Monthly Archives: March 2014

Wyoming rejects climate science

Several days ago, in an article for Salon, Lindsay Abrams reported that the state of Wyoming rejected the Next Generation Science Standards being implemented nationwide as part of the effort to increase student interest and achievement in the STEM disciplines. As has been the case whenever and wherever these science standards have been challenged, one […] … learn more→

How endowment hoarding hurts Universities

The financial security of a strong university endowment would seem to matter most when hard times come along—when revenues slow and core functions are in danger of being compromised. At such times, an endowment can help guard against shortsighted cost cutting that harms both near-term quality and long-run vitality. But it turns out that many […] … learn more→

Getting creative about creativity studies

The latest fad in American higher education is the teaching of creativity. Recent articles applauding the study of creativity have appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, and many other news sources. Buffalo State College and Eastern Kentucky University have made names for themselves with courses like “Introduction to Creative Studies” and “Creativity, Innovation, […] … learn more→

Another sign of the death of the traditional scholarly journal

When I said “Blind peer review is dead. It just doesn’t know it yet”, I was thinking narrowly. At that point, all I really was advocating was for a more fruitful method of peer review, something we can certainly establish (and cheaply) in our current digital environments. Today, I would expand my comment: “The traditional […] … learn more→

MSM misunderstands the Pell Grant scam

MSM misunderstands the Pell Grant scam

In times past, getting into an institution of higher education was no freebie—there were entrance exams, standardized tests to take, possibly even community service the would-be student must perform before, possibly, getting an acceptance letter (for the young reading this, an “acceptance letter” is an antiquated concept, where the university would send the would-be student […] … learn more→

The printed face is just the beginning of a 3D revolution

The news that a man in Wales was able to have his face reconstructed after a serious motorbike accident has brought the wonder of 3D printing to the mainstream. It’s the result of changes in regulation and improvements in the technology and is the start of something much, much bigger. The use of a combination […] … learn more→

Crimea vote: Russia\’s big win, but what now for Ukraine?

Lining up with death and taxes, the outcome of the weekend’s vote in Crimea on whether or not to join Russia was certain before the event. Somewhat remarkably — with about two-thirds of Crimea’s population being ethnic Russian and the other third being openly opposed to joining Russia — the vote to join Russia was […] … learn more→

Changing Higher Education to change the world

What remains from a MOOC after the final video has ended and the last paper has been peer-assessed? The most exciting part of my recent MOOC on the “History and Future of (Mostly) Higher Education” was the spirited exchanges among the participants. So that is the question. How can a MOOC be more than a […] … learn more→

Early years education is a class leveller, not an optional extra

Learning certainly starts at birth, and some believe even before. Care by parents in the first three years of a child’s life is absolutely critical in order to learn how to walk, talk, self-regulate, and self-maintain. By three years of age, children are feeding and dressing themselves, have a reasonable vocabulary and a strong personality […] … learn more→

The Myers-Briggs test for Online College

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a psychometric tool used to measure a person’s preferences within a personality type. With more than 500 questions, the test is so robust and well researched that it is used across disciplines, including human resources and sales. It has even become part of popular culture with Buzzfeed offering such tests […] … learn more→