In February 2023, a little more than a year after the launch of ChatGPT, Vanderbilt University sent an email to its student body in the wake of a fatal campus shooting at Michigan State. “The recent Michigan shootings are a tragic reminder of the importance of taking care of each other,” the email read in part. In […] … learn more→

Assessing student knowledge is not the ultimate goal of a subject, but a fundamental part of the learning process itself. It is the only way for both learners and teachers to understand how students are progressing, what their strengths and areas for improvement are, and what the practical application of what they are learning is, […] … learn more→

The widespread and uncritical adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GAI), with large language models like ChatGPT and others, can degrade the university experience and undermine the mission of the university. While this technology offers interesting applications, when used without reflection or pedagogical integration, emerging studies indicate that it tends to empty learning of content, undermine academic work, […] … learn more→

During the first world war, the British government was looking for ways to help people stretch their limited food supplies. It found pamphlets from a noted 19th-century herbalist who said rhubarb leaves could be used as a vegetable along with the stalks. The government duly printed its own pamphlets advising people to eat rhubarb leaves […] … learn more→

We live in the age of free things. Free social media, free email, free search engines, free maps, free news, free artificial intelligence. Capitalism, that system we so often accuse of greed, seems to have become generous. But there’s a small, uncomfortable detail: nothing in this world is self-generating. As Karl Marx reminded us , all value […] … learn more→

People often refer to writing as thinking without necessarily knowing where and how this idea developed. It is in part from Linda Flower and John Hayes who published a paper in 1981 offering a cognitive process theory of writing. And reading their paper again, now, shows that their observations are still pretty apt descriptions of the work that goes […] … learn more→

The higher education sector is more aware of disability than it was a few years ago. Universities are more willing to provide support, and attitudes have improved. What students describe day to day, however, tells a different story. A recent report on accessibility for disabled students in UK universities, produced by Disabled Students UK in partnership with charity […] … learn more→

As countries around the world look to follow Australia’s lead and implement a social media ban for kids, many are also considering fines as an enforcement mechanism. This is part of the playbook when it comes to regulating big tech. For example, last month the United Kingdom’s data watchdog fined Reddit £14 million (A$26 million) for unlawfully using children’s […] … learn more→

Life has a way of getting in the way. Maybe you started college and had to stop. Maybe you went straight into the workforce and never looked back. Or maybe you always meant to go but never quite got there. Whatever your story, one thing is clear: it’s not too late. Earning a bachelor’s degree […] … learn more→

Each March, many of the country’s most selective colleges and universities release their admissions decisions, reviving debates over the roles of race, wealth and privilege – and putting Americans’ cultural obsession with rankings back in the spotlight. Meanwhile, a more personal set of questions will emerge in many homes and schools. Who got into a “better” school, and why? And […] … learn more→