Apologies for sending the last note to the entire list serve.

-----Original Message-----
From: Marsnik, Susan J. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2000 8:11 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Papers and Diskettes


Hey, Mr. Kunkel --

We are missing you!  (You are missing exciting times!!!)

Susan

-----Original Message-----
From: Kunkel, Richard G. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2000 10:40 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Papers and Diskettes


Dear ALSB Colleagues,

 I wonder whether the preceding discussion about papers and diskettes is
missing the forest for the trees. I think Janine Hiller's comments were
right on point - the papers are a very useful medium. We may be erring if we
view the issue of the papers vs. electronic formats as mutually exclusive
alternatives. Instead we should offer multiple formats as each is useful in
its own way.

 The purpose for our association and for our conference is to enable to
broadest possible sharing of good ideas and best practices. The presentation
of papers and demonstrations is designed to share our study, research,
successes and failures to our colleagues so that teaching and research
quality improves throughout our academy. The blind reviews for the
proceedings and the competition for awards encourage ALSB members to put
their best work forward at the conference for their colleagues' benefit.

 I think we should continue and support practices that contribute to this
goal, and I think distribution of the papers, despite its flaws, is a very
useful practice in support of this goal. I concur with all that has been
said about the inefficiencies of the paper distribution methods. No doubt
plenty of trees get killed, and I like others, have to pay the outrageous
"business center" copy price at the hotel to produce my papers at the last
minute due to my procrastination (or lug them around in my briefcase) Even
so, if 24 copies of my paper get ignored and immediately tossed into the
recycling, I considered it a success if just ONE colleague at the conference
finds just ONE paragraph in my 30-page tome that gives them must ONE idea
that advances their teaching, gives them a new idea for a research topic, or
changes their thinking. (This might actually happen every third or fourth
conference in my case!)

 I think retaining the distribution of papers as the normal practice at the
conference supports the goal of sharing best practices in the following
ways:

 1) I often find myself torn between attending two sessions at the same
time. When this happens, I can usually scrounge up a copy of the paper I
missed, even if I can't attend the presentation.

 2) I often will browse the leftover papers that remain in the session
rooms. I usually find several gems that I have either missed, or overlooked
in the conference program

 3) Like Janine, I like to browse the paper during the presentation and find
the key points that interest me, and trigger a question and insight, or the
one concept I just don't understand. If I am only listening, without the
paper, there are a few problems, not the least of which are my attention
span and comprehension abilities. More significant, though, is the fact that
the presenter may not choose to use their ten minutes to discuss the points
I find most interesting, helpful or controversial. I won't even discover the
issues exist until I open my diskette some weeks later ( if ever), and then
I can't engage them in a discussion. I fear these moments of inspiration and
insight (both for me and for the presenter) will be lost if we drop the
paper format. I am very thankful to my ALSB colleagues for all of the
constructive feedback and criticism I have received during my
 paper presentation.

 4) Speaking only for myself, although this may apply to others, I find the
conference is a time for me to focus on new ideas and practices when I am
away from campus and home demands. I wonder how many of us would, after the
conference, taking the time to pop open these diskettes one by one to browse
the paper that was the subject of an interesting presentation at the
conference. I attended a very good educational technology conference last
October, and saw some great ideas that are preserved in the conference
proceedings on CD-ROM. Even though I am now in sabbatical, nearly one year
has gone by and I STILL haven't quite taken the time to browse for the
paper. The diskette idea sounds good in theory, but I wonder whether it will
really work in practice.

 I suggest that we retain the practice of requiring 25 copies of printed
papers be handed out at the conference session by each presenter. In
addition to this, perhaps at each conference a volunteer could be recruited
to receive electronic versions of the conference papers to be compiled into
an unofficial "e-proceedings" that could be downloaded from that ALSB
website. Submission electronically would be  optional, it should be
encouraged, but not required. Those with significant plagiarism or copyright
concerns could then opt not to submit to the e-proceedings, or could submit
in a read-only or copy-protected format of their choosing.

 Some of our members will be well-served by the papers, some will be better
served by the e-proceedings. By retaining the papers while also establishing
the e-proceedings, I think we and serve both groups and advance the goals of
the conference and the academy.

 Sorry for the length!

 Rick Kunkel
 University of St. Thomas
 St. Paul, Minnesota