What images does science conjure up in your mind? You may well be visualising a laboratory, equations scrawled on a blackboard. Figures are surrounded by glassware filled with coloured liquids. Maybe someone, with a slightly furrowed brow, is hunched over a microscope. But what this scene fails to convey is that science isn’t about labs, […] … learn more→

There is a story doing the media rounds that international students – particularly from China – will now “flood” back to Australia. It is claimed this will push up already high rents for scarce housing in our major cities. This story is one of three myths that risk setting up international students as scapegoats for Australia’s ongoing […] … learn more→

Since ChatGPT was released, many commentators are sounding the alarm about an artificial intelligence (AI) takeover, suggesting that professors will soon be out of a job, or that the student essay is dead. This is reactionary and misguided. ChatGPT, by its very nature, cannot do the kinds of things we ought to want student essays to do. ChatGPT does not, and cannot, […] … learn more→

Universities around Australia are starting the academic year under yet another cloud of uncertainty. After surviving the disruptions of COVID, teachers and students begin this semester under the apparent threat of ChatGPT, which can generate human-like text. Some fear this powerful new technology will increase student cheating and undermine academic integrity. The Universities Accord discussion paper released last week specifically asks […] … learn more→

Living in the society of immediacy, wrapped in the noise of superficial information, can lead us away from an attitude of growth and well-being. Group silence and mental silence are essential for coexistence both in class and in social groups. Although classrooms that are not well managed can be useful in giving us the opportunity to […] … learn more→

This post is about organising yourself for a ‘binge writing’ session. While ‘snack writing’ (writing small amounts, consistently) is good practice, there comes a time when deadlines require the strict application of bottom to seat. These binge writing sessions are much better if you prepare well in advance. As I write this, I’m running a thesis […] … learn more→

Universities and schools have entered a new phase in how they need to address academic integrity as our society navigates a second era of digital technologies, which include publicly available generative artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT. Such platforms allow students to generate novel text for written assignments. While many worry these advanced AI technologies are ushering in […] … learn more→

The rapid growth of cryptocurrencies and virtual non-fungible tokens have dominated news headlines in recent years. But not many may see how these modish applications connect together in a wider idea being touted by some as the next iteration of the internet — Web3. There are many misconceptions surrounding this buzzy (and, frankly, fuzzy) term, including the conflation of […] … learn more→

Technology has become the centre of our lives. It has also changed how university students learn and how lecturers teach. Some institutions had already shifted to some form of online teaching and learning before 2020. Then the onset of the COVID pandemic made digitised education commonplace in many parts of the world. But it’s not enough for universities […] … learn more→

Despite recent waves of Big Tech layoffs, billions of dollars have been sunk into virtual reality (VR) hardware and software over the past few years. For this investment to be worthwhile, the VR industry needs to achieve sustainability and growth. To do this, it will have to explore many different applications of VR technology, including manufacturing and social VR. Social VR is a […] … learn more→