied from others. Risking ourreputation and $30,000,000 is a big deal.To date, we have partnered with two otherprestigious institutions. That is morereason to be careful.In edX’s MOOCs (Massive Open

Online Courses), I believe we have aproduct without a strategy. We shoulddesign products that help us improve whilealso helping schools everywhere. MOOCsdo neither.MOOCs replace complete courses.

They remove important options fromcompetent faculties we should help.MOOCs again put MIT’s brand equity atrisk by chasing a sweet-sounding butbadly flawed dream of “free education.”Free education is nonsense! Good educa-tion is strongly linked to personal interac-tion and that will never be free. Improvededucation is a far more sensible goal.edX should not be a me-too copy of

Coursera (coursera.org) and/or Udacity(udacity.com). They were first and hadmomentum before we started. As a sourceof MOOCs, edX is lagging in overall par-ticipation. We may be the slow starter in arace that has no winners.For good reasons, a MOOC is viewed as

a hostile takeover of a course. Since theMITx announcement, I have given presen-tations on education reform in Spain,Australia, and the U.S. A paraphrased reac-tion I have heard from other faculties is,“Those big-endowment elitists are trying toundermine our institution.” The MOOCmodel is an arrogant statement about whata course should be. Educators do not reactfavorably to being taken out of that decisionprocess and potentially out of the picturealtogether.Even for ad hoc learning and continu-

ing education, a whole course is an over-

size bite that is not likely to fit users’needs. In very few instances will the start-ing point, coverage, and end pointdesigned for MIT be right for otherschools.I believe MOOCs are a fad. Right now,

their purveyors are preoccupied by a race

to volume. Coursera’s home page bannerfeatures an enrollment counter thatrecently passed one million. (Currentcompletion rates for MOOCs is about10%.) MOOCs, however, lack versatilityand are alien to the existing infrastructure.While they may work well in the “train-ing” part of highly codified subjects, theirpotential contribution to education onthe whole is quite limited. In my opinion,they will do little to help MIT improve ourown educational productivity.While I am enthusiastic about reduc-

ing costs, improving efficiency, and thin-ning the ranks of ineffective educators, Ibelieve leading institutions should focuson helping the good teachers withoutdestabilizing the system. Think about the end game of success-

ful MOOC competition among Coursera,Udacity, and edX. Will we have succeededif, for a degree, students everywhere pickone of these three for each course untilthey graduate? Should those students evermeet a professor or visit a campus? Ormaybe, to preserve the variety now avail-able, we would have many MOOCs.(They would have to become Not-So-MOOCs.) How many versions of 6.002xwould the English-speaking world need?Would we have hundreds of copycatMOOC players or would we decay intooligarchies where SuperMOOCs reign?Since the MOOC model would follow ascripted lecture, why would professors be

the presenters? Would it not make sense torecruit Morgan Freeman or Katy Perry todeliver the monster MOOC? The produc-ers could replace PowerPoint slides anddemonstrations with movie-qualityspecial effects. Would budget-strappedcommunity colleges just go away? I think

we should be careful about joining amovement that may produce chaos ratherthan improve education.Collections of inexpensive “course

badges” could undermine the value of adiploma and society would realize too latethat critical thinking, creativity, and pro-fessionalism are not easily adopted orevaluated via a screen. Imagine what statelegislatures might do to their state’scollege budgets. What would happen tothe symbiotic relationship between edu-cation and research?There are many nondestructive and

exciting paths that take advantage ofdigital technology. Let’s pick one ofthose. For example, we could learn fromhistory. Using textbooks for a few cen-turies has taught us a lot. They keep thelocal instructor in the educationalprocess. I believe that “new media texts”are a much better model for helpingeducation. One of the “sweet spots”includes materials that are beautifullyproduced, feedback enabled, andmodular. Think of short, elegant text-book chapters that include automatichomework and quiz grading coupled toanalytical data tools. Such a formatcould continuously improve and morphwith the digital world. Successfulmodules would be the product of a coor-dinated effort so that they embody alogical progression and use consistentnomenclature. ee

edX: Hostile Takeover or Helping Hand?Flowers, from page 1

In edX’s MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), Ibelieve we have a product without a strategy. . . . Forgood reasons, a MOOC is viewed as a hostile takeoverof a course. . . .The MOOC model is an arrogantstatement about what a course should be. Educators donot react favorably to being taken out of that decisionprocess and potentially out of the picture altogether.


13

Leadership in organizing those bite-size building blocks could be an impor-tant service from a leading educationalinstitution like MIT. Such modules wouldprovide freedom to customize coursesand free faculty to use “lecture” time formore inspirational and experiential pur-poses. (MIT would have a strong compar-ative advantage given our Mens et Manustradition.) A successful system wouldallow others to add “apps” or plugins.Offloading training time to studentsmight allow university residence time tobe reduced without harming the overallefficacy of a degree.Sustainability is essential. Especially for

commodity subjects, elegant and con-nected digital texts would easily justifyusage fees and probably be seen as a bless-ing and a bargain. For those who couldnot afford fees, use could be free since themarginal cost of additional users wouldbe very low. You do not have to be an AynRand disciple to see that rewarding thosewho create materials that support educa-tion is good. Without royalty payments,would we have great textbooks?My presentation in Australia was spon-

sored by Smart Sparrow, a company par-tially funded by The University of NewSouth Wales. It offers an educational soft-ware system derived from one of theirdoctoral theses. Smart Sparrow’s threeprinciples are: Promote Learning byDoing, Be Intelligent and Adaptive, and

Empower the Teacher. Maybe those ideasoffer a good role model for us. MOOCs are about telepresence.

However, real presence is essential.Imagine a letter of recommendation

written by a faculty member in charge of aMOOC: “Although I have never met JaneDoe, I think she would be a great contrib-utor to your research program/company.In the on-line chat rooms that support mycourse, she often rose to the top of theanswer-quality index. Her answers toother students’ questions were clear andconcise. . . .” I would not write nor trust aletter like that.Direct human interaction is complex.

Experimental psychologists are teachingus volumes about the importance of non-verbal communications. Most of ourbrain activity is devoted to processes wedo not even notice. Read Nobel Prize

winner Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fastand Slow and Lenord Mlodinow’sSubliminal. Both books are rich with evi-dence that we are unlikely to learn toknow students or truly educate them

without meeting them. Without our beingwith them, students can learn only a low-bandwidth version of us and of theirclassmates.MOOCs are not likely to lead MIT to

understand which parts of educationrequire time together. I believe the answerto that question is important and answer-ing it should be a central part of our strat-egy. It is more important than softwaredevelopment.I hope it is not too late to reboot or at

least redirect.

Woodie Flowers is Pappalardo ProfessorEmeritus in the Department of MechanicalEngineering ([email protected]).

Collections of inexpensive “course badges” couldundermine the value of a diploma and society wouldrealize too late that critical thinking, creativity, andprofessionalism are not easily adopted or evaluated via ascreen. . . . I believe that “new media texts” are a muchbetter model for helping education. One of the “sweetspots” includes materials that are beautifully produced,feedback enabled, and modular. Think of short, eleganttextbook chapters that include automatic homework andquiz grading coupled to analytical data tools.

Nominate a Colleague for the MacVicar Faculty Fellows Program

TH E MACVICAR FACU LTY FE LLOWS

Program recognizes MIT faculty who havemade exemplary and sustained contribu-tions to the teaching and education ofundergraduates at the Institute. Togetherthe Fellows form a small academy of schol-ars committed to exceptional instructionand innovation in education.

MacVicar Faculty Fellows are selectedthrough a competitive nominationprocess, appointed for 10-year terms,and receive $10,000 per year of discre-tionary funds for educational activities,research, travel, and other scholarlyexpenses.

For more information and the nomi-nation process, visit web.mit.edu/macvicar/ or contact the Office of FacultySupport at x3-6776 or [email protected].

Nominations are due on Thursday,November 15.


14

to carry what we do. Some of us wonderwhether the originators of these X initia-tives even thought about liberal educationin the humanities at all, or if it was addedas an afterthought – although we will beallowed in to join the party if we choose toadapt our methods and our subjects to theneeds and plans of teachers of science andengineering.Setting aside the enormous question of

assessment – which will be an issue forany narrative question or any complexsynthesis in any field – just asking whetherwhat we humanists do can be done onlineis, I suppose, an opportunity to clarifywhat we teach. Why does it seem sointractable to transmit humanistic learn-ing to the thousands around the worldhungry for education? We, too, havelecture classes in which we model theintellectual processes we value. We teachstudents how to think; but surely, you say,they learn to think in their science andengineering classes too. Is the difficulty in translating humanis-

tic thought to online modules as simple asthe distinction between passive learningand active learning, as obvious as the dif-ference between rote learning – memo-rization – learning facts and sequences –and learning how to frame questionswithout answers or to strike out obliquelyin new directions? Is it, as my philosopherfriends say, the difference betweenknowing that (water is wet or gravitypulls) and knowing how (to ride a bike ormake a pie)? Certain labs will be aproblem in online education, learning“how” to interact with the material world.Already the pioneering MITx team hasseen that students prefer to watch prob-lems being worked out on screen ratherthan being given finished solutions – apreference for access to the process ratherthan final answers. Jane Austen described her heroine’s

education in Mansfield Park this way: “. . .he recommended the books whichcharmed her leisure hours, he encouraged

her taste, and corrected her judgment: hemade reading useful by talking to her ofwhat she read, and heightened its attrac-tion by judicious praise.” To fully compre-hend this passage, one wants to dissectwhat Austen meant in 1814 by “taste,”“judgment,” and best of all, “useful.” Buteven reading superficially, one can see thatshe is describing a personal interactiveprocess geared to a specific mind. Andindeed, teachers of literary texts must takeinto account where the student is comingfrom – intellectually, culturally, develop-

mentally, philosophically – in order tohelp move that student forward in his orher thinking. The social practices inhumanities classrooms resist standardiza-tion because in order to help their stu-dents progress, teachers have to knowthem as intellectuals clearly enough tohelp them to articulate their opinions,refine their critical skills, and guide theirthinking into new paths. They must helpstudents formulate their ideas so that theyare recognizable to others. It is slow workand requires sustained and individualized– and above all interactive – attention. Wedo not so much transmit information asteach our students how to relate to theworld, to their own experience, and tolanguage in new and sophisticated ways.The subject I teach – literature – is not

entertainment for leisure hours. It altersand expands what one knows about lifeand the world, offering new ways to thinkabout meaning, another vocabulary forresponding to the significant questions of

life. Stories and poems expand one’s expe-rience and understanding about what isimportant and why. What matters ulti-mately in human life? What does onevalue and why? What do others value?How does age (or gender or race, etc.)change what one values and why? What isthe nature of happiness, satisfaction, ful-fillment? Such questions have no universalanswers and their specific content varieswith history and cultural context –although there are continuities that tran-scend time and place. Literary texts

suggest ways to think about these thingsby means of images, analogies,metaphors, juxtaposition, vocabularies,diction, style, pace, tone, and so on, inaddition to plot and character. But inter-pretations of these formal characteristicsare made by particular people with partic-ular histories. Our materials do not havethe same uniformity as those of science.One cannot transpose the materials soeasily. They are context, author, and inter-preter sensitive. In our classes, group discussion often

opens up what we have read together andadds layers to it. Students see that byengaging one another’s minds, they canturn up the general illumination, movethe conversation forward and get some-where new. In literature classrooms, I haveoften had to restrain my MIT undergrad-uates trained to eliminate false premises,and reorient them to listen to one anotherfor what is true or at least heading in theright direction. We generally do not try to

HumanitiesXPerry, from page 1

Setting aside the enormous question of assessment . . .just asking whether what we humanists do can be doneonline is, I suppose, an opportunity to clarify what weteach. . . . Literary texts suggest ways to think about . . .things by means of images, analogies, metaphors,juxtaposition, vocabularies, diction, style, pace, tone, andso on, in addition to plot and character. Butinterpretations of these formal characteristics are madeby particular people with particular histories. Ourmaterials do not have the same uniformity as those ofscience. One cannot transpose the materials so easily.They are context, author, and interpreter sensitive.


15

take apart one another’s reactions, butrather try to appreciate the complexity ofresonance and suggestion, and to buildupon one another’s insights. After multi-ple interpretations to unpack the conno-tations of key words and articulate thenuances of meaning, what emerges ismore than the original text; indeed, whatthe class creates is a new work. Class dis-cussion provides the opportunity for eachto go beyond the initial experience ofreading and the multiplicity of associationin the room permits a creativity not avail-able to any student alone with a text. Thiskind of communal discussion, thisimmersion in the meanings of a text, canbe transformative because it shows stu-dents what is possible in reading deeply,not just what is in a particular text.Nor do we yet understand the physics

of learning – why one learns from somepeople and not others (regardless of whois a “better” teacher); how we humanscommunicate with our eyes and expres-sions and gestures and posture and bodylanguage, our decibel levels and intona-tions, as much as with our words.Learning happens differently in relation-ships than it does alone in front of ascreen. Groups assembled online are notas fully participatory as in face-to-faceexchanges in real time. The forms ofsociality promoted by online interactionspermit the projections of personaswithout the same authenticity of responsethat one is held to in live conversation.Everyone can feel the difference between alive performance and listening to arecording. As a performer, I am aware ofthe alchemy of presence – how different itis to play for real people rather than toperform in a studio. One can put so muchmore across when one is in the sameroom; and how flexibly and creatively onethinks when students are listening!

I suppose we ought to begin by askingwhat education is for. Increasingly it is forcredentialing, although not long ago wetalked of educating people to be informedcitizens in a genuine democracy and forenriching their lives. Neither purposeappears to be on the table anymore. I alsofear that this initiative will alter our resi-dential practice willy nilly in the name of

teaching the hungry millions. Online edu-cation will be used here on campus forremedial purposes or to convey core con-cepts that some students may take longerto grasp. And so we cudgel our brains tothink of online modules that might makesense for literary education. One of mycolleagues suggested that we might teachpunctuation this way – an excellent idea.But what will it mean for those forms ofteaching and kinds of content not intrin-sically suited to such an approach? Willthey be valued more or less? edX may not be a simple add-on

option – at least not in the Humanities.The question of resource allocation insuch subjects has not been considered.Subjects in literature and culture taught in

the Open University in the U.K., theglobal pioneer in “distance learning” fornearly half a century, place huge demandson their tutors. They not only grade andcomment extensively on individualpapers but, thanks to the University’sasynchronous online tutorial system, areavailable more or less around the clock toguide, counsel and conduct dialogue withactively-learning students; to answeronline queries, to fill in background andcontext, and to explain at length whatindividual students might not under-stand. No professor at MIT or Harvard isgoing to commit that kind of effort toindividual tutorials, nor is it feasible giventhe numbers involved. Will this existing

“best practice” be ignored in the stampedeto quickly think up ways to use onlineteaching? And what might we lose if wecommit ourselves, our time, and ourresources to online education withoutconsidering these basic questions?1. What happens in face-to-face class-

room experience that cannot be dupli-cated online and is worth preserving?2. For whose benefit are we developing

online modules in the Humanities and why?3. Will this effort change what we try to

teach?4. What are the real costs of adequately

personalized interactive teaching onlineand of its assessment?

Ruth Perry is a Professor in the LiteratureSection ([email protected]).

edX may not be a simple add-on option – at least not inthe Humanities. The question of resource allocation insuch subjects has not been considered. Subjects inliterature and culture taught in the Open University inthe U.K., the global pioneer in “distance learning” fornearly half a century, place huge demands on theirtutors. They not only grade and comment extensively onindividual papers but, thanks to the University’sasynchronous online tutorial system, are available moreor less around the clock to guide, counsel and conductdialogue with actively-learning students . . . . Noprofessor at MIT or Harvard is going to commit that kindof effort to individual tutorials, nor is it feasible given thenumbers involved.

I suppose we ought to begin by asking what educationis for. Increasingly it is for credentialing, although notlong ago we talked of educating people to be informedcitizens in a genuine democracy and for enriching theirlives. Neither purpose appears to be on the tableanymore.


16

TH E O F F I C E O F FAC U LTY Supportseeks preliminary proposals for faculty-led projects to enhance the educationalexperience of MIT undergraduates.Projects that involve faculty-studentdirect interaction, cross-disciplinaryboundaries, or aspire to provide dynamicand effective teaching are all appropriate.Projects can be focused at any level ofundergraduate education. The d’ArbeloffFund Review Committee is particularlyinterested in initiatives affecting largenumbers of students over time, or sub-jects that transcend specific departmentalcurricula.

This year with the advent of MITx, theCommittee welcomes proposals for proj-ects that will explore ways in which onlinelearning experiments can help MITfaculty teach in the MIT residential educa-tional system. Projects that span multiplesubjects are encouraged, as is the develop-ment of modules to be used within asubject or across subjects.

Special attention will be accorded toenhancements of subjects offered in thefirst-year and in the General InstituteRequirements (GIRs). The Committee isinterested in proposals aimed at fostering

faculty participation in the educationalexperiences of undergraduates beyondthe classroom, such as mentoring andadvising, especially of freshmen.

For guidelines and more information,visit web.mit.edu/darbeloff/ or contactthe Office of Faculty Support at x3-6776or [email protected].

Preliminary proposals, with an esti-mated budget, are due by Friday, October 5.

Request for Preliminary Proposals forInnovative Curricular Projects

The Alex and Brit d’Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in Education

To The Faculty Newsletter:

I WANT TO THAN K you for continuingto send the Newsletter to me. I retiredfrom the Department of BiologicalSciences (which was dismantled long ago)at age 65, and went over to the BostonUniversity School of Medicine to teachpathology to medical students, and doresearch for another 10 or so years. I haveenjoyed it all and after completing mydoctoral work at the University ofMissouri in 1958, never did another day ofwork – it was all fun! My only commenton contrasting the students at MIT and atBU is that MIT students know how tothink; BU Medical students know how tomemorize! Other than that they are allwonderful, stimulating, and delightful

slices of humanity, placed on this old rockto enjoy!My major reason for this note is that a

new President [of MIT] has been chosenand that offers some opportunitiesunavailable before, namely, engaging theentire faculty in the continuing progressof the Institute programs, the progress ofwhich is not easily approached but, in myopinion, essential to the success of thisgreat institution in meeting its obligationsin a dangerous and ever-changing world.The letter from the Editorial Board of

the Newsletter to the Class of 2012 andProfessor Reif ’s remarks to the MIT com-munity illustrate much of the need forsuch action. However, what really broughtthe subject to mind was a comment madeby one of my former faculty mates,

Professor Steven Tannenbaum, in one ofyour recent issues. After reading severaldemands by faculty members for thegroup to get on with some decisions,Steven said something like “here we goagain, from the top down,” indicating thatthe senior faculty is usually telling theothers what to do – obviously not the wayto move things ahead! It would be nice tobe able to include the entire faculty, orappropriate interested persons, in impor-tant decisions for the Institute. Once more, let me thank you and col-

leagues for the usually interesting andsurely useful Faculty Newsletter. Bestwishes to you “all.” (I’m from below theMason/Dixon line!)

Paul M. Newberne

lettersThanks and some reflections


17

FACU LTY AN D STAFF APPEAR to bequite satisfied in their role at MIT. Morethan 90% of survey respondents said theywere somewhat or very satisfied being anMIT employee (see Figure 1). Across allSchools, faculty posted higher satisfactionratings in 2012 than in 2008 (see “MITNumbers,” back page).Early this year, then-Provost Rafael

Reif and Executive Vice President andTreasurer Israel Ruiz invited MIT facultyand staff to participate in a quality of lifesurvey. The Web-based survey was spon-sored by the Council on Family and Work,Office of the Provost, and Chair of theFaculty. The purpose of the survey was toexamine the work-life environment forfaculty, other instructional staff,researchers, postdoctoral scholars, admin-istrative staff, support staff, and servicestaff at MIT. The survey closed in late February with

more than 7,000 responses, achieving a61% overall response rate. Two-thirds offaculty answered the survey, in line withthe 69% of faculty who answered a similarsurvey in 2008.Below is a summary of some of the

broad-level campus results, organized bytopic area.

SatisfactionWhen asked about their satisfaction withlife outside of MIT, most employee groupsrated this item slightly higher than satis-faction with being an employee, except forfaculty and postdoctoral scholars, whotended to report lower satisfaction withtheir life outside MIT. Faculty and post-doctoral scholars also tended to reportlower levels of satisfaction with theirability to integrate the needs of their workwith their personal/family life – 64% and70%, respectively (see Figure 2). While

35% 57%

Very dissatisfied

Somewhat dissatisfied Neutral Somewhat

satisfied Very

satisfied

-100% -80% -60% -40% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Admin

Support

Service

Faculty

Instructor

Research

Postdoc

Overall

41% 23%

Very dissatisfied

Somewhat dissatisfied

Neutral Somewhat satisfied

Very satisfied

-100% -80% -60% -40% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Admin

Support

Service

Faculty

Instructor

Research

Postdoc

Overall

Figure 1: Satisfaction with being an employee of MIT

Figure 2: Satisfaction with ability to integrate the needs of work with personal/family life

continued on next page

Survey Says: Faculty Happy But Stressed

Highlights from the 2012 Faculty and StaffQuality of Life Survey

Instructional Staff

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faculty, on average, were less satisfied withwork-life integration than other groups,they saw a marked improvement in 2012over 2008, when just 41% of facultyreported being somewhat or very satisfied.

Workload and StressOn average, faculty and postdoctoral schol-ars reported working more hours per weekthan other employee types (see Figure 3).Faculty also tended to rate their workloadheavier than other groups on campus; morethan half of faculty said their workload wastoo heavy or much too heavy, while fewerthan 1% said too light or much too light(see Figure 4). Faculty in 2012 reportedheavier workloads than faculty in 2008(64% too heavy or much too heavy in 2012,compared to 58% in 2008).In tandem with the findings regarding

workload, faculty were more likely thanother groups to report being over-whelmed by all they had to do during thepast year (see Figure 5).

ClimateThe survey had a number of questionsabout department/unit climate. Amongthem was one that asked faculty and staff torate their level of agreement or disagree-ment with: “My department/unit is a goodfit for me.” 83-87% (depending onemployee type) said they somewhat orstrongly agreed with this statement. 86% offaculty agreed with the statement, up from77% in 2008. See Figure 6 (next page) for abreakdown of faculty results by School.The vast majority of respondents also

expressed confidence in their work abilities;90% or more of faculty and staff, regardless oftype, somewhat or strongly agreed with “I amconfident in my ability to do my job well.”

MentoringThe survey asked several questions onmentoring, including one about whetheror not faculty and staff felt as though theyhad received adequate mentoring whilethey were at MIT. More than half of service

Faculty Happy But Stressedcontinued from preceding page

49% 14%

Much too heavy

Too heavy

About right

Too light

Much too light

-100% -80% -60% -40% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Admin

Support

Service

Faculty

Instructor

Research

Postdoc

Overall

Figure 4: Overall reasonableness of workload

32% 21%

Never Occasionally Often Very Often

-100% -80% -60% -40% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Admin

Support

Service

Faculty

Instructor Research

Postdoc

Overall

Figure 5: Felt overwhelmed during last year

Figure 3: Average number of hours in typical work week (full-time faculty and staff only)

Mean Work Hours Per WeekAdministrative 47Support 39Service 42Faculty 63Instructional Staff 50Research 48Postdoc 55Overall 49

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and support staff chose “Not applicable”for this question – compared to just 13%of faculty. Faculty were more likely thanother groups to say they had received ade-quate mentoring (see Figure 7).The data from the comprehensive

survey will be the basis for the next phaseof work for the Council on Work and

Family, which is to write a formal reportand formulate recommendations that canimprove the well-being of our commu-nity, helping to ensure MIT is a placewhere we have fulfilling and productiveprofessional and personal lives.

Strongly disagree

Somewhat disagree Neutral

Somewhat agree

Strongly agree

-100% -80% -60% -40% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

SAP

Engineering

SHASS

Science

Sloan

Overall

Yes No

-100% -50% 0% 50% 100%

Admin

Support

Service

Faculty

Instructor

Research

Postdoc

Overall

0% 50% 100%

Figure 6: My department/unit is a good fit for me

Figure 7: Received adequate mentoring

From Faculty Chair Sam Allen

The generally high measures offaculty satisfaction, and theirincrease since the 2008 survey, arevery encouraging (see Figure 1, page 18, and “MIT Numbers,” backpage). At the same time, a significantnumber of faculty report feeling over-whelmed either “often” or “veryoften.” 63% find the workload either“heavy” or “too heavy” (Figures 4 and5, page 18), and compared withother groups at MIT, faculty find theintegration of work with personal/family life to be a challenge (Figure 2,page 18). Apparently, a work environ-ment that involves significant stressfrom pace and pressure can alsoprovide a high level of job satisfaction– even with only 3.3 restful nights ofsleep per week!The data presented here, and

additional data from earlier MITsurveys are available on the MITInstitutional Resources Website atweb .m i t . e d u / i r / s u r v e y s /s t a f f s u r v e y . h tm l . 2012 MITFaculty Survey results broken downby School and by department havebeen shared with deans and depart-ment heads, and should help to iden-tify specific opportunities forimprovements and ways to addressthem.

Text and data for this article provided by theOffice of the Provost/Institutional Research.

Not applicable

Instructional Staff


M.I.T. NumbersFrom the 2008 and 2012 Faculty Survey

Source: Office of the Provost/Institutional Research

“Overall, how satisfied are you being a faculty member at MIT?”

Very dissatisfied

Somewhat dissatisfied

Neutral Somewhat satisfied

Very satisfied

-100% -80% -60% -40% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2012

2008

2012

2008

2012

2008

2012

2008

2012

2008

2012

2008

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mit faculty newsletter vol. xxv no. 1, september/october...

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