Dan Shafer's comments on positioning...

[Richard K. Herz]

Dan Shafer wrote:

> That said, I also tired quickly as I did that study for Intel of
> educational institutions and educators who (not universally but often
> enough to come to my attention): (a) demanded free or low-cost stuff
> even though they recommend textbooks that cost hundreds of dollars,
> some of which the recommending profs wrote; (b) garnered substantial

I'll speak here about getting profs to use software in "regular"
non-programming courses.  Even today there's a big hurdle to get profs
to use software in courses.  It's easy for a prof to fill out the textbook
order
form the bookstore sends over each term, let students provide all money
involved, then assign them to work the odd-numbered problems at the end of
chapters.  It takes a lot more energy, and is something many profs don't
know how to start doing, to get software budgeted and licensed, installed in
a lab, and then tested to make sure everything works.

Rich Herz