From
an article by
Fiona Morgan in
the Independent (Research Triangle area, NC):
N.C. State Professor Tom Hoban is offering Sociology 395-M, "Social Movements for Social Change" [sorry, no link available right now], on the popular social networking site that claims to have 100 million active users worldwide. But administrators say it's the wrong space for teaching a university course.
Hoban says he received approval over the summer from his department head to teach via MySpace. But last week, Katie Perry, senior vice provost for academic affairs, told Hoban to move the course to university servers.
Hoban has refused.
....
A tenured professor, Hoban is citing academic freedom, saying the university's applications don't include social networking components that are essential to the course. He taught it last year using the university's WebCT Vista site, but found it "impossible" to create social interaction.
....
Tim Miller, professor and vice provost for Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA), says administrators have three [I make it two] big concerns.
First, Miller says, MySpace is not compliant with the Americans for Disabilities Act ...
....
Lastly, Miller says, it's unclear whether Hoban is violating the MySpace user agreement which prohibits "commercial" uses of the site.
....
There's another aspect to controversy over SOC 395-M: the content. Hoban is both a scholar and a proponent of 1960s counterculture. Students are expected to participate in a social movement as part of the course. Hoban's syllabus suggests they pursue issues such as "animal welfare and environmental issues; consumerism and healthier eating; peace in the Middle East and social justice; racial equality and spiritual tolerance; sensible drug policy and medical marijuana."
Then there is Hoban's reputation. He refers to himself as the Hip Happy Professor, and his personal profile on MySpace--which he makes clear is not affiliated with the university--features a background image of pot leaves, reggae music on the audio player and videos of himself and a young woman taking hits of marijuana and singing songs such as Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry."
....
Hoban says he believes the content of the course and his own reputation are the real reasons for the administration's objections. "If I were teaching a creative writing course, I don't think it would be an issue," he says.
The other big issue, he says, is money.
NCSU uses two main course management systems: Wolfware, created by NCSU faculty and staff, and WebCT Vista, which is produced by a private company that Miller describes as "effectively the Microsoft of learning management systems." The university contracted with WebCT for $118,360 annually because "we realized there was no way we could keep up with the features and tools of commercial products," he says. As of this fall, 1,141 courses and 35,825 students use the program, he says.