Washington state doesn’t have a problem finding educated people to work in its booming high-tech economy – it’s just most of those people come from out of state. This is why Washington enacted the landmark Workforce Education Investment Act into law in May 2019. The main idea behind the new law is to make college more affordable. […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
Washington state’s big bet on ‘free college’
Mathematics is about wonder, creativity and fun, so let’s teach it that way
Alice in Wonderland enthusiasts recently celebrated the story’s anniversary with creative events like playing with puzzles and time — and future Alice exhibits are in the works. The original 1865 children’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, sprung from a mathematician’s imagination, continues to inspire exploration and fun. But is a connection between math and creativity captured in schools? Much […] … learn more→
What is the purpose of university rankings
Each year, the rankings of universities flourish, causing the same stir as the publication of major gastronomic guides. Who will be in the “top 50”? Have we made progress? Where are the neighboring universities (friends, nonetheless competing)? These questions stir the heads of higher education institutions. In fact, these rankings would hold larger global stock markets that are the Dow Jones […] … learn more→
Is tuition killing College students?
I’m sometimes asked if our increasing suicide rate is due to the student loan scam. As eager as I am to blame things on it, I’m a little reluctant to do so. After all, around 28% of students with such debt don’t even know it—they’ve been completely scammed by college administrators who haven’t bothered to […] … learn more→
Dependent and vulnerable: the experiences of academics on casual and insecure contracts
A majority of academic staff at some of Australia’s top universities work in casual or fixed-term positions. This reflects a trend towards casualisation in academia, and other industries, in Australia and New Zealand. Fixed-term employment is also a form of precarious employment. This is usually when the university employs research staff working on externally funded projects only for the extent of the project. So, […] … learn more→
Business School: Virtual Reality Renews Marketing Courses
Immersive learning, experiential learning, “action learning” … innovative teaching methods have flourished in recent years so that we no longer speak of learning but of learning experience. Changing posture, the student and the teacher are now both part of a process of co-construction of knowledge and competence. What would be the virtues of these educational innovations? To […] … learn more→
ESL tests: Memorization is a shortcut to high scores, but not to lasting learning
Canada plans to receive 300,000 to 350,000 immigrants in 2019, and likely more than that number annually in the coming years. In 2018, there were 572,415 valid study permits in the country — evidence of the increasing trend of international students coming to Canada. Most people coming to Canada for various purposes are coming from non-English-speaking countries: in 2016, 72.5 […] … learn more→
A 5 step program for finishing your PhD (finally!)
Have you, or have you considered anything along the lines of *actually finishing* writing? I can produce writing like nobody’s business, and get well on my way into a paper. Finishing, however, is agony. I think this is in part because I’m a lateral thinker and a perfectionist. I’m sure you are familiar with these […] … learn more→
Review of 5 free educational website builders for developing websites for Colleges and Schools
A great way to express the school’s ideology, vision, and make its presence felt is by creating a website. A website for schools and colleges is somewhat similar to the websites we come across every day. But features that set them apart are the professional style, information board, important links for students and student dashboard, […] … learn more→
Furnishing our corners of the internet
Things in my life have been a little heavy and stressful lately so I thought it would be good for my heart and soul to write a post focused on the fun and ridiculous elements of the academic internets and beyond. Working on Research Whisperer through the years, I’ve been more aware of the ways […] … learn more→
