tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569772432953120875.post2947225406482852331..comments2024-02-22T19:45:29.872-05:00Comments on Sources And Methods: Games And Intel Studies Are Exactly Alike... (Game Education Summit)Kristan J. Wheatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566135545863154089noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569772432953120875.post-28902963325519498332010-06-23T20:30:36.672-04:002010-06-23T20:30:36.672-04:00I'd respectfully have to disagree that there&#...I'd respectfully have to disagree that there's 'scant evidence' that "the IC and the broader community of businesses that support the IC don't care about intel studies programs."<br /><br />While I can't speak for all aspects for the IC I feel confident in saying that at least in law enforcement intelligence there is a near universal lack of interest in intelligence. <br /><br />Now, almost all agencies have learned to adopt the rhetoric of prioritizing intelligence but if you look at resource allocation, organizational structure, procedures and talk with analysts working in the field, I'd argue you really get a very different opinion.<br /><br />btw, great blog and I'm looking forward to the posts on games as a teaching tool.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569772432953120875.post-10096807428274303892010-06-18T14:18:50.653-04:002010-06-18T14:18:50.653-04:00As an alumni of the Intel Studies program at Mercy...As an alumni of the Intel Studies program at Mercyhurst, I have to give a huge amount of credit to the professors in the department, and their ability to take the "real-life" experience and make it work in the classroom. I felt extremely prepared for a career as an analyst, and always felt that they put the class room experience above and beyond any "personal gain". One of the great things about MCIIS is its ability to change, and make the program increasingly more well-rounded and better for future students. In that sense, the Intel Studies program does not necessarily portray typical academia environment, one that is not willing to accept its weaknesses and make the necessary changes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569772432953120875.post-14714521935475114462010-06-17T19:37:18.546-04:002010-06-17T19:37:18.546-04:00Anonymous,
I appreciate your comment from what is...Anonymous,<br /><br />I appreciate your comment from what is apparently an insider's point of view but I could not disagree with you more.<br /><br />I simply don't see any (from my obviously limited vantage point) of what you see.<br /><br />Lets' start at the top -- millions of dollars over multiple years. Is millions really enough? The US spent nearly a BILLION to professionalize policing back in the 60's and 70's. My take on the games industry is that they are spending much more on education than the intel industry is yet they are a smaller industry. And, as I pointed out, they seem to have many of the same problems.<br /><br />The difference is also a long term view. The games people understand that moving academia is going to be tough. It is not a turn on a dime institution. They may get frustrated but they don't give up.<br /><br />The longest program I know of in support of intel in academe is the Communities of Academic Excellence program which appears to be funding start-ups. That program is only about three or four years old. If the IC expects returns from an academic investment in that kind of time, maybe it is hopeless.<br /><br />What other programs are there? I really don't know and I hope you read this and post a comment outlining some of them. I have seen little that is directly aimed at intel studies as a discipline.<br /><br />The same holds true for contracts. Yes there is some contract work available but you don't grow a discipline on contracts. All of the money there goes to support the contractual work. There is no money to grow, expand or research. You would not expect a new business to grow without a loan or two or maybe even some venture capital. There is nothing like that out there for intel studies today.<br /><br />I also don't get your comments about "attempting to brand long-standing traditions" and not talking to alumni. I talk to a good many intel studies professors and get emails from alumni nearly every day. I even know one professor who is thinking about starting an academic journal in this field with his own money! Most professors I know are too busy trying to get ready for the next class to have any sinister designs on "longstanding traditions" and we all welcome what feedback we can get from alumni because it allows us to do exactly what you suggest -- make the curriculum more appropriate to the profession.<br /><br />But...you and I can't both be right. The truth probably is that neither of us are entirely right or entirely wrong and what it takes is a more concentrated effort to communicate.<br /><br />Thanks for your comment.<br /><br />KrisKristan J. Wheatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02566135545863154089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569772432953120875.post-7018734453462281882010-06-17T18:38:49.879-04:002010-06-17T18:38:49.879-04:00There have been multiple multi-year efforts to ref...There have been multiple multi-year efforts to reform and advance intelligence studies as an academic discipline over the past decade, originating from government, commercial, and professional associations. Millions of dollars have been channeled from these programs, ranging from grants to contract awards. These efforts continue to founder due to profound disconnects between the priorities of the academics and those of the practitioners. When so-called intelligence studies programs are not teaching fundamentals of analytic tradecraft - or are attempting to brand longstanding traditions with a particular school or professor's name without exposing students to the origin and evolution of those traditions - there is little reason to continue support. When programs refuse to listen to alumni feedback - even when those alumni are hiring managers responsible for setting recruiting standards that will determine the competitive threshold which new hires must meet - there is no reason to continue to fight entrenched and hardened mindsets. In the end, it is the students of such programs who suffer the most. The intelligence studies discipline will persist - but it will do so in places other than the university if the university is unwilling or unable to meet the needs of the profession.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com