Harvard: Prospective CS50 AP Teachers Must cc:Microsoft On Training Applications

theodp writes: Did you know that Microsoft has supported Harvard in creating a new version [of its wildly-popular CS50 course] called CS50 AP, designed specifically for secondary school educators?" asks a Microsoft Born to Learn Blog post. "If you might like to teach CS50 AP (and, in turn, AP CS Principles) in your own classroom this year," Harvard informs prospective teachers, "you are cordially invited to join us at one of our teacher training workshops to be held in various locations around the country and the world!" But before applications can be successfully submitted, teachers are required to respond to the following statement, and Harvard won't take 'No' for an answer: "Our friends at Microsoft are helping us distribute the teacher support materials for this version of CS50 for secondary school teachers and students. By checking the box below, you acknowledge that we may share the data you submitted through this form with them as part of this planning process." Microsoft is certainly calling the K-12 CS education shots these days — heck, the White House even let Microsoft President Brad Smith brief reporters about plans to spend $4B in tax dollars on a new CS for All K-12 initiative before the President told taxpayers about it. By the way, the CS50 AP Wiki contains a CS50x/CS50 AP Authorization and Release form which, among other things, requires camera-shy CS50 AP students to agree to "sit in a 'no-film' zone" if they do not want photos or videos of themselves used by Harvard to promote the Microsoft-supported course." From the agreement: "I understand that my teacher will take reasonable steps, with my cooperation, to avoid including identifiable images of me in the Recordings. I understand that I am free to opt out of the Recordings in this way, and that doing so will not affect my grade or my ability to participate in course activities. Unless I opt out of the Recordings as described above and take the steps that will be outlined by the instructor to avoid being filmed, I authorize Harvard and its designees to use the Recordings. I understand and agree that the Recordings may include my image, name, and voice. I also understand and agree that, even if I opt out of the Recordings, my spoken name and voice may be picked up by microphones outside any "no-film" zone and may be included in the Recordings.

Comments

Why are we tolerating this?

[ShaunC]

Would people be okay with the idea of Exxon helping to design AP Environmental Science curriculum? Should criminal justice coursework be overseen by Smith and Wesson? Corporate sponsors don't belong in these roles but for some reason everyone throws caution to the wind when they hear "computer."

Re:Why are we tolerating this?

[Zak3056]

Would people be okay with the idea of Exxon helping to design AP Environmental Science curriculum?

No, because they have a vested interest obfuscating the issue, and a history of doing so in the past. Designing a curriculum in geology, or mineral extraction? Why not, they probably have quite a bit to offer, here.

Should criminal justice coursework be overseen by Smith and Wesson?

No, because they're a manufacturer of precision machined products, and have no core competency in law. I'm sure, though,they their engineers and machinists would do a hell of a job in educating those on the vo/tech side of the high school educational path.

Should Microsoft be able to contribute to CSCI educational coursework? (I'm putting words in your mouth, for the sake of argument)

Yes, yes, they should. Apple, Google, Cisco, HP or whatever they're calling themselves these days, etc, yes, they can absolutely play an important role, here.

Corporate sponsors don't belong in these roles

Now we come to the crux of the issue. Despite my statements above, the idea that Microsoft should be interesting themselves in the AP process to the point where they must be included on all correspondence is absolutely ridiculous and should NOT be allowed. "Giving back" by devoting some of the talent an experience these companies have at their disposal? Yes, absolutely. Being part of the "process?" Fuck no.

Re:Why are we tolerating this?

[Penguinisto]

Exactly. It used to be Apple who dictated what was taught in high school computer science courses, but it looks like they let Microsoft take over.

Umm, yes and no.

I did the teaching thing for a living (HS and Collegiate-level CS, no less), and here's how it really works:

Option A: Write your own curriculum, your own syllabus, your own tests, your own labs, select your own textbooks (within an approved list, from state-approved vendors), insure your classroom and your school both have the budget for it (doubly so if any of it relies on equipment such as desktops, servers, networking gear, etc), insure that it all tracks with state education standards for your subject matter and level of competence, get it all approved by the state office of education... And then maybe next year you can start teaching it, but note that you'll have to do it all over again as soon as newer information and technologies come out. Also note that anyone in the bureaucratic morass can (and sometimes often will) happily veto the whole thing with a long list of objections, causing you to spend countless hours and metric tons of paper in justifying it.

--or--

Option B: Have $megacorp arrive and provide all the syllabi, curricula, tests, labs, and in some cases even the textbooks - for free! Hell, they'll even give you a massive discount on the equipment. The state board of education (never known for their technical acumen) has already rubber-stamped approval for it, and as a bonus you, your managers, your principals/administrators... they're all salivating at the massive PR (and potential career) boost they'll get when they present it to the public with lots of pomp and circumstance. Oh, and the school board will just love you to death - maybe even give you a plaque for your wall at home, calling you an 'innovator' or suchlike.

Now... throw in the fact that most (not all, but disturbingly "most") teachers are career-oriented folks (to be too charitable about it), and they are inherently averse to either rocking the boat, or to doing more work than they already do.

So, in light of those facts, guess which option gets chosen the most? Note that I've done Option A, and I gotta tell you; it's not the class-side grunt work that's so intensive - it's the bureaucracy that sucks down all your time (and your soul, etc). But then, a labor of love is exactly that, so I don't regret it... however, way too may teachers out there, sadly, think differently on the subject.

Re:Why are we tolerating this?

[Darinbob]

There are already schools oriented towards being job mills. They're called trade schools. For engineering related stuff these would be IIT, DeVry, and so on. And trade schools can produce graduates who are very good and who continue their learning process after graduation. However these are not the same as universities. A university should be preparing the student for a lifetime in a particular field, whereas a trade school prepares the student for their first few entry level jobs only. A university is overkill for a technician whereas a trade school underprepares people for a full engineering mid level job.

Of course there are university graduates who are incompetent as well as made trade school graduates who are top notch. The difference is that the former didn't make good use of their education while the latter excelled above and beyond their education.

A university education is absolutely not needed for many jobs; street cleaning, traffic cop, board rework technician, IT help desk, etc. But if you have a knowledge worker then it makes sense to have someone who's been given knowlege and trained in how to learn. A lot of companies outsource the lower level jobs to places in the third world; not because those workers necessarily have a better education but because they're cheap. So skipping out on good education means competing directly against those workers. If the US wants to remain a top country with the best knowledge workers then it needs to encourage high level education instead of just enough to get a basic job.

There are people who can do without a university education and still succeed, but everyone can do better with one.

CS50 is a great course

[destinyland]

CS50 starts students off with C, but by the end you've moved on to PHP, SQL, JavaScript, and HTML. It's nice that people care so much about CS50 that they're now just arguing about how it's being implemented. But for what it's worth, everyone can also take the course free online at EdX, the Harvard-MIT partnership. (That's what I did.) They'll even give you a (free) certificate of completion.