WRITING IN MATHEMATICS

Thirteenth Annual Conference
Unity and Diversity

January 9 & 10, 2003
Chesapeake College

Conference Coordinator Chair
Cathy Sewell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chesapeake College

Site Coordinator
Cathy Sewell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chesapeake College

Proceedings Editor
Marilyn Pugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prince George's Community College

AFACCT is an association of and for Maryland Community College faculty. It was established in 1984 with the following goals:

AFACCT's decisions are made by a Board of Representatives which consists of one member from each of the Maryland Community Colleges who serves as a liaison. In addition, a Coordinator and an Assistant Coordinator, elected by the Board, serve with direction from the instructional vice-presidents or deans.

Allegany CC	Debbie Frank, Hospitality Management
Anne Arundel CC	Suzanne Spoor, English and Women's Studies (Secretary)
Baltimore City CC	Grace E. McNeal, Nursing
Carroll CC	Alan Bogage, Library Director, English Adjunct
Cecil CC	Nancy Cannon, Reading
Chesapeake College	Cathy Sewell, Academic Support Center Coordinator (AFACCT Coordinator) Donna Andrew, Mathematics
College of Southern Maryland	Richard Siciliano, Languages and Literature
CCBC - Catonsville	Stephan Werba, Psychology
CCBC - Dundalk	Ginnie Streamer, English
CCBC - Essex	David Thorndill, Biology
Frederick CC	Albert Samuel, Biology
Garrett CC	Lonnie Brewster, English
Hagerstown CC	Paul Jozik, Physics (Treasurer)
Harford CC	Avery Ward,
Howard CC	Peggy Armitage, Psychology
Montgomery College - Germantown	Jon Frederick Kreissig, Health/Physical Education
Montgomery College - Rockville	Shah Mehrabi, Economics
Montgomery College - Takoma Park	(Academic Administrator) Heija A. Wheeler, Provost
Prince George's CC	Marilyn Pugh, Economics, Director of the Center for Academic Resource Development (Assistant Coordinator)
Wor-Wic CC	Susan Twigg, Mathematics Michelle Morris, Human Services - Education

Simulations as Fundamental Learning Objects

Bruce L. Bird, Ph.D.

The last eight years have demonstrated the impact technology can have on college teaching. Perhaps it is now an appropriate time to look at current trends in educational technology and suggest alternatives. My discussion will contrast the current "global" approach to what I propose as a more "local" approach for the creation and delivery of teaching materials. The "local" approach seems to me to offer a better way for faculty to maintain control over the content, style, method, and assessment of the teaching/learning process in their classes. Learning is fundamentally a "local" process.

In the past few years various governmental and commercial organizations have been developing what are known as "learning standards" but are more accurately described as "learning technology standards". The goal of these standards is to make digital learning materials independent of platform, operating system, and authoring system, for example, teaching materials developed on a Macintosh - Linux system could run on a PC - Windows system. Links to the various groups involved in the development of these standards can be found at AACC's Center for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching web site ( Learning Standards ref 1).

Concurrent with the development of learning standards the concept and development of learning objects has become of increasing interest to teaching and training organizations. The definition of learning object tends to vary somewhat from author to author but essentially a learning object is a digital, re-useable, focused learning component. For example, in physics a learning object developed as part of the explanation of standing waves could be "reused" by a music instructor in a discussion of musical instruments. It is argued that over time as more and more learning objects become available on the internet this would reduce the time individual instructors would need to develop course materials. An extensive collection of links concerning learning objects can be found at the CALT web site ( Learning Objects ref 2 ).

From the global perspective once learning objects are produced then it is a natural step to store them in a database accessible to all over the internet. Links to several collections of teaching materials can be found at the CALT web site (Teaching Materials ref 3). It is up to the reader to explore these sites and decide whether these materials are true learning objects in the sense that they are re-useable, meaning that you would find them useful in your courses.

By their very nature learning technology standards are global and are not subject to local control, however, local learning objects and local databases are under local control and offer some advantages over global resources.

From the perspective of a classroom teacher it is surprising that most of the discussion of learning objects focus on their re-usability but rarely mention what I believe of equal importance: customization. Can learning objects be easily customized by classroom teachers or instructional design teams to meet the teaching styles of individual faculty and the learning styles of individual students?

The development of locally customized learning objects stored in local (department, division, school) databases will produce an important academic resource. This local resource has the advantage over global resources in terms of accessibility, stability, and relevance to instructional goals.

One of the problems of dealing with teaching materials on the web ( a global resource) is that there is so much of it. Type any discipline related term into the search engine Google.com and you will find thousands of sites that contain relevant (or not so relevant) information that may (or may not) be useful for your teaching goal. Even with good searching technique your lucky if you can reduce the number of sites into the hundreds. If you manage to find some relevant teaching materials from an internet database, then the question of stability becomes a concern. If is available today, will it be available tomorrow? next year? the year after that?

Local databases of local customized learning objects are accessible, stable, and relevant. The relevance can be assured because faculty assessment of individual learning objects will, over time, identify those local learning objects that are most useful in their courses or with student tutoring.

I have established a web site, MINDdrops.com (ref 4) as a resource for students, faculty, instructional designers, and instructional programmers. At this site you will find some examples of learning objects that I have created with Macromedia Flash MX . In order to view these learning objects you will need the Flash MX player installed on your computer. (You probably already have the Flash 5 player on your machine. To upgrade to the Flash 6 player just go to Macromedia Flash Player Download Center (ref 5) and upgrade to the latest player.)

The first learning object example, Linear Kinematics (ref 6), consists of introductory text, a simulation showing three race cars moving in a straight line with differing velocities and accelerations, and an exit text. This basic structure, an HTML page with a Flash simulation embedded between text, makes this learning object customizable because the classroom teacher can easily change the introductory and exit text to match course requirements, student background, or teaching style.

In this example my introductory text consists of brief directions to run the simulation, a request for the student to record some general observations, and then some directions to record and print the cars motion including timing dots that will allow the student to take data and analyze the motion of the three cars. The exit text suggests some key words students could use in the search engine Google to find the relevant theory they will need to carry out the data analysis. In actual practice I suspect most teachers would want to expand the exit text to include a discussion of the data analysis required so that the student would not get "lost" on the web.

The next learning object example, Oscillating Bar (ref 7), has again a similar structure: introductory text, simulation, exit text. The student can set the initial angle of a rotating, oscillating bar. Then by using their watch he/she can take data which will allow them to determine the mathematical function that describes the bar's position as a function of time.

In the oscillating bar example I chose to give minimum introductory information in order to challenge the interested student. Other teachers would undoubtedly prefer to provide more detailed supporting information. Notice that the same simulation can support different levels of supporting text. This suggests that the simulation itself can be thought of as a more fundamental learning object than a learning object consisting of introductory text, simulation, and exit text because the simulation is more re-useable at several different levels of teaching.

There does not appear in the literature of learning objects to be much discussion of the classification of learning objects in terms of their ability to generate other learning objects of varying levels of difficulty. I suggest that this classification could be done based on their customizability.

Macromedia Flash MX is a very powerful authoring package for developing teaching materials for the web. Other examples of teaching materials that I have created using Flash that the reader may wish to explore are Reading Speed (ref 8), English Grammar (ref 9), Unknown Equations (ref 10), Maryland County Quiz (ref 11). As these titles illustrate Flash can be used to create teaching materials for most disciplines. Additional examples can be found using the links at the CALT Examples (ref 12) web page. Also, I will be adding more learning objects from time to time to the MINDdrops.com Learning Objects (ref 13) page so feel free to check them out and use them in your classes.

Adapting to Change

Higher education has responded to the introduction of technology primarily by improving its technological infrastructure and developing its distance education programs. Perhaps it is time for a shift in emphasis from educational technology to education. Can we use technology to improve student learning at the interface where mind and ideas mingle? If we are to succeed at this, we need to explore, more deeply then we have thus far, changes in the role of faculty in higher education. These changes may require changes in the way higher education is organized and resources allocated. In particular, a much greater allocation of resources to instructional design teams, perhaps serving a consortium of colleges, would be a major step forward. If faculty are to maintain control of the academic side of higher education, then they must be willing to fully participate as members of instructional design teams. The accelerating change of educational technology makes this imperative if we are to meet our obligations to students.

ENERGIES OF THE SEASONS - EXPLORING THE MOVEMENT OF LIFE THROUGH
FIVE ELEMENT ACUPUNCTURE

Anne C. Crowley, M.Ac., L.Ac.

The following is an exploration into the movement of all life, visiting the oneness of all creation; the two-ness of yin and yang; the three - yin and yang and the movement of Chi; the four directions and inspections; and a more in-depth view of the five seasons and their corresponding energies. Through the window of five element acupuncture, we will explore the movement of life with the energies of the seasons. Strategies and practices for a smooth flow of movement in the seasons will be discussed. Through an understanding of the five and the energies of the seasons, we can develop practices in our daily lives for creating smooth movement with all those we come in contact with, our colleagues, administrators, students, and family and friends.

This presentation will focus on the movement of life through the window of Five Element Traditional Acupuncture. The author was a student of Five Element Acupuncture presented with a strong emphasis in Leamington Acupuncture as interpreted by J.R. Worsley.

The intention is to offer the gifts of the five elements to faculty and administrators attending this workshop. These energies may help us to understand ourselves, colleagues, administrators, students and family and friends.

Before addressing the five elements of traditional acupuncture, it is helpful to explore the one, two, three and four. The one refers to the oneness of all of creation. The Taoist philosophy of everything exists simultaneously, being and nothingness, night and day, truth and non truth. We are all part of the oneness regardless of our views, religion, or morality. We cannot exist separately from the one.

Out of the one comes the two - Yin and Yang, the opposites. Both exist simultaneously. When you see the sunny side of the mountain, the shady side still exists. When there is fear, courage still exists. Yin and yang are opposites that exist simultaneously. Yin energy is the darker side of the mountain, more inward, quieter, softer energy. Yang energy is the sunny side of the mountain, more out in the world, more external, louder, harder energy. When we realize that these are just two sides of the same mountain, two sides of ourselves, we can come closer to a place of oneness. There can be less opposition among two people and in the world in general.

The three is the movement, the dance of yin and yang. When we can move and flow with life, we are alive. When we get stuck, sickness can result. The rice pot needs fire or heat to ignite it. Then the steam is formed . The steam is analogous to the Chi or movement. When the Chi is flowing smoothly, the rice pot lid moves up and down smoothly. When the Chi is in excess, the lid can fly off. When the Chi is deficient the lid is slammed shut. Both can create illness. The goal is to create a smooth flow of Chi, or movement in our lives.

The four relates to the direction, south - fire, north - water, east - wood, west - metal, center - earth. The four is also associated with the four inspections in classical Chinese literature. These are to see, to hear (smell), to ask and to feel. All of these inspections are employed in the traditional diagnosis. Color, sound, odor and emotion are explored.

Fire is the height of yang energy. It is the summer when trees are in full bloom, the weather is warm and people are out and about engaging with one another. Fire energies include compassion - a true heart connection with another person. Friendship and partnership are critical needs of people dwelling in fire energy. Joy is the emotion. When the emotion is out of balance there can be sadness or inappropriate humor or laughter. Connection is extremely important to Fire energy. There is often a twinkle in the eye to express the need to connect. Heat is the climatic factor, Summer is the season and red is the color of fire.

When we are interacting with someone whose predominant energy is fire, we may find them bubbly, excitable, fun loving and humorous. A student might be the life of the party and quite a joy to be around. Another might be loud and boisterous or telling inappropriate jokes. This is the propriety of fire. It can be very inviting and welcoming and when it goes out of control can be very unwanted. Another way this could present itself out of balance is through withdrawal or depression, fire energy that is not burning. There can be an overwhelming sadness in a person that makes them withdraw.

Earth is the season of late summer. Fruits and trees are at their fullest bloom. There is a feeling in the air of the season about to shift. Some call it Indian summer. Earth has also been thought of as the transition between each season. The energy of earth is nurturing, care taking, encircling. It is important for people who dwell in earth energy to feel centered and grounded. Their sympathy is an understanding of another's situation. They in turn want this understanding and validation of their own life circumstances. Damp is the climatic factor, late summer the season and yellow the color of Earth.

Someone in earth may seem over needy, with a cry for sympathy. They may also present themselves as rejecting sympathy, caring for others with little care for themselves. We may have a close family member or friend who wants to nurture us when we don't want it. We may want this nurturing from others that are close to us and we are unable to get this. Nurture yourself with the tenderness you would give others. Take care of yourself in the journey of the movement through life.

Metal is the season of fall. The energy of the cycle of seasons is declining. The movement is down. The gifts are inspiration, an ability to take in from the heavens. It is also the ability to let go to make way for new inspiration. Metal recognizes the preciousness in life. It is like the alchemist carving away to reach the gem underneath. Metal seeks a connection with the heavens. Acknowledgement is a gift of the metal energy. Out of balance metal can be over righteous, leaving no room for another point of view. Grief is the emotion in metal. The climate is dry, the season is autumn, and the color is white.

You may have an interaction with someone who could appear cold or unfriendly when they are really deeply engulfed in the metal energy. Particularly someone in fire may find the metal energy difficult to connect with. It can be truly inspirational to be around a metal energetic and it can also cut like a knife.

Water is the season of winter. The energy is stillness and movement. Energy is declining and at its lowest point. It is a time for rest and rejuvenation. Water energy can be seen in the ocean, a relentlessness of the crashing waves and then a stillness that follows. Power is the gift of water. It is the tremble before an arrow is released. It is the tremendous power needed to draw the bow. Water out of balance can be unhealthy fear. The flip side of that fear being the tremendous courage associated with water. The season is winter, the climate cold and the color blue/black.

We may encounter people who are more quiet and withdrawn. This may feel uncomfortable with our energetic. They may have a need for stillness and reflection. Interacting with others may not be their priority. Others may feel very uncomfortable in the stillness or quiet. They may have trouble being by themselves or not doing anything for a short time. This could be an imbalance in water. We may also encounter a student who is wrapped up in fear, doesn't want to make an oral presentation, stays in the tremble. On the other side of this fear is a tremendous amount of power waiting to be released. Be steadfast and dance with this person where they are.

Wood is the season of spring. It is symbolized by birth and growth. It is about vision and planning, about decision making and driving forward to achieve a goal. Wood can be out of balance in the form of anger when obstacles are in the way. The smoothness of wood comes about with the flexibility to move around obstacles and still move forward to the goal. This requires the gift of creativity. Healthy wood is assertive to achieve the goals. The season is spring, the color green and the climate is wind.

A wood energetic person may come on like gangbusters. They may want to run you over with a tank truck in order to accomplish their goal. They may also flare up in anger if an obstacle gets in their way. When wood energy is flowing smoothly these people can be very powerful visionaries, people who go out and get the job done. Wood types can be very creative and flexible in their maneuvers through life's obstacles.

The movement of life around the seasons is the wu xing, the flow around the sheng cycle. Summer is the utmost yang in the cycle of seasons and Winter is the utmost yin. To foster these natural flows of energy, we will explore strategies for a smoother flow and movement.

In the summer special attention can be given to meeting with friends, socializing, having gatherings, parties or small get-togethers. It is the season of movement, swimming, walking, going out and connecting with others. Make special efforts to connect with those you feel close to. Fire is about connecting with your own heart and about going out to connect with others. Going to workshops and reading books that deal with heart connection and going inside ourselves through meditation or other internal practices can help us to connect with our own heart spirit. Sitting by a quiet fire, watching the crackling kindling can bring fire warmth to our lives. In Fire, we may sometimes feel vulnerable and yet we can know our heart has its healthy protector.

Earth is a time for caring, taking stock of how you are nurturing and taking care of yourself. Are you eating properly, exercising, resting, taking breaks. Earth out of balance is often quick to take care of others while running themselves into the ground. Earth is about being in the center and going out to the periphery to nurture others. The important thing is the movement back and forth, coming back to center. Earth energy out of balance often feels ungrounded, like there is no firm foundation under their feet to hold them. Doing exercises to increase your feeling of groundedness. Yoga and mediation can help. Perhaps finding another, usually a family member to give you this sense of groundedness. Talk with people who you feel understand you, who can validate your situation. If you are a care taker, be sure someone is taking care of you.

This is the season of letting go of all that is not needed. This could be symbolized in cleaning out the unneeded things in your house or something more emotional like letting go of a relationship. Whatever the circumstance, there is usually a need to let go of something to make way for the new that can enter your life. Metal is the season of receiving inspiration from the heavens. It is a recognition of all that is precious in life. Acknowledge those around you and be willing to accept acknowledgement. It is also the season of grief. If an old feeling of loss returns to you, be willing to be with this grief. The letting go will be up to you, in your own time.

Water is a time for reflection and stillness. It's about the quiet in all life, including you. The days are shorter, the night comes more quickly, crying out for us to sleep and conclude activities earlier in the day. Get more rest, go to bed earlier and wake up later. Store up for spring, a time when your energy will be needed. Meditation, prayer, walks in the woods alone can all be ways to bring the stillness into yourself. Go outside and really behold the beauty of Winter. The bare trees, frozen ponds, virtual stillness in the air. This is the only time of year you will feel this strength coming from the depths in nature.

Be willing to be in the unknowing, let things unfold as they may. Reflect on ideas you may have. Notice any fear you may have related to your ideas. Be still and listen. Listen to yourself and to others. Listening is a powerful gift for those you care about. Recognize your power, courage and fears that can arise. Fear is the front of the hand, courage is the back. Tremble in water often means something powerful is about to emerge.

Spring is the season of movement upward and outward. It is like the blade of grass pushing through the concrete. The blade of grass circumvents many obstacles and continues to push through to be the blade of grass it needs to be. It’s the bulb on a tree sprouting forward. Sudden energy springs forward to create the birth of the bulb. Spring is a season for planning, looking at your vision, making decisions, moving forward. Being creative and flexible is important for movement around the obstacles. Get a plan together, think about its implementation, and move forward. Spring is an excellent time to get started on a project that you have been contemplating for a while. The movement in nature around you will be identical to the energy you need to move forward.

The energy of the all the seasons is in all of us just as it is in nature. We may dwell in one energy more than the others. Through learning about these energies we can come to understand ourselves and others around us in a different way. There will always be the yin and the yang. The two opposites will always exist simultaneously. We can learn to dance with the opposites so that life's movement, the Chi, will flow more smoothly in us and in others. Without movement there, is no life. We want to continue to dance with the people around us. Through an understanding of the five elements in nature and in us, we can come to realize that the people in our lives whether is be colleagues, administrators, students, family or friends are all in their own cycle of movement. Although we may have different opinions it does not have to result in opposition. If we say so, we can create the smooth movement of the rice pot and balance in our lives.

Connelly, Diane (1994). Traditional Acupuncture: The Law of the Five Elements Columbia:
Traditional Acupuncture Institute.

Connelly, Diane (1993). All Sickness Is Home Sickness. Columbia: Traditional Acupuncture Institute.

Elias, Jason and Ketcham, Katherine (1998). Chinese Medicine for Maximum Immunity,
Understanding the Five Elemental Types for Health and Well-Being. New York: Three Rivers
Press.

Jarrett, Lonny S. (1998). Nourishing Destiny, The Inner Tradition of Chinese Medicine. Stockbridge:
Spirit Path Press.

Worsley, J. R. (1998). Classical Five-Element Acupuncture, The Five Elements and the Officials
(Volume III). J. R. and J. B. Worsley.

Hicks, Angela and Hicks, John (1999). Healing Your Emotions, Discover Your Element Type and
Change Your Life. London: Thorsons.

Veith, I. (1949) The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine. Berkley: University of California
Press.

Ellis, Andrew, Wiseman, Nigel, Boss, Ken (1989), Grasping The Wind, An Exploration Into the
Meaning of Chinese Acupuncture Point Names, Brookline: Paradigm Publications.

Adjunct Professor, College of Southern Maryland
8730 Mitchell Road, P.O. Box 910
LaPlata, MD 20646-0910

Leta F. Fennell, Associate Professor of Psychology
Kamal P. Hennayake, Associate Professor of Mathematics
Chesapeake College

To ease tensions, increase awareness, and deepen appreciation for diversity, we have created general principles for building relationships with others. During this interactive presentation, we shared our principles and called on participants to add additional ones. The goal was to seek a unified voice among students and colleagues in a set of principles that can be used by AFACCT member institutions to foster respect of and appreciation for diversity.

These general principles are to be used by the faculty to promote unity and diversity. These principles should open the mind, and bring to light diversity issues, improve student-to-faculty and faculty-to-faculty relationships.

1. Faculty behavior should reflect their valuing the principles of unity and diversity to respect the dignity of all.

2. Faculty, administrators, colleagues, and staff should work together in promoting unity and diversity.

3. Faculty should provide ways to teach, communicate, and foster mutual understanding between colleagues and students to improve relationships.

4. Faculty should acquire knowledge of multicultural groups, language usages, customs, and history of
cultures.

5. Faculty should provide access to valuable resources and activities for all students, which promotes
unity and diversity.

6. Faculty should promote ethical behaviors and model actions that are fair, consistent, and unbiased.

7. Faculty should support and encourage Diversity Training Programs that will bridge the gap between
students, faculty, staff, and the community.

8. Faculty should develop curriculum that enhances group interactions and mutual understanding.

9. Faculty should at all times take the position of ethical and professional responsibility seriously.

The following recommendations should also be used by AFACCT to foster unity and diversity.

1. These principles should be included in the mission statement as core values for all institutions.

2. Principles numbered 1, 2 and 3 should be used as main principles and the others as sub-principles, which should appear under number 1, 2, or 3.

3. Change the suggested motto “Embrace Unity – Acknowledge Diversity” to “Embrace Unity – Celebrate Diversity.”

4. The unity and diversity ribbon (red, white, blue and yellow stripes) should be worn as a symbol of our commitment.

Sister Barbara Carr - CCBC
Beatice M. del Castillo – BCCC
Eleazer U. Ekwue – CSM
Jean Louis Marchand – CC
Judith A. Osborn – CSM
Deborah O. Reilly – CC
Paul Santiago – HCC
David Striegel – WCC
George Wilson – CC
Willie Woods – CC

Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2002). University and student learning: The American commitments recommendations. Retrieved November 4, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.aacu-edu.org/amcommit/recommendations.cfm

Association for Habilitation and Employment of the Developmentally Disabled Inc. Statement of professionalism.

Close the book on hate: 101 ways to combat prejudice. (2002). New York: Barnes & Nobel Booksellers and Anti-Defamation League.

Jossey-Bass A Wiley Company. Diversity and Culture. Retrieved January 3, 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.josseybass.com/

The largest obstacle perceived by many college students to completing their Associate’s Degree is the mathematics requirement. One instructor shares her efforts in instituting writing assignments in math classes to help students fuse the rote mechanics of mathematics with the ability to grasp and communicate a verbal/intuitive understanding of the material. A beneficial side effect has been the emphasis of the interconnectedness of courses in the students’ college education and the necessity of transporting what they learn from one course to another and to the “real world”.

Background

The many and varied reasons for this perception are beyond the scope of this paper; however, my observations have been that it is the cumulative nature of mathematics combined with the students’ difficulty recognizing similarities between mathematical applications and learned math skills that contribute heavily to the dilemma. It is for the latter reason that I began instituting writing assignments in my math classes.

Calculus III

The first math class in which I issued a writing assignment was Calculus III. In that course, there is an analytic geometry component that deals with graphing three-dimensional surfaces, their traces, and their level curves. Thinking back to my own mathematical upbringing, there was little-to-no emphasis placed on any “real-world” use for these sketches beyond what little artistic value could be gleaned from the graphs. So, I decided to make the assessment of whether the students could generate and understand level curves by challenging them to find a multivariable function from any source, talk about the relevance of the function, and graph enough representative points to draw the associated contour plots.

The illustration I used in presenting the assignment was the wind chill factor equation used by the National Weather Service (NWS). The wind chill factor had recently been in the news as the NWS had just revised their wind chill formula. The new formula is given by:

where W is the wind chill factor in degrees Fahrenheit, T is the actual temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, and V is the wind velocity in miles per hour. [NWS, 2001] To find the level curves, we need to show the specific combinations of the inputs that will generate the same output as shown in Figure 1.

Here, the actual temperature is represented along the x-axis and the wind velocity is represented along the y-axis. The different (colored) curves depict the constant values of the wind chill factor as a function of the different combinations of inputs (actual temperature and wind velocity). For instance, the curve with a –17.8 degree constant wind chill could have resulted from either an 8 degree actual temperature in combination with a 40 mph wind or a –7 degree temperature and a 5 mph wind, or any other combination in between resulting in an output on the that curve.

Although the curves shown in Figure 1 were generated using Matlab, the students were not required to use a software package to produce these curves, as they were not specified as requisites for the course. This actually presented less of a challenge than I originally thought. For those who did not use graphing software, arbitrary values of the inputs needed to first be chosen, and the associated output value calculated. This would represent one point on one curve. To find additional points on the curve, the output would be held constant while different combinations of inputs were calculated. Typically three to four points per curve were sufficient to graph. After one curve was generated, the student calculated another output value to start the next curve and repeated the procedure. The assignment specified at least three level curves if performing by hand.

The results were phenomenal. The students took real ownership of their assignments and spent time finding functions that interested them. The assignment gave them a real taste of engineering trade-offs when dealing with multi-variable functions and how complex some of the interdependencies can be. There were several physics applications, including equipotential curves and range-to-target curves; business applications showing production as a function of labor and capital; and varied manufacturing applications demonstrating such things as tradeoffs between temperature, roller pressure, and time between the rollers to yield a certain metal thickness. There were also applications that were more physically related to the three-dimensional shapes and associated level curves, such as topographic (contour) plots of the moon, and contour plots of human figures for use in computer animation. Often the students’ functions were related to topics they had studied in other classes, with a lot of them having a “feel” for how their functions should behave when altering the independent variables; however this did mark, in some cases, the first time the students had calculated for themselves the point-for-point values on their curves. This reinforcement of their previous studies and the ability to take it to another level of refinement was a fun learning victory.

Differential Equations

I was so inspired by the good work of the Calculus III students that I decided to incorporate an essay question on a take-home Differential Equations test that same semester. For anyone not familiar with differential equations, here is my very humble preface. Differential equations is the first math class in the traditional sequence where the instructor comes out and admits that we can only solve about five percent of all differential equations without resorting to numerical (computer-iterated) methods. And that to even handle that meager five percent, there is some amount of guesswork. From there, we discuss the different reasons we make the “guesses” we do, practice categorizing and solving our equations with whatever shortcut results from our correct guess.

The particular essay question I issued asked why we can we solve a linear homogeneous constant coefficient
differential equation by solving its characteristic equation (ay² + by¢ + cy = 0)? In effect, I was asking the students why that particular "shortcut" worked. The answer I was looking for was something to the effect of: The constant coefficients say to us that our function y, and all its derivatives are just scalar multiples of each other. The function that meets this criterion is the exponential function. So, substituting a generic y = e^rx as a solution to ay² + by¢ + c = 0, we find, ar² e^rx + br e^rx = 0. We can factor an e^rx from the left-hand side and divide it through the entire equation because we know e^rx will never be zero. This leaves us the characteristic equation ar² + br + c = 0 to solve in order to find the values of r to plug into y = e^rx and thereby solve our differential equation.

The students’ responses were fairly mediocre. Some students hit the nail on the head, others paraphrased the best four sentences they could find from their textbook, and others expounded on why they disliked writing assignments in math class. Even though I still strongly believe in knowing the theoretical foundation for why we can use certain approaches to solve problems, that pedestrian assignment illustrated that it was probably too soon for the majority of students to grasp the theory behind what they were doing. They were still trying to master the actual procedure without much deliberation on why it worked. In retrospect, I may have gotten better results had I left that type of a theory question/assignment until the end of the course when the student is reflecting on the different topics learned and hopefully paying more attention to the similarities and differences between problem approaches.

In the fall of 2002, I issued writing assignments to both my Algebra II/Trigonometry class and my Intermediate Algebra (Developmental) class. For clarification, the Algebra II/Trigonometry course is more of a technical pre-calculus flavor for the engineering technology students. The assignment itself was not difficult, but rather more of an exercise in following directions and technical writing. The class was to again search for a function that interested them, graph the function, identify the dependent and independent variables, and discuss the trends observed when changing the values of the variables. My emphasis in the technical trigonometry class was the technical communication aspect of the assignment. Those students were accustomed to learning the mechanics of the procedures without as much of the theory as found in typical four-year math and engineering tracks. The class did, however, recognize their (future career) need to explain information to “non-technical” audiences, whether managers, budgeters, customers, investors, etc. The technical trigonometry class did very well with the assignment. Again, students often incorporated functions from their engineering-related occupations or other courses and accepted the assignment as a fairly realistic mix of having to communicate technical expertise in a professional fashion.

The assignment for the developmental math class was slightly modified from the technical trigonometry class in that fewer data points and less in-depth explanations of the variable trends were needed. I debated for quite some time whether or not to assign a writing exercise in the Intermediate Algebra class. Often the students in these developmental classes have great difficulty in just following the logic as to the steps they need to take to solve the problem. I feared that a writing assignment might send some into a tailspin. My decision to proceed was based on what I believed to be the root of many of these students’ problems--their inability to view an algebra topic as part of anything larger than itself or to see the interrelatedness between algebra procedures. I did think that forcing the students to search for a function with physical meaning (and hopefully interest) and running it through the paces of the assignment would make them see the everyday world of algebra around them. For the most part, the assignment went well. The most common error seemed to be confusing the dependent and independent variables, which at that level, is fairly minor. My estimate is that 75 percent of the class had a good grasp of how to display actual input and output data graphically before the assignment, 10 percent were too intimidated or lazy to attempt the assignment, and that about 15 percent were, for the first time, able to fuse real world data with the graphing they were learning in algebra.

So how do we harness and assess all this great learning? Since this was the first math writing exercise for most students, I limited the length of the paper to one page of text (an additional page could be used for graphing). For all the writing assignments, I developed rubrics with categories consistent with the information requested, i.e. explanation of function, identification of independent/dependent variables and their relationship, numerical examples, graphs, labeling of axes, length of paper, grammar and spelling, references, etc. For the first assignment in the Calculus III class, I simply asked the students to reference the source of their functions without specifying any particular format. On the whole, their papers did have fairly weak references, which I would attribute to my lack of emphasis in the directions. Since then, I have required references follow the APA Citation Guide, which I either hand out with the assignment, or post on my website. As a result, the citations are now very strong across the board. It is also good reinforcement to show that the writing skills and practices they learn in English class apply across the board.

With each passing assignment, I tweak the grading rubrics to handle the various situations that arise. On my latest assignment, I allocated 5 out of 45 points to grammar and spelling. And while there were no real grammar or spelling mistakes on a particular student’s paper, the presentation of the material was entirely inappropriate. As a result, the next iteration of the rubric will have a catchall category, such as overall presentation to account for all those minor scenarios I cannot foresee.

As to the weighting of these writing assignments; the Calculus III paper was equivalent to a quiz. The Differential Equations essay was worth a medium problem on a take-home test. The technical trig and developmental algebra writing exercises were worth the same value as worksheet assignments.

The use of the writing assignment in math class has had different benefits for different courses. Of the assignments I’ve issued, the level curve paper in Calculus III has been the most effective, as it asked the student to take a topic that is somewhat subjective (graphing difficult three-dimensional surfaces and their level curves), assign real-world data to it, and use it to show the trade-offs realized when altering the variables. On the other hand, the essay question in the Differential Equations class was the least successful undertaking, most likely due to its very theoretical nature. If assigned again, it would likely be later in the semester and perhaps in a different format, such as fill-in-the blank or a true-false with an explanation.

The presentation was made with a Texas Instruments View Screen package projecting the real time calculator home screen and results via overhead projection. Readers of this abstract may want to use their own TI-89 to track with the demonstration, the order of which is now listed:

1) Integrating Newton’s gravitational force equation to derive total Potential Energy then setting it equal to the Kinetic Energy formula to solve for v, escape velocity. (1 associated page.)

2) Deriving the formula for the roots of a quadratic equation using the general form of the quadratic. (2 associated pages.)

3) Demonstrating matrix manipulation; the sheet provides a very good summary of available

Commands to perform most operations in a rigorous Linear Algebra course. (1 page)

4) Deriving Archimedes famous formula for the volume of a sphere by initializing a trans-formation of variables from {rho, phi, theta} space to {x,y,z} space and then forming a matrix of the partial derivatives of {x,y,z} each with respect to {rho, phi, theta} and computing the Jacobian (the determinant of said partials) to arrive at a transformation expression for dxdydz, the differential of volume. This resulting expression was then integrated three times on appropriate intervals ( rho: 0<rho<a; phi: 0<phi<Pi; theta: 0<theta<2Pi) to achieve the desired formula for the volumn of a sphere of radius, a.

If you have any questions, you may call me at (301) 733-0610 from ll:00AM to 2:00PM or (301) 733-6745 24 Hour FAX.

PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDIES: HELPING OUR STUDENTS UNDERSTAND
VIOLENCE IN A POST 9/11 WORLD

In this session, the interdisciplinary field of peace and conflict studies was presented. In particular, the course Peace and Conflict: An Interdisciplinary Look was covered in detail.

The field of peace and conflict studies focuses on the study of conflict and its resolution. It can be approached from many discipline bases including political science, sociology, international affairs, and history. A common approach is an interdisciplinary one incorporating content from a variety of fields.

In this course, students are exposed to issues and topics through seminars, readings, and guest presenters. Conflict is considered in personal, local, national, and global contexts. Students also consider the resolution of conflict. Particular emphasis is placed on nonviolent approaches to the resolution of violence.

A major focus of the students’ work is preparing a term paper and presenting it to the class. Students pick a topic that has a relationship to peace or conflict.

Dr. Daniel J. Sullivan, Associate Professor of English
Ms. Cynthia Roberts, Director of Collection Development
Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville

Recent events in the economic and political spheres demonstrate that it is wise to become knowledgeable of other cultures around the world. Therefore, several professionals at CCBC Catonsville have undertaken a cooperative approach to introduce students to the realities of intercultural communication in this century.

The first stage involves thoroughly explaining a scenario in which students are working for a company that will be relocating a division to a country the students choose. They will live and work there for at least a year. They are assigned six areas of concern such as social interaction in business settings and are required to research and present their findings. The goal is to enable students to assimilate and be effective during their residence.

The second stage involves an intense instruction in the methods of computer-assisted research using print and electronic media. The instruction is hands-on and is supplemented by the instructors.

Most people acknowledge the power of science to reveal the secrets of the physical and biological world. Yet many people abandon the collected wisdom of generations of scientists when they consider the origins of organisms and humans. The presentation addresses the diversity of strong opinions, from creation to evolution, which may confront any professor who dares open this topic to discussion. Many students are not really familiar with ideas of evolution or creationism. The author precedes discussions of evolutionary mechanisms with a look at the most influential non-evolutionary idea: creationism.

Evolutionary theory is poorly understood by most people, yet almost everyone has an opinion about the origin of organisms. To neglect or disrespect other points of view invites apathy or rote memorization of the evolutionary principles by students. A comparison and discussion of alternative views engages students and encourages them to think about the scientific method and the history and progress of scientific thought. I begin the unit on evolution with the fifteen-minute group exercise below.

EVOLUTIONISM and CREATIONISM

Imagine that the narrator of a NOVA television program shows fossils of early mammals and says they are 100 million years old. She interviews the famous paleontologist Dr. Thomas Hurley from the University of Pangea who gives the evolutionary explanation of how the giraffe got its long neck. She then interviews Rev. Thomas McGinly who holds his Bible high while giving the biblical creationism view of how the giraffe got its long neck.

Discuss these ideas above with your group, then each group will write a short statement which gives their key points for how the giraffe got its long neck.

Evolution:

Creationism:

Which giraffe explanation above do you believe? List the number of people in your group for each heading.
Evolution: Creationism: Both: Neither:
No opinion: None of your business:

After the survey is completed I tell the students that I don't care how they answered the questions today, but at the end of the course they should be able to give correct answers to both evolutionary and creationism views on the origin of the long neck of the giraffe. And they should feel free to believe and express what they want during the course, but by the end of the unit I hope they would not answer "both" or "no opinion" to the survey question. "Both" implies that they do not understand that the two ideas are mutually exclusive. "No opinion" implies disengagement from the question which has intrigued almost every culture throughout history: Where did we come from?

The major emphasis of this unit is evolution. Creation describes processes outside the scope of scientific investigation. There may be thousands of "creation models". There is no attempt to address these many models or give them equal status. Beliefs such as, "God created the universe through the process of THE BIG BANG," do not conflict with evolutionary ideas. "Creationism", the belief that all species have not changed but were created just a few thousand years ago, is discussed for two reasons.

The unit on evolution begins with the overall comparison of evolutionism and biblical creationism. I encourage questions, other points of view, and rebuttals. If the discussion is lively we may spent the entire period on this. The second period begins "the journey to evolution" and explores the roll geologists played in showing the earth is very old. The journey continues several periods through Lamarck and Darwin. We progress to the "evolutionary synthesis" of natural selection and mutation into a powerful theory that explains why most biologists believe that species have evolved. Data supporting evolutionary theory are presented.

The Presentation

Go to the PowerPoint slideshow which accompanied this presentation on January 9, 2003 at Chesapeake College.

“Bitch, Ho’e, Mama, Babe:”
Considering College Slang, Simone de Beauvoir, and Oxymoron

I remember how you said
That language was a knife
That spreads what you feel across the dry crust
Of someone’s heart.
Kate Wolfe, “Poet’s Heart.”

Over the past seven or eight years I have been using a classroom exercise with my Freshman composition students in which I attempt to increase their awareness of the ways that language may reveal ideas (dare I say truths?) about our culture that normally remain below the surface. I started the exercise as a concrete way to get these students thinking about euphemisms, slang terms, and cultural taboos. We have listed, for instance, synonyms for death, pregnancy, and sex – and, trust me, I always learn some new terms. We usually get into a discussion of the role of language: how does it reflect our culture? What can we learn about our culture from the words we use unthinkingly? Does it matter what words we use, and do our choices have power? Too often my students will tell me, “Oh, they’re just words. What difference does it make?” I think of those Kate Wolfe lyrics above. Maybe language can be a knife, not just to spread our feelings, but to dig down and show what’s under the surface, below our conscious awareness, in the realm that Hall has called the cultural unconscious:

                Once learned, these behavior patterns, these habitual responses, these ways of
                interacting gradually sink below the surface of the mind, and like the admiral of
                a submerged submarine fleet, control from the depths. The hidden controls are
                usually experienced as though they were innate simply because they are not only
                ubiquitous but habitual as well (42).

Over time, this exercise has become an informal research project for me as I record and compare the students’ responses, especially to this prompt: “List as many synonyms as you can think of for ‘female.’ Then do the same for ‘male.’”

As students begin listing the words they have recorded, I almost always find myself hearing the words of Simone de Beauvoir: “in the mouth of a man the epithet female has the sound of an insult (3): “chick,” “bitch,” “whore,” “babe,” “hoochie momma” (they don’t know how to spell it any more than I do – purely phonetic rendering here), “fox,” “daddy’s girl,” “old maid…” They often have at least these listed before they get to “girl,” or “woman,” and typically include a number of animal terms, disparaging terms especially for the sexually active (at least with multiple partners) or the unattached. In contrast, most of the terms they pick for males are at worst neutral and often quite positive – even “stud” and “player” have some sense of at least grudging admiration. Beauvoir also suggests with the changing role of women she saw in her society, “ […] It would seem that a new form of eroticism is coming into being – perhaps it will give rise to new myths.” Surely the position of women has changed in the five decades since Beauvoir wrote, yet much of the myth of woman she described remains alive in the slang of our students. It is entirely possible to look at these words and see the lingering ghosts of misogynism. I wonder, though, if the women of today are creating not new myths, but new understandings of their own relation to these myths.

First, let’s look at the words themselves. A colleague and I asked our students to write down as many synonyms as they could think of in a limited amount of time. We asked the students to share their lists with the group, and allowed the class to continue adding words that they might not have thought of on their own. The charts below show the most popular terms listed by each of three classes from last semester – one of mine and two of my colleague’s.

Consider, then, Deborah Tannen’s comments on “marked” and “unmarked” linguistic terms. For men, the most popular choices were the relatively unmarked terms “dude” and “guy”. Dude and guy, the choices with the most votes in all classes, are also among the most neutral terms that occurred on any list. Guy, in fact, has almost been de-gendered in much common speech: in speaking to a mixed group, it is common to hear speakers refer to “you guys,” though not in the singular (“that guy over there” is always male), once again affirming masculinity as the norm and the “unmarked” case as surely as “mankind” has in the past.

In sharp contrast, for women, the overwhelming first choice was “bitch,” with “chick,” “whore” (or more frequently, the popular variations “ho’e,” “ho,” and “hoe”) and “girl” pulling in substantial numbers of votes; “babe” “baby,” and “babydoll” appeared on many lists as well. Notably, none of these terms for women could be called “unmarked:” in fact, they illustrate clearly the attitudes and beliefs Beauvoir identifies as defining the myth of woman.

She's the kind of woman keeps you coming back for more
She's got the kind of face you'd swear you'd seen some place before
It could have been your mother,
It could have been a Mexican whore,
She’s the devil I know…
Steve Earle

As Beauvoir begins The Second Sex with the section titled, “The Data of Biology,” she points out that while “male” is a term men can be proud of, the “female” can “emphasize a woman’s animality,” calling up images ranging from a bitch in heat to a female praying mantis destroying her mate (3). This animality is part of the myth of woman as closer to nature, more a part of the earth. Man, Beauvoir reminds us, “has his roots in Nature; he has been engendered by it like the animals and plants” while it is woman who is the earth (144). Women today emphasize their connection with nature with their clothing and accessories: “Woman becomes plant, panther, diamond, mother of pearl, by blending flowers, furs, jewels, shells, feathers with her body, she perfumes herself to spread an aroma of the lily and the rose” (157). While the generative power of nature has been seen as a positive force, granting woman the stature of goddess in some cultures, it has also been used to hold woman in a role that is less than man, somehow subhuman. Whether woman’s connection with nature is used to deify or defile her, the connection has served to hold her in a position of alterity, not available to the reciprocal relationship of an equal.

Among the terms listed for women, it is striking to note the number of animal terms listed for women as well as to examine their connotations. "Bitch" and "chick," among the most popular words chosen for women, may have lost a little of their immediate association with the animal world, but in fact both do denote animals. A quick review of the full lists reveal not only a greater number of other words denoting animals on the list for women, but greater negativity associated with those terms than when animal-based terms are used for men.

Bitch and bitchy are popular choices for insulting a woman: it wasn't long ago that Hillary Clinton was so branded by another politician, and "bitch" was in the headlines all over the country. In a Time Commentary, Margaret Carlson noted that bitch has become "the epithet of choice for uppity women," women who dare to assert themselves or be successful in typical male domains (36). Margaret Thatcher, Pat Schroeder, and Jeanne Kirkpatrick, Carlson notes, have also been labeled with the "b word." The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang lists "something outstandingly difficult or unpleasant" as the first meaning for bitch, and "a malicious or spiteful woman" as the second. In addition, bitch is listed as a verb, meaning either to completely spoil or ruin, or to grumble and complain. It's worth noting that these meanings have been in use for almost two hundred years (Ayto and Simpson 19). In its adjective form, bitch, there is also a connotation of malicious and irrational spitefulness, "like a malicious woman." Barabara Risch, however, notes a migration of terms across genders: "bitch," for example, in one of the terms the women in her study used to describe men, though it is a term associated with female in both denotation and connotation. While this usage might be read as more misogyny (is it even more insulting to use a traditionally feminine term for a man?), Risch also notes the use of terms such as "prick," traditionally used for men, appearing on the list of terms for women. She proposes that slang, at least, is becoming more androgynous and terms like "bitch" may loose some of their essentially mythic sting.

Chick, on the other hand, carries little of this overt insult, but we hardly need reminding that chicks are baby chickens, diminutive, lightweight, and fluffy. It’s hard to associate a chick with anything too serious or demanding, so it has been considered insulting by some women (Rader).

Besides the two favorites, other animal terms for women include “chickenhead,” “cow,” “heifer,” “filly,” “pigeon,” and “pussy.” The first, “chickenhead,” is a term that seems only to have appeared recently: the Online Slang dictionary, a collaborative project put together by a Berkeley student, indicates that the term originates in hip-hop and may be used to describe either a very attractive or very unattractive female (Rader). My students last year explained it to me that the term might be used to describe either a “woman who would go out with curlers in her hair,” or the available girls at a party; they also pointed out that chickens have really little heads and therefore really small brains. Cow, heifer, and filly all refer to farm animals that a man might normally own and dominate; while cow implies coarseness or unpleasantness (Ayto and Simpson 42), filly and heifer emphasize a less than mature stage of development. “Pussy” is so far removed from its original feline denotation that it should perhaps be listed in the section on woman as whore.

Men, on the other hand, might be called “guila monster,” [sic] “dog,” or “stud.” The first seems to be a reference to the penis, while the last two connote admiration for sexual activity (Ayto and Simpson 249). One has only to think of the $100,00 stud fees paid to Kentucky Derby winning horses to see the positive connotations for “stud.” Man, thus, appears to be less trapped by language in his animal and biological role, and when he is seen in that role, it is with admiration.

Woman as Mother

Because of the demands of childbearing and nursing, women are admittedly more physically bound to children and their care than are men. Biology may begin painting this picture, but social situations emphasize its importance, and myth insinuates it deeply into the human psyche. In these three classes, the various terms for “mother” (“mom,” “mama,” “madre”), taken together, would also account for another frequently used category; although “dad” and “father” were also represented, they were listed with far less frequency than the terms for the female parent, and tended to show up later on the lists if at all.

“Mom” and “mother” may not have been found on every list, but when these terms were used, they were toward the top in many cases. In my class, “mom” was the first word called out when I asked students to share their lists, by a young woman whose definition paper was on motherhood. She started that paper with the line, “Being a mom is my destiny and the most important job I will ever have.”

Beauvoir would recognize the myth this young woman promotes. Though woman as earth goddess/earth mother has been displaced in patriarchal cultures, the position of mother has been mythologized in other ways: “Established firmly in the family, in society, conforming to th laws and customs, the mother is the very incarnation of the Good…hers is a smiling mystery, like that of Leonardo ad Vinci’s Madonna’s” (172).

“Since the appearance of Christianity,” Beauvoir notes, “the figure of woman has obviously been spiritualized to a considerable extent: the beauty, the warmth, the intimacy that man wishes to enjoy through woman are no longer tangible qualities; instead of summing up the immediate and savory qualities of things, she becomes their soul” (177). Furthermore, Christianity, far from destroying the myth of motherhood, has appropriated it in the form of the Virgin Mary, “the most fully realized and generally venerated image of woman regenerated and consecrated to the good” (180).

This figure of motherhood is so exalted in our social customs that people often see the role of mother as both essential to a woman’s happiness (think of the huge amounts of resources, financial, medical, and emotional, devoted to helping women become pregnant) and as something that women will naturally be good at doing (see Beauvoir’s two “misconceptions of motherhood” on pages 521 - 523).

In spite of this glorified role of motherhood, however, it is important to note that this myth, as always, has two faces when the word list is closely examined. “Mama” is not just the loving nickname for the pure mother, but is used to describe woman in her sexual role as well: “hot mama,” “hoochie momma,” and “mamasita” lead directly into another side of the mythical look at woman.

Though the abbreviation “ho” didn’t top any of the lists, it was a popular choice, and once a class starts on that train of thought, similar terms flow freely: they listed in short order “tramp,” “whore,” prostitute,” “call girl,” “hussy,” “floozy,” “Jezebel,” “trick,” “harlot,” “hooker,” and “concubine.” While some of these terms invoke economic exchange, it is clear that these terms are negative because they imply a woman with multiple sexual partners or sex outside the bounds of marriage. If taken all together, the words in this category would win any kind of frequency award given by each of these three groups of students.

In comparison, the following terms were used for men who have more than one sexual partner: “stud,” “player,” “hoss,” “Casanova” “ladies’ man,” “dawg”” and “womanizer.” With the possible exception of the two last, these terms for men seem to reflect at least a grudging approval, if not open approbation of sexual activity. For women, however, the terms convey almost universal negativity. It is important here to note that women listed these derogatory terms for the sexually active woman with just as much frequency as did the men, and in the classroom discussion were quick and enthusiastic in adding terms not previously written down.

Wherever the bad dares indiscreetly to show its face, man goes to war against it. In the shadows of night man invites woman to sin, but in full daylight he disowns the sins and the fair sinner. And the women, themselves sinners in the secrecy of the bed, are only the more passionate in the public worship of virtue. Just as among primitive people the male sex is secular while the female is charged with religious an magical powers, so the behavior of man in modern societies is only a minor folly, often regarded indulgently, even if he disobeys the laws of the community…If on the other hand, woman evades the rules of society, she returns to Nature and to the demon, she looses uncontrollable forces in the collective midst. (189 - 190)

Both men and women publicly condemn licentious behavior in a woman, because men must be certain of the paternity of the children raised up in their homes and who will inherit their property: Beauvoir notes that “chastity is enforced upon her for economic and religious reasons, since each citizen ought to be authenticated as son of proper father” (189).

The licentious woman is also a threat because she is more difficult to possess than a woman who depends upon any one man. “The woman who makes free use of her attractiveness – adventuress, tramp, femme fatale --,” Beauvoir writes, “remains a disquieting type.” Both men and women may be discomforted by a woman who no longer needs to be given to, but who takes for herself “when a man wants to give” (191).

Another aspect of the myth of woman as Beauvoir describes it is in this childlike dependence on the stronger male. In particular, she discusses the attraction of virginity: “A virgin has the freshness of secret springs, the morning sheen of an unopened flower, the orient luster of a pearl on which the sun has never shown…what he alone is to take and to penetrate seems to be in truth created by him” (154). Virginity, however, is unappealing in an older woman: it is youth that lends virginity its mystique. At the same time, girlishness invokes less seriousness. Ophelia, Beauvoir notes as an example, is really such a “petite femme,” possessed of a physical and intellectual fragility that needs protection from the big world of real concerns, maybe even silliness or frivolity (187), and in a woman, “frivolity, capriciousness, and ignorance are charming virtues” (181).

In comparing the student lists, it is important to note that “babe” ranks high with this group, and “baby” and “baby doll” were also popular choices. Grossman and Tucker point out that “babe,” recently moved to the top three on their list as well, “connotes a child-like characteristics, and when intended as a compliment, focuses only on a woman’s physical attractiveness” (107). We could say the same for the other variations on this term.

“Girl,” another popular choice, again emphasizes youthfulness as desirable quality for a female: many students commented on their diverse reactions to referring to a group of middle aged women as “girls,” especially when it is intended to be used as a compliment. “Boy,” on the other hand, carries at least slightly negative associations: men aren’t supposed to be immature! Perhaps this is the reason for the popularity of the more neutral “guy,” since no one seems quite sure when we should stop calling a male youth a boy.

Diminutive forms fall in this category as well: the innocuous “dude” sounds outright silly in its feminine guise as “dudette,” as does “gal” as the feminine of guy. In addition, I have already indicated that animal terms for women also point out the appeal of the youthful and immature animal, and the terms for more mature female animals generally denote contempt.

It should go without saying, of course, that for each of these mythological ways of seeing women, there is a corresponding myth for men, and men are no less teased into expected shapes and forms by these mythologies than are women.

Last fall, about the time I was conducting this exercise with my classes, I caught part of a call-in radio show from a station left on the car radio by my teenage daughter. The deejays were asking men to call in and share their pet names for their, ah, “manly members,” I think was the term used. Even the idea of pet names seemed to reinforce Beauvoir’s description of a man’s relationship with his penis: “It is at once for him a foreign object and himself: it is a plaything, a doll, and yet his own flesh…it becomes [quoting here from Balint] ‘an alter ego ordinarily more artful, more intelligent, and more clever than the individual’” (47 – 48). Some of the names could be used to exemplify her proposal: how about “Captain Marvel” “Doctor Love,” “Stealth Jockey”? That radio show provoked me to try to imagine a similar show where women might call in their pet names for their breasts or their vaginas and indeed, the same radio station later featured two males keeping track of how often they were using “the V word.” If, for instance, a news story referred to “China,” they would substitute “vagina” as if they had made a mistake, or say, “which rhymes with – the V word.” I had to notice the difference in the ways these two terms were presented: the penis just as Beauvoir described: a little alter ego, capable of so much more than the man himself; the vagina as an object of teasing and shame, something to joke about in a dirty sort of way. The dee jays, by the way, claimed that they had been” inspired” by The Vagina Monologs playing at the Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore at the time.

I am reminded, too, of a line from Joan Jacobs Brumberg’s The Body Project: A History of American Girls, suggesting that American women lack a vocabulary for talking about their own bodies that avoids both excessive medical sterility and excessive “cutesiness.” If we were more comfortable with our roles, would we have a different way of talking about our bodies? If we were more comfortable, more accepting, of the multiple roles we play – and the fullness of those multiple meanings, would our vocabulary change?

So I’m back to the questions I posed in the beginning. Does it matter what words we use, and what kind of power do those words have? Are we just looking at misogynistic ghosts here, or real undercurrents tugging at a conflicted understanding of gender roles? And can we create new myths, or do we even need to? Perhaps it’s our relationship and understanding of this ancient myth that must change, and part of the new myth today’s women are evolving for themselves is one of accepting all of these roles openly, active sexuality and the maternal purity together, the toughness of the bitch with the openness of the child. Perhaps in embracing this ambiguity, the mythic “woman” can more fully join the fullness of the human race in all its complexity!

You look at me like I am an angel underneath, innocent and sweet.
I am a little bit of everything all rolled up in one:
I am a bitch, I am a lover,
I am a child, I am a mother,
Meredith Brooks

Ayto, John, and John Simpson.(1992). The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang. New York:
Oxford University Press.

de Beauvoir, Simone. (1989). The Second Sex. Trans. H.M. Parshley. New York: Vintage
Books.

Brooks, Meredith. “Bitch.” Blurring the Edges. (1997) Prod. David Ricketts. Capitol Records.

Cameron, Deborah. (1992). “Naming of Parts: Terms for the Penis among American College
Students.” American Speech 67.4: 367 – 386.

Earle, Steve. (1995) “Angel is the Devil.” Train A-Comin’. Warner Records.

Grossman, Aryn L. and Joan S. Tucker. (1997) “Gender Differences and Sexism in the Knowledge Use
of College Slang.” Sex Roles 37: 101 – 110.

Hummond, David. (1994) “College Slang Revisited.” Journal of Higher Education 65: 75–97.

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Educational and Philosophical Techniques
to Advance Psychology in the Class

Stephan Y. Werba, Professor of Psychology
Community College of Baltimore County- Catonsville

A detailed display and demonstration of innovative syllabi, and teaching materials along with PowerPoint presentations was presented at Chesapeake College. This workshop demonstrated the use of PowerPoint in the classroom for professors and students.

The teaching materials and presentations provided some examples for our use in the classroom along with shared discussion among faculty. The graphic presentations were detailed and provided an innovative graphical structure for units in General Psychology. Discussions continued providing many alternative ways of explaining examples and models necessary for students to understand biological and personality concepts in psychology. Classroom critical thinking exercises were also handed out and discussed by all.

Assessment of Student Performance Using a Collaborative
Interdisciplinary Educational Scenario

David Yohman, Associate Professor Administration of Justice
Linda Henesy, Associate Professor of Nursing
George Perry, Assistant Professor and Director of Emergency Services Programs
Hagerstown Community College

Are you frustrated over how to assess student learning in a clinical exercise within the time constraints of the college classroom? A collaborative lunch break with your faculty colleagues may be just what you need to develop a creative interdisciplinary educational scenario. Three faculty members at Hagerstown Community College developed a live action scenario to assess student performance while providing the students opportunity to work together in a real life clinical situation, such as a bombing, shooting or poisoning. Presentation of information in this paper will revolve around the planning, logistics and preparation of the scenario. Application of the results toward outcome assessment and program review will also be discussed.

Put members of the faculty at Hagerstown Community College (HCC) together for lunch and soon revealed will be a plethora of stimulating and creative thoughts. During one of these collaborative exchanges, faculty from the Administration of Justice, Nursing and Paramedic Services programs, shared concerns and ideas related to methods of assessment of student learning and outcomes in a clinical scenario. The results of this exchange soon became the first collaborative interdisciplinary plan to assess outcomes related to student performance in a “real life” educational scenario. With the support of HCC Research and Development program, the faculty developed a proposal and plans to bring their concepts to life with this capstone activity.

Our plan evolved around development of a “real life” educational activity for students in the three designated career programs. This activity incorporates the ideals of the learning community, while providing students, faculty and community experts, the opportunity to work together and critique performance during a criminal mass casualty incident (CMCI). According to Antai-Ontong, (2001), a critical incident refers to a powerful and overwhelming event that lies outside the range of normal human experience. The scenario planned will encompass everything necessary to “realistically” accomplish our objectives for this project.

Behind every good idea is a purpose, objective(s)/outcome(s), assessment, plan, action, evaluation, and people willing to see the birth of mental creations. The first step was establishing our purpose which is three-fold: (1) assess student performance in the “intangible” areas of the career disciplines, (2) assess student ability to integrate skills and knowledge in performance of their duties and, (3) provide “real-life” clinical experience for students to evaluate their abilities. The students involved are from the career programs Administration of Justice, Nursing and the Paramedic Emergency Services.

The second step was establishing objectives for each discipline relevant to what each should be able to accomplish. The administration of justice objectives are: (1) demonstrate ability to interview witnesses for information, (2) demonstrate ability to interview victims for information,

(3) demonstrate ability to conduct a proper crime scene investigation using appropriate search pattern, (4) demonstrate ability to identify and collect physical evidence, and (5) demonstrate ability to write a police investigative report. The nursing objectives are: (1) demonstrate appropriate organizational skills to function in an emergency setting, (2) utilize effective communication skills (written, oral and electronic) in a CMCI, (3) provide or evaluate appropriate care for victims of the CMCI and (4) participate in multidisciplinary debriefing related to care of CMCI victims. The paramedic emergency service objectives are: (1) demonstrate ability to triage and treat CMCI victims and transport priorities, (2) utilize effective communication (verbal, written and electronic) with victims and health care workers and, (3) participate actively in debriefing and constructive critique of their own and other performances during the CMCI.

Following development of objectives, the third step addressed is assessment and planning.

The type of CMCI was selected using our interdisciplinary focus and is based at the HCC campus as a “real-life” scenario. The students from each career program will have completed didactic instructional content and skill preparation necessary to perform satisfactorily. The students will be required to respond at the scenario as if this was a real-life situation with triage/ treatment of victims in the field, crime scene investigation and triage/treatment of victims as they arrive in the hospital emergency department. Implementation of activities for each discipline followed the planning process as the fourth step.

Although constantly interacting, each discipline implements activities related to their specialty focus. The administration of justice students, once notified of the CMCI will respond to the scene and determine the need for a crime scene investigation. Proper notification and investigation will begin as police officers serve as individual evaluators. Students will be provided the needed equipment to conduct the investigation and crime scene processing. Nursing students will be either a care provider or role play victim. The skills lab will house the small rural hospital emergency department setting. The student nurse initiates the nursing process, the framework for all nursing care provided. The nursing process basically encompasses the stages of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. Paramedic emergency service students will be the responding emergency medical service (EMS) providers and provide all field medical care. The emergency service students transport victim to our HCC hospital emergency department and transfer care to the hospital staff. The evaluation processes are described next.

Continuing the interdisciplinary focus, evaluation tools and outcome assessment processes were developed to reflect the needs of each discipline as the fifth step. College faculty, participating students and experts in our community will evaluate student performance related to their designated areas of expertise. Each discipline designed an evaluation tool reflective of their specific needs.

In order to achieve the focus of student outcome assessment applied to a real life educational scenario, Administration of Justice used two basic steps: a job task analysis and student training needs assessment. Critical skills are aligned to learning objectives to enhance outcomes.

To assure that the criminal justice students were being assessed on tasks a police officer would perform at an actual crime scene, a Job Task Analysis was conducted (Darany, 2001). Police officers from the Hagerstown Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Department and the Maryland State Police provided a list of cognitive skills essential to the crime scene investigation process relevant to the CMCI planned. These skills are listed on the Crime Scene Investigation Evaluation Tool designed to assess student performance . Upon completion of the Job Task Analysis, a “Training Needs Assessment” was conducted. The assessment looked at the course content of specific administration of justice classes at HCC. Instructors were asked to determine that each “job task” was instructed in the classroom or included in the course material.

A need to provide nurses with education/training related to mass casualty is imperative (Pasley, 2001). This content is being addressed this year within the emergency care nursing management module of learning. The skills needed to function effectively in emergent situations are taught in the classroom and skills labs. These critical skills are integrated into the evaluation/assessment tool, which will be used during the CMCI. Personnel from our local Washington County Hospital Emergency Department, Maryland Shock Trauma Unit @ University of Maryland, HCC Nursing faculty, and Clinical Nurse Specialists in Emergency Care will serve as evaluators during the CMCI. The evaluators use the Hospital Emergency Care Nursing Evaluation Form to assess clinical skill performance. Since student nurses may also role play victims, the element of peer/patient evaluation will be introduced into the process as well. Gibbons, Adamo, Padden, Ricciardi, Graziano, Levine and Hawkins (2002) noted that clinical education requires a variety of evaluation techniques and a controlled environment. Faculty, peer, self and patient evaluations offer unique contributions to students’ education. This challenge is opening doors for nurse educators to use creative educational strategies.

Paramedic Emergency Services build on the concepts that learners needs to know what constitutes good performance, not just in their courses, but in their professional field of work (Huba & Freed, 2000). Providing real-life hands on experience at a CMCI scenario affords students opportunities to apply the skills learned in the classroom to actual emergencies. These critical skills are identified on the Pre-Hospital Care/Communication Evaluation Form used to monitor and evaluate student performance. Faculty, Paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) provide their skills and expertise as evaluators of skill competency.

The interdisciplinary collaborative approach we use with the CMCI provides faculty, students, peers, professional colleagues, and community opportunities to view, assess and evaluate the skills of students in three specific career programs at HCC. At the conclusion of the CMCI, students and evaluators participate in a debriefing session led by a skilled facilitator. Debriefing is a crisis-intervention process that contains both psychological and educational elements (Antai-Otong, 2001). At this point outcomes will also be assessed related to specific objectives for each discipline. Upon review of the clinical evaluations, any needed modifications in content or clinical skill education will be addressed for each discipline involved. Assessment and continuous quality improvement techniques are both based on collecting feedback for improvement (Huba & Freed, 2000).

The strategic plan is in place for the CMCI educational scenario at HCC. Everyone is excited about this event and the interdisciplinary team is busy preparing for Saturday, April 26, 2003 at 9:00 A.M. You are invited to attend as an observer, along with other interested persons. The outcomes of the event will be shared at our 14th Annual 2004 AFACCT Conference. Inquiries may be directed to any of the faculty named in this article.

Hagerstown Community College
11400 Robinwood Drive
Hagerstown, Maryland 21742-6590

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Simulations as Fundamental Learning Objects Bruce L. Bird, Ph.D.

“Bitch, Ho’e, Mama, Babe:” Considering College Slang, Simone de Beauvoir, and Oxymoron

Educational and Philosophical Techniques to Advance Psychology in the Class

Stephan Y. Werba, Professor of Psychology Community College of Baltimore County- Catonsville

Assessment of Student Performance Using a Collaborative Interdisciplinary Educational Scenario

Simulations as Fundamental Learning Objects

Bruce L. Bird, Ph.D.

“Bitch, Ho’e, Mama, Babe:”
Considering College Slang, Simone de Beauvoir, and Oxymoron

Educational and Philosophical Techniques
to Advance Psychology in the Class

Stephan Y. Werba, Professor of Psychology
Community College of Baltimore County- Catonsville

Assessment of Student Performance Using a Collaborative
Interdisciplinary Educational Scenario