Florida State University Heritage Protocol

The Florida State University (FSU) Heritage Protocol was created to preserve the history of FSU through collections of various ephemeral items, including yearbooks, photographs, items of clothing, audio recordings, and films. The materials on the site are divided into six primary sections that include: "Virtual Museum", "Photo Galleries", "Mixed Media", and "Publications". In the "Virtual Museum", visitors can look at the mortar board of physical education professor, Katherine W. Montgomery, and the 1913 commencement announcement for the Florida State College for Women. Moving on, the "Photo Galleries" area includes a photo of the week feature, a collection of images from the Florida State College for Women and some unique photos of one Burt Reynolds, who went to Florida State University in the 1950s. The "Mixed Media" area is quite interesting, and visitors can view a FSU circus rehearsal film from the early 1950s and listen to an album of performances from FSU's School of Music. Finally, the "Publications" area includes primary documents like an article on the FSU Circus from the March 31, 1952 issue of Life magazine and a piece from 1955 on the FSU Marine Lab. [KMG] Copyright 2009 Internet Scout Project - http://scout.wisc.edu

Using Assessment to Bring About Cultural Change: The Value of Asessing Learning Spaces

This recent article is from Assessment UPdate: Progress, Trends, and Practices in Higher Education. Assessment UPdate is a commercial publication from Wiley Interscience but you may find that your institution has a subscription, in which case the website will recognize your IP address and permit you to have access. This article is in the May/une 2008 issue #3 of Volume 20:

In considering the issue of transforming higher education, people tend to think of the university in the abstract: the idea of providing education and what that means in these changing times. The authors suggest that the physical university should also be considered. At Ferris State University, educators have made a comprehensive effort to transform the university by creating a learning-centered culture focused on three central elements: (1) classrooms; (2) learning spaces outside the classroom; and (3) professional development. They undertook a multistage project to renovate learning spaces in a systematic fashion, combining the renovations with professional development efforts for faculty and administrators. They transformed the academic milieu both physically and intellectually with the primary purpose made of fostering a more learning-centered culture and environment. In this article, the author discusses the multistage renovation project and the role of assessment in creating a learner-centered environment.

IBM Has Never Made Typewriters

Yep, it's that time of the year again, when Beloit College releases its annual "mindset" list to help older academicians understand just what it is that the incoming freshman class does and does not know. Among some of the items which resonated with us:

• Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles;
• 98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear; and
• There have always been charter schools.

And, thanks to Inside Higher Ed, we've also got a 'down under' list of this sort for you, from the Kiwis at Massey University:

• The Irain/Iraq War has always been over;
• Soviet troops have never been in Afghanistan; and
• New Zealanders have never been able to smoke on planes.