Monthly Archives: December 2020

K-12 schools need to take cyberattacks more seriously

K-12 schools need to take cyberattacks more seriously

Teachers in Baltimore County Public Schools knew something was wrong late in the day on Nov. 24 when they began to experience trouble entering grades into the school district’s computer system. Around the same time, the video for a meeting of the district’s school board abruptly cut off. Both situations were the result of a cyberattack that had hit […] … learn more→

Stressed out, dropping out: COVID has taken its toll on uni students

Stressed out, dropping out: COVID has taken its toll on uni students

It’s a tough time to be a university student. Amid a global pandemic, overstretched mental health services and sweeping university staff cuts, students have had to attend classes and hand in assignments while juggling work, family and finances. For international students, isolation, cultural differences and extra expenses added to their worries. Unsurprisingly, university enrolments have […] … learn more→

The future of agriculture: why unis must prepare students to secure both our food and our planet

The future of agriculture: why unis must prepare students to secure both our food and our planet

Agriculture will soon be worth A$100 billion a year to Australia. The industry employs more than 250,000 people, stewards 80% of our land area and drives world-class agribusiness and food sectors. In an uncertain employment market, every new agriculture graduate has a choice of six job opportunities. Agriculture today is fast-paced, global, diverse, reliant on high-end scientific discovery and increasingly responsive […] … learn more→

Academics must not rage against ‘death by blank screen’

Academics must not rage against ‘death by blank screen’

What have been the main talking points among academics as we’ve adapted to online teaching this year? The logistics of managing Zoom or Teams? Developing curriculum content? Making learning sessions engaging? At my own institution, much of the conversation has been about something quite different: what one colleague called “death by blank screen”. Why, colleagues […] … learn more→

Working up a first draft: a twelve step strategy

Working up a first draft: a twelve step strategy

If you are drafting, it is pretty easy to find a lot of advice about the benefits of free writing. Lots of people find that timed writing sprints help to generate content. Unstructured writing is useful to work out what you want want to say. The pomodoro sprint works really well for many academic writers, […] … learn more→