Over time all researchers build a knowledge base about their key interests. A large part of this knowledge is a core set of literatures. They/we do need to keep up to date, but they/we can rely on – and use – our incrementally expanding personal library of literatures. However, every so often, researchers have to […] … learn more→

For years I’ve covered faculty being removed from campus for having integrity, or at least the sense enough to not agree with “the narrative,” and First Amendment protections never seem to apply. Thus I was more than a little puzzled when I saw the following headline: Indiana University admits a professor has ‘racist, sexist, and […] … learn more→

In April 2018, the public learned that George Mason University had let the Charles Koch Foundation have a say in the hiring and review of faculty. The revelation confirmed long-held suspicions that Virginia’s largest public university was susceptible to pressure from wealthy people who make big donations to a foundation that solely exists to support the school. The news […] … learn more→

If the state of Texas had its way, the state would be in the process of taking over the Houston Independent School District. But a judge temporarily blocked the takeover on Jan. 8, with the issue now set to be decided at a trial in June. The ruling temporarily spares Houston’s public school system from joining a list of […] … learn more→

The days of the university professor who gives the master lesson are over. It can be dangerous to have analog teachers, blind to the changes that happen in their environment and disconnected from reality. Especially when the professionals of the future are in their hands and they should have the digital capabilities developed when they finish their […] … learn more→

South Africa’s Department of Basic Education recently released the country’s National Senior Certificate results for the class of 2019. These are commonly known as the “matric results” and they determine school-leavers’ admission and placement into tertiary level study. About 81.3% of those who wrote the matriculation exams passed. There has been much well-deserved celebration of this […] … learn more→

All researchers make claims about their work. Remember the phrase staking a claim? That’s what we are actually doing when we claim something. We are metaphorically placing a marker in a field that we are prepared to stand on, stand for –  and defend. We plant that marker at the end of the account of our research. We’re here, […] … learn more→

A girl opens her book for the first time. Look at some mysterious signs. His teacher is drawing them very large on the board and says: “It’s the letter A!” The exciting adventure (or hard work) of learning to read has just begun. It all depends on an astonished brain and its curious mind. Astonishment and curiosity push the […] … learn more→

Can we train in experimental work in chemistry by sitting in front of a computer screen rather than in front of a laboratory bench? At first glance, the idea may surprise. “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand,” said Confucius. If we refer to this famous maxim, manipulating a […] … learn more→

On Jan. 3, the American Dialect Society held its 30th annual “Word of the Year” vote, which this year also included a vote for “Word of the Decade.” It was the year – and the decade – of the pronoun. In a nod to shifting attitudes about gender identities that are nonbinary – meaning they don’t neatly […] … learn more→