As college tuition continues to rise at a staggering rate, people tend to worry about how much harder it becomes for students and families to pay for college. As researchers who focus on higher education, we found a different reason to worry. We examined tuition hikes at public four-year colleges and universities over a 14-year period. We wanted to see if […] … learn more→
Monthly Archives: April 2018
When college tuition goes up, campus diversity goes down
Women in tech suffer because of American myth of meritocracy
The American dream is built on the notion that the U.S. is a meritocracy. Americans believe success in life and business can be earned by anyone willing to put in the hard work necessary to achieve it, or so they say. Thus, Americans commonly believe that those who are successful deserve to be so and those who […] … learn more→
Kids of color get kicked out of school at higher rates – here’s how to stop it
When two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks where they had been waiting for a business meeting on April 12, the incident called renewed attention to the bias that racial minorities face in American society. A few days later, a similar incident unfolded at an LA Fitness in New Jersey. While these two incidents involved adults at […] … learn more→
Moocs are a solution in search of a problem
A common question to start-up founders is: “What problem does this solve?” Massive open online courses (Moocs) are a solution in want of a problem. That’s not surprising because they did not emerge from a problem. Instead, they arose from the boredom of Stanford University computer science professors fed up with teaching the same lectures […] … learn more→
States are favoring school choice at a steep cost to public education
Teacher strikes are generating a healthy focus on how far public education funding has fallen over the past decade. The full explanation, however, goes beyond basic funding cuts. It involves systematic advantages in terms of funding, students and teachers for charter schools and voucher programs as compared to traditional public schools. Increasing public teacher salaries may end the current […] … learn more→
Students must lead the fight for fewer guns on US campuses
The United States Bill of Rights grants American citizens numerous freedoms such as those of association, religion and protest. US leaders have notably honoured and guarded James Madison’s prescriptions for this great experiment in democracy. Our courts and representatives have also systematically adjusted the scope of these freedoms to craft a safer and more equitable […] … learn more→
Are the robots coming for our (research) jobs?
As a researcher, it can be tempting to ignore the current hysteria about automation. I’ve had a bit of a “not my circus, not my monkeys” attitude myself. Perhaps whole industries will disappear, our taxis will become self driving and our fast food outlets staffed by robots, but research work? I like to think research […] … learn more→
Educators are leveling up through gamification
Technology has changed nearly every aspect of our lives, including how we communicate, how we entertain ourselves, and, perhaps most importantly, how we learn. While some may frown on how screen-dependent our culture has become, research has shown that students who are interested in computers are more likely to apply themselves and attend school more […] … learn more→
Best ways to conduct a job Search
The job market is a highly competitive place. In the constant rat race, landing your dream job at the first go seems next to impossible. Most candidates would agree that searching for the perfect job is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. Even with an impeccable resume, it can sometimes be a […] … learn more→
Academic dialogue reshaped by WhatsApp era
Dialogue has been at the heart of learning since Plato’s academy was founded in the 4th century BC. For centuries it has pushed students in higher education to go the extra mile, provoked them into seeing things in new ways and forced them to defend their own ideas. However, the traditional forms of student dialogue have […] … learn more→