Vol. 18, No. 28	April 22, 1999

Economist takes on new role as 'cyber-mentor' for peers

Between now and January, William T. Harris, economics, will be giving teaching advice to 45 faculty members from three East Coast schools, as part of a cyber-network pilot program called the Collegiate Development Network© (CDN).

Funded by the AT&T Learning Network and the Foundation for Independent Higher Education, CDN is an online teaching enhancement program that focuses on group problem-solving and interactive help sessions. The try-out network will link faculty in three schools, D'Youville College in New York, Elon College in North Carolina and Jacksonville University in Florida. Harris' role will be to advise the participating faculty via real-time chat sessions, e-mail and electronic bulletin board postings.

Harris and four others, in disciplines as diverse as biology, philosophy, English/rhetoric and education, were selected because they are recognized as outstanding teachers, according to Jamie De Waters of D'Youville.

De Waters is co-founder of CND and co-authored, Successful College Teaching: Problem-Solving Strategies of Distinguished Professors, the book on which CDN is based.

"These teaching fellows are distinguished in that they not only have a proven record of excellence in teaching but also have a good rapport with their fellow faculty members," De Waters said.

CDN's chat sessions are carefully planned.

Faculty members go to the web site where they find a schedule of problem scenarios posted on the bulletin board. Each mentor posts a solution to the problem. After reading the five solutions, teachers choose a chat session lead by a mentor they think will help them the most. Although each chat group is limited to five teachers, anyone in the program can "listen in."

De Waters said each mentor has a different area of teaching expertise. Harris is successful at working with large classes of 150 or more.

De Waters discovered Harris serendipitously. Her daughter, who was taking his introductory macroeconomics course, showed the packet Harris gives out on the first day of class to her mother. De Waters, a professor of education, read everything in the folder, called Harris and they've been corresponding ever since.

When De Waters and Baiocco wrote their book, Harris was one of the distinguished professors they cited.

Harris' teaching style is not typical, so, he is likely to be a real alternative to the other four mentors, she said.

"I have 520 students this semester; just keeping track of their grades and materials is job enough, but our job is to teach economics and we're going to do it in the best way possible," Harris said.

The "best way possible," according to Harris, is to have rules, make them crystal clear, allow no exceptions and then, make learning exciting.

On the first day, he gives out the packet that DeWaters saw. It's full of dos and don'ts that include at least six references to the fact that students should drop his class if they can't accept his rules. They have to sign an acknowledgment stating they have been warned. There's also a copy of his introductory remarks restating the rules and his biography. It includes his six awards and distinctions for teaching excellence, his research and hobbies, which include piloting and teaching people to pilot small aircraft and gliders, scuba diving, skydiving, Harley-Davidson riding and caring for his extensive gun collection.

Then, he runs a clip from the blockbuster movie Top Gun in which a commanding officer is laying down the law for hotshot pilot Tom Cruise. He says, "Lt. Mitchell, Top Gun rules of engagement exist for your safety and that of your team. They are not flexible nor am I. You obey them or you are history. Is that clear?"

Students know that they can't be late for class. If they are, their grades are lowered by one letter grade. So, if they are going to be late, he tells them not to come at all. For an excused absence, students must hand in a form with verification for anything they claim kept them from class. They can't have conversations during class or they'll be asked to leave. Assignments must be handed in on time or with a valid excuse form or they get a zero for that assignment. There are no exceptions.

Harris says it's easy to be distracted in these large classes, so the rules are needed to clear the way for students to learn. When he is teaching, he tries to engage them in an active exchange of information and ideas. To liven up the sessions, he calls on students at random, has discussions whenever possible, uses clips from popular movies, student street talk and situations students can identify with to illustrate points.

His classes are always full despite the fact that there are many other sections.

Harris says he watches public speakers like politicians and preachers to learn how to hold a crowd's attention. But, that's a skill he won't get to use during his tenure as one of CDN's online mentors since, in cyberspace, the only sound in a chat room is the clicking of a keyboard.

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