Monthly Archives: July 2024

What could lead a teenager to hook up with someone who treats her badly?

What could lead a teenager to hook up with someone who treats her badly?

When boys and girls reach adolescence, they accumulate a multitude of messages that associate attraction and violence . These messages come from peer groups, series, films, songs, social networks… and they portray boys who show violent and contemptuous attitudes towards girls as attractive, and not so much those who are egalitarian and treat them well. We see […] … learn more→

Verifying facts in the age of AI – librarians offer 5 strategies

Verifying facts in the age of AI – librarians offer 5 strategies

The phenomenal growth in artificial intelligence tools has made it easy to create a story quickly, complicating a reader’s ability to determine if a news source or article is truthful or reliable. For instance, earlier this year, people were sharing an article about the supposed suicide of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s psychiatrist as if it were real. It […] … learn more→

‘Very frustrating’: for public school principals, applying for grants is now a big part of their job

‘Very frustrating’: for public school principals, applying for grants is now a big part of their job

Australians know public schools are underfunded. There are media reports of schools needing to fundraise to build essential infrastructure such as school halls and provide playground shade cloths and textbooks. This comes alongside other reports of elite private schools building pools and theatres with multimillion-dollar budgets (helped by their tax exemptions and subsidies) and ongoing concerns about funding disparities between Australian school systems. In […] … learn more→

Sustainability, culture and high fashion: 5 eye-catching Paris 2024 Olympic uniforms

Sustainability, culture and high fashion: 5 eye-catching Paris 2024 Olympic uniforms

Fashion has many functions: it is practical, communicative, commercial and competitive. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, several countries have different uniforms for the opening and closing ceremonies, podiums, media, and sporting events. Some of them tell their country’s stories, either subtly or explicitly. Others are inspired by the style of Paris as the host city . Some […] … learn more→

5 growing threats to academic freedom

5 growing threats to academic freedom

The ability to teach and conduct research free from political interference is the cornerstone of higher education and its contribution to the public good. Academic freedom, however, has become increasingly threatened. V-Dem Institute, a global research organization that monitors indicators of democracy around the world, determined that academic freedom has “substantially worsened” in the United States […] … learn more→

Category is – “limitations” Part One

Category is – “limitations” Part One

All research does some things and not others. There are lots of ways in research writing to signal what we do, and don’t do.  Heere’s some of the most important. Problem posing – how we understand the puzzle or problem we are interested in is always a matter of choosing what we think is most important. And […] … learn more→

Uni is not just about lectures. When choosing a degree, ask what supports are available to you

Uni is not just about lectures. When choosing a degree, ask what supports are available to you

In August many Australian universities have open days as Year 12 students make up their minds about what they want to study next year. There will be lots of things for prospective students to think about – including what course they want to study and what career they want to pursue. Beyond questions about study content, there are five […] … learn more→

Real equity in math education is about more than good grades and test scores

Real equity in math education is about more than good grades and test scores

Math education outcomes in the United States have been unequal for decades. Learners in the top 10% socioeconomically tend to be about four grade levels ahead of learners in the bottom 10% – a statistic that has remained stubbornly persistent for 50 years. To advance equity, policymakers and educators often focus on boosting test scores and grades […] … learn more→

Declining PhD student numbers are a warning sign for NZ’s future knowledge economy

Declining PhD student numbers are a warning sign for NZ’s future knowledge economy

The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s economic trajectory has long been characterised by its reliance on primary commodities, such as unprocessed forestry exports, where high volume and relatively low value are common. Successive […] … learn more→