All posts by Anne-Elizabeth Brodsky

Personal Relationships Policy draft: Invitation to comment

equitable policies & practices, Institutional Climate, JHU

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The Provost’s office invites you to read and comment on the Personal Relationships Policy draft. Please lend your voice toward setting up institutional supports for transparent, inclusive, and equitable environment for work and study.

The comment period extends from now until March 15.

Here’s a quick overview from Provost Kumar:

The proposed policy will provide guidance on how to avoid conflicts of interest; potential negative impacts on both the integrity of student-teacher relationships and the workplace climate; and potential personal, academic, or professional harm to the individuals themselves.

While the word “policy” alone might be enough for some of us to click DELETE, please keep this in mind:

  • Being proactive about healthy boundaries, professional & ethical behavior, and inclusive excellence (as the phrase goes) may well prevent an ugly, injurious situation.
  • Additionally, being proactive in this way contributes to a culture of (and perception of a culture of) fairness, transparency, and ultimately equity. Let’s do what we can to help each other do our best work.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Maryland SB 793 & HB 1094: proposal for JHU armed police

collaboration & leadership, equitable policies & practices, Institutional Climate, JHU, Unconscious Bias

“We wish to see the university taking on the role of constructive partner in a complex public issue of public health and educational equity and community well-being.”

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— from the open letter from faculty opposing JHU’s proposal to establish a police department

Today the Baltimore Sun has picked up the story of faculty response to the question of safety at JHU.

You can add your name to the letter here.

For more information:

Students Against a Johns Hopkins Police Force Petition: http://bit.ly/2S6I7ig

SB 793 the Community Strengthening and Safety Act: http://bit.ly/2S25v0j

Say ‘no’ to Hopkins’ private police – Op-Ed by Quinn Lester in the Baltimore Sun http://bit.ly/2S3C7Xt

Baltimore lawmakers halt proposal to create Johns Hopkins police force – Baltimore Sun http://bit.ly/2X7yx2m

Maryland lawmakers will not support Hopkins police force bill (March 2018) – The Johns Hopkins News-Letter http://bit.ly/2RYEhaN

Johns Hopkins Pushes for Armed Police on Campus – WSJ https://on.wsj.com/2S2ADws

Improving student evaluations of teaching: Univ. of Oregon

equitable policies & practices, Institutional Climate, teaching, Unconscious Bias
Recent studies at the University of Oregon indicate that student evaluations are not only biased but also do not correlate with student learning. Based on this, faculty and administrators set out to revamp their student evaluation process. Here’s an excerpt from Kristin Doerer’s article “Colleges Are Getting Smarter About Student Evaluations. Here’s How.” in the Chronicle: 

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The University of Oregon, which has students answer evaluation questions on a one-to-five scale, is looking to eliminate numerical ratings. “It’s pretty clear that if there’s a number out there, it’ll get misused,” said [Bill] Harbaugh, economics professor.

Oregon decided to have students select, from a list, teaching elements that were most beneficial to their learning and those that could use some improvement. They were then asked to provide written comments about those areas. The responses are aggregated, so professors can see if a cluster of comments indicates particular weaknesses or strengths.

The goal of all of those efforts is not only to minimize bias but also to ensure that instructors can learn from student feedback and act accordingly. “It’s so important,” said Stetson’s Peter Lake, “not to weaponize student evaluations against people but to use them constructively.”

. . . That’s in large part why Oregon decided to try a midterm student-experience survey that only the applicable faculty member can view. An instructor can make changes in the middle of a semester, when students can still benefit, encouraging them to give constructive feedback.

 

Write to the Times

Unconscious Bias

Only about 30% of the letters to the editor in the NY Times are from women, and the Times aims to change that by February 2020. essay-1294197_1280

In a letter published on Jan 31, 2019, Kimberly Probolus, American Studies PhD student at George Washington University, called attention to this disparity, writing that “submitting a letter to the editor says that in a society that refuses to acknowledge your full humanity, you insist on it. It is asserting that your ideas and words deserve an audience in a world that has historically devalued them. It is accepting that you most likely will never receive external validation for your efforts save for an automated email thanking you for your letter.”

An excerpt from the editors’ reply, which agreed with Probolus:

As for our letters page, we make our selections regardless of gender. But we are sensitive to gender imbalance, and as editors of a space dedicated to readers’ voices, we are determined to have it reflect more closely society as a whole. Going forward, we’re committing ourselves to work toward a goal of parity on a weekly basis. We’ll report back on our progress in February 2020.

But we need your help. So we want to urge women — and anyone else who feels underrepresented — to write in (here is a guide).