Educationally Challenged:  Improving the state of web education in our nation’s colleges.

A List Apart recently published two advertorials written by two active members of the Web Standards Project. Brighter Horizons for Web Education by Aarron Walter is an advertisement for a curriculum he has helped develop for teaching web standards at the collegiate level and Elevate Web Design at the University Level by Leslie Jensen-Inman is a broad stroke aimed at promoting web education conferences and programs offered by the Web Standards Project. The basic thrust of both articles revolves around how the web community can assist programs such as WASP in changing the fundamental deficiencies of web [design and development] education in our nation’s colleges and universities.

I have zero problem with ALA promoting the Web Standards Project and zero issues with WASP. I do, however, take issue with their decision to publish two articles written by individuals who are personally invested in the program they are promoting without giving an equal voice to alternate points of view. Frankly, neither of the above mentioned articles took great measures to provide analysis that amounted to more than a superficial "happy face" to many of the more pressing issues in academia.

After submitting my article, I was asked by ALA to post my submission as a comment ... Comments are simply not an “equal” voice. Therefore, I have chosen to republish my response to both of these articles on PAL simply because there is as much of a chance my thoughts will be read there as there is on page three of ALA comments.

Please follow this link to read the entire article, Educationally Challenged, at the Professional Artists League. I welcome discussion, opposing veiwpoints, and outright dissent in the related Forum Topic.