Professor makes his mark, but it costs him his job

[RyanX]

_http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090206.wprof06/BNStory/National/home

ERIN ANDERSSEN

From Friday's Globe and Mail

February 6, 2009 at 2:00 AM EST

OTTAWA — On the first day of his fourth-year physics class, University of Ottawa professor Denis Rancourt announced to his students that he had already decided their marks: Everybody was getting an A+.

It was not his job, as he explained later, to rank their skills for future employers, or train them to be “information transfer machines,” regurgitating facts on demand. Released from the pressure to ace the test, they would become “scientists, not automatons,” he reasoned.

But by abandoning traditional marks, Prof. Rancourt apparently sealed his own failing grade: In December, the senior physicist was suspended from teaching, locked out of his laboratory and told that the university administration was recommending his dismissal and banning him from campus.

Firing a tenured professor is rare in itself, but two weeks ago the university took an even more extreme step: When Prof. Rancourt went on campus to host a regular meeting of his documentary film society, he was led away in handcuffs by police and charged with trespassing.

With his suspension raising questions of academic freedom, the Canadian Association of University Teachers has started an independent inquiry into the matter. “Universities are to be places that not only tolerate, but welcome, vigorous debate,” said executive director James Turk. “There would have to be some very serious misdeeds by Dr. Rancourt to justify this action.”

A university spokesperson refused to comment specifically on the trespassing incident or give reasons for the disciplinary action, saying that the decision was “very serious” and “not made lightly.”

Prof. Rancourt's suspension is the most serious step in a long series of grievances and conflicts with the university dating back to 2005, when, after researching new teaching methods, he first experimented with eliminating letter grades. He also altered course curriculum with student input – although not the approval of the university – an approach he calls “academic squatting.”

A well-published and politically outspoken scientist who revels in hashing out theories on napkins at conferences, Prof. Rancourt's unconventional teaching style has generated both an ardent following among a core group of students, and the rancour of many of his fellow faculty members, one-third of whom signed a petition of complaint against him in the fall of 2007. In the letter, which he provided, the complaints stem largely from a series of critical e-mails he distributed about their “paternalistic” teaching methods – a criticism he still expresses, with little restraint, today.

But he also has some high-profile support from an award-winning psychology professor at the university, Claude Lamontagne, who wrote in an e-mail that faculty members need to fight for the freedom to teach how and when they want, lest their independence be “pressed out of our souls like juice from an orange.”

Building on his science and society lectures, the self-described “anarchist” developed a popular course on activism at Ottawa U, which was cancelled by the university the following year, and started an alternative film society focused on social justice.

He made headlines after 10-year-old twins registered for his course with their mother – and he supported the filing of a human-rights complaint claiming ageism when the university said they couldn't stay. His research can be equally alternative: He has called global warming, for instance, a myth. He has also been an outspoken critic of “Israeli military aggression” and is not shy about expressing those views with students.

And while the university may be keeping quiet, Prof. Rancourt has freely disseminated his side of the story: correspondence with university officials and a video of his arrest has been posted on the Internet. “I have nothing to hide,” he says.

Sean Kelly, a master's student who had Prof. Rancourt as his thesis supervisor until his suspension, said some students complained in class when the professor allowed debates to wander off-topic – or refused to set deadlines for homework. Some people, Mr. Kelly admitted, took advantage of the free A, but many others put more energy into the class. Comparing Prof. Rancourt to other professors who practically give students the questions that will be on exams in advance, the 27-year-old said, “He really pushes you to think more for yourself.”

For now, Prof. Rancourt, 51, is meeting his graduate students in cafés, continuing to advise them unofficially on their thesis projects. He is still receiving his salary while awaiting a final decision from the university. The independent board of inquiry appointed by the Canadian Association of University Teachers may take many months to release a report.

But the professor is undeterred about those A-pluses: “Grades poison the educational environment,” he insists. “We're training students to be obedient, and to try to read our minds, rather than being a catalyst for learning.”

More here: _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-sYMh84RV4

 

[Buddy]

Yeah, he'll probably be dismissed from the University of Ottawa at the March 2009 Board of Governors meeting.
From all reports, he seems to be consistent in his views and other aspects of his ideology, so I find it curious that he waited until he was tenured before 'rocking the boat'.
Perhaps we have a clue here:

[quote author=_http://www.academicfreedom.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=27]
He [Rancourt] has argued that professors must use the unique privileges and protections offered by tenure to confront injustices and oppression, including within their universities, where they have the greatest influence and ability to effect change.
[/quote]


Anyway, here's some more info:

[quote author=_http://academicfreedom.ca/]
Rancourt has received numerous letters of support from students and professors - both within and outside the University of Ottawa - as well as many community members.

The stated reason for the University of Ottawa's actions is Rancourt's assigning of A+ grades to all students in a fourth-year physics course in the Winter 2008 term. Rancourt gave out the grades, which were officially approved by the university, because the faculty would not allow him to use a pass/fail grading system, which he believes is the most effective pedagogical approach to teaching and student evaluation. Thus, to achieve a similar effect as the pass/fail system, Rancourt handed students the highest possible grade so that they could not try to do any better and thus, in his view, focus their attention on learning. Rancourt has asserted that: "Socrates did not give grades...[m]y job is to educate. Over the years, I've come to the conclusion that what we've been doing with the grading system doesn't work. We are creating obedient employees, but not people who think."[/quote]


* In July 2008, an arbitration decision declared that Rancourt's approach to grading was protected under the purview of academic freedom.

* In November 2008, the Canadian Association of University Professors announced that it would launch an Independent Committee of Inquiry into Rancourt's case.

* In the interest of full transparency, Professor Rancourt has chosen to make all documents pertaining to his case available to the public on AcademicFreedom.ca. URL below:
_http://www.academicfreedom.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=63


Quote from Denis G. Rancourt:

With grades students learn to guess the professor's mind and to obey. It is a very sophisticated machinery, whereby the natural desire to learn, the intrinsic motivation to want to learn something because you are interested in the thing itself, is destroyed. Grades are the carrot and stick that shape obedient employees and that prepare students for the higher level indoctrinations of graduate and professional schools. The only way to develop independent thinking in the classroom is to give freedom, to break the power relationship by removing the instrument of power. -- DGR

Quote Source: _http://academicfreedom.ca/

 

[curious_richard]

_http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090206.wprof06/BNStory/National/home

With his suspension raising questions of academic freedom, the Canadian Association of University Teachers has started an independent inquiry into the matter. “Universities are to be places that not only tolerate, but welcome, vigorous debate,” said executive director James Turk. “There would have to be some very serious misdeeds by Dr. Rancourt to justify this action.”

This little bit jumped out at me. It sounds remarkably similar to many quotes I have read about psychopaths and their victims. People would keep asking the victim, "What did you do to make him do such a thing?" The implication is that the victim must have been partly responsible in some way.

 

[dant]

Seems to me, he stepped on the toes of the Zionist, (or PTB)
and was thusly `taken care of'. One would have to ask who the
instigator of this `witch hunt' is, so as to expose their `inner
circle'? Fat chance.

Logic need not apply here, as the to psychopaths have none, so
as long as they are `in control', and at all times. The message
is perhaps: "Get in line or the door will opened for you." At least,
the physicist gets to live for another day.

Dan

 

[RyanX]

_http://activistteacher.blogspot.com/

This looks to be his blog.

From an initial glance there seems to be original writings on activism, anarchism, critiques of global warming, Canada's military role in Afghanistan among other things. I also saw he had a piece critical of Chomsky too.

Dant: My sentiments exactly. This guy must have struck a nerve with TPTB. It sounds like he is being made an example of.

I'll bet some of his students witnessing this are probably getting the lesson of a lifetime.

 

[HowToBe]

Yeah, he'll probably be dismissed from the University of Ottawa at the March 2009 Board of Governors meeting.
From all reports, he seems to be consistent in his views and other aspects of his ideology, so I find it curious that he waited until he was tenured before 'rocking the boat'.
Perhaps we have a clue here:

[quote author=_http://www.academicfreedom.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=27]
He [Rancourt] has argued that professors must use the unique privileges and protections offered by tenure to confront injustices and oppression, including within their universities, where they have the greatest influence and ability to effect change.

[/quote]
He was indeed dismissed in March 2009. Regarding his tenure, it does sound rather like strategic enclosure, no? However, if I've understood correctly, the reason is that over the course of a few years, Rancourt learned some things about pedagogy (teaching methodology) that resulted in his decision to apply the methods that were being promoted by experts in that field (the removal of letter grades). In short, it seems he decided to use the techniques while he was tenured, rather than having planned beforehand to do so. He actually had removed letter grades while teaching two courses before the incident with this, the third. Each time, he was removed from the classes in which he'd done so the following year.

The A+ fiasco is really the smaller part of this, though. The real heart of the matter involves politics. Denis Rancourt ran a blog in which he described, with evidence, misconduct on the part of university administration, such as falsified documents produced by the Vice President, who was actually supported by the President who essentially claimed that, yes, the VP falsified the documents, but he did so to make a point, therefore it was okay. Also, Rancourt's teaching methods were leading some the students to open up and demand accountability from the University. In one of his classes, he started the year with a guest speaker; a female parliament member of Afghanistan. She told them that the puppet government currently in place is actually worse than when the taliban ruled, because most of the other parliament members are ex-warlords (more info in the first three videos below).

For a very clear summary of events in Rancourt's words, watch the following three videos (I don't know of anywhere that shows the University's side, because they seem to have refused to comment, mostly just treating the involved people badly and acting like it's justified):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC6o4cfMBBw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0vauGkdg6Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPGBpxkHHIs

For even more info, browse this site, which gives extensive information, including videos documenting the school's misconduct (the upper right hand even has a search bar):
http://rancourt.academicfreedom.ca/index.php

A few videos documenting the treatment received by Rancourt and his students by the university:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-sYMh84RV4
^"Rancourt banned from own trial" (begins with comments by a student and Rancourt)
http://uofovoice.blogspot.com/2008/11/press-conference-nov-28-2008.html
^Quote from Rancourt's website; "This clip shows the scene when Professor Denis Rancourt held his foot in the door of his laboratory for more than three hours in order to pressure the university to state that it had formally locked him and his students out and removed the professor’s legal responsibility for the laboratory."
http://vimeo.com/3372672
^Quote: "University of Ottawa president Allan Rock being served a law suit by two former graduate students of Professor Denis Rancourt (Sean Kelly and Joey Hickey), following a February 24, 2009, press conference in Tabaret Hall."
http://uofovoice.blogspot.com/2009/01/marc-kelly-arrested-for-given-class.html
http://vimeo.com/2936147
^The president of Ottowa University responds to student questions.

There appear to be more videos and such on This Blog.

Also, a fun little exchange in the comments on This blog post:

"Undergraduate student": "Ever tried thinking instead of mindlessly complying?" [said in response to another comment]
"Anonymous": "Undergraduate student, you need to finish the sentence:
Ever tried thinking instead of mindlessly complying WITH THE COMMANDS OF THE CULT LEADER, DENIS RANCOURT?"

Although I think it was a bad move for the student to make the graffiti, I find it interesting that Rancourt is being accused of being a cult leader; something that I'm sure those who have been around here longer than me are quite familiar with. I'm fairly sure most of the blog commenters are university students, many of which, it seems, dislike Rancourt and his 'troublemaking crew'. It seems that the activist students have been sending emails about the apparent wrongdoing to other students who didn't ask for them. A blog comment elsewhere said, "Next time you send a mass email to all students, please use bcc field. Now hundreds of students have my email address. Pissing people off won't get you any sympathy." So it appears they (the students) may be acting in some ways that don't support their cause.

Rancourt seems like a knowledgeable and ethical man, and I wish him the best, but I fear he's picked a fight with the General Law that he may not be able to win.

I've been researching this for the last couple days. If I've made mistakes, or someone can point anything out that hasn't been, I'm very interested.

For what it's worth,
HowToBe