Monthly Archives: January 2023

College students who work more hours are less likely to graduate

College students who work more hours are less likely to graduate

Students who work while enrolled in college are about 20% less likely to complete their degrees than similar peers who don’t work, a large and meaningful decrease in predicted graduation rates. Among those who do graduate, working students take an average 0.6 of a semester longer to finish. This is mainly because students who work […] … learn more→

As international students flock back, they face even worse housing struggles than before COVID

As international students flock back, they face even worse housing struggles than before COVID

Australia is welcoming back international students in much greater numbers this year. Some predict new enrolments in 2023 could even be higher than the pre-COVID record in 2019. Student visa applications in the second half of 2022 were up 40% on the same period in 2019. The downside is many of these students are likely to struggle to find […] … learn more→

Is it OK to kick a robot dog?

Is it OK to kick a robot dog?

Last Saturday night, a young woman out on the town in Brisbane saw a dog-shaped robot trotting towards her and did what many of us might have felt an urge to do: she gave it a solid kick in the head. After all, who hasn’t thought about lashing out at “intelligent” technologies that frustrate us as […] … learn more→

Eye movement science is helping us learn about how we think

Eye movement science is helping us learn about how we think

For most of human history if you wanted to know what was going on behind someone’s eyes you had to make your best guess. But since the 1960s scientists have been studying the way eye movements may help decode people’s thoughts. The ability to eavesdrop on the details of people’s daydreams and internal monologues is […] … learn more→

What is racial battle fatigue? A school psychologist explains

What is racial battle fatigue? A school psychologist explains

When William A. Smith, a scholar of education and culture, introduced the term “racial battle fatigue” in 2003, he used it to describe the cumulative effects of racial hostility that Black people – specifically faculty and graduate students – experience at predominantly white colleges and universities. In short, it takes a toll on their psychological, physical and emotional well-being. […] … learn more→

The humanities should teach about how to make a better world, not just criticize the existing one

The humanities should teach about how to make a better world, not just criticize the existing one

This coming spring, a new group of students will think about choosing university majors when they apply to campuses across North America. In all likelihood, fewer of those students will choose humanities subjects — traditionally understood to include history, literature, philosophy, languages and the arts — as their major, than in past years. This is because of an […] … learn more→

What is the ethical and social responsibility of teachers and how to transmit it in the classroom

What is the ethical and social responsibility of teachers and how to transmit it in the classroom

The pandemic has undermined possibly prosperous dreams and has even put an end to stories that have not had a chance to begin. Poverty, injustices and inequalities have increased. Faced with this situation, as humanity, we must follow the ethical horizon proposed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It defines 17 objectives and 169 goals that challenge us […] … learn more→

China now publishes more high-quality science than any other nation – should the US be worried?

China now publishes more high-quality science than any other nation – should the US be worried?

By at least one measure, China now leads the world in producing high-quality science. My research shows that Chinese scholars now publish a larger fraction of the top 1% most cited scientific papers globally than scientists from any other country. I am a policy expert and analyst who studies how governmental investment in science, technology and innovation improves social welfare. While a […] … learn more→

Telos Magazine The education system and the future of work

Telos Magazine The education system and the future of work

Modern Times is the title of the well-known feature film directed and starred by Charles Chaplin released in 1936. It recounted the impact of the industrial era on employment from a social and humanist point of view. Now, almost 85 years later, a strong impact of technological progress on employment is perceived and anticipated, with a certain […] … learn more→

How to make post-secondary study more accessible? Collaboration between instructors and disability counsellors

How to make post-secondary study more accessible? Collaboration between instructors and disability counsellors

Forty years after the enactment of Canada’s first children’s special education laws, universities and colleges have made significant strides in accessible education for adult students with disabilities. But positive change is not coming fast enough. And accessibility issues are not about some small minority of students. Twenty-two per cent of Canadians aged 15 years or older have at […] … learn more→