Saturday, August 16, 2008 ***Change Management Is Not Easy***
As chair of the School Assessment Committee, I am heavily involved in the Program Annual Review activities of National University now. Being placed between all the
program directors of my school (School of Engineering and Technology, SOET) and the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA), I am in a position to get
a glimpse of both sides. This year, OIRA is doing a superb job of answering questions and providing one-on-one training on how to use the new software, AMS, to complete
assessment reports. The untiring efforts of all OIRA staff are to be commended. Their hard work is also making my job much easier. On the faculty side, since this is
only the third time of doing a university-wide annual assessment, the procedure is yet to be called “mature and stable.” Inevitably, there is a learning curve for all
of us. No matter how early OIRA training started and how much time was given to the program directors to prepare their reports, due to all possible reasons, some program
directors could only start to fill in the blanks of their report templates on the day the reports were first due (not to say starting to collect evidence).
Despite the minor clinches encountered to date, I am positive with our existing assessment procedure. I would like to document a thought of mine. For a university that
has not done any formal university-wide assessment at all and wants to get started, maybe, it should spend more time doing more at the “Unfreezing” stage of implementing
a significant change (according to Psychologist Lewin, the three stages of the Change Process are “Unfreezing,” “Change,” and “Freezing/Refreezing”). Since formal academic
assessment in the U.S. is still new to many universities and, at least, fellow instructors of my generation (and those earlier) did not receive any formal training in this
area when we were in our doctoral programs, this is a significant cultural change to many university faculty. If a university can spend, e.g., one year, on promoting such a
climate of formal and regular learning assessment, then when the actual assessment activities commence, faculty would be much more prepared and receptive.
The above is a part of what I have learned from my assessment experience to date.
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Saturday, August 2, 2008 ***This Is Not My Father's College Academic Program***
Nowadays, higher education in the United States is really different from that when I was going to college. As getting a degree is becoming more
and more expensive, parents and legislators are demanding accountability. Universities are formally engaging in student learning assessment more than ever.
Being the chair of the School Assessment Committee, I have been learning a lot about doing assessment at all levels: course, program, and university. I am also
fortunate enough to be on the committee to prepare for our upcoming accreditation renewal. We are learning that assessment always begins with learning
outcomes. Then, we design the curriculum and teaching material to help students acquire those outcomes. Finally, we assess how well the students have achieved
those learning outcomes. Valid learning assessment is done from scratch. It should not be an ad hoc activity only to satisfy an external accreditation
authority. It should be done for continued program improvement. For a specific academic program that covers, e.g., eight to twelve learning outcomes, assessment
has to be well planned. One way is assessing students' performance for a few learning outcomes a year and covering all of them in, e.g., five years.
It is good that I am learning about assessment in a systematic manner even before I become a program director. One day, the Lord willing, when I have the
chance to become a program director, I will know how to do assessment from the ground up. The Lord's timing is the best. Once again, I have realized that, the Lord's way is always better than
one's own way (even when one is humbly acknowledging that one's intelligence is given by God). God is capable of seeing the big picture of my life and I am not.
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Saturday, June 28, 2008 ***Some High-end Restaurants Just Don't Get It***
Why do I choose to eat lunch at a relatively high-end restaurant, where I have to spend over US$10 for a meal, instead of going to a fast food place?
There are many reasons behind (for all restaurants): (1) the food is healthful (such as Souper Salad or Souplantation, etc.), (2) the place is comfortable for taking
a break between two intellectually hectic work periods of the day (morning and afternoon), and (3) the servers are friendly. When I spend that kind of money for a lunch, I expect
a pleasant experience.
Most high-end national-chain restaurants do it right to make customers feel welcome. One or two local independent ones just do not understand how
to deliver a good dining experience. One common issue is the fact that, although they have their waiters/waitresses fully dressed in
their uniforms to convey a sense of formality, these waitpeople just do not understand what their customers want. As a professional, I want quick and
friendly service (besides good food). First, instead of acting in a friendly manner, they are always aloof. This makes customers feel that the
restaurant does not value their business. Second, maybe they have to strictly adhere to assigning a customer to a specific server for gratuity issues, it
really makes me feel unfair if a neighboring table is being served and I am being totally ignored just because I am some other person's responsibility (with no explanations given).
I want to get in and get my order taken fast.
Third, somehow, these waitpeople do not scan the restaurant for customers asking for help or service. Instead of conveying an
atmosphere of being formal, this behavior only conveys the image of the servers being dumb. On the contrary, one year, I was visiting Hong Kong after many years of being away. I just took
a walk in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) and ended up eating lunch at a high-end restaurant. The place was busy and after I had finished reading the menu, I looked around for a waiter (without
even raising my hand for their attention). Almost immediately, one of them realized that my head was moving and came to me himself. This showed how
smart and alert these servers were. In my mind, this restaurant fully deserved charging higher prices. The sweetest thing is that, I still remember it after around fifteen years.
Well, if one of the goals of going out to have lunch is to relax, to be refreshed, and be able to work at 110% again later, such a lousy dining experience does not serve this purpose at all.
In fact, it makes my life even more stressful. Why would I go back again?
For a restaurant that offers the right dining experience, let us assume that I dine there once a week only. That means around fifty meals a year.
In addition, I may bring friends every now and then and I may tell my friends how good this restaurant is. Please do the math to calculate the life-long value of such a customer. Who knows
how many such customers there are altogether? I just cannot resist saying this: do these restaurant owners ever read a book in Experiential Marketing?
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Monday, June 16, 2008 ***Another Positive Example***
At National University, I am very fortunate to have the opportunity of working with a high-level executive of the whole system. She is a very
friendly person and through observing how she leads the group, I can understand some attributes of successful professionals.
First, this adminstrator's mind is always very sharp. During a meeting, as soon as our discussion has gone a little off topic, she can identify the problem and
immediately explain why we need to go back to the current topic being discussed. Second, she always takes the initiative to lead the discussion as
a leader, much more extroverted than I am. Third, she is very efficient in everything she does: from conducting a meeting to going to the cafeteria to
get lunch. This is the work style that can get things done. Third, she always finds opportunities to say positive things to her subordinates. This is the best
motivator that one can give. This coincides with the approach taken by another CEO of a successful company in Hong Kong. That CEO said, "One key to my success is
remembering to clap my hands for my subordinates."
I look forward to learning more from her in the near future.
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Saturday, May 10, 2008 ***Credit Should be Given to Her***
I would like to document the strengths in Ms. Hillary Clinton that I have observed. First of all, I have never followed her news
deliberately. She gave me the impression that she is an eloquent speaker. Further,
she can handle embarrassing or controversial situations well (in other words, she has a layer of thick skin, as expected in all politicians or public figures).
If one follows the news nowadays, one can hardly miss the news about Hillary running against Mr. Obama for the Democratic presidential
nomination. This campaign has been a long and hard one, with all the ups and downs, for her. It is through this event that, her
resilience shines through. She demonstrates the stamina, determination, and diligence of someone who is worth the salt. If you listen
to her nowadays, you will also realize that her voice is much coarser than it was before (poor thing).
On the softer side, we all know that she followed her husband to relocate to Little Rock, AR many years ago. To me, this demonstrated
her willingness to give up herself for her husband. She went to school at Wellesley and Yale and was having/starting a career in
Washington DC at that time. For such a strong person, who could have had more career opportunities on the East Coast (despite a temporary
setback) to be willing to relocate to a relatively small town, for her husband, it could not have been easy.
Although I am not Hillary’s fan, I think I should commend her for the above.
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Tuesday, March 4, 2008 ***The Capability of Finishing a Project Quietly***
When I was younger, I learned that being able to finish a project quietly is a positive thing in the workplace. Recently, my observation on an incident really
reinforced this theory and I am glad that I had the chance to "run into" that book when I just got my first full-time job.
A few days ago, a person that I know had to organize and host a function at work. To me, it was just a simple half-day event that was not difficult to organize at all.
Besides, he/she worked alone and had the full control. There were no fairness among team members issues. Since this volunteered task was extra to his/her (I use his/her
here to protect his/her identity) daily
duties, he/she became furious very easily in the preparation process. He/She was so emotional that, at one time, he/she threw things on his/her desk publicly. I regrettably felt that
such behavior was unprofessional in the workplace. Ventilating is fine when one is alone. Doing it in public (especially in the workplace) could be damaging to one's image.
I personally think that one of the reasons behind this type of behavior is seeing one's job as an entitlement and having the idea that only doing the minimum is what the boss deserves. Therefore,
people with such thinking tend to sulk or get frustrated if they have to spend one more minute at work. This observation reminded me of a couple that I met when I was going to
junior college in Hong Kong. At that time, Communist China just opened up and only a limited number of people
could move to Hong Kong - a British colony where people enjoyed (and are still enjoying) more freedom and human rights than people in China then. There was a couple who just came from China and
both of them were working at the school canteen counter. They handed us our meal plates when we gave them the purchased meal tickets. Sometimes, when they were not busy, I stopped by and chatted with them for a little while to
practice my spoken Mandarin. They impressed me with the fact that, they were always happy and they loved their jobs very much. I think this was because they really valued their chance of
working and staying in Hong Kong, for a breath of freedom. What a contrary to this incident that I observed!
Being able to finish a project that one started and to do so quietly may not be instantly observable or noticeable by others. However, not being able to do so can immediately hurt his/her reputation.
They may negatively affect the morale of the people around them. I do not want to acquire this habit unconsciously while I have to be around this type of people. I would rather be around people who are upbeat and willing to go
the extra mile without raising complaints because they are always my positive examples. Moreover,
I cannot resist saying this: are people who have this type of entitlement mentality ideal spouse material?
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Saturday, February 16, 2008 ***How Can a Guy Get His Dream Girl More Easily - Some Thoughts on Valentine's Day***
My Valentine’s Day 2008 started quite right. I had all the things that made me happy: a cup of good coffee, no traffic on the way to work,
having my favorite Chinese dumplings for lunch, and getting work done (as usual). One of my female friends called to share her frustration
of just receiving an electronic card from someone who is pursuing her (let us call this guy Joe again, for short). At first, I just tried
my best to be a listener and comforter. Then, after delivering an optional lab session to my students, what my friend talked about kept
coming back to my mind. This also saddened me while I was having dinner and taking a walk in the mall to wind down. I just felt for her.
On the other hand, it was good that someone else understood what she was going through. I could be of some use to my friend.
The way Joe treated my friend is such a familiar event to me. I was presented similar things two times in my life as well. I thought it
was only my personal experience. Now, I can say that this may be more common than I thought. Why does this type of disappointment and
frustration have to be repeated year after year? If you want to get along better with your dream girl, please read on.
In my mind, if a guy has already explicitly expressed his wish to seriously pursue a lady, then the lady deserves at least, a box of US$1
chocolates and a simple card for Valentine’s Day. I do not want to lecture on this subject anymore. A relevant article in my first book
does that in detail. That article, "An Unforgettable Valentine’s Day," was written the day after my own similar event. Here, let us discuss
why it is so hard for a guy to do such a simple thing for the lady that he admires (I assume that the reason for pursuing her is admiration).
I am not talking about those guys who have done more than the above already.
Maybe guys, such as Joe, do not understand the fact that, to a woman, there is a tremendous amount of difference between receiving something
tangible and receiving just a phone call or an electronic card. In the movie, Lust, Caution, a big diamond ring received from Mr. Yi, the man
Ms. Wang (acting as his mistress) was trying to kill, exposed Wang’s true identity of a spy (she was so moved that she told him to get away ASAP,
her spy partners were around to kill him). My interpretation is: it was not entirely the materialism behind that ring that led to her own downfall.
It was the love taken as the meaning behind that ring that did it. Mr. Yi did not care much about diamonds when his own wife was talking about them
but he could arrange for buying that ring for Wang. Can you see the contrast? To me, between a man and a woman, it can be any other thing, such as
the willingness of taking over chores that he hates, etc.
On the other hand, some guys, such as Joe, do not realize the price they may be paying by avoiding the “trouble” of sending the above (a total
of no more than one hour and US$5, including packing and postage for long-distance sweethearts). The frustration and disappointment created
is far more expensive and detrimental than the time and money spent making such a simple and sweet gesture. I myself declined those two guys after
those Valentine’s Days. I refused to accept that kind of treatment. I was so frustrated that I did not want to investigate why they behaved
like that. Denying the honor that your loved one deserves on Valentine’s Day is similar to not letting a football fan watch the Super Bowl.
Guys, if you want your dream girl, please, learn how to do your calculations right, for your own sake.
I am afraid that, a free and handy electronic card will not cut it on Valentine’s Day even in the 21st century.
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Saturday, February 9, 2008 ***A Hong Kong Diner that Impressed Me***
I was in Hong Kong for my book signing last month. There is a type of restaurants in Hong Kong that is called "Tea and Meal Restaurant." I personally think that it is the equivalent of the
American diner: the same economical prices and greasy environment. I was particularly impressed by one such Hong Kong diner close to the Yaumatei Post Office. First, though it is not
a big diner, I found it exceptionally clean and neat. The waitresses and the cashier were always friendly (there was another one across the street where the cashier totally treated me as invisible
when I went to the counter to pay the bill and it is no longer in business now).
I also saw one logistically smart practice in this diner: Underneath the table at every booth is a drawer. When
the waitress brings a dish to a customer at a booth, the silverware, chopsticks, and paper napkins are taken out from that drawer for the customer. This is more efficient than having
the waitress walk to a station to gather the silverware and bring it to the table.
To remain competitive, these Hong Kong diners cannot charge high prices. For example, this diner charges around HK$21 (US $2.7) for a set breakfast. There is a variety of set breakfasts and a typical one
is some combination of toast, one to two hot dogs (yes, in Hong Kong, they serve hot dogs instead of sausage for breakfast), two eggs, a small bowl of noodle soup, and a cup of coffee or tea. (I do not
remember exactly because I did not order this "neo-western-style" set breakfast.) If one likes to eat Chinese, one can order a big bowl of bubbly hot savory meat porridge for HK$20. We are talking about a diner on Nathan Road in Yaumatei
where rent is very high. It is like State Street in downtown Chicago or J Street in downtown Sacramento. I was really amazed at how diners like this can survive while providing such good-priced meals to their customers.
Another thing about these diners that amazed me was the flexibility of their menus. The newest dishes available are usally on some special cards on the table or some posters on the walls. As Hong Kong
is a city very driven by what is "fashionable," the chefs have to be flexible enough to know how to cook what is "in" and the diner owners need to be flexible enough to be willing to offer new dishes. As for
lunch and dinner, they offer a wide variety of dishes from Chinese to even a few others in Korean and Thai styles.
One drawback about this diner in Yaumatei is the fact that, its name is one that is too common for restaurants. That is why I cannot recall its name after coming back to California.
This diner illustrates the shrewdness of some Hong Kong businesspeople.
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007 ***Early Retirement***
When I was sightseeing in Canada in September, there was a lady in the group, who used to work as a pharmacist. We talked casually and she told me that she had retired. I was surprised
because she looked like she was at most ten years my senior. To be honest with you, I had also thought about when I could go back to Texas and fill my days with just reading, writing,
swimming, playing golf, walking in the park, playing the violin, and planting vegetables in my garden.
After talking with this lady, my perspective has changed a little. It is good if someone can afford to retire early. On the other hand, regardless of her financial affluence, I felt that
this lady could have continued to contribute to society through her knowledge and vocation. Would I be wasting a resource of society if I stop working while I still can?
Then I tried to think harder on why I wanted to retire before 65. To a workaholic (I am one), it is not the workload that makes him/her want to retire. Sometimes, it is the patience needed
to handle different types of people in the workplace that makes one want to retire early. Not having to work means not having to spend my energy on handling some issues that
would be unnecessary in a perfect world. Some (common) examples include having to handle: (a) crafty people, (b) people not pulling their weight, (c) people flossing in front of others, and (d) people whose
only automatic response to an unpleasant (unpleasant to them) situation is yelling and issuing threats (this type is, at least, better than #a above), etc. I have encountered all these situations throughout my twenty-four years of (part-time and full-time) work life.
Anyway, now I have seen the situation from a third person's point of view, I may not want to retire early after all. A better solution is learning how to minimize or resolve unnecessary issues
that tend to drain our energy. My uncle predicted that I would refuse to retire even at eighty. We will see!
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Wednesday, November 7, 2007 ***University-wide Assessment Summit***
Last week, I attended the annual National University Assessment Summit at La Jolla, CA. Being the Chair of the School Assessment Committee, I had to make a 25-minute
presentation about how the academic programs of my School (School of Engineering and Technology) did last year. I thank the Lord that I did a good job speaking in front of
the President, the Provost, my Dean, and other colleagues. Thanks to the formal training received during my Polytechnic years in Hong Kong. I still have that textbook,
English for Business, on my bookshelf.
At the summit, I realized that, at National, all departments (academic and non-academic) go through assessment each year. Non-academic departments, from IT to Facility Management,
also have their annual goals to drive their work. Assessment data are collected, e.g., via surveys, and presented at the summit. I can really appreciate such an approach to being
accountable. Understanding the procedure of assessment up front and publicly sharing assessment information really promote more transparent operations.
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Tuesday, October 16, 2007 ***It is More Credible from Someone Else's Mouth***
When I was sightseeing with a group in Canada last month, what a group member (an elderly man with grandchildren, let us call him Mr. T) told me from his
observation really did justice to me. I was so happy to hear that.
The story goes like this: Among the 33 people in the group, there were only two single people: me and another guy (let us call him Joe, I do not know his name)
from Beijing. I made comany with a couple from China and Joe mostly made company with Mr. T and other guys. I realized that Joe was quietly paying attention to me but did not
talk with me or approach me. At one stop, Mr. T and I chatted casually and he said, "Your outstanding quality really makes it hard for guys to have guts to
approach you. Even they are interested and would like to know you better, they feel intimated and choose to keep a distance instead."
I replied, "You really understand my situation well."
In fact, the above has been my situation for many years now. If I tell others about this myself, then they would ask me, "How do you know the guy is interested?
He is not even asking you out." If it is from someone else's mouth, it is more credible.
That is not the end of the story. After this conversation, we arrived at Banff National Park. Before we could ride the tram to go to the top of Sulphur Mountain, the
whole group had to pose for a group picture. I was the first few to sit down and there were spaces to my left. Joe was next to arrive. He saw me sitting there and
he saw those spaces next to me, he hurried his footsteps, (I think) trying to get to the seat next to me. When he arrived, suddenly, he changed his mind and
stood behind me instead. At that moment, I came to the conclusion that my busy life really cannot afford to incubate some puppy friendship like that. In other words, I gave it
up at that very moment. That is the end of the story about Joe.
Well, what can I say? Am I supposed to be a worse person just for "catching" some guy? Am I supposed to sacrifice my personal development just to have a boyfriend? Excuse me.
I am not and I do not act conceited or fastidious (as far as I know). If I am still deemed being not approachable, so be it.
Now, my readers can understand why my books only talk about attracting the opposite gender and do not talk about "closing the deal (i.e., how to get married)." It is because I
have not succeeded yet. Bummer! LOL
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Thursday, September 13, 2007 ***Working with Elderly People***
I do two hours of volunteer work at a local community center for the elderly every month. As usual, I helped out with the respite program yesterday. A thought came to me.
The respite program is a day care service for elderly people who have dementia, so that their family members can have half a day off to run errands and take a break from
caring for them. Each time the group meets, we do some singing and light physical exercises, work on a craft project, and serve a light lunch, etc.
As a volunteer, I participate through serving the food and helping them with the craft project. We are serving these grandpas and grandmas in a way similar to teaching
children in kindergarten. One of the ladies cannot even participate in the activities. She just sits in a wheelchair with her eyes closed all the time and someone has to feed her.
Usually, most of them cannot finish working on a 24-piece jigsaw puzzle within fifteen to twenty minutes.
In my mind, I could see these elderly people when they were younger and healthier. In those days, they must have worked diligently and their minds must have been sharper.
Then, I thought about myself. At present, I am trying my best to fulfill the responsibilities of life and to attain self-actualization - trying to live the life that the
Lord has planned for me to the fullest. I am using my mind 16/7. I can pay attention to detail to finish all projects at work and to take care of myself. Who knows what I
will be like thirty or forty years from now? Maybe I will become one of them. A friend told me that, having dementia can come to the point of not knowing what is going on
around oneself at all. Another friend, who is an MD, said that, some patients do get violated by hospital workers (illegally, of course). If one has to live this way, what quality
of life is there for this person?
I hope that, one day, when I cannot take care of myself anymore, the Lord will take me back to Heaven as early as possible.
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Thursday, August 23, 2007 ***Why Some People Can Achieve More and Some Think That They Cannot***
Sometimes we meet different people in our daily lives to give us different insights. Have you ever met a person who seems to think that God owes him/her a lot? Usually, such a person
thinks that he/she could get higher in his/her career but thinks that, in one way or another, he/she has been unfairly blocked.
Many times, we cannot see our own blind spots. If someone has the habit of not delivering what he/she has promised, such as always being late, this will negatively affect how the people who
have to work with him/her look at him/her. Gradually, people will lose faith in him/her. If it is a business relationship, this relationship may not be last long. If it is
an employment, there may be a glass ceiling waiting for this person. As I mentioned before, professionally, we cannot say "I don't know" for too many times either. This is another way for people to lose faith.
I see these as habit issues more than capability issues.
Well, what I have observed is, there is a reason(s) for everything. As I have the chance to meet different people, I also have the chance to verify what I have learned through reading
business books. Advice, such as "under-promise and over-deliver" and "you cannot say 'I don't know' for too many times", is correct. I am glad that the Lord has given the chance to
read so many right books, starting when I was younger. I am also glad that the Lord has given me a humble heart to be teachable.
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Thursday, August 9, 2007 ***The Fast Money MBA Challenge Show***
I watched two back-to-back episodes of the MBA Challenge show on CNBC for the first time last evening. MBA students from well-known US business schools were engaged in a Jeopardy-like competition for a grand prize.
Last evening, in the first episode, the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth was against the Yale School of Management and Yale won. In the second episode, the UCLA Anderson School of Management was against the University of Chicago
Graduate School of Business and Chicago was shot down. The questions were about current business events, US business history, business legends, and the Fed, etc. We can say that this show is mainly about testing the real-world knowledge of
MBA students, not testing their academic knowledge. Maybe that was why the students from the University of Chicago did not fare well in that match.
I majored in Management Information Systems (MIS) when I was in Graduate School. It was not one of the traditional Accounting, Management, Finance, and Marketing business majors. There were no questions on MIS last evening. I could still manage to get many
answers right. I think this was because of my constant reading of business books and magazines for many years. Those questions were about well-known companies, such as Wal-Mart, 3M, and
Waste Management, etc. Their stories always appear in magazines, such as Fortune and BusinessWeek. My worst category was Stock Ticker Symbols.
I managed to derive two points from this television-watching experience. First, this confirmed that it is very hard for someone to excel in a field by just memorizing textbook material. One has to be really interested in the field, so
that one is eager to absorb relevant knowledge on one's own. However, many times, we got into a field only because of many reasons other than interest, such as survival, potential job security, high pay, and parents' opinion, etc. Second,
we, as educators, need to re-think about how we are educating our students. Do we just transfer academic knowledge or do we also inspire them to be more interested in the field, so that they will seek to learn more on their own, and as a result, will have a
better chance to excel in their careers?
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Tuesday, June 26, 2007 ***Quality Assurance in Higher Education***
Due to the need of my department, I have started to investigate the topic of Academic Assessment. The first step was to get myself educated in this area. Here are some thoughts
after spending some time on this topic.
Assessment is a very important part of providing higher education to students. Let us think of the job of managing a program or a department in a more coherent manner. To me, a basic
mission of being an educator is helping students with their careers. Beyond this, we may add others, such as influencing them to become more responsible citizens and to know how to manage their lives better. Nevertheless, managing
one's career is a fundamental part of managing one's life. This is because we all need to survive in society. Therefore, we need to train students to have marketable skills in the workplace. Given this bigger picture, what
we do as an administrators should be linked together in a coherent manner. For example, we need a sound assessment procedure in place and we need to have an industry advisory panel to guide us in improving our academic programs. These
two are highly related. The panel members have to have access to valid and relevant assessment data to give us good and in-depth advice.
Assessment should be composed of various activities for data collection in different areas. The major issue of assessment is measuring how well students are achieving the stated learning goals in our academic programs. We can
immediately infer that we need the right, relevant, and measurable learning goals. Then we need to make sure that what we teach does achieve those goals. We need to know how to measure student outcomes: both inside and outside the
classroom, etc. Complete data collection involves comprehensive and periodic surveys given to new, existing, and graduating students, as well as employers of our graduates, etc. Ideally, the department or the school should have a complete and
appropriate plan for the assessment of all its programs, for external accreditation and internal improvements.
Besides the procedural aspect of assessment, data collection, and proper data usage, we have to tackle the cultural aspect as well. First, how can we nurture an assessment-friendly environment for faculty members? Second, we cannot deny the fact that, sometimes, no matter
how hard faculty members work, some students may not be that interested in learning. Some may just be interested in getting the degree. Some are burdened with work and family responsibilities and can barely get through classes. The issue becomes how
we can cultivate a culture of putting a higher priority on learning and excellence among everyone in the university environment.
As far as I can see now, assessment is an important component of providing high-quality higher education. Good higher education management or administration involves issues larger and more complex than assessment alone.
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Wednesday, June 13, 2007 ***Different Work Environments and Different Approaches***
As invited by one of my supervisors at National, I had the chance of sitting in on a meeting for one of my colleagues yesterday. Other attendees of the meeting belong to a
prestigious committee of the university. The chair of the meeting was particular accomodating to me. Understanding that I was a newcomer,
he explained things to me, so that I could follow along.
Such a positive experience can never be taken for granted in the business world. This reminded me of a similar incident
that happened in another organization many years ago. At that time, my then supervisor could not attend a meeting with other administrators. He asked me to attend on behalf of him. I tried
to refuse but he did not let me. As soon as I stepped into that meeting room (we did not have teleconference calls or voice over IP in those days), at least one of the people inside gave me "the look."
That look was "What are you doing here? Are you trying to get a promotion to become one of us? Go back to your desk, keep your head down, and keep working."
What a difference between the two incidents! You don't need me to tell you which organization is better at retaining employees, right?
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Friday, May 18, 2007 ***Be Proactive with Communication***
As I am training myself for adiministrative positions in the future, my present job is really a fertile ground for me to gain invaluable experience. After a
lot of thinking, I have come to the following conclusion. Before collaborating with a new partner, it is better to discuss mutual expectations and
the best way of working together ahead of time. This friendly conversation can minimize misunderstanding because, sometimes, we rely on assumptions too much.
For example, person A may assume that person B has understood some facts about the present task and will act accordingly (again, will act according to A's
assumptions). However, in reality, peson B may not even know the details of the situation.
If we can communicate proactively and prevent misunderstanding, this will make working together a lot smoother and will help preserve goodwill among co-workers.
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Friday, May 4, 2007 ***Outstanding Customer Service***
I went to my dentist's office for several "deep cleaning" sessions. The lady who cleaned my teeth is a remarkable professional. She is always friendly and
she does everything to help a patient feel at ease. When a patient enters her room, she is always concerned about whether he/she needs a blanket. Then she
explains the procedure and applies the local anesthesia. She reminds her patient not to eat or drink hot beverages before the anesthesia completely wears off.
After she has cleaned the teeth for a while, she massages the patient's jaw muscles in case they feel sore. She provides a pair of goggles to the patient and when
she takes them off after the cleaning is done, she massages his/her temples.
I have always thought that nurses in the US are the kindest and the most patient people. This dental hygienist stands out even among US nurses.
If I were the dentist (the owner of the practice), I would try to do my best to retain her as an important member of my team.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2007 ***Keep Learning***
Since I took this teaching job one year ago, I have been learning a lot about how to manage an academic program. At present,
I am a Regional Director. I am responsible for staffing and evaluating local classes, as well as
all relevant administrative activities. For example, we just held a very successful gathering of former students,
adjunct professors, and existing students last month. The Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology came to our campus from San Diego.
We had a keynote speaker from a local government agency. I learned how to do this through observing an administrator of another university
several years ago.
I am learning how to be a Program Director through observing my colleagues. I was in San Diego for our Spring Symposium last week. One colleague
had a proposal for updating his program and another one talked about having annual and five-year formal program reviews.
I really enjoy being exposed to all kinds of administrative activities (either through observation or hands-on experience). Let me share something
about organizational behavior next time. Having to handle different types of people is really paving my way to future opportunities.
There is one sad note this week. Let us remember the friends and families of those who died in the Virginia Tech massacre. Nobody wants this to happen
anywhere. This has also led me to thinking about the students and staff members who may need help with mental issues. What policies a university should have
in order to extend help to them and to protect the general university population?
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Thursday, March 29, 2007 ***Being More Rational as One Grows Older***
It seems to me that, it is really harder for older singles to find "the one" with whom to grow old. At this age, we have experienced a lot and we
are much more rational as compared to how we were, say, twenty years ago. There are a lot of objective criteria to be used, such as whether
we want to raise a family or not and whether we will be a good match in the way we think or do things together, etc. For example, I am a person
who tends to do things as early as possible. I would not be a good match with someone who is a habitual procrastinator. I foresee that
such a couple will have a fight whenever they need to get something done. Once we know that there are these barriers that would contribute to an unsustainable
long-term harmony, the rational ones will give it up before anyone gets hurt, no matter how intense the initial attraction was.
I guess there is a reason for the Lord not letting something happen: not to let us get hurt unnecessarily.
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Sunday, February 18, 2007 ***What an Example!***
A few days ago, an executive of my university (i.e., my indirect boss) came to visit our campus from San Diego. It was the first time I could link his
face to his name. He really displayed an aura of being a commander. I believe this is through years of practice and putting theories into action.
First, he knew the business of academics very well. This showed that he had worked very hard on every issue within the scope of his job responsibilities.
Second, while the way he spoke was full of confidence, there was not a hint of conceit nor insincerity. While he did not need to please us, he was very approachable and
he responded to our questions well. He even helped set up the table for coffee and cookies. Third, for some question that he did not have an answer yet (given the present situation,
the solution is yet to emerge), he did not say he did not know. Instead, he said, "It is anyone's guess right now." This approach of handling the situation matches the theory that,
when others ask us for answers that they expect us to know, we cannot say "I don't know" for too many times. Otherwise, we will lose the respect from them very soon. Lastly, his outward
appearance was neat and appropriate. He was wearing the uniform - a dress shirt, a suit, and a neck tie. This showed that he respected his audience and was serious about this meeting.
I think all executives-to-be can learn a few things from this highly respected person.
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Thursday, February 8, 2007 ***Don't Make Enemies***
When one is working in the real world, one meets different types of people. I believe that it is important to try one's best to maintain a
collegial relationship with every person.
The above is especially true when one works in a small organization where all employees know each other. When one arrives at the
office and sees a colleague the first time of the day, saying hello back to him/her will not hurt and this is a form of courtesy, whether
one has related business matters with that person or not. It is unfortunate that some people do not realize or do not practice this
simple business gesture. They consistently act as if those colleagues with which they do not have related business affairs to handle do not matter
at all. To me, these people can be savvier in the business world. Perhaps they do not realize how much further one's career can go (with other factors
being held constant) without oneself making enemies in an unconscious and unnecessary manner.
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Sunday, December 3, 2006 ***Bliss to Me!***
A few days ago, some simple examples of bliss or being blessed (“xing fu” in Mandarin and “hang fuk” in Cantonese) came to my mind.
A casual chat with my friend gave me the idea that, to a single man, bliss is having home-cooked meals prepared for him.
To a woman, bliss is when her man sees her as an important part of his life and expresses it naturally. Although an emotionally
independent woman does not need this to be happy, if she has a man in her life, this will give her happiness that no money can buy.
How can we tell how important a woman is in her man’s heart? I got a clue (which is a heuristic, not a universal rule, hey, my area
is Expert Systems) from looking at two different pictures a few days ago. Each picture shows a couple. In the first picture, the man is
physically very close to his woman. His arm is around her back with his hand on her shoulder to gently take her in. His facial
expression shows eagerness and seriousness for this picture to include both him and her. In the second one, the man is sitting next
to his woman but his focus is on himself. Well, the second man may be too shy to express his emotions. Different people may have different standards as well.
It is interesting to read people's body language.
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Sunday, October 29, 2006 ***One Unspoken Business Rule***
A few days ago, a friend shared her story with me. It confirmed my own thinking of how not to offend the other party
when we pick up a ringing phone. When we go into a retail store, the store clerk says, “Good morning, how can I help you?”
This is fine and we feel that he/she is behaving properly. However, when a friend calls us, it is better not to greet him/her
with “How can I help you?” This sounds like we have already made the assumption that this person is asking for our help.
It sounds condescending and may make him/her feel bad, no matter he/she is really asking for help for not.
Further, I think that, in a normal situation, even if I am really helping another person, it is better to act in a way not
making this person feel that he/she is in a weak position and in need of help. A grateful and reasonable person will naturally
thank us without our reminding. On the other hand, if a person has a track record of taking advantage of others, that would be a
different situation.
In the business world, there is an unwritten rule that people help each other (or exchange favors). This is a part of networking.
Of course, while we are receiving a favor from a person, we must remember that we have to reciprocate when the time comes. In this
context, if we are able to extend a little help to another person, is it really a big deal that a friend comes and asks for help?
Therefore, is there a justification for greeting a friend with a condescending “How can I help you?”
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Wednesday, October 18, 2006 ***About My Multiple-choice Exams***
Yesterday, I received my students' evaluations for the very first class that I taught. One common feedback was about my exams. They did not like my not-so-simple
mulitple-choice format. Usually, many choices of my exams are "I and II only," "I, II, and IV only," "All of the above," and "None of the above." I know that this
format requires one to really know the materials and read the questions carefully. One student wrote, "There is no room for errors."
Well, I think that as long as I have covered the materials clearly, all such materials are fair game during exam time. Besides, the course syllabus clearly states that
the exam format encourages studying and discourages guessing. Usually, I give a handout showing sample exam questions at the beginning of each class.
Nevertheless, these students were very cooperative and mature both inside and outside the classroom. Although it was a lot of work, teaching that first class was fun as well.
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Sunday, October 8, 2006 ***It Would Not Hurt***
A few days ago, I went to a colleague's office to ask a question. Since she was on the phone and her door was open, I tried not to stand too close to the entrance.
Her office is the only office there and I was the only person standing outside waiting. Suddenly, another person arrived. Instead of looking around to see
if there were other people waiting, she just went inside to wait for my colleague to hang up. In other words, in the first-come-first-serve world of waiting to
see a person, she jumped the line. I was a little upset because I had to spend more time waiting. Given the culture here and the situation that my colleague was still
on the phone, it was inappropriate to go in and say, "Excuse me, I had been waiting here before you came in. You just did not take a look."
No matter how high one's position is, before one goes into someone else's office, it is better to look around to see if there are other people already waiting.
If there are, it would not hurt to ask (for example), "Are you in line to see Mr. Smith?" I thank the Lord that I learned this many years ago (probably through
observing some great example). To me, having the patience and attention to detail to be considerate to others is one of the many important success factors in the business world.
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Wednesday, October 4, 2006 ***About Teaching***
My former colleague and I talked on the phone a few days ago. He asked me about my new job and new environment. Am I happy with my new job? Yes, I
am happy with my teaching job here in California. Despite the fact that, I usually have to put in long hours and eat a lot of take-out food to get things done,
I enjoy this job more. It is because my effort is appreciated by my supportive bosses and colleagues, the experience accumulated here will be useful for my personal
growth, and teaching is one of my strengths. Of course, I did make my load of mistakes when I was teaching as a Ph.D. student. Throughout the years,
I have learned how to teach better.
Nowadays, I am older and more experienced, I have come to appreciate teaching more. When I was teaching earlier (around eight years ago), my then colleague mentioned
something like, "The ones who cannot do it, teach." I totally disagree. The task of effectively transferring some knowledge to others is not easy. It takes a lot of
hard work to prepare for a class. Instead of taking the intangible reward of teaching for granted, I have come to value and find satisfaction in it. It was received when a student told me, "I enjoyed being in
this class because I was really learning something." Another unforgettable moment was when a student told me, "I am actually a student of another college. I
am taking this summer class here because my friend recommended you as an instructor. I have taken this class for more than one time at my own college but I could not
understand the materials until now."
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Wednesday, September 27, 2006 ***Teaching My First Online Course***
I just finished teaching my first online course in my life. It was an Advanced Programming in Java course and it totally changed my view of online
courses. I used Blackboard as the repository of all class materials and used iLinc, a virtual classroom on the Internet, for class sessions. As
usual, I had my lecture notes in Word documents (with keywords blanked out) for the students and used my full Power Point slides during lecture. When
the class was on iLinc, I shared my Power Point slides on my desktop and talked to everybody through a microphone. The students could also ask
questions in a session. The best thing was the capability of recording all the individual sessions and putting the recorded files on Blackboard.
The students could retrieve the files and play the lecture back as often as they liked. Besides, holding virtual office hours in a chatroom was
completely new to me.
The most enjoyable part of the course was the students. National University educates working adults who work during the day and attend classes during
the evening. Since they have been working in the real world, most of them are mature and reasonable. They even turned in homework early and worked
on additional features beyond the requirements.
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Sunday, September 24, 2006 ***How to Get More Assignments***
Working with different people has really enriched my experience in the workplace. Some of the people that I work with are very responsive to business
correspondence and some are not. In my observation, it is always better to be diligent even if a job is part-time. If someone does not even respond to email messages, how
can you be 100% sure that he/she will be responsible when it comes to taking care of the responsibilities given to him/her? On the other hand,
if a person has established a track record of being good at following up on issues, future opportunities of getting more assignments will
definitely increase because people know working with this person will be efficient.
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Thursday, September 14, 2006 ***I Miss Texas!***
Today, I read an article about the best places for retirement in the US. It reminded me that, it has been around six months
since I moved from College Station, Texas to California. I still miss College Station a lot. Whenever I have some free time,
my friends there and the local environment of College Station always come back to my mind. College Station is a small town with
its own local Texas A&M traditions. Since I went to school and worked there, I have developed some warm friendship with a few local families.
The climate there is always good (if you stay indoors as much as possible in the summer). Houses are very affordable and there is not
much crime in my old neighborhood. Most Texans are friendly and honest.
In some way, a bond has been formed between me and College Station. In my head, I know that I have to move forward with my life and my career.
I hope I can go back and spend my retirement years there in the future, the Lord willing.
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Wednesday, August 30, 2006 ***Harmony Demonstrated***
A few days ago, I went to a fast food place for lunch. I saw an elderly couple having lunch there as well. They looked very healthy
and were wearing shorts and sneakers. After eating chili dogs, they shared a really big ice cream cone. What struck me was that, the way they interacted
conducted a sense of harmony and contentedness. Indeed, life does not have to be fancy or complicated. Having some leisure time to enjoy a simple meal with a loved
one is already a pleasure (let us not discuss whether hot dogs are good for senior citizens or not).
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Wednesday, August 23, 2006 ***Acting Dumb***
When we meet different people in the business world, we can always learn from positive and negative examples. A few days ago, I met someone
whose demeanor was definitely a wake-up call for me. I have always encouraged my friends and students to have confidence in oneself. However,
if one is overly confident and builds that confidence relatively to that of others, it is easy to come to a point at which the way he/she interacts with others
always makes them defensive or sounds like a lecture. To me, a person behaving this way is not that approachable. He/she does
not know how many more obstacles could be removed along his/her career path, if only he/she can be more restrained about how insightful and superior
he/she is. This leads to the fact that, sometimes acting dumb at the right time is not a bad thing.
I guess we all have our blind spots and should be much grateful if a dear and sincere friend can tell us what we do not know about ourselves
(more effectively, if done in a nice way that makes the message easier to be swallowed).
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Sunday, August 20, 2006 ***IT Degree Programs***
Yesterday, we held an information session (or an open house) to introduce the Computer Science and Information Systems degree programs of National
University to the public. My colleagues were very helpful and supportive. I presented the overall US Information Technology (IT) job market situation (which is very bright, five out of the ten fastest growing jobs are in IT) and the
various positions available in this field. Let us be realistic, nowadays, we need a four-year bachelor's degree, at the minimum, to have long-term IT career prospects.
Then, I went through the programs that National offers and asked a student to share his NU experience. The feedback from these information sessions has always
been positive. The audience has also given several constructive suggestions.
One thing I like about this job is the fact that, I have the chance to apply what I know in Business to solving problems in Higher Education.
I am also learning from the experience of my colleagues.
This week will be a busy week for class preparation.
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