Australia’s love for fuel-hungry and fuel-inefficient SUVs is hampering our ability to bring transport emissions down. SUVs make up half of all new car sales last year, a National Transport Commission report revealed this week – up from a quarter of all sales a decade ago. As a result, the carbon emitted by all new cars sold […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
We may be underestimating just how bad carbon-belching SUVs are for the climate – and for our health
‘Thinking about my future is really scary’ – school leavers are not getting the careers support they need
Australia’s class of 2022 is on the home stretch. Next month, more than 200,000 year 12 students will be sitting their final exams. In amongst this, they are making big decisions about their lives beyond school. But research shows they are not getting the support they need as they finish school and move into the work or […] … learn more→
These high school ‘classics’ have been taught for generations – could they be on their way out?
If you went to high school in the United States anytime since the 1960s, you were likely assigned some of the following books: Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” “Julius Caesar” and “Macbeth”; John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”; F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”; Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”; and William Golding’s “The Lord of […] … learn more→
Is it the same to evaluate than to qualify?
We all remember the emotion (not always positive) that ran through the classroom the day they “gave us the note” of a specific test or exam. Especially in the primary stage (it is in these first courses where students face this numerical qualification process), “getting” a 5 or an 8 or the subtle differences between a […] … learn more→
Minors hooked on networks: what can families do?
The Internet, the smart mobile phone and social networks have revolutionized the way we relate to each other in society. In addition to serving to communicate, the content and messages reach us with few filters and with no other brake than the one we put on them. People of all ages find it difficult to use them […] … learn more→
Negative feedback is part of academia (and life) – these 6 strategies can help you cope
Imagine you have years-worth of research and it is dismissed by a 15-word rejection letter from a journal editor. That has happened to us. Or peer reviewers write demeaning, anonymous commentary about your work. That has also happened to us. Or student evaluations critique your appearance or the way you speak. Yes, that’s also happened to us. Academics also […] … learn more→
The Productivity Commission says Australian schools ‘fall short’ on quality and equity. What happens now?
The Productivity Commission has just released a review of school standards in Australia. It finds we “persistently fall short” when it comes to providing a high quality and equitable education for all students. Coming in at 253 pages, there is a lot to read. And a lot we already know. But this report comes at a crucial […] … learn more→
What is The Line, the 170km-long mirrored metropolis Saudi Arabia is building in the desert?
As climate change rapidly advances, many Middle Eastern states are aiming to make the transition from carbon-based economies to alternatives that attract people from around the world – for tourism, business, work or to live. One such example is a development known as NEOM, to be built in Saudi Arabia. A key part of the plan is “The Line”, a […] … learn more→
Back to school: lessons from American universities
Whatever the country, the academic year generally begins with a time dedicated to informing newly enrolled students. A welcome period to which French establishments are increasingly attentive to help each student get off to a good start and fight against dropping out, while only 29.6% of baccalaureate holders entering the first year validate a license in three years […] … learn more→
Student enrollment falls at colleges and universities that are placed on probation
Whenever a college or university gets sanctioned by the agency that provides its accreditation, fewer students enroll in that school. That’s what I found in a study in which I examined whether the sanctions influence how students decide which schools to attend. In my analysis, I looked at whether schools given a warning or placed on probation […] … learn more→
