The New Policy Worked!

At the end of the fall semester I blogged how frustrating it was to have students start to call, e-mail, and visit me to find out what they could do to get a better grade in the final week of the semester.  Many wanted to make up assignment they missed at the beginning of the semester because they are close to an A and  lobbying for special consideration.  Or, complaining that an assignment was graded wrong or misplaced by the TA somewhere during the course of the semester and that is keeping them from an A so wondering "if anything else can be done" to get more points and get a higher grade.  Of course, there was nothing that could be done but that did not stop the lobbying.

That has all changed!  I instituted a policy in my spring syllabus for my sales and HR clas that has effectively ended the end-of-the year lobbying, begging, pleading, crying, complaining to get special consideration for extra credit or make up an assignment that did not get a passing grade or the zeroes issued to those not turned in.  The policy in the syllabus is as follows:

Students have one week to address concerns they may have over the assignments due during the semester once they have been graded and returned by TA’s. Also, once an assignment has been graded there is no going back in time to try to make it up even if missing the assignment and getting a zero.

Hallelujah!  Those two simple sentences have allowed the end of the semester to wind down gracefully without a steady stream of student lobbyists.  I highly recommend adding it to your syllabus so you last week of the term or semester is a pleasant one.

Virtual Poster Session

I came across an e-mail inviting me to attend a virtual poster session.  This could be a very cool way to get students to make poster presentations online and review by others in the class.  It could also be a great way to have a professional poster session amongst peers on or off campus.  I am going to learn more of the technology and perhaps we can do one at FELC someday.

Here is the e-mail invitation.  Check it out, I thought it was pretty cool.

You are invited to wander around Georgia Southern University's * Virtual SoTL Expo * to view the posters, and communicate any comments, suggestions, or questions to the presenters about their research and how it is improving the learning of their students. The Virtual SoTL Expo is based upon the inaugural SoTL Expo held on campus on March 30, 2010.  Simply go to the portal at http://FreeOnlineSurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?sid=70ktgudrwurv4z8738742  , identify your institution in the "Other" box, and start moving around, one step (click) at a time. When you go to the table of contents page, click on the active links for the posters. When you reach a poster, click on it for enlargement.

Thank you.
Alan Altany, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching Editor, International Journal for SoTL Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia, USA 30460-8143

Arizona Immigration Laws, Say What?!

By now you have probably heard what the state legislature and governor of Arizona did to show the world we are or can be more ignorant than those we condemn for human rights and liberties viloations or sanctions.  The law basically encourages racial profiling and citizens can sue the police if they do not act on their complaint to investigate whether someone they see in their state is legal or not.  If you watch the news shows you can also see the bigoted, racist motivations that are wrapped in the disguise of "public safety."  This law no doubt placates the morons who go to tea parties and scream at the top of their lungs that they want to federal government off their backs and in the next instant chastise the federal government for not doing enough on immigration and pass this legislation.  God forbid anyone in Arizona stop and take an educated approach to first understand the reasons there are illegal immigrants in Arizona (like it used to belong to Mexico) in the first place and work on solving those problems -- instead of passing a feel good piece of Draconiaon legislation.

But that is not my concern today.  My concern is, where is the outcry from the National Restaurant Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association that hires Hispanic workers to essentially run the back -- and increasingly -- front of the house?!  Why are they not speaking out against this law especially when their documented or legal employees get detained by law enforcement if the legislation goes into effect because "you look like you are in this country illegally!"  Why so silent?  Sure, they love being able to take advantage of those who will work for the lowest wages possible but when it comes time to stand and deliver and show their support for those who have helped them make profits in Arizona they go silent, so far.

I for one do not see myself going to Arizona unless I want to go back in time to an age before civil rights.  I will also send an e-mail to the NRA and the AHLA and ask why they are silent on this issue which has an immediate and negative effect on their workforce and labor force.

The End is Near

Now is the time for reflection by students, faculty and administrators.  How did the semester or term go in 2010?  What mistakes were made that should never be repeated and how will they be prevented from happening in the future?  Did everyone -- including students -- give their all? What should be done to identify and eliminate social loafers?  What changes will be made to the way the unit is managed from top to bottom and bottom to top?  Did you bring 100% effort to the job everyday or did you "phone it in" perhaps a time or two too many?

Reflection turns out to be an excellent method in Service Learning courses to determine what students got out of their service learning project -- whether it was an internship, service learning course, or community service project.  It should be no different for those of us in hospitality education to look back and learn to blaze a trail for a bright future -- not repeat the mistakes of those past.

Jamie Oliver Stands and Delivers

Jamie Oliver came on to the international scene as the Naked Chef.  It was always fun watching him plan and prepare a meal for friends and others at his home in England.  He has become more socially aware over the years as to the utter crap that children are being fed in the public school systems starting with projects he launched in England to provide more healthy food to school children.

He has now come to the U.S. to launch his Food Revolution in the Southeast in states such as Virginia to combat childhood obesity.  The program airs on Friday nights and I believe Tuesday on ABC at 9 pm EST.  I am watching tonights episode as I write this blog and he is currently going through a school cafeteria to see what has been packed by parents in their kids school lunch.  Some of course have been sent to school with those Lunchables (and their knock offs) which are absolutely pure 100% shit that has been shaped and colored to look like food.  He even found one child who had potato chips and candy packed by a parent for lunch.  He is even battling the food that is being sent by the USDA which you know is in bed with the major food processors that provide 100% shit food to the public schools because it is cheap to do so, which is the usual case in the United States, like chicken nuggets and fries.  Of course the beauty of this system is then the schools hook the kids on Tyson's chicken nugget shit product which makes them customers of fast food industry who also serve the same shit (and vice-versa placing demand on school lunch provider).  The one school he is at this week has even launched a Processed Food Friday to unload the backload of fake food she has in inventory that was purchased from fake food makers who know how to make fat, salt, sugar, and artificial flavorings look like real food. In one school there were posters from the Milk Board promoting their flavored milks for kids to purchase which of course have as much sugar as soft drinks.

In short, I encourage you to watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and get educated on what is going on in many public school cafeterias.  You of course can read about the more enlightened ones in Foodservice Director which is also a must read.  Jamie is using his celebrity to stand and deliver here in the states.  The question today is, "What are we doing to stand and deliver and educate school children on their eating habits?" in our respective backyards.  Come to think of it, I think it is time I pay a visit to my son's middle school.

Student Perceptions Toward Business Ethics

If not doing it at your program or in your class, I highly recommend a heavy dose of ethics assignments for students.  I went over the results of the ethics mini-cases today in my class.  It is a sobering day in the semester because it turns out that the moral compass of today's students -- a significant enough portion of the class based on today's experience anyhow -- do not have a sense of true north. 

It is evidenced in the push back I get each time when students discover that they chose a course of action that was unethical and lost points for it on the exam.  There are probably two things going on here.  The first is that they think that whatever effort they put into an assignment they should get an A.  Perhaps we can trace that sense of entitlement back to when most of them played youth sports and win or lose everyone got a trophy. The second point is that they have discovered that they chose an unethical course of action that others like them see as no problem whatsoever.  It also turns out that some of the courses of action they chose for one case in particular is a business practice used by many in our industry that misrepresents the truth to extract a few more dollars out of unsuspecting customers.

The experience shakes many to the point that I am still getting e-mails tonight for students wanting to get more points, meet with me to discuss why their choice is ethical (when it is not), they did not understand the assignment, blah, blah, blah -- regardless of the fact that they had a black and white ethics handout to study for the exam.

In retrospect I love today.  I stood and delivered.  It is one of those days where the tuition dollar they pay to get "educated" pays big dividends now as a student.  I only hope it stays with them in their careers to help shape a more ethical hospitality industry in an age where ethics takes a back seat to producing more and more and more profits, like the fraudulent Goldman and Sachs.

Not Easy to Stand and Deliver

As a result of our curriculum revision in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue, we have five core values we intend to inculcate into students.  One of the five is ethics.  As a result, ethics is taught in various forms and fashions in 80% of our core courses.

The ethical objective in my sales course is "Distinguish between ethical and non-ethical behaviors on the part of sales professionals."  The objective is accomplished by first posting a handout with various definitions of ethics and ethical sales practices for the students to study (which is posted on Blackboard to save on paper) for an exam on ethics.  The exam consists of 15 multiple choice and 5 true/false questions covering the six page handout on ethics.  Then there are three mini-case studies with various ethical dilemmas and four courses of action that could be taken with one being the most ethical and one being most unethical out of the four.  The students are instructed to first explain the ethical dilemma posed in the case citing the information they had read in the handout on ethics.  They are then to pick the most ethical choice and say why they chose it and the most unethical and explain why they chose that one. In effect, they are to write three short paragraphs in response to the case.

I am now at my desk grading the case studies completed by the students and the inspiration of this post.  Although multiple choice tests are easy to grade, they do not provide one a glimpse into the thought process of students, especially as they related to ethics.  And that is where it gets difficult to stand and deliver.  It is very difficult to sit at my desk here or at home and grade the essays.  One student did not follow instructions, one student is trying to bullshit her way through the case, another makes the wrong choices, another fails to cite the handout or even explain the ethical dilemma.  One after another I question my decision to assign the case studies in the first place.  And then when it seems as all hope is lost I get to one student's effort that is intelligent, articulate, and completely satisifies the instructions for doing the case.  Ah, perhaps there is hope and then the next one has its problems.  Aaagggghhhhhhhhhh!  I must stand and deliver and continue to read the remaining 50 with the scrutiny given the first.

When all is said and done the grading will be completed.  It will take the better part of the day to do but I will not kill this assignment and write more multiple choice or true/false questions for the next semester or develop a rubric and delegate to my TA's.  I will keep the cases and grade them myself because they provide me an opportunity to glimpse into the critical thinking processes of my students and get a better feel for their perceptions of business ethics, especially in terms of sales.  I can guarantee you that we will have a rich dialogue tomorrow in class as we go through the cases, more than we could have ever had if it were simply a multiple choice and true/false exam.  I also know that the lessons will not be lost on the students and they will retain what was discussed and learned as a result of the cases. 

But that does not mean that I will not dread the prospect of reading and evaluating the efforts of the students in the sales class next fall BUT it is the least I can do to stand and deliver on ethics for my students and our industry.

How Often Do You Stand and Deliver?

The movie Stand and Deliver still ranks as one of my all time favorite teaching inspiration movies.  Perhaps you have seen it.  The movie is based on the true story of  Jaime Escalante, a math teacher at Garfield High who convinces low income students to believe in themselves and their ability to be great at mathematics.  The movie showcases his teaching methods in the classroom as well as those he took to teach math after school, too. 

The students did so well on the 1982 Advanced Placement calculus test that they were accused of cheating, which was Escalante's first reward for being such a great teacher.  The accusations were put to rest when the students passed the test a second time.  It is also worth noting that the actor who played Escalante, Edward James Olmos, did so without pay!  Olmos is among those who honored Escalante this past wekend.

If you have not seen Stand and Deliver, rent it from your local video store -- if it has not gone out of business yet -- and watch it.  If after watching it you are not moved to tears and find yourself committed once again to being a more inventive or demanding teacher then perhaps you should go find another line of work. Perhaps if you have a colleague who just does not give a damn anymore -- or never did -- make a trip to his or her office and inspire them to do better in memory of Escalante.  I'm doing my part with this blog post.  Your turn to pay if forward.

To read the full story in LA Times, visit:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-escalante17-2010apr17,0,7196329.story

Random Thought: A Quickie On Educational Ignorance

Louis Schmier is a history professor in the Department of History at Valdosta State University in Georgia.  He regularly writes a random thought and shares with the POD listserv.  I wanted to share his thought today because it really hit home with me as to the gravity of the situation we face as educators and something to reflect on from time to time to calibarate our approach to teaching and learning. 

I was reading student journals this early morning. As I read of what seemed like a debilitating epidemic of manic depression plaguing our campus as the semester comes to a harried close, something struck me. How often do we think, do we loudly assert, that we know students. But, in truth, almost all of us know them only in the most disengaged, distant, disconnected, abstract, generalized, stereotypical, or anonymous way. This means we usually do not know them at all; we don't give a face or name to learning; everyone is a blur; we don't see the stories of individuals with varied personalities and assorted experiences and different talents, subject to diverse and contesting social, personal, and family pressures, torn by disrupting forces of transformation; we have only the dimmest understanding of what each of these people are like much less what they are going through; and we usually aren't drawn deeply below the surface into the people business of education. It all too often makes the entire process none too real.

I plan on reflecting on this thought for some time to come.  It really hit home with me as it made me face the fact that I have become more jaded toward students over the years and taken a more black or white versus grey perspective on my approach to dealing with students.

Wishing You All Many Happy Returns

Double Down, Really?!

Don't get me wrong.  I love the whole history and tradition of KFC.  The stories of Colonel Sanders as an uncompromising, potty mouth Southerner who launched what turned into a global icon out of Kentucky still warms the cockels of my heart.  The fact that KFC provides employment opportunities for those who work directly or indirectly for it makes it an important element of local economies.  The fact that it is the only place in town I can satisy my cravings for gizzards on rare occasions is another reason KFC gets high marks from me.

However, the bloom falls off the rose when some corporate research chef works with a CFO to produce a menu item that absolutely positvely should not be made available to already obese Americans. That's right.  I am talking about the Double Down.  Perhaps you have seen it advertised on television or in the print media as Monterrey and Pepper Jack cheese with bacon strips sandwiched in between two fried chicken breasts with a special sauce.  This gives a whole meaning to the word "chicken sandwich" with the chicken serving as the bun.  What of course will not be advertised is the fact that it will have 540 calories, 1,380 milligrams of salt and believe it or not the "healthy grilled chicken breast option" actually has 1,430 milligrams of salt, which is insane given the American Dietetic Association recommends a daily intake of 1,500 milligrams of sodium.  Let's not forget the sandwich packs in 32 grams of fat accounting for most of the calories.

I was impressed when KFC rolled out its 395 calories for $3.95 menu option and had us UnThink fried over roasted chicken.  But the Double Down is plain dumb and ill conceived given the epidemic of obesity in this nation for the sake of making a buck.  Yes, I know the counter argument that "it is a free country and Americans can choose not to purchase this item for the sake of their health" which is bullshit.  We all know that KFC would not make this investment without supporting it with millions of dollars of advertising to convince consumers tjhat they have to Double Down.  Let us also not forget that fast food corporations are clued in to the fact that menu items loaded with fat, salt, sugar makes us crave more fat, sugar and salt.  If you think I am making this up please read Kessler's "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite" which reports on the actions being taken by food companies to make you crave their offerings -- even though they absolutely know they are not good for you to consume more than an occasional basis.

So, hopefully we can have a current events conversation with students this week about social resonsibility of large food conglomerate's, like Yum's KFC brand, and not doing things that negatively impact the health of American consumer over the return to shareholders.  So if you gotta double down, do it at your local casino.  You might lose a little money but will not gain a ton of heart clogging calories.

Free Online Qualtrics Seminar

Do you do survey research?  Would you like to be able to collect your data in real time to save time from coding and entering the data into a spreadsheet before it can be analyzed? Perhaps the free seminar from Qualtrics is for you.  We use it at Purdue and it is a decent means by which to put together surveys.  We have used them recently in my department to do evaluations of candidates who have been invited to campus to compete for the faculty positions we currently have open.  You could use them to get feedback on your teaching, as well, using Qualtrics because it is relatively easy to use.

The information on the upcoming seminar is below:
As a researcher, you demand more from a survey software. Your creativity is stifled by limited question types. You require advanced logics to customize your survey flow. You get frustrated when your data export options are limited. We know, because we’re researchers too.

Far too often, research professionals get stuck using solutions that are too difficult to use, or can’t do enough. We invite you to join a webinar that demonstrates how the Qualtrics Research Suite “makes sophisticated research simple.” Register today and discover why Qualtrics is used by all 30 of Business Week’s Top 30 Business Schools in America.

Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT
Duration: 60 minutes
Register: Click here to reserve your seat: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/718601131
Bonus: Sign up now and we’ll send you the “How to Increase Survey Response Rates” whitepaper for free.

Innovative Pedagogy & Course Redesign X

As someone who wholeheartedly embraces teaching that requires cooperation between students and faculty on interdisciplinary projects, I thought I would share the following announcement:

As a Jesuit institution, Fairfield has a particular commitment to teaching and learning. In the tradition of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, Fairfield faculty take seriously cura personalis, the teaching and care of the whole person. In this spirit, our activities integrate intellect and affect in the service of others.

We hope you can join us for exploration and discussion in this, our tenth annual summer conference, Crossing the Disciplinary Divide: Innovative Pedagogy & Course Redesign X, on June 2 through 4, 2010.

The problems of the real world, as with its opportunities, come not in neat, disciplinary packages but as highly unstructured chal¬lenges to human thinking. Whether solving the global economic crisis, global warming, sustainable development, or helping students sort out work, relationships and their life projects—people need wildly varied and complementary learning experiences.

Building on last year’s conference focus on the national integra¬tive learning movement1, we seek work that specifically aims at interdisciplinary thinking, cross-disciplinary collaborations and inte-grated solutions to complex problems. Particularly welcome is work that builds on the AAC&U’s 15 meta-rubrics2 for knowledge, abili¬ties and values deemed essential to all institutional missions.

Bottom line: we want the most powerful practices to help stu¬dents make intentional connections across varied disciplines and in personal, professional and civic life as they:

• Connect skills and knowledge from multiple sources and experiences
• Put together ideas from different courses
• Make connections across core disciplines
• Apply theory to practice in new situations or settings
• Include diverse and even contradictory points of view
• Understand issues and positions contextually

We especially encourage bridge-building proposals that cross not only subjects or units but help faculty and/or professional staff learn about content and skills outside their specialties. As keynoter Therese Huston shows in her book Teaching What You Don’t Know, when we share “the fervor of the uninformed” students learn how to become expert learners themselves and how to think outside the box in any situation.

As with last year, while all submissions are welcome, we espe¬cially encourage team and cross-disciplinary presentations.

To learn more contact:
Cynthia B. Delventhal, Program Assistant
Center for Academic Excellence
1073 North Benson Road (Library 106)
Fairfield, CT 06824 USA
(203) 254-4000, ext. 2876
cae@mail.fairfield.edu
http://www.fairfield.edu/

2 + 2 = ?

At the recent FELC Summit there were plenty of sessions on how to teach culinary math so that those students who struggle with math "get it."  We struggle with teaching this essential skill, in the form of accounting, to our students in our department at Purdue.  No doubt you are struggling with this at your program, too.

If so, consider today's blog message as one way to crack the math code.  One of the reasons that students struggle with math -- no matter the stripe -- is that it is being taught by those who "get it" to those who really do not.  More often than not those who teach math are very good at abstract thinking to a classroom full of students who are concrete learners.  That is why it is very important to not have those who are good at math teach it to those who are not because they will teach it in a way they learn it best and not necessarily a way in which the students will or can learn it.  That was a mouthful!  In other words, there needs to be a math translater who can interpret what the teacher is trying to communicate to those who are not fluent in it.  More important than that, according to Willingham, if the brain does not think it can learn something it will not.  In short, what may seem a simple matter of 2 + 2 = 4 to those who get math and teach it so it makes sense to them find that such is not the case for those who really truly don't see how it all adds up.

Mid Semester Course Evaluation

When I was a student most teachers were required to have students do a course evaluation. A task we are getting close to complete in a few weeks here at Purdue.  Teachers were evaluated for enthusiasm, preparedness, ability to explain difficult material clearly and other such things. Although I welcomed the opportunity to evaluate my various teachers, the problem I had with them was the timing – they were done at the end of the semester?! In the spirit of service quality management, I wondered why I had not encountered a single teacher who had taken the time to investigate whether or not the students were satisfied with the course while we were taking it. In doing so, the teachers would have known (providing they cared) whether or not the course was meeting mine and their expectations so that changes could be made in the event that they were not. More important, I was perplexed as to why no department head had ever required faculty to determine whether or not students were getting value for their tuition dollar from their faculty before the semester was out.

Not wanting to repeat the mistakes of teachers past, I now do a mid-semester course evaluation. I actually have the audacity to view my students as my customers and seek to determine whether or not they are satisfied with my teaching services while they are taking my course. Besides, I tell them how important it is to evaluate the quality of service they provide to customers and would be remiss not to do the same as their teacher. This seemingly simple idea has proven to be a profound learning experience for me and the students. Not only do I learn whether or not my customers are satisfied, the students learn whether or not their individual perception of the course is shared by other students and that I am truly open to modifying the course so that it will meet, if not exceed, their educational needs.

The procedure for doing the assessment is simple. I do a modified Small Group Instructional Diagnostic (SGID). I essentially ask the students to answer two questions: “What do you like about the way the course is being taught?”, “What suggestions do you have to make the class better?” Once I obtain the results, I place them on a transparency so that I can share them with the students. I first go over the things that the students generally agreed upon as to what they liked about the way the course is being taught. Where there is consensus, I then share those things that students recommended to make the course better. I implement those suggestions immediately.

One word of caution is that deciding to implement a mid-semester evaluation may draw criticism from those who do not because it may be seen as “cheating”, oddly enough. However, if you are open to the idea of improving the quality of your teaching services it will be well worth it.

In sum, looking back on my many years as a student, I am amazed that there was not a single teacher who did a course evaluation at the middle of the semester. I could speculate all day as to the reason. My suspicion is that each new generation of faculty accepts far too many of the “accepted practices” of those before them without asking, “Why?” I choose to question everything — no stone is left unturned in my quest to better educate those who enroll in my classes. I hope you feel the same.

Great Article on Sustainable Farming in USA

I know that many of you share my passion for teaching students the sustainable farming practices that are shaping the foodservice industry for the better.  I read a great article today that I wanted to share.  The essence of the article is found in the following quote:

The sustainable farming movement, which shares some roots with the local-food movement and the organic farming trends, is gaining momentum around the country. Concerns about food safety — spawned by nationwide recalls due to salmonella or other food-borne diseases — rising food prices and the environmental impact of large-scale, corporate farming have pushed it forward. Some just see it as sensible business: Shipping food across the country and the world isn’t cost-effective, and buying local produce supports a community’s economy by keeping farmers in business and keeps dollars circulating regionally rather than sending them across country or overseas.

As such, many communities around the country are finding that developing sustainable farming in their county are producing tremendous economic benefits in the effort to meet the greening of consumer demand.  The article is worth having students read and available at:
http://www.thetimesnews.com/articles/green-32775-farms-span.html

Animal Welfare Institute Seeks Writer/Editor

Are you someone who is concerned about the way in which animals are treated as pets and food?  Are you interested in making a career change or been put into one due to a layoff? Are you wanting to supplement your income and do something to benefit the planet?  Then read the announcement below:

The Animal Welfare Institute is seeking applicants with strong writing and copy editing skills to fill a writer/editor position. The right candidate will be capable of working independently and taking initiative, as well as meeting tight deadlines and bringing a fresh approach to the table. Good organizational skills and attention to detail are essential. This is a full-time in-office position located in Washington, D.C. Salary range is $30,000-$60,000 commensurate with experience.

Responsibilities:
* Write and/or edit text for publications including books, quarterly newsletters, brochures and the annual report.
* Write and/or edit press releases, mailings, thank you letters to donors, and other materials as needed.
* Stay informed on animal issues covered by the Animal Welfare Institute, as well as other animal-related news.

Qualifications:
Bachelors Degree (a plus if in English or Journalism).
Minimum two years writing and editing experience.
Demonstrated interest in animal welfare.

To Apply:

Reply to this announcement by email to jobs@awionline.org or by mail to Animal Welfare Institute, Attn: Lucy Enniss, 900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20003. Applications that do not include all of the requirements listed below will not be considered.

PLEASE include:
Cover letter
Resume (including references and salary history/requirements)
Two-paragraph writing sample on an animal-related topic of your choice

Cornell Hospitality Research Summit Invites Research Presentations

Researchers in both industry and academe are invited to submit proposals for presentations for the inaugural Cornell Hospitality Research Summit (CHRS), scheduled for October 6–8, 2010, at the School of Hotel Administration on the beautiful Cornell campus in Ithaca, New York. Created and organized by the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research, this "thought leadership" summit will feature keynote addresses from five or six top international industry executives and scholars. The CHRS will bring together faculty, corporate partners, and other industry leaders to develop new ideas, theories, and models that improve strategic, managerial, and operating practices.

"This conference represents another way for the CHR to connect industry practitioners with active researchers, with a goal of creating new knowledge and developing improved operating processes," said Professor Rohit Verma, CHR executive director. "Not only do we want to have top-level presentations, but we want to create new research questions for future study."

Four keynote speakers have confirmed their participation in the conference:
• Christine Duffy, President and Chief Executive Officer, Maritz Travel Company,
• Frances X. Frei, UPS Foundation Professor of Service Management, Harvard Business School,
• Adam Goldstein, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International, and
• Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman, Jumeirah Group.

In addition to keynotes and breakout sessions, the CHRS will feature presentations based on real-world business topics and high-quality academic work geared to real situations. The CHRS selection committee particularly seeks proposals that explore such critical topics as social media, service innovation, revenue management, sustainable operations, and managerial decision-making tools and methods. Deadline for proposals is April 30, 2010. For more information: http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/events/submissions.htm

The summit also will recognize and reward outstanding examples of rigorous analysis and research practiced in business organizations with the newly created Hospitality in Research Practice Award. Nominees should demonstrate a practical application with a significant, verifiable, and preferably quantifiable impact on the performance of the client organization. Deadline for nominations: July 15, 2010. For more information: http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/events/award.html

70-10-10-10 Principle

I have been teaching now for 20 years and have developed expertise in all known pedagogical tools geared to enhancing the quality of my teaching and that of student learning.  It has been a very interesting journey to say the least because there is one simple truth -- all known pedagogies enhance student learning if done right. 

Through it all there is something else I have learned as a teacher over time and it has helped me focus on what is important and let some things/concerns fall by the wayside.  One of those things is the 70-10-10-10 principle and you can take it to the bank.  No matter the class, I have learned that regardless of the pedagogy used there are about 70% of students in a class or lab that will show up, do what is expected, embrace the pedagogy being used, do their best with no complaints, and move on to the next class as they march toward their life or career goals.  They are the blessed ones.  Then there are up to 10% that think you are the MOST AWESOME TEACHER they ever had regardless of what you do and think you walk on water.  Then there are up to 10% that will ABSOLUTELY DISLIKE YOU AND THINK YOU ARE THE WORST TEACHER ever no matter what you do to appease them and their misgivings.  Then there are about 10% WHO JUST DO NOT GIVE A DAMN AND DO NOT BELONG IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION.

In essence, I have learned to speak to the 80% that are there to take on the challenges posed while students and the 10% that love me no matter what I do and PAY NEXT TO NO ATTENTION to the 10% that hate me no matter what and the 10% who JUST DO NOT GIVE A DAMN.

Give this principle some thought today.  Look back over your teaching career, albeit short or long, and see if this principle has merit.  It does for me and gives new meaning to what it is I am doing in the classroom for the 80% that raring and ready to learn today!  In fact it reminds me of the quote from the book, Good to Great, STOP TRYING TO MOTIVATE THOSE WHO ARE NOT!