lossing touch with the industry
I think that refining our teaching abilities is very important, that being said we must never lose touch with our industry and the things that will make our students sucessfull.
It is very true that we must balance instructional improvement with staying current in the industry. Excellent teaching skill will not benefit our students if we do not know what is happening in the field.
Were you physically present, I would jump up and down and whoop my wholehearted agreement. I think one of the things that the "educational establishment" has a hard time with is rapid change -- by which I mean a change on the scale of Moore's Law. Structurally, I am not sure there is much that can be done about this, because of [necessary?] inbuild inertia in the system.
As instructors, on the other hand, we can keep up with industry trends, by belonging to professional and trade organizations, going to meetings, attending conferences, shows, and product briefings, and reading materials on paper or in electrons. Developing a process of keeping a finger on the pulse of the industries we teach about is a crucial element for refining our teaching abilities on many levels, not least because it increases our credibiity with our students.
Just today, I attended a product seminar on the basis of which, when I give a lecture this evening, I will make some specific points influenced by this seminar on new changes affecting several aspects of the professional and technical issues covered by this particular class. That's one imporant way of enhancing our teaching abilities, by maintaining their relevance.
