Years ago, in my book, I wrote how a state university had an unwritten policy for faculty to pass 85% of their students. To clarify, any faculty who did not meet this “standard” would find his career cut short. I’ll double down on this by noting the university also allowed students to register for the […] … learn more→

The most cited work in the field of ‘academic writing productivity’ is that of Robert Boice from the 1990s. Is it that because there’s been no further research in this area or has nobody bettered his findings? We’ve just launched our own study into academic writing practice. It’s research that we hope will give anyone who needs […] … learn more→

I set set up the Facebook group Parents Who Study with Rebekah Farrell at the beginning of this year after we “met” on Instagram and discovered that we were both parents who were completing PhDs. Even though we were on opposite ends of the world, we found that we were experiencing the same isolation and […] … learn more→

Anyone who teaches or advises writers has experienced the infuriating déjà vu of reading a student’s paper or dissertation chapter and thinking, “I know I responded to this in the last draft, but here it is again…unchanged.” In my teaching capacity, this moment has traditionally generated something I call ‘reader rage’ (basically road rage on […] … learn more→

A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I had any advice for someone who struggled to let go of their writing – they wrote but then it was really difficult to send the writing off to their supervisor. And clearly, this was an issue. Sending the stuff off is part and parcel of […] … learn more→

The cyber security practices of Australian universities are in the spotlight after the Australian National University (ANU) reported last week it had been the target of a serious attack. Hackers – reportedly based in China – infiltrated ANU’s networks some time last year and have proven difficult to remove. According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s 2017 […] … learn more→

One of the great things about being on sabbatical is that you actually get a little time to hide away and do something that professors generally have very little opportunity to do – read books. As a result, I have spent the last couple of months gorging myself on the scholarly fruits that have been […] … learn more→

Time and again I’ve claimed that much of what goes on in our higher education system is fraudulent. I concede that this is just a blog, and I encourage the gentle reader to read all things online with some level of skepticism, to think through the implications and see if the conclusions read online are […] … learn more→

“Quentin, hello, welcome to FlashTel, phone book, what can I do for you? Like Quentin, 16 teleoperators with headsets respond tirelessly to calls that resonate on the first floor of a tall gray building. From the hubbub of words to the clatter of keyboards, the atmosphere resembles in every way that of a classic call […] … learn more→

Over the last few decades, more low-income and first generation students are going to college, reducing the attendance gap between rich and poor students in the US. During this same time, though, the college graduation gap has grown. As higher education administrators face increased pressure to improve graduation rates — which hover around 59 per cent at four-year […] … learn more→