Monthly Archives: April 2020

Reopening schools: first feedback

Reopening schools: first feedback

The reopening of schools in France is planned from May 11. Some countries have not closed their schools, others have already reopened them, some have decided to wait until the start of the school year in September and for some the debate is still ongoing. These different situations bear witness to the diversity of contexts: living […] … learn more→

Top football recruits bring in big money for colleges – COVID-19 could threaten revenue

Top football recruits bring in big money for colleges – COVID-19 could threaten revenue

Colleges and universities are spending more than ever to land the nation’s top football recruits, with some schools having boosted their recruiting budgets by more than 300% in the last five years. These budgets can surpass US$2 million for schools like the University of Tennessee. Is it worth it? I study economics. Research I recently did shows just how big the […] … learn more→

How will the class of COVID-19 get into university? Using year 11 results is only part of the answer

How will the class of COVID-19 get into university? Using year 11 results is only part of the answer

Several Australian universities (Australian National University, Swinburne and the University of Western Australia) have announced they will accept students based on their year 11 results. The rationale is that the disrupted 2020 year will affect year 12 results. So, it’s fairer to use their results from last year. It’s clear finishing school in the midst of a global pandemic […] … learn more→

Why are journals so obsessed by theory?

Why are journals so obsessed by theory?

I recently heard about a rejection letter from a Chinese economics journal that was a bit too generous with the sugar vis-à-vis the pill. “If we were to publish your paper, it would be impossible for us to publish any work of lower standard,” the editor wrote, several decades ago. “And as it is unthinkable […] … learn more→

‘I spoke about Dreamtime, I ticked a box’: teachers say they lack confidence to teach Indigenous perspectives

‘I spoke about Dreamtime, I ticked a box’: teachers say they lack confidence to teach Indigenous perspectives

The Australian government has allocated tens of millions of dollars to commemorate the anniversary of Cook’s voyage to the South Pacific and Australia in 1770. Though several events have now been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, others will take place online. This could also be an opportunity for teachers to disrupt the same white-washed versions of […] … learn more→

Homeostasis and coronavirus crisis

Homeostasis and coronavirus crisis

Homeostasis is a rare word, used in biology, but it could be useful in the context of the epidemic we are suffering from. Homeostasis has to do with balance and at the same time with imbalance. In short, it speaks of a balanced imbalance, or a stable imbalance. Life is a pure paradox. Human beings have always had […] … learn more→

EdTechs: what place in the next world?

EdTechs: what place in the next world?

The rise of the Internet and mobile applications has given birth to a new economic sector , around technologies dedicated to knowledge and transmission, known as “EdTechs”. Used in the United States from 2010, under the pen of American researchers , this name covers a whole variety of actors offering virtual classes, interactive exam preparations, language learning solutions or tutoring, orientation aids. […] … learn more→

What is fair dealing in copyright? Here’s why it matters when moving classes online due to coronavirus

What is fair dealing in copyright? Here’s why it matters when moving classes online due to coronavirus

As a new spring semester begins in Canada, all-online teaching continues. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, universities and colleges replaced classroom instruction with online teaching. UNESCO estimates that more than 1.5 billion students in 165 countries are affected by a move to online learning. With campus libraries still closed, instructors have had to place more course materials online. […] … learn more→

Blue-sky research rarely casts the most light

Blue-sky research rarely casts the most light

The recent resignation of Mauro Ferrari as president of the European Research Council has thrown into sharp relief the distinction between “basic” and “applied” research, as understood today. In the UK, this is particularly topical given that it coincides with the start of parliamentary scrutiny over the role that the government’s proposed “high risk, high […] … learn more→