Underlying the mania for “assessment” and “accountability” in higher education is an elitist sensibility that, having gone unexamined for too long, has undermined real efforts at providing useful education for everyone, no matter what college or what level. Not only is it creating a two-tiered model of education, but it is changing how most students […] … learn more→

In times past, tenure was awarded by scholars, to scholars, as a reward for scholarship. Those days are gone. Today, tenure is (theoretically) awarded by administrators, to scholars for, well, reasons that have little to do with scholarship. Having the right skin color can certainly be a factor, and covering up pedophilia is certainly a […] … learn more→

Take a walk around any city, and you will probably spot the signs of other countries and cultures. Crossing Pearse Street in Dublin, you can pop into Trinity College Dublin’s Science Gallery for a coffee, and browse the latest exhibition on sound and noise, which features displays from around the world. Stopping by Hannover’s Neues […] … learn more→

People are open to receiving financial advice from robots, our studies show, but there might be a way to go to in convincing people to trust them over a human. We surveyed 138 people about their attitudes to, and preferences for, superannuation advice from a human or a computer. Unsurprisingly, most stated they would prefer […] … learn more→

There’s no doubt that technology plays an important role in our daily lives. Everything we see around us is the result of technological advancement, one way or the other. Every generation has had its own share of technological advancements, from the invention of transportation to that of computers. Here are some of the most exciting […] … learn more→

How do you know what the weather will be like tomorrow? How do you know how old the Universe is? How do you know if you are thinking rationally? These and other questions of the “how do you know?” variety are the business of epistemology, the area of philosophy concerned with understanding the nature of […] … learn more→

Two years ago, the accountancy firm EY made an announcement that no doubt sent a shiver down many lecturers’ spines. After failing to find any published evidence that graduates with good degree results made for better employees, a trawl through its own data, the company revealed, similarly found “no evidence to conclude that previous success in […] … learn more→

No. I’m not cussing. Let me explain why. My colleague Brigitte Nerlich sent me an email the other day. She said: I was talking to a PhD student (not one of mine) and this student repeatedly used a metaphor which I found quite interesting – that of the ‘bleeding document’. This was not a swear […] … learn more→

Getting a good higher education and finding success in one’s career is every young adult’s dream. However, to achieve the goal one has to study hard and prepare in advanced for any upcoming exams and other academic commitments. Yet sometimes, students don’t feel like studying or are too sleepy to focus on the subject at […] … learn more→

A college degree, at least in theory, takes 4 years to complete, no matter the major. It’s puzzling how there are few questions about why it takes exactly as long to train a hotel manager as an accountant as a kindergarten teacher…it’s one of many questions about higher education that needs asking, but today I […] … learn more→