Editing 2215: Faculty:Student Ratio
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by an XKCD UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PAPER - HI. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
− | + | Universities are often rated in various ways to help students/parents pick which one to attend. This comic satirizes the very real culture of schools modifying their actions to artificially inflate their ratings. One metric used in ratings is the {{w|Student–teacher ratio|ratio between the number of faculty members to the number of students}}. Typically this is expressed as student-teacher ratio, which normally determines how much time teachers get to spend with individual students. The lower the ratio, i.e., the fewer students per teacher, the smaller classes teachers have to teach, and thus the more attention the teachers can give to each student. However, having many more teachers than student(s), as in this comic, is not very beneficial to the student(s). | |
− | {{w|Proprietary colleges|For-profit universities}} and {{w|diploma mills}} may use techniques like this to artificially boost their ratings or use fabricated metrics and {{w|accreditation mills}} to give an inflated appearance of value. {{w|Predatory publishing|Predatory publishers}} and conferences are other techniques used to inflate the perceived value of a school or to pad curriculum vitae. | + | Another metric commonly used to measure a college's exclusivity and therefore prestige is the college's rejection rate; more prestigious schools get more applicants, and since they can accept only a limited number, they must reject many. Less prestigious schools often accept a higher fraction of their applicants, but some schools will reject students whose test scores, résumé, etc. are much higher than average for the school, since it's likely that college is a "safety school" and the student won't actually go there. This rejection can decrease the school's acceptance rate and make it appear more prestigious. However, if the above-average student does want to attend that school, they are unable to, even though it would be good for both the college and the student. |
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+ | {{w|Proprietary colleges|For-profit universities}} and {{w|diploma mills}} may use techniques like this to artificially boost their ratings, or use fabricated metrics and {{w|accreditation mills}} to give an inflated appearance of value. {{w|Predatory publishing|Predatory publishers}} and conferences are other techniques used to inflate the perceived value of a school, or to pad curriculum vitae. | ||
In the title text, other metrics are skewed in the school's favor: | In the title text, other metrics are skewed in the school's favor: | ||
− | *Having a high standard for entry is usually associated with better or high-prestige schools; however, this is subverted by the fact that the school has only one student per class | + | *Having a high standard for entry is usually associated with better or high-prestige schools; however, this is subverted by the fact that the school has only one student per class, making for a poor educational experience. |
− | *A high number of research papers would normally indicate a high level of scientific research at the school; however, ''these'' research papers | + | *A high number of research papers would normally indicate a high level of scientific research at the school; however, ''these'' research papers are devoid of any sort of useful information. |
− | *A high hiring rate (percentage of students that have gotten a job after education) and a high average salary after graduation is favorable, as it is one goal for many students attending college. However, the school in question artificially inflates these metrics by having all (one out of one) of their student body be hired by them, producing a 100% hiring rate, and giving them a starting salary that is astronomically high, but not giving them enough employment time to actually gain very much income. $50 trillion/year for 10 microseconds is approximately $15.85 (= | + | *A high hiring rate (percentage of students that have gotten a job after education) and a high average salary after graduation is favorable, as it is one goal for many students attending college. However, the school in question artificially inflates these metrics by having all (one out of one) of their student body be hired by them, producing a 100% hiring rate, and giving them a starting salary that is astronomically high, but not giving them enough employment time to actually gain very much income. $50 trillion/year for 10 microseconds is approximately $15.85 (= 10e-6 / 3600 / 24 / 365 * 50e12) if pay is assumed to be spread constantly over the full year with 365 days. Assuming fifty-two 40-hour work weeks would make this <abbr title="66.77=(50e12/52)*10/(40*3600*1e6)">$66.77</abbr>. Since xkcd originates in the USA, trillion most likely means 10e12 (i.e., {{w|Long and short scales|short scale}}), as compared to 10e18 (long scale interpretation). |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[Cueball is sitting hunched over a desk writing while ten people crowd around him, five on each side, all leaning towards him. On the left side | + | :[Cueball is sitting hunched over a desk writing while ten people crowd around him, five on each side, all leaning towards him. On the left side they are Hairbun, a Cueball-like man, Hairy, Megan - who speaks, and another Cueball-like man. On the right are Ponytail, a third Cueball-like man, another Megan-like woman, Blondie and finally a fourth Cueball-like man.] |
:Megan: How's the work going? | :Megan: How's the work going? | ||
:Cueball: Can you all at least stand back a little? | :Cueball: Can you all at least stand back a little? | ||
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[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]] | ||
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]] | [[Category:Multiple Cueballs]] | ||
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