Maybe the best place to start is to ask what “curriculum” is so that we can understand better what people are fighting to change? There is no universally accepted definition of curriculum, but it is a planned learning experience. It encompasses the values, attitudes, beliefs, understandings, skills, competencies and dispositions of educators. It considers students’ […] … learn more→

I’ve decided that the owl is my PhD totem. I recently mentioned this to my supervisor (who, as it happens, is our very own Thesis Whisperer) and she noted that there could be a blog post in that (I do that a lot – it’s very annoying. Ed). This got me thinking about all of […] … learn more→

I’ve heard more than a few people refer to college as indoctrination centers or re-education camps. I have my doubts. Colleges, particularly community colleges, fail so extravagantly in their mission of education, how could they possibly serve as indoctrination centers? Even if so, wouldn’t we expect them to fail horribly at that as well? So, […] … learn more→

A recent report by the Boston-based Pioneer Institute pointed out how out-of-state enrollments at the University of Massachusetts are limiting opportunities for in-state students. For the right-leaning Pioneer Institute, UMass is an example of the public sector run amok. But Pioneer is not alone. There are others who have voiced similar concerns. For example, a […] … learn more→

Dasani Johnson, a sophomore at Southern High School, is using a machine to create a baseball bat out of a piece of foam. Standing over her, as she readies to start the machine, are her teacher and two classmates. A little frustrated by all the attention she’s getting, she waves them off, measures one last […] … learn more→

Fewer women started businesses last year than the year before. This should worry everyone who works in higher education. We’re missing out on tens of billions of pounds of potential economic growth. Even more importantly, countless innovations are failing to reach the marketplace. These missed opportunities really matter. We hear a lot about the need […] … learn more→

I’ve seen so many “leaders” in higher education plunder and loot their way to financial independence, and get away free, that it’s a surprise when one of them actually gets convicted for even a small part of his (or her) criminality. New Jersey, among all the 50 states, is among the lowest when it comes […] … learn more→

“She may be a small person, but she has big ideas,” states the panel chair by way of introducing one of the most impressive senior scholars in security studies. At a recent conference, a more junior panellist’s contribution is prefaced with the chair’s observation: “It is hard to believe that such a fragile woman should […] … learn more→

“I am altering the deal. Pray that I don’t alter it any further.” —Darth Vader, though I knew a deanling that took pride in her power to alter “agreements” any way she chose. Tenure, the supposed “job for life” that is met with so much disdain in the mainstream media, is basically dead. The only […] … learn more→

My blog is truly a labour of love. It does not fit in my work week, which is filled to the brim with meetings, teaching and other commitments. I edit contributions and write my own posts during the weekend. It takes me about eight hours a month. I usually do this work on quiet Sunday […] … learn more→