Continuing the discussion from Student loans as a strategy for social control:
I’m in the middle of a good example right now. I’m in a meeting of faculty and staff, listening to a software group talk about some peer-mentoring software that we pay for. A year-end wrap-up kind of thing.
They tell us that it’s very successful, based on how many students are using it, and how often. So, I asked “Very good. Do you have data that students who use this expensive software (2 faculty lines-worth a year, I think) are more successful (better grades, or better persistence/retention) than their peers who do not use this software?”
The answer? 15 minutes of meandering babble, no part of which answered yes or no. Also, a scolding that “we do not consider ourselves a software platform.” lol, stop. It’s an app that connects students to mentors, with a team in the background to help. Take your marketing people and give us our money back.
That’s the stealth bloat.
