After weeks of pandemic lockdown and closures, families keen on camping holidays and getting outdoors are relieved that many of our parks are reopening. Canada’s national parks partially open June 1 for day use; camping will be closed until at least June 21 while authorities assess safety. In Alberta, provincial parks are open for day use, and camping is […] … learn more→
Don’t feed the bears! How parks get visitors to protect nature
Universities’ Covid planning must take account of age-related risk
As lockdowns around the world begin to be eased (even for people who aren’t government advisors), some universities are planning to re-open as physical spaces in September. But is this really wise? How much danger will that create for employees, and how should university leaders seek to minimise the risks? In our judgment, the most […] … learn more→
4 things a business degree can do for you
For students who may not know what they want to study, a business degree is often the first suggestion they will be given by family and friends. Business degrees are generic enough to open doors for graduates, but also given the many specialties within business degree programs, students often find their niche and can focus […] … learn more→
COVID-19 and virtual training: how to adopt digital skills in a matter of days
If they told us just six months ago that a pandemic was going to arrive that was going to force, without any excuse or anesthesia, that teachers go digital, we would not have believed it. When we said that “the university teacher is obliged to change to a techno-digital profile in which he integrates his competences with […] … learn more→
Online learning for all
Now that the Covid-19 pandemic has radically altered the organisation of university life for the foreseeable future, ‘everyday ableism’ can be (unwittingly) perpetuated by virtual teaching methods. But we also have a potentially generative moment to change this narrative. Given that in that academic year 2018/19, a sixth of all home university students declared that they had […] … learn more→
The coronavirus can improve societal understanding of universities’ role
A few months ago, it would have been hard to believe that research-based knowledge at the forefront of science would soon become an everyday topic of conversation. Reproduction rate and theories of viral origin and spread are discussed at kitchen tables around the globe – but perhaps most urgently around the cabinet tables of national […] … learn more→
The online transition means high-quality HE for all is within our grasp
In a matter of weeks, universities have been forced to move their teaching from campuses to computer screens. While many are still struggling with this quantum leap, some have performed wonders and a more permanent shift at least to blended learning has been discussed. The question seems to be “not if but when” this will […] … learn more→
Universities must protect IP to ensure Covid-19 vaccine reaches vulnerable
As world leaders met for the annual World Health Assembly online on 18 May, more than 140 prominent figures, including current and former premiers, had signed an open letter calling on governments to unite behind a people’s vaccine against Covid-19. Among other things, this calls for any vaccine to be “patent-free”. A notable absentee from […] … learn more→
The pandemic has shown us the imperative for global engagement in higher education
There is a great deal of talk about the extent to which online education may transform the post-pandemic academy. But a preoccupation with the virtues or the perils of online education as the dominant pedagogical approach in tertiary education is in essence a concern with how higher education should be delivered. This obscures a more […] … learn more→
Antarctic ice shelves: research reveals a missing piece of the climate puzzle
Ice shelves, massive floating bodies of ice, are well-known for their buffering effect on land-based ice sheets as they slow their flow towards the sea. This buffering effect plays an important role in moderating global sea level rise. The Antarctic Peninsula has been experiencing high levels of change during the last 30 years due to atmospheric and […] … learn more→