Even if you don’t recall many facts from high school biology, you likely remember the cells required for making babies: egg and sperm. Maybe you can picture a swarm of sperm cells battling each other in a race to be the first to penetrate the egg. For decades, scientific literature described human conception this way, […] … learn more→
Scientific objectivity is a myth – cultural values and beliefs always influence science and the people who do it
Some unis are moving away from in-person lectures. Here’s why that’s not such a bad thing
Students have been protesting to keep in-person lectures at the newly amalgamated Adelaide University next year. University representatives say Adelaide University will not remove face-to-face lectures but “rework” the traditional format in line with research on how students learn. This could include quizzes, group discussions or self-paced-learning modules. Whether lectures are on-campus or online will vary by course and […] … learn more→
Why are we so tired when we go back to school?
Asking this question when many French people, who are lucky enough to be able to take a vacation, have just finished it feels somewhat untimely. Even if vacations are never exactly what we had imagined they would be, even if their end is often accompanied by a little nostalgia (“Farewell, bright light of our too-short […] … learn more→
Adding more green space to a campus is a simple, cheap and healthy way to help millions of stressed and depressed college students
Stress on college students can be palpable, and it hits them from every direction: academic challenges, social pressures and financial burdens, all intermingled with their first taste of independence. It’s part of the reason why anxiety and depression are common among the 19 million students now enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, and why incidents of suicide and […] … learn more→
Why teach financial education in schools
At a very early age, at school, we learn to count and master sometimes complex mathematical concepts. Are we, however, capable, in practice, of understanding basic financial concepts or navigating banking services? Isn’t the implementation of specific education on these issues an equality issue? According to the Banque de France , 41% of French people believe […] … learn more→
Eight seconds and dropping? How to make the most of short attention spans
We are regularly bombarded with information about a steep drop in attention spans. Based on its own data in 2015, Microsoft reported that the average attention span had dropped from about 12 seconds for millennials to eight seconds for gen Z. And as the new Premier League season kicked off, UEFA introduced a new “eight seconds rule” stating a […] … learn more→
What is AI slop? A technologist explains this new and largely unwelcome form of online content
You’ve probably encountered images in your social media feeds that look like a cross between photographs and computer-generated graphics. Some are fantastical – think Shrimp Jesus – and some are believable at a quick glance – remember the little girl clutching a puppy in a boat during a flood? These are examples of AI slop, low- to mid-quality content […] … learn more→
Are high school sports living up to their ideals?
Coach Smith was an easy hire as the head coach of a new high school lacrosse team in Tennesseee: She had two decades of coaching experience and a doctorate in sport and exercise science. After signing the paperwork, which guaranteed a stipend of US$1,200, Smith – we’re using a pseudonym to protect her identity – […] … learn more→
Teachers are key to students’ AI literacy, and need support
With the rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), teachers have been thrust into a new and ever-shifting classroom reality. The public, including many students, now has widespread access to GenAI tools and large language models (LLMs). Students sometimes use these tools with schoolwork. School boards have taken different approaches to regulating or integrating tech in classrooms. Teachers, meanwhile, […] … learn more→
ChatGPT only talks in clichés – here’s why that’s a threat to human creativity
When you chat with ChatGPT, it often feels like you’re talking to someone polite, engaged and responsive. It nods in all the right places, mirrors your wording and seems eager to keep the exchange flowing. But is this really what human conversation sounds like? Our new study shows that while ChatGPT plausibly imitates dialogue, it does so in […] … learn more→