Texas A&M University announced the resignation of its president, Mark A. Welsh III, on Sept. 18, 2025, following a controversial decision earlier in the month to fire a professor over a classroom exchange with a student about gender identity. The university – a public school in College Station, Texas – fired Melissa McCoul, a children’s literature professor, […] … learn more→
McCarthyism’s shadow looms over controversial firing of Texas professor who taught about gender identity
From Wikipedia to AI, how can we help students understand how digital tools work?
Like Wikipedia before it, generative artificial intelligence tools are subject to misunderstanding and prejudice among students, even teachers. How can we help them better understand how these digital tools work and avoid anthropomorphism? Would the use of metaphors be a fruitful avenue? Much of the current discourse on the use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in education […] … learn more→
Private tutoring for school kids is ‘booming’. But this poses risks for students
Private tutoring for Australian school students is reported to be a “booming”, billion-dollar industry. It’s estimated one in six students get private tutoring at some point in their schooling. In some pockets – such as Sydney – this rises to one in four students. In our new research we highlight how there is little to no concrete state or federal regulation of tutoring […] … learn more→
Are business schools priming students for a world that no longer exists?
Endless economic expansion isn’t sustainable. Scientists are telling us our planet is already beyond its limits, with the risks to communities and the economy made clear in the federal government’s recent climate risk assessment. Sustainability is a hot topic in Australian business schools. However, teaching about the possible need to limit economic growth – whether directly or […] … learn more→
Tibetan Buddhist nuns are getting advanced degrees − and the Dalai Lama played a major role in that shift
In August 2025, 161 Tibetan Buddhist nuns from religious institutions across India and Nepal – a record number – gathered at the Dolma Ling Nunnery in northern India to take various levels of the “geshema” examination. These exams are in preparation for one day receiving the geshema degree, comparable with a doctorate in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. The […] … learn more→
Fewer foreign students in the United States : a decline that is costing universities dearly
The number of international students on U.S. campuses is estimated to have declined by 150,000 this fall due to policies implemented by the Trump administration. This reversal of fortune will weigh heavily on campuses and their local economies. It’s the time when students are returning to college, and like every year, campuses across the United […] … learn more→
Dear Reviewer
Every academic writer knows the sting of a harsh review. Every one. Including me. We’ve all had them. The review that is scathing, brutal and toxic. The immediate impulse is often to fire back defensively, ignore the review completely, or let it consume your thoughts for days. But there’s a third option that can be […] … learn more→
Generative AI might end up being worthless — and that could be a good thing
In the rush to cash in on the generative artificial intelligence gold rush, one possible outcome of AI’s future rarely gets discussed: what if the technology never works well enough to replace your co-workers, companies fail to use AI well or most AI startups simply fail? Current estimates suggest big AI firms face a US$800 billion dollar revenue shortfall. So […] … learn more→
The warning signs are clear: We’re heading toward a digital crisis
People’s lives are more enmeshed with digital systems than ever before, increasing users’ vulnerability and insecurity. From data leaks like the 2017 Equifax data breach to the more recent cyberattack on British retailer Marks & Spencer, business operations and data on the internet continue to be vulnerable. There are good reasons to believe that little will be done […] … learn more→
The robotic mirror: Are we humans so good that we want copies?
Robots make headlines when they imitate us: they converse in almost human voices, write texts that sound like ours, or “read” emotions on a screen. But the truly important leap is another: to stop copying us and start complementing us, designing capabilities that fill in our gaps—attention, biases, fatigue—and valuing machines for their impact on […] … learn more→