Monthly Archives: December 2015

Open Access and academic freedom

Open Access and academic freedom

As they have gained momentum over the past decade, the open access (OA) movement and its cousin, the Creative Commons licensing platform, have together done a tremendous amount of good in the world of scholarship and education, by making high-quality, peer-reviewed publications widely available both for reading and for reuse.  But they have also raised some […] … learn more→

Higher Ed As Speculative Bubble

Higher Ed As Speculative Bubble

I ask the gentle reader to consider the following chart, which tracks Federal student loan money: The type of curve in this chart is called “exponential,” and such curves, while easily modeled mathematically, are generally unsustainable in the real world, in the long run.< .p> Part of what’s happening here is what’s happening in the […] … learn more→

A journal article by any other name…

A journal article by any other name…

I just finished renovating the slide deck for my most popular and famous writing workshop “Write that journal article in seven days”. I’ve delivered this workshop nearly 80 times of the last six years with a slide share deck which has now had over 110,000 views. I’m so practiced at this workshop that I can […] … learn more→

Bad academic writing – an easy target

Bad academic writing – an easy target

Dear Editor, I thought it might be timely to offer you a top tip for getting a bit of action on your online news magazine site. I’ve noticed you’re not getting as many hits as you might, and I’ve got a sure-fire, easy solution. *drum roll*  Why not publish an article about how academics can’t write? Well, […] … learn more→

American Higher Education: Some good cheer for the holidays

American Higher Education: Some good cheer for the holidays

As we move into the holiday season and the end of 2015, it seems especially appropriate to reflect on the positive role of higher education in American society. Next year will present any number of challenges, particularly as the political rhetoric heats up. Some will see bully pulpit opportunities driven by the growing anxiety and […] … learn more→

The gift that keeps on giving: Why predictive analytics are probably on Colleges’ wish lists this year

The gift that keeps on giving: Why predictive analytics are probably on Colleges’ wish lists this year

As the holidays approach, many are wondering if they’ll actually get that expensive gift they asked for this year. Community college presidents are hoping for a big gift too–one that will help them understand whether they are achieving their college access and success goals. Earlier this fall, The League for Innovation in the Community College, […] … learn more→

How to avoid getting hooked by a festive season phishing scam

How to avoid getting hooked by a festive season phishing scam

Email phishing attacks are especially popular over the festive season, partly because there’s an increase in email marketing and special offers linked to the holidays. During the fourth quarter of 2014, for instance, the number of unique phishing attacks globally went up by 18% compared with the third quarter that year, according to the Anti-Phishing […] … learn more→

The Paris climate agreement: the real work starts now

The Paris climate agreement: the real work starts now

The Paris climate agreement is an extraordinary achievement. It codifies the long-term goal of keeping global temperature increases below 2°C. It also sets a more ambitious aspirational target of capping global warming at 1.5°C degrees. But this more ambitious target will be beyond our reach within a decade or two at current rates of fossil […] … learn more→

The Community College cash-in

The Community College cash-in

Time and again when I look at fraud in higher education, the most egregious seems to be in the community college system. The system is just so deliciously ripe—top down management, fake oversight, and a public trained to believe “all education is good to have” means community colleges get a free pass that would make […] … learn more→