It all started....in Mexico City

I started learning to paper-push in military school in Mexico City, taught by a lieutenant who had risen in the ranks because of his administrative skills.  

Then I worked at the Mexican Automobile Association with another admin wizard, Memo Cárdenas,  whose philosophy was "don't sweat the small stuff, there is only  small stuff..." 

The last  3 years of grad school I worked for room and board, and $300.00 a month, at a half-way house for developmentally disabled adults, which taught me patience and love. 

The... one morning in 1978, I was offered a three year contract.lecturer job in the Romance Languages Department at The Ohio State University. 

A year later the department chair let me know that all the lecturers with more seniority had gotten a  tenure track job, and being the most senior, I was now to have administrative tasks... The journey began.

It was the largest Spanish language program in one campus the US at the time. The language requirement was 2 years (6 quarters); the first year had a four track traditional program; the second year 2 tracks--a traditional four skills; and a reading track. 

There was also an Individualized Learning Program developed with an NEH grant.  Of the many languages involved Spanish, was the largest one, "surprise, surprise, surprise" in the words of the great American philosopher Gomer Pyle, USMC!  Through the buffets of life, I became its assistant director.

My luck was that the director was an amazing man, patient, wise, friendly, and helpful, who taught me many things I had never learned before.  Gracias, Mario Iglesias!

The first and second year program instructors included GTA's, lecturers, and Professors at all ranks, including full professors.  Scheduling everyone was part of the job--"can you say nightmare?  I think you can" In the words of the great American philosopher Mr. Rogers. 

Through a Professor of Italian at OSU I was offered a one semester sabbatical replacement job at Vandy,  teaching Italian and Spanish. Ready to move to Nashville, I had even bought boots, I am offered a one year, sabbatical replacement job at UF in 1981. The rest is, well, more  history.

Gil's Law: Text adoption and the publishers.

Gil's law:

Publishers don't lie, I think, but they set unrealistic deadlines 

Corollary:

Textbooks and/or ancillaries will always be late.

 Corollary

Never adopt a textbook, including a new edition of one you are using, until it has been out, and used successfully, by a program of a similar size for at least one full semester. 

The law and its corollary are the results of personal experience--"sufrimiento en carne propia," as we say in Spanish.

Twenty five years ago, late July, I was told that I had to teach Italian, and order the textbooks. 

After consulting with book reps I decide on a textbook, asking "Are you sure the lab manual/workbook will be ready for the beginning of classes in August?"

Suffice to say that the publishers had to xerox the first 3 chapters of the workbook/lab manual after classes started.

Ten years ago an electronic workbooks and lab manuals were added to the book we had been using. It was decided to adopt them.

There were problems with the build, the desk help, you name it... The publishers had to give very student  a free hard copy of the workbook and lab manual.

"Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." 

The electronic versions were adopted after I personally tested the new version during a summer session, and all went without a hitch.  Never had a problem after that. (The Dutch bunch was not in charge.) Quia was excellent!

"Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

 Fool me thrice...  I am an idiot!

February or March 2012, we adopted a new edition of a textbook, a version for accelerated students, all with a rebuild of the online lab. 

I asked the techno man "what if the lab isn't ready on July 1, as you say it will?"  "It will be ready and going by July 1. If not we'll send someone to build the whole thing.

"Can you say nightmare?" "I know we can?" We had them!

Corollary:

Ready and going mean different things to developers and to users.

"Names are withheld to protect the innocent." After all I am the one who decided, or didn't make a strong enough argument against the adoption.

You can't please all the people all the time... Is 87% OK?

Scheduling is a puzzle, so.... when about twenty five years ago a Computer Science and Engineering major asked me to direct his final project I jumped at the opportunity--as long as the project was a scheduling program. He agreed and...

The defined task was: the best schedule is one where classes taught and classes taken are clumped together as close as possible; and there's only one prep. (See chart 1)

Chart 1

Period
1
2	Take A
3	Take B
4	Teach A
5	Teach A
6
7		Teach A
8		Teach A
9		Take A
10		Take B

The first thing I learned was that scheduling was considered a “classic problem” in computer science--a nice way to say that there are no perfect schedules. 

The system worked  well but, because of the computer memory size, and the many variables in the schedule, pencil and paper had to be used to fine tune it.      

With classes on MWF scheduling it is easier to schedule by hand now--hybrid courses have a non-pedagogical advantage as well!  

Here are some of the issues confronted by a scheduler in the LDSP. 

1.  Courses don't have sections every period; and the distribution of sections in periods is uneven.  Thus, if three  instructors select periods 6 and 7 as their 1/2 choice, at least one will be disappointed.  

Chart 2

Period	1130	1131	1134
1	1
2	1		2
3	1	1	3
4		1	3
5		1	3
6	1	1	2
7	1	1	2
8			2
9	1		2
10			1

2. Only one instructor may be available to teach a specific period. This Fall there were two sections of 1134 taught period 9, and only two instructors available to teach them.  

3.  Many graduate courses are taught in blocks of two or three periods one day, thus whenever a class is scheduled on one day (M-W-F) instructors are unable to teach two or three sections.   

  

4.  We try to accommodate some non university related activities: childcare issues for example: I was a single father of a 4^th and 5^th grader, so I know the trials, tribulations, and the love.  In an instance this semester there were only two instructors available to teach period eight, one with a child that had to be picked up by 15:00. The other instructor's choices were periods 3/4, but he was not blessed with a child to pick-up--guess who is teaching period 8? There is a 

silver lining--next semester this person will be first in line for a perfect schedule, what we call in baseball the make-up call. 

How do I prepare schedules?

I prepare a chart with your preferences from the Schedule Preference Form. The number indicates your preference, the X the time you cannot teach.  (chart 4)

Chart 4

Name	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Pedro	1	2	X	X	X	3	7	6	5	4

The "make up calls" (see above) are the first names given sections. The next spaces are filled randomly, using your schedule preference emails to randomize the selections: the oldest received are chosen first, or the more recent ones; sometimes from the middle down, others from the middle up.... The scheduled is filled according to preferences, as close as possible to the definition--the best schedule is one where classes taught and classes taken are clumped together as close as possible; and there's only one prep. 

Once done I make an offering of graph paper soaked in rum to the scheduling deities... hoping for the best!

Sometimes there is dissatisfaction. Some folks don't like to have a 2-4 period schedule, instead of 2-3; others want the scheduler to consider a lunch hour; some don't want to teach and take consecutively; others want space between Spanish and Portuguese classes to avoid confusion--having taught Italian and Spanish for a couple of years I understand... 

Ideas to improve the system? Want to help with the Spring schedule? Let me know!

And then, there is this,  received at 15:00 the day before classes start...

 When I sent you my schedule I was still waiting for a professor's response about a course. I just got the answer and the class is at the same time than one of the class periods I have to teach (period 6). I was wondering if at this point in time there is anything I could do to maybe change the class period with one of my colleagues. My guess is that it is impossible, but I thought I should try since I really wanted to take that course. I am so sorry about the inconvenience and I completely understand if there is nothing that can be done.