Thread by @nelsonhist

So @BORUSG hired Tristan Denley, who patented what I'll call a "frat boy algorithm": give me a major & your SAT & using the registrar's records I'll pick the easiest classes based on "prior grades in that class by other students." patents.google.com/patent/US20130… 1/5

D2L bought patent & calls it "degree compass" c2013. Bad enough right? Easy departments vs hard departments for the easiest path to degree. Econ history (lots of math), hist. of capitalism (2 papers), or MIST 4550 (tell me the grade you want)?nationalreview.com/2017/08/univer… 2/5

The result: dumbed-down curriculum, enrollments in "gut" classes goes up, "hard" departments see plunging enrollments. Presidents love it at first. Time-to-degree shortened, retention surges. Result: a garbage degree with high GPA at the end. edsurge.com/news/2018-03-1… 3/5

Using this algorithm Denley tried to ram through a reduction of general education requirements in the USG system under the rubric of "student success." Say goodbye to hard courses that require lots of writing, math, or even (ffs) thought. ovpi.uga.edu/news/redesigni… 4/5

Today USG makes "student success" (measured by...degree compass) a criterion 4 tenure across GA. Are your classes too hard, low enrollments? (because degree compass), your dean will give you a path to success. Fail it by demanding work, tenure is gone.

https://twitter.com/AAUP/status/1448069177244221441

5/5

To clarify: Denley's dream of predictive analytics to "fix" USG helps explain 1) planned gutting of general ed requirements 2) the "student success" metric 3) weakening of tenure. D2L dropped "degree compass" for ethical & other reasons around 2018. But the grift remains...