For more than a decade, researchers and journalists have relied on a digital tool called CrowdTangle to track and fight the spread of viral falsehoods online. But earlier this week, the owner of CrowdTangle, Meta, shut the tool down. The tech giant has replaced it with its new Content Library, which it says will serve the […] … learn more→
Meta just closed a vital online research tool. It’s bad news for the fight against misinformation
Common mistakes in academic writing: Top pitfalls to avoid
Academic writing can be challenging, even for experienced scholars. You may find yourself making common mistakes that undermine the quality and credibility of your work. Recognizing and avoiding these errors will significantly improve your academic writing skills. Common Grammatical Mistakes Subject-Verb Agreement Errors Subject-verb agreement is essential for clear communication in academic writing. Errors occur […] … learn more→
Learning a language? Four ways to smash through the dreaded ‘intermediate plateau’
How can I improve my English? This was a question frequently posed by my students in South Korea. My initial advice was straightforward – dedicate time and effort. However, both my students and I found this advice unsatisfying and overly simplistic. As a fellow language learner who had reached only an intermediate level of Korean […] … learn more→
Students with mental health struggles linked to absenteeism and lower grades, showing clear need for more in-school support
Parents are reporting worse mental health for their children than they did a decade ago, but different groups of children are struggling with mental health in markedly different ways. That’s what our team at the University of Southern California’s Center for Applied Research in Education found using a widely used mental health screening measure. More specifically, we found […] … learn more→
3 strategies to help college students pick the right major the first time around and avoid some big hassles
Not long after new college students have finished choosing the college that is right for them, they are asked to declare an academic major. For some students, this decision is easy, as their majors may have actually influenced their choice of college. Unfortunately, this decision is not always an easy one to make, and college students […] … learn more→
Education in the Anthropocene: addressing the environmental crisis means learning about our place in Earth’s history
Education should prepare young people to face the challenges of their time. To keep up with the changing world, this means that education has to keep adjusting. But unfortunately, our education systems have fallen out of sync with the times. Environmental decay is arguably the greatest challenge facing humanity today. However, education systems are failing to […] … learn more→
Academic cyborgs and bullshit reading
The other day, my good friend Professor Narelle Lemon sent me a link to an academic paper called “AI and its implications for research in higher education: a critical dialogue” because it cited … one of my old blog posts. It’s a good paper, and open access, so I recommend having a read. It’s written as a debate between […] … learn more→
The ten signs of people who practice resilience
Many historical figures we know for their exemplary lives share a character trait such as resilience. Perhaps one of the most notable examples is that of the American Helen Keller : the fact that she became deaf and blind a few months after birth did not prevent her from having a full life. She actively participated in […] … learn more→
International students will offer a big boost to the US economy this back-to-school season
Of the millions of young adults heading off to college this fall, many will be international students. If trends continue, about 1 million students from around the world will come to the U.S. to pursue higher education this year. These young scholars make a big economic impact. Altogether, they pump more than US$40 billion into the U.S. economy and support […] … learn more→
Summer holiday science: turn your home into a lab with these three easy experiments
Many people think science is difficult and needs special equipment, but that’s not true. Science can be explored at home using everyday materials. Everyone, especially children, naturally ask questions about the world around them, and science offers a structured way to find answers. Misconceptions about the difficulty of science often stem from a lack of […] … learn more→