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Thursday, October 4, 2018 — 3
MICHIGAN CONCE RT BAND
RUCHITA IYER/Daily
Michigan Concert Band performs at Hill Auditorium Wednesday night.
YouTube clip or a segment
from a television show, but
more often than not you can
expect the same structure
every time you attend. A lot
of the time, the simplicity
of the lectures rarely leave
any room for discussion.
I feel like I would retain
the information better by
learning it myself.”
The
University
will
attempt to broaden its usage
of the novel model with the
help of a recent $1.8 million
grant from the National
Science Foundation. Cindy
Finelli, the director for
engineering
education
research at the University,
will work with a group
of
professors
––
Maura
Borrego, Jenefer Husman
and Michael Prince –– in
attempt to research the
fundamentals
of
active
learning and distribute the
findings to U-M faculty.
Finelli hopes the findings
will
bolster
student-
classroom participation and
communication.
“When
instructors
successfully
use
active
learning in a classroom,
students
can
learn
the
material more deeply and
apply principles better in
different contexts,” Finelli
said in a press release.
“Their self-confidence and
their ability to communicate
with
each
other
can
improve, and they often
begin to identify themselves
as future engineers instead
of as students just taking a
required course.”
In
some
classrooms,
active learning can already
be found in the required
discussion sections of many
STEM-based classes, such as
organic chemistry, physics
and biology. In a similar way,
writing
workshops
serve
this function through essay
and short story analysis
during class discussions, in
addition to peer-reviewing
classmates’ work.
LSA
sophomore
Sofia
Salinas
has
observed
the
active
learning
approach in two of her
classes,
Introduction
to
Anthropology and Creative
Writing, but she said she
had mixed thoughts about
the changes.
“I feel like the active
learning
isn’t
successful
in my anthropology class.
In small groups, we get
distracted and talk about
other
things.
I
would
rather have the GSI go
over things that we find
confusing.
However,
I
do find it engaging and
think
it’s
healthy
to
build
relationships
with
classmates
and
bounce
ideas off of each other, but
I would also like some more
structure,”
Salinas
said.
“In my creative writing
class, I like talking about
the readings. It helps a
lot actually. It helps me
understand
better
––
hearing
other
people’s
ideas
and
perspectives.
But I don’t think it would
work for chem or math,
because I think that with
those classes, having the
professor go step-by-step
with the problems will help
you, rather than trying to
figure it out with other
confused students.”
On
the
other
hand,
LSA
sophomore
Kendall
Johnson praised the honors
study group offered by her
Structure and Reactivity
class. She said she found the
option to attend the group
that meets in the classroom
once a week for two hours
necessary for success in the
class.
“We don’t have any class
time for assignments ––
they pretty much have to
be complete by the time
you come to class. We peer-
review, though, and quick
fixes are allowed. Overall,
you kind of have to know
what you’re doing in order
to
participate
in
class
discussion,” Johnson said.
“It’s not boring, and it’s
definitely a lot of learning
and practicing the material.
I’m not a huge chemistry
fan, so I wouldn’t call it the
most engaging or exciting,
but that’s part of the reason
I wanted to do the group. I
wanted to study and work
in a way that would make
sure I really got to know
the material in the hopes
that it would help me when
it comes to the actual class
and tests.”
Public policy senior Tom
Aiello agreed that active
learning has been a positive
addition to his University
courses.
He
thinks
it’s
improved his understanding
of class materials.
“Active learning is a good
way to break up otherwise
monotonous lectures and
try
to
explain
complex
concepts in my own words,”
Aiello said.
A
downside
of
active
learning is that the format
is enacted through another
class, thus failing to replace
the
traditional
lecture
model. Though it encourages
students to interact more
intimately with the content,
it increases pressure on
students to participate.
In the case of the second-
year Italian program, for
example, the entire course
is structured as a “flipped-
classroom.” This requires
students to complete online
homework
and
grammar
lessons alone, and in class
employs group-work that
spans for the entire 50
minutes.
Prof. Michela Russo, one
of the multiple second-year
Italian
instructors,
said
she finds active learning
beneficial
for
language
students because it mirrors
real-life
situations
when
traveling
to
a
foreign
country.
“You do in class what
you cannot do by yourself.
When you put in the effort,
that is when you really
begin to understand things
and allows you to speak
a wider majority of (the
language), beyond just basic
grammar structure,” Russo
said. “When a student is an
active participant in class,
it is more effective in the
language context because
it’s similar to what you
would be doing in a real-
life situation when you’re in
the middle of the street, or
you’re in a new city. You’re
not going to be thinking
about grammar, you’ll just
be reacting to different
situations. You need to find
your own strategies and
make
people
understand
you, so this is why we
discuss in class.”
Nonetheless, this form of
active learning still comes
with some pushback. LSA
sophomore Jillian Rice feels
as if the class has begun to
feel like a lecture. Rice said
she expects the same type of
lesson every day; though it
is delivered differently than
the conventional lesson, it
has none of its own variety.
“I do not find the active
learning model effective at
all,” said Rice. “In class, we
do not address what we are
supposed to be learning at
home. This causes confusion
while doing the homework
because we must learn all of
the topics strictly from the
textbook. In my opinion, it
is much easier and clearer
to learn from a teacher and
in-person. I would benefit
much more from a mixed
classroom model. I believe
that the point of homework
should be to practice and
reiterate what was learned
in class, rather than the
other way around. There
is almost no incentive to
come to class because all
of the class time is spent
talking to other classmates
about
things
that
most
likely will not be covered on
exams or anything else that
determines our grade in the
class.”
LEARNING
From Page 1
about her time in prison. She
talked about the sexual assault
women in prison experienced,
and the extreme overcrowding
creating unlivable conditions.
The most dangerous aspect of the
carceral state, McPherson said, is
the invisibility of the issues.
“The
malignant
carceral
state is by and large invisible,”
McPherson said. “You can’t see
it, you don’t know what’s going
on back there because they block
access to mail, to the phones, to
visits, to your money. You have no
way of being able to communicate
with the world what is happening
to you.”
According to Victoria Burton-
Harris,
a
criminal
defense
attorney, the unlivable conditions
McPherson described change
the mentalities of incarcerated
individuals. When released, the
individuals may find it difficult to
adjust to the outside world. When
prisons treat people like animals,
Burton-Harris said, these people
return to the civilian world with
animalistic survival instincts.
For this reason, among others,
Burton-Harris said she aims
to
humanize
her
clients.
“They’re traumatized, they
can’t find jobs and they are
on survival mode,” Burton-
Harris said. “They oftentimes
commit more crimes simply in
an attempt to survive. And we
don’t understand that, and we
as a society tend to judge that …
My job is to try and humanize
my clients. I don’t call my client
defendant in the courtroom.
That’s not who they are. They’re
Mr. Jones. Mrs. Smith. They’re a
mother, father, a husband. And I
need the judge and the jury to see
them as who they really are.”
When Tapia asked about
how the University can use its
resources to find solutions to
these social justice problems,
panelists
had
a
variety
of
responses.
Burton-Harris
emphasized the need for people
to visit prisons and interact with
those communities.
“I don’t think that sitting in a
building doing research is going
to solve it,” Burton-Harris said.
“Get out on the streets. Go to the
prisons. See what I’m saying, see
what all of us are saying. See what
they’ve lived. Smell the air. That’s
the research you need to do.”
Simpson-Bey built on Burton-
Harris’
point,
stressing
the
necessity
of
research
that needed to encompass the
perspectives of people who have
lived in prison.
“Research is necessary, and
I think research needs to be
updated because there is a lot of
research out there, but it doesn’t
include the voices of those
directly impacted,” Simpson-
Bey said. “The majority of the
research out there is done by
people basing their papers on
theories and suggestions instead
of talking to people who have
actually lived these experiences.”
Monica
Lewis-Patrick,
an
activist from Detroit at We The
People,
also
discussed
how
crucial it is to speak with these
communities and learn about
their experiences. She urged
the University to take greater
concern with education and
housing crises in Detroit as well
as the Flint water crisis.
“You tell me on God’s green
earth, why is Flint still not fixed
when I’m sitting at one of the
greatest engineering schools in
the world?” Lewis-Patrick asked.
Gordon
spoke
about
the
Ann Arbor-Detroit divide and
the privileged bubble of the
University,
which
recently
received an F in representation
of Black students on campus.
Gordon
pointed
out
the
audience was majority white,
and expressed how people in his
Detroit community don’t have
the same luxury to attend these
types of talks.
“Why is it all white people in
the audience when we talking
about jail?” Gordon said. “I mean,
like what? That’s cool, I’m glad
you’re all here to listen … but we
don’t have these conversations
in my neighborhood, because we
don’t have time. You all have the
privilege to be up here and take
notes and absorb. We want that
privilege.”
LSA senior Hoai An Pham said
Gordon’s point resonated with
her, as she feels students often
speak about liberal topics but
often don’t go the extra mile in
taking actual action.
“I think what Justin was
saying about the disconnection
between Detroit and Ann Arbor
was really important, because I
think oftentimes students forget
what a privileged place this is,”
Pham said. “People often think
that learning about things is
enough, we oftentimes have the
privilege to do more than that.”
To help inspire the audience
INCARCERATED
From Page 1
the center was found to be no
longer cost-effective.
“Following
the
recommendations
of
a
recent internal review of the
China Data Center, it has
been determined that the
University will not undertake
remediations that would have
been required to continue
hosting
the
CDC,”
the
statement read.
CDC Director Shuming Bao
explained the University sent
him notice Sept. 24 that the
center would be closed within
days. Bao says the University
provided
vague
responses
to his inquiries about the
internal review and he is still
largely unaware of why the
University made the sudden
move to disaffiliate from the
center.
“They did address some
concerns but nothing really
solid,” Bao said.
Broekhuizen explained the
internal review concluded the
CDC site would have required
the University to make costly
repairs and upgrades.
“The
review
identified
serious technology upgrades
that were needed, which were
not the best use of university
resources,”
the
statement
provided read. “As a result,
CDC and its related websites
and tools will no longer be
available from or associated
with
the
University
of
Michigan or ICPSR.”
However, Bao claimed the
CDC receives private funding
and the center paid the ICPSR
for technical assistance.
“The
CDC
has
been
financially
on
its
own
resources for years, and CDC
paid ICPSR for computing
support,” Bao said. “I am
not sure how it will cost the
ICPSR for those technological
upgrades.”
Additionally,
Bao
said
he was unsure as to which
technological upgrades the
University was referring in
the statement. He explained
the CDC had a security issue
two years ago with a hacker,
which
was
resolved
with
help from the University’s
Information and Technology
Services.
But
since
then,
the CDC has adopted more
intense
security
measures
and not detected any security
issues.
Bao also said the CDC has
a significant amount of funds
that can be allocated to any
technological upgrades the
University deems necessary.
He still has hope the CDC can
reconcile with the University
and ICPSR.
“CDC left over $1 million
on our account to ICPSR
at the time of its closure,
which probably should be
good enough to fix any tech
upgrades if there are some
issues there,” Bao said.
For now, the CDC has moved
to a separate online domain
but remains unaffiliated with
the University. While many
users are satisfied that they
can access the data center
through the alternate website,
scholars and other academic
professionals shared concerns
about a data center unlinked
to an institution.
Christoph
Steinhardt,
University of Vienna assistant
professor
of
East
Asian
studies, has previously used
CDC data numerous times for
various research projects, but
said he is unlikely to utilize
the unaffiliated center.
“I would be hesitant to use
their data until I know more
details on the reasons behind
their separation from UMich
(the
currently
released
information is cryptic and
sounds like something was
seriously wrong),” Steinhardt
wrote in an email.
Steinhardt explains it is
critical for a data center to be
affiliated with an accredited
university, and until there is
more information about the
CDC’s new host, he will not be
using the center’s data.
“Data from China is more
trustworthy
if
a
reputed
Western university is behind
it,” Steinhardt wrote. “At
present,
it
seems
some
company
from
Beijing
is
running the site. Without
more
information
on
the
sponsor, I would probably
rather look for other sources
of data.”
CDC
From Page 1
my own good, and show it to my
doctor,’ (they said).”
Moxytech’s other co-founder
Eric Maslowski discussed how
important it is to ue technology
in the medical fields in order to
optimize medical procedures.
“When I was at Michigan, I’d
always been captivated by the
meaningful uses of technology,”
Maslowski
said.
“Not
just
technology for technology’s sake,
but to actually use it as a positive
agent on larger groups of people.”
The app is now used in various
medical offices across the state
of Michigan, including those
of Dr. Thiago Nascimento, a
pain research investigator in
the University Research Lab.
At the time the app was first
being developed, Nascimento
was a student of DaSilva’s,
allowing him plenty of hands-
on experience with the app.
Nascimento explained how the
app played a valuable role in
patient evaluation.
“The drawing of the pain (was
useful). Every time somebody
had pain, you ask them ‘one
to
ten,’”
Nascimento
said.
“However, that doesn’t really
paint the picture of how they’re
feeling, it’s not very precise, not
very accurate. We were studying
the technique of giving the
patient a 2-D or 3-D space, so
they can visualize it, something
better than a number. It’s easy
for us to kind of to see what the
patient is feeling, although it’s
just a drawing … For me, a more
visual guy, it was useful. ‘Okay,
you have pain in your head,’ is
okay, but to have the patient
draw for you how it spreads
and the progression of the pain
(was
helpful).”Nascimento
said the app helped bridge the
gap between the rudimentary
medical knowledge of most
patients and the expertise of the
doctors.
“You kind of find common
ground,” Nascimento said. “You
can remove that gap. The doctor-
to-patient relationship, it makes
it easier for them (the doctor) to
explain what’s going on. We’d
start with the app: ‘Okay, just
tell me how you’re feeling and
let’s try to see the picture and
compare.’ Like, let’s look and
see how you were feeling a few
months ago, and how you’re
feeling today … It was easier for
us to even track the follow-up
– Are you feeling better or not –
instead of just choosing a random
number, like, ‘Before it was a 7,
now it’s a 6.’ You can really see,
‘Oh, you’re getting better.’ It was
clear for us to see.”
According
to
Nascimento,
the app had helped him learn
as a student as he studied under
DaSilva.
“Back
in
the
day,
with
their first versions, just to be
optimized, it was good for
them to also use our feedback,
not only the feedback from the
patients, but ours (the students),”
Nascimento said. “You have the
theory in the classroom, and you
try to apply the concepts. For
us, it was like, ‘Okay, we learned
that, but we don’t see it used in
the app.’ So it was good for us
to give them some feedback as
well.”
APP
From Page 1
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