Monthly Archives: September 2017

How to write (and publish) like a pro

How to write (and publish) like a pro

Academic conferences can be full of networking opportunities and professional wisdom. For me, last month’s Society for the Study of Social Problems international conference was brimful of both. I had the privilege to attend talks given by prolific scholars and senior editors from across the country. I also had the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations […] … learn more→

The Spellings Commission: Same story, different decade

The Spellings Commission: Same story, different decade

Eleven years ago today, the Department of Education released the culminating report of its Spellings Commission on the Future of Higher Education. That report, spearheaded by then-U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, laid out a bold vision for greater accountability and transparency in the postsecondary education system. But over a decade later, few of the […] … learn more→

The College cargo cult

The College cargo cult

As the student loan debt is now getting closer to 2 trillion dollars than 1 trillion dollars1, it’s time to consider how it happened. “Cargo Cult” refers to religious splinter groups that kept forming among the stone-age tribes in the Pacific as they encountered modern civilization, during the 20th century. The best book to discuss […] … learn more→

Robot teachers won’t replace us

Robot teachers won’t replace us

While some of my esteemed colleagues are heralding the imminent arrival of robot teachers, stating that current advances will bring “the greatest revolution in education since the printing press”, I have to disagree. This is not because I am a latent technophobe. Regent’s University London, for example, is currently investigating the very latest assistive technologies, including how […] … learn more→

6 tips for protecting personally identifiable Information

6 tips for protecting personally identifiable Information

Personally Identifiable Information, or PII, is unique information used to identify individuals. PII includes contact information such as phone numbers and addresses or more private information such as a Social Security numbers. For most people the amount of PII found online isn’t worrisome. If you do an online search of your name, you might see […] … learn more→

Five ways ancient India changed the world – with maths

Five ways ancient India changed the world – with maths

It should come as no surprise that the first recorded use of the number zero, recently discovered to be made as early as the 3rd or 4th century, happened in India. Mathematics on the Indian subcontinent has a rich history going back over 3,000 years and thrived for centuries before similar advances were made in […] … learn more→

Increased melon crop yields from greenhouse cultivation

Increased melon crop yields from greenhouse cultivation

Studies of five melon varieties reveal increased yield statistics by using pruning and tutoring Following a study conducted by a known trellising net manufacturer in collaboration with the Universidad Autonoma de Sinaloa, the quality of melon crops can be greatly enhanced by using greenhouse cultivation methods, resulting in greater yields per hectare of up to […] … learn more→