Look This month the ABC reported student enrolments at a central Queensland public high school had fallen by 12.5% over a 15-month period. The school, which is also facing teacher shortages, has had to cut senior subjects as a result, meaning even more students are leaving to attend private schools in search of more opportunities. Our ongoing study has […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
‘It just got too hard’: how Year 12 subject cuts are affecting students’ access to uni
What do human relationships with chatbots say about friendship? A philosopher considers
Anthropologists tell us that only a handful of human experiences can be found in all human cultures. Among them is the experience of friendship. It might have different expressions in different times and places, but something akin to it seems to appear everywhere. Surely one of the greatest pains a human can endure is to have […] … learn more→
How can universities better protect students and staff from antisemitism?
This week, the royal commission into antisemitism has heard repeated accounts from Jewish university staff and students about antisemitic incidents on Australian campuses. Many have described feeling let down by their institution’s response. Australian National University student Liat said she was regularly called a “baby killer and genocide supporter” by protesters in the wake of Israel’s actions in Gaza. In 2024, University of […] … learn more→
Mona’s new library is spectacular. But does it work as a library?
Lo Lo What do our bookshelves say about us? Which of our books do we choose to display and why? And what happens to a private collection when it becomes a public exhibit? Mona founder David Walsh’s new private library at the Hobart gallery raises all of these questions and more. A lifelong avid reader who spent much […] … learn more→
More than 50% of Australian university assignments used AI. How should unis respond?
Last week, the US software company Turnitin revealed 53.6% of Australian tertiary education submissions run through its system used some form of AI in the period from October 2025-April 2026. The company, whose plagiarism-detection technology is widely used in universities, also reported 10% of these submissions contained more than 80% AI-written content. Meanwhile, separate data from AI safety […] … learn more→
2U’s CEO Newsletter Made Me Rethink How Students Pick Programs
I almost scrolled past it. A new newsletter from a company CEO isn’t usually the thing that stops me mid-feed. I write about higher ed for a living, and I’ve read enough “thought leadership” to be a little allergic to the genre. So when Kees Bol, who runs the education company 2U, popped up announcing […] … learn more→
Despite the growth of some AI schools like Alpha, research doesn’t show that AI tutors are better than human teachers
Over the past decade, the AI-focused, for-profit Alpha School has grown from one campus in Austin, Texas, to a growing list of more than 15 schools across the country, including in major cities like New York and San Francisco. Alpha School joins other AI-centric K-12 private schools, like Unbound Academy and the Khan Lab School, that parents can now choose for their children, […] … learn more→
How to use quotations – ask who is carrying the luggage…
“If you’re going to quote other scholars, not as primary sources whose work you mean to analyse, but because they’ve got insights you want to support yours, make sure they’re carrying your luggage and not the other way around.” Cassuto, 2024, p. 40 Here’s what that luggage metaphor is saying. A quotation you use as evidence is meant to be working […] … learn more→
Teachers are worried about students cheating with AI, but my survey suggests the deeper issue is learning
The risk of students using AI to cheat tends to get a lot of attention – with good reason. A student can simply copy and paste a prompt into a chatbot and receive a polished paragraph, a five-paragraph essay, a lab summary or a reading response almost instantly. Teachers may then be left wondering whether the work reflects the […] … learn more→
Experiential and ‘work‑integrated’ learning aren’t the same — and it matters for higher education
Experiential learning programs are ubiquitous in post-secondary education. Formalized in the mid-20th century, experiential learning is defined by the Association for Experiential Education as a teaching philosophy that engages learners in direct experience and focused reflection. My research has looked at the changing ways that universities and others have spoken about the purposes of experiential learning in Canada. […] … learn more→
