', JULY 22, 1964 THE MICHIGAN 10A11.V 77\7"x7 Cl RF JnlY 22, 964 71T1M / PY~r7 7lTT't LIntS THEeRdieAeTIiE Center Studies Learning By LAURENCE KIRSHBAUM Prof. Stanford Ericksen draws his finger across a jagged blue line which makes an imperfect arc on the paper in front of him. That line represents one stu- dent. When it heads upward, the student is learning. When it levels or dips, he is having learning doldrums. In psychological ver- nacular the jagged arc is a ;"Learning Curve." To the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching which Ericksen directs, it is a trademark. The arc is charted in two direc- tions. Its horizontal progress graphs the amount of time the student is studying. The vertical progress measures the amount learned. Like a fingerprint, the, line's progression differs for each student. Fingerprint But also like a fingerprint, it has certain general characteristics. For Ericksen, the most important general fact is that verticality means learning. Ericksen's self- prescribed task has become to help each student--or all 128,000 students-push the line upward. His logical focal point is the classroom: "The Center seeks to utilize its resources on finding ways to make the classroom a better environment for ,learning and thinking," he says. Achieving this goal is a two- step process. First the center must -on a limited staff-draw its; learning and r teaching theories from the techniques of experimen- tal psychology, the behavioral sciences and educational research. Dispersion Then it must disperse the knowl- edge to the community for prac- tical application. "We are trying to breach the gap between the hu- man research laboratory and the classroom," he explains. Often this breach is widened by the proprietors of the classroom themselves-the faculty. "We try to make the Center a place where the faculty can turn for help," Ericksen observes, "but we only go where we're invited." About to begin its third ! year since a faculty committee set up the center in an abandoned fra- ternity house in 1962, Ericksen never lacks such invitations. The, center, with only two full-time staff members, is working on 20 projects. phasizes. Through demonstration courses for instructors, the center shows how it grapples with learn- ing problems in the classroom. In general departmental consufta- tions, members of the center, all teachers themselves, try to help faculty members improve their teaching quality and effectiveness. By a monthly memo which was started this year, members of the center staff explore new develop- ments in television education, pro- grammed instruction, grading methods and audio-visual possibil- ities. Next year the center will cover topics ranging from "motivation to learn" to the conditions which mark good teaching for bright students. The center, established upon the recommendation of the University Senate Committee of the Improve- ment of Instruction, is attached to the Office of Academic Affairs. The committee acts as the center's advisory board. 1 r 1 s M s r r l t Co-Op Adds Stocks, Services C4 been expanding its stocks and of various inventory and financ- participate in the operation of the services over the summer. ing costs for books. store. The Student Government Coun- The Student Book Exchange The Co-op is located at 330 cil-endorsed bookstore recently (SBX), run by the Co-op, has Nickels Arcade. Basically its pur- added a new textbook ordering ps st elbosa eua service which will allow reduction been expanded, with large addi- pose s to sell books at regular tions in paperback book stocks and prices and then pay rebates to stationery supplies, ill members at the end of each Iowa Student SBX offers primarily used books semester. which it buys directly from stu- dents and resells. Savings on theseDe t Beaten in Southoks vary. SaeHm A State University of Iowa stu- Savings offered on other Co-opS dent was pistol whipped, beaten books amount to five per cent on Senate and arrested by Canton, Miss., po- on non-text volumes. The same e ast week, the Daily Iowan savings are offered by the order- reported. igsrvc.H o s1ic'r The student, who is participat- A Co-op announcement states Ing in the Mississippi Summer that books ordered before July 29 LANSING (A )-State Democratic Project sponsored by the Congress will be available in time for reg- leaders say they are ready to take f Federated Organizations, has istration for the fall semester, over the reins in the Michigan peen released on $150 bail from a Membership in the bookstore costs ouef epresntte -han Jackson prison. one dollar per year or fiveof Representatives-and He was charged with resisting dollars for life and entitles the stu- maybe the Senate-in the next arrest and reckless driving after dent to a vote at membership legislative session. police beat him. meetings. He is also eligible to Democrats are predicting con- .. - - - PROF. STANFORD ERICKSEN In one of them, a popular lec- ture course with four sections and four teachers was compressed into one lecture with one teacher. The learning device is 6 kinescopes, "tailor-made for that class," which are shown in a programmed se- quence. Since the machines cost several thousand dollars each, this teaching method cannot be du- plicated. But its value is being assessed by the performance of students in follow-up courses. The jump in their learning curves will tell Ericksen what kind of boost the experimental kinescopes gave to learning. In other projects, Ericksen turns directly to the student. His pet development is an "automated in- dependent study carroll" which will bring those 8 a.m. lectures over the "tube" - at anytime -- and put hard-to-find library books on microfilm. Own Rate For lectures and reading, the student "can go at his own rate, stop and re-trace whenever he wishes," Ericksen says. He won't waste precious learning minutes seeking reserved books which other students have removed. One hitch remains: the price, exceeds $14,000 for each audio recorder which presents the films. This is one problem which stumps1 even Ericksen, but it doesn't dis- courage him. sa Demonstrations Much of the center's best work has been done for free, he em- Ericksen came to the University three years ago from Vanderbilt University where he had served as psychology department chair- man for 15 years. Dangerous Ground Ericksen is the first to empha- size that the Center is treading on dangerous ground wherever it ex- plores. "The use of automation may be economically attractive in many cases, but we must consider, its impact on the quality of edu- cation," he warns. Reciprocally, the educational community must not expect too much too quickly from the center. "People are always looking for instant teaching formulas which. work like a juke box machine where you insert five cents and= out comes instant learning," Ericksen says.i "It would be foolish and pre- sumptuous," he writes in the wrap-up memo for the past year, "for us to try to be all instruc- tional things to all teachers int this large and complex university." He emphasizes that the centerl can move only as fast as the fac- ulty wants it. After all, "as re-t searchers we like to stay wheret the data are," he notes. But if that is where he preferst to stay, the center is nonethelesst the beginning of a bridge whicht will link teaching theory to teach-] ing practice.4 WHO Sees 'Catastrophic' Crowding in Urban Centers A') GENEVA-Migrations of rural tion-producing fuels would b populations to urban centers in titted It also called for the developing countries may reach gre.bet as, call "catastrophic dimensions" within green-belt areas, central ple 20 years, the World Health Or- supply heat and hot water ganization said yesterday. tire districts, less traffic in n "A far greater possibility of din of ctan areas and the equ aster than the Industrial Revolu- hars with devices to redu tion" is being created by crowd- ing, low earnings, poor nutrition 'nd lack of sanitation in tropical and subtropical regions, accord- ng to a New York Timues quota- tion from the WHO statement. On Socialists "After the question of keeping world peace, metropolitan plan- INDIANAPOLIS-A judge ning is probably the most serious ing freeing three Indiana U single problem faced by man in the sity socialists from anti-subv second halfrof the 20th century," charges was appealed to t- the WHO report stated. Tremen-diana Supreme Court last we dous urban population increases occur "in all continents, under The appeal was made byr capitalism a n d Communism uting attorney Thomas A.: alike, it said. ley, who argued that the The increase in urban popular has a right of self-preserv tions will be caused by two main which permits it to prosecute factors, the report noted: the ex- sons engaged in subversive a pected doubling of the world's pop- ties. ulation by the year 2000 to a The socialists involved in total of six billion and the con- case are officers of the uni tinuation of the move from coun- ty's Young Socialist Alliance. try to town due to the improved The trio was tried in Mv efficiency of agricultural produc- at which time thejudge tion. By the end of the century, local Circuit Court declared the report predicted, only about constitutional a key section o 10 per cent of the world's popula- state's 1951 anti-Communism tion will be living on farms. ate. The judge declared thai A new breed of mosquito known the federal government could as culex fatigans has already ecute cases involving advoca changed disease patterns in the violent overthrow of the gc mushrooming cities of warm ment. countries. Another prominent fac- Hoadley said he hoped the tor in preventing new cities fromlilana Supreme Court woul being the attractive places plan- able to hear arguments in the hers would like is air pollution, this fall. mainly from the "indiscriminate In the meantime, Indiana's use" of automobiles, the report is operating without univ noted. recognition, which was withc It recommended establishment after the three were arrested: of satellite towns where no pollu- 11 ~........y,:r,7["^:__:2 DAILYOFFICIAL BULLETI N_ 1 r'"fY , . .o. SS . .. .. '1'::ha.G'.."{ M'.:Y. .J:....:..:{::. Y _______1' 44 :' The Daily Official Bulletin is an official publication of the Univer- sity of Michigan for which The Michigan Daily assumes no editorial responsibility. Notices should be sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to Room 3564 Administration Building before 2 p.m. of the day preceding publica- tion, and by 2 p.m. FRiday for Satur- day and Sunday. WEDNESDAY, JULY 22' Day Calendar Audio-Visual Education Center Film! Preview - "Population Econogy" and 'tThe City and the 'Future":, Multi- purpose Room, Undergraduate Library, 1:30 p.m. School of Music Stanley Quartet - Gilbert Ross, violin; Gustave Rosseels, violin; Robert Courte, viola; Jerome Je- linek, cello: with George Papich, viola: Rackham Lecture Hall, 8:30 p.m. Doctoral Examination for Sidney Dyk- stra, Education; thesis: "A Study of the Relationships of Nonpublic School Enrollment to the Approval of School Millage and Bond Proposals," Wed., July 22, at 1:30 p.m. 3206 UHS. Chairman, H. S. Bretsch. 5-Hour Special Topics in Chemistry --2nd Series: "The Electronic Structures and Shapes of Small Polyatomic Mole- cules," will be discussed by Dr. T. M. Dunn (U. of M.)-First Lecture to be given on Thurs., July 23, Room 1300 Chemistry Bldg., 7:30 p.m. General Notices 9 a.m. Candidates may pick up their tickets in Room 3510 Administration Bldg. between the hours 8-12 and 12:30- 5 Monday through Friday, or 8-12:30 on Sat., Aug. 1. United Nations Library: Alvin Thies- sen, chief, General Reference Section, Dag Hammarskjold Library, United Na- tions, New York, will give an informal talk on the Library of the United Na- tions on Thurs., July 23, at 4 p.m. in' Room 439 Mason Hall., Placement POSITION OPENINGS: Medical Economics, Oradell, N.J.- yhis is a national business magazine for physicians. Opening for Medical News Bureau Manager. BA with liberal arts major & MA in journ. pref. Must have combined editorial, medical & management bkgd. Will manage Medi- cal Economic's regional bureaus across the U.S. Must be free & willing to travel. Dept. of Navy, David Taylor Model Basin, Washington-Position for Aero- space Engineer, Physicist, ME (one po- sition). BS degree plus 3 yrs. exper. Also continuing need for scientists & engineers in the fields of structural mech., hydromech., naval arch., ME,' acoustics & vibration, electronics, phys- ics & math. B. F. Goodrich Co., Akron, Ohio - 1. Building Products Salesmen - Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Dallas & N.Y.- requires several yrs. exper. in bldg. products sales. 2. Mktg. Supv.-Granu-I Glow-several yrs. sales & mktg. bkgd. In transportation industry. 3. Product Engnr.-Aerospace-ME or ChE. Min. 2 yrs. exper. 4. Executive Secretary (fe- male). Minimum 2 yrs. college-degree pref. Must have ability to take tech. dictation. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., De- troit, Mich.-Field Reps. Salaried po- sitions--employed by home office to work in various offi esethroughout the U.S. BA degree-any major. New grads; men recently out of service or with a few yrs. exper. Van Straaten Chemical Co., Chicago, 11.-Seeking young man to serve as Field Research Engineer. Will take new- ly developed products & test them in customers' plants. Extensive travel. Home base is Chicago. BS in Engineer- ing, pref. metallurgical or mechanical. Must have at least 2 yrs. of sales or technical service exper. * * s For further information, please call General Div., Bureau of Appointments, 3200, SAB, Ext. 3544. A 1cross3 Campus The Audio - Visual Education Center will preview "Population Econogy" and "The City and the Future" at 1:30 p.m. in the Multi- purpose Rm. of the UGLI. ORGANIZATION NOTICES Baptist Student Union, Social: Food, recreation, singing, Thurs., July 23, 6:30 p.m., 2670 Jackson Road, for transpor- tation call Bob McDaniel at 3-0018. * * * B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation, July 22, 7:30 p.m., at Hillel, Jerry H. Bilik will give an illustrated talk on "Music and Madison Avenue." All are welcome. Michigan Christian Fellowship, Lec- ture: Brian Mawhinney, "Consistent Chhistianity," July 22, 7:30 p.m., Mich- igan Union, Third Floor. .F Madison Avenue... Jerry H. Bilik of the music school will relate "Music and Madison Avenue" at 7:30 p.m. at the B'nai B'rith Hillel Founda- tion, 1429 Hill St. Stanley Quartet... The Stanley Quartet will per- form in the Rackham Lecture Hall. The group includes Gilbert Ross, violin; Gustave Rosseels, violin; Robert Courte, viola, and Jerome Jelinek, cello, plus George Papich on the viola. A Breakfast honoring candidates the master's degree will be held att Michigan Union on Sun., Aug. 2, for the at 1 4 RALPH VOTAPEK Pianist Winner, Van Cliburn International Competitions, 1962 WED., JULY 29, 8:30 Rackham Auditorium (air-conditioned), ROGRAM Four Sonatas-D, E, B-flat and D major ..,...... D. Scarlatti Sonata in A minor, Op. 164 ..................... Schubert Six Pieces, Op. 118 ............................ Brahms Conriccio. Oa. 76. No. 2... . .......................Brahms P SaltDsne presents 11 1l II