Monthly Archives: May 2019

Make a poster then write your paper

Make a poster then write your paper

Im quite a fan of the academic research poster. However, posters have a bad reputation in some quarters. They’re sometimes seen as a “less than” – less than a conference paper, a second rate public presentation. Ever heard anyone say – Oh my paper didn’t get in the main conference papers but they offered me a […] … learn more→

Are international students passing university courses at the same rate as domestic students?

Are international students passing university courses at the same rate as domestic students?

Monday night’s ABC Four Corners program alleged several universities were admitting international students without the English-language skills needed to successfully complete their courses, effectively setting them up to fail. Such claims have been made so often, including by government agencies, that there is little doubt problems exist. But just how widespread these problems are is hard to assess. One […] … learn more→

More advice on advice

More advice on advice

I’ve been blogging since June 2010 – nearly nine years as I write this post. I started the blog, in part, because I wanted an online resource I could send to students. I’d been working as a research educator for about four years at that time and noticed PhD students asked me the same questions […] … learn more→

Learning to be a co-author

Learning to be a co-author

Co-authoring can be very different for researchers from different disciplines. In the social sciences and the sciences, for example, co-authored articles have become the norm over the last few decades. My academic background is in English Literature, where we do not usually write collaboratively (Leane, Fletcher and Garg, 2019, Nyhan and Duke-Williams, 2014). Publishing a collaborative article […] … learn more→

Leaving my mark

Leaving my mark

I rushed to get to the implement check on time for the Masters track and field championships. Handing my discus over to be measured and weighed it suddenly dawned on me – how will I know which one is mine. Sure it is a bright red but I am sure there will be the bright red […] … learn more→

Should teachers love their students to help them succeed?

Should teachers love their students to help them succeed?

Despite the accumulation of data on the place of emotions and feelings in learning, many actors in the education system still consider that affects have no place in school. A standard remains strong in France: teachers must demonstrate professional distance with students. This standard, for lack of a clear conceptualization, often suggests that one should not establish an […] … learn more→

The online looting of student loan money

The online looting of student loan money

So I’m wading through a long and surprisingly accurate (for Ctrl-Left hate site Huffington Post) article on capitalism’s looting of student loan money. While the article will blame capitalism, I still maintain capitalism is simply taking the money our government foolishly piled on the table. It does so more efficiently than our established state schools […] … learn more→

Divorce, Donald Trump, and millenials: Weighing the factors

Divorce, Donald Trump, and millenials: Weighing the factors

There are so many questions that have ranked top in Google in the past. Questions like how does mediation work in divorce, and how do I divorce my husband has long been the trending topic. Recent statistics show that there around fifty percent of marriages that end up in divorce. With the current administration affecting […] … learn more→