Monthly Archives: December 2017

Why the Department shouldn't weaken the gainful employment metrics

Why the Department shouldn’t weaken the gainful employment metrics

Since the release of the 2015 federal higher education accountability rule known as gainful employment (GE), the regulation has been battered with lawsuits, modifications, delaysand a proposed repeal. That heavy-handed response from industry came as no surprise, given that the rule has put many for-profit colleges under scrutiny. Most recently, the Department of Education has begun the process of […] … learn more→

Trump might lose more Honorary degrees. This is a thing?

Trump might lose more Honorary degrees. This is a thing?

I know, referencing Orwell’s 1984 is tiresome and cliché but…every day it seems I see something in the real world that mirrors the supposedly purely fictional world: “…Similar slits existed in thousands or tens of thousands throughout the building, not only in every room but at short intervals in every corridor. For some reason they were nicknamed […] … learn more→

Proofreading tips

Proofreading tips

In today’s world of increasing communication and online interaction, more people than ever before can contribute their ideas, share their opinions, or promote themselves and their business on the Internet. Unfortunately, as technological developments like cell phones and social networking unfold, the proper use of grammar and spelling dwindles. Whether it’s a post on someone’s […] … learn more→

I want to leave academia – what’s next?

I want to leave academia – what’s next?

Good advice on how NOT to be an academic when you finish your PhD is pretty thin on the ground. Many supervisors have never done anything else, and/or are not well enough connected with industry to know what is ‘hot’. Careers centres at universities tend to shape their offerings around the huge undergraduate cohort, who […] … learn more→

Black students on going to Oxbridge: ‘it’s not even asked or pushed for, it’s just assumed no one is applying’

Black students on going to Oxbridge: ‘it’s not even asked or pushed for, it’s just assumed no one is applying’

Just 1.5% of all offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities went to black British A-level students in 2015, recent data obtained by Labour MP David Lammy revealed. The majority of places went to students in the south-east of England with professional parents. This has sparked extensive debate about the accessibility of elite higher education institutions for the socioeconomically disadvantaged […] … learn more→

Sustainable Shopping: the eco-friendly guide to online Christmas shopping

Sustainable Shopping: the eco-friendly guide to online Christmas shopping

Online shopping has recently smashed retail records worldwide, while its growth has continued significantly in Australia. With Christmas just around the corner, Australia Post expects this to be the busiest year it has ever seen. December is the largest buying month in Australia, with online shopping hitting its peak during the Christmas period. In 2016, total online spending hit […] … learn more→

Measuring Up: How BLS Data Would Inflate Incomes for Career Training Graduates

Measuring Up: How BLS Data Would Inflate Incomes for Career Training Graduates

Earlier this year, Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU), the main for-profit college lobbying association, offered a proposal that would eliminate all accountability metrics from the gainful employment (GE) regulations promulgated in 2015. In place of the current GE rule, CECU suggested that career colleges disclose income estimates for each of the occupations that a program of […] … learn more→

Teaching machines to teach themselves

Teaching machines to teach themselves

Are you tired of telling machines what to do and what not to do? It’s a large part of regular people’s days – operating dishwashers, smartphones and cars. It’s an even bigger part of life for researchers like me, working on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Much of this is even more boring than driving […] … learn more→

Using university language tests for migration and professional registration is problematic

Using university language tests for migration and professional registration is problematic

Using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to test things other than the English readiness of international students commencing study or training, which is what it was designed to do, is problematic. The same can be said of tests like TOEFL iBT, which were built for academic purposes, and should only be used in that way. When they […] … learn more→