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This is actually the crux of the problem here. We focused the curriculum on UX research-y fundamentals, and the students who wanted to come out as UI designers

This is actually the crux of the problem here. We focused the curriculum on UX research-y fundamentals, and the students who wanted to come out as UI designers were disappointed. We tried to build in design-heavy curriculum partway through when we realized how misaligned those expectations were, but couldn’t do an effective job in such a short time frame, so those students just got more frustrated. It’s totally fair, we should have done a better job communicating and shouldn’t have tried to call an audible at the last minute to fix everything.

claudeganon 7y ago
Why are you telling your students that they shouldn’t discuss problems with the school outside of channels monitored by Lambda? https://twitter.com/Austen/status/1213711252175740928 https://twitter.com/Austen/status/1213711252175740928 You say that no “professional environment” would encourage this, but it’s actually a legally protected right in every workplace: https://www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/EO_Posters/EmployeeRightsPoster11x17_2019Final.pdf https://www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/EO_Posters/Employee...
- nicesnowoman 7y ago
  They pull this BS all the time to students - it's terrible: https://twitter.com/nwilliams030/status/1219687148972056578 https://twitter.com/nwilliams030/status/1219687148972056578 I cannot believe how often Austen flat out lies on things so easily disproven.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - austenallred 7y ago
    That addition to the student guide was to clarify that students can’t harass other students and have it be Ok even off of Lambda School’s platform. Has nothing whatsoever to do with stopping students from complaining.
    - detaro 7y ago
      Somehow it neglects to mention that, but instead uses a vague term of "Impacts the mission", which very much sounds like corporation-speak for "negative public attention" and similar things. Luckily, that's easy to fix by adding a sentence or two to this section.
      - austenallred 7y ago
        Which I believe we did. I’d have to look back and see but students asked for that clarification and it’s either done or someone is working on that.
- austenallred 7y ago
  What I said is we’re not going to create a Slack channel specifically for everyone to vent. There are a huge number of ways students can send feedback or complain.
  - claudeganon 7y ago
    That’s not what you said. Student: “I wish there was a safe place for upset students to chat to each other outside of Lambda’s slack. A worry-free environment, unmonitored by Austen & whoever has viewing permissions on our messages. Fear and uncertainty would be eliminated, and the real issues would be uncovered” You: “ That would not only be unwise for everyone involved but an enormous legal liability for the school. No professional environment you’ll ever be in will encourage something like that. There are a huge number of ways to submit feedback or complaints and we read all of them.” Which again, discussing your workplace conditions is protected, by law, under the NLRA. Why are you telling your students that “no professional environment you’ll ever be in will encourage something like that,” counter to what’s guaranteed them by US labor law?
    - austenallred 7y ago
      Oh you’re right I actually read his original tweet wrong. They do have a space outside of Lambda School but it’s not sanctioned by Lambda School.
    - beaner 7y ago
      > Why are you telling your students that “no professional environment you’ll ever be in will encourage something like that,” counter to what’s guaranteed them by US labor law? Encouragement and acceptance are two completely different things.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
andrei_says_ 7y ago
Would you address the classes being taught by students instead of experienced professionals. Also, did you release the cohort from their contractual obligations after failing them?
- austenallred 7y ago
  Every cohort has an instructor who is a professional (usually multiple); we have 85 full-time teaching staff. We also put every student in a group of 8 students with one TA, where a TA is a student a few months ahead of them (on payroll). But that is only in addition to the full-time instructors.

claudeganon 7y ago

Why are you telling your students that they shouldn’t discuss problems with the school outside of channels monitored by Lambda? https://twitter.com/Austen/status/1213711252175740928 https://twitter.com/Austen/status/1213711252175740928 You say that no “professional environment” would encourage this, but it’s actually a legally protected right in every workplace: https://www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/EO_Posters/EmployeeRightsPoster11x17_2019Final.pdf https://www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/EO_Posters/Employee...

nicesnowoman 7y ago
They pull this BS all the time to students - it's terrible: https://twitter.com/nwilliams030/status/1219687148972056578 https://twitter.com/nwilliams030/status/1219687148972056578 I cannot believe how often Austen flat out lies on things so easily disproven.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- austenallred 7y ago
  That addition to the student guide was to clarify that students can’t harass other students and have it be Ok even off of Lambda School’s platform. Has nothing whatsoever to do with stopping students from complaining.
  - detaro 7y ago
    Somehow it neglects to mention that, but instead uses a vague term of "Impacts the mission", which very much sounds like corporation-speak for "negative public attention" and similar things. Luckily, that's easy to fix by adding a sentence or two to this section.
    - austenallred 7y ago
      Which I believe we did. I’d have to look back and see but students asked for that clarification and it’s either done or someone is working on that.
austenallred 7y ago
What I said is we’re not going to create a Slack channel specifically for everyone to vent. There are a huge number of ways students can send feedback or complain.
- claudeganon 7y ago
  That’s not what you said. Student: “I wish there was a safe place for upset students to chat to each other outside of Lambda’s slack. A worry-free environment, unmonitored by Austen & whoever has viewing permissions on our messages. Fear and uncertainty would be eliminated, and the real issues would be uncovered” You: “ That would not only be unwise for everyone involved but an enormous legal liability for the school. No professional environment you’ll ever be in will encourage something like that. There are a huge number of ways to submit feedback or complaints and we read all of them.” Which again, discussing your workplace conditions is protected, by law, under the NLRA. Why are you telling your students that “no professional environment you’ll ever be in will encourage something like that,” counter to what’s guaranteed them by US labor law?
  - austenallred 7y ago
    Oh you’re right I actually read his original tweet wrong. They do have a space outside of Lambda School but it’s not sanctioned by Lambda School.
  - beaner 7y ago
    > Why are you telling your students that “no professional environment you’ll ever be in will encourage something like that,” counter to what’s guaranteed them by US labor law? Encouragement and acceptance are two completely different things.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

andrei_says_ 7y ago

Would you address the classes being taught by students instead of experienced professionals. Also, did you release the cohort from their contractual obligations after failing them?

austenallred 7y ago
Every cohort has an instructor who is a professional (usually multiple); we have 85 full-time teaching staff. We also put every student in a group of 8 students with one TA, where a TA is a student a few months ahead of them (on payroll). But that is only in addition to the full-time instructors.