Contrary to what some might think, academics are not just experts without humour and disconnected from the real world. They can also be humorous, and some of them use it to communicate better. In November 2015, the British magazine Times Higher Education has reported thatarchaeologists Zoo Nottingham University hired a stand-up comedian to transmit more easily to the general […] … learn more→

Many people can vividly remember being 18 and tentatively opening that envelope containing crucial information about the future. On the surface, it’s strange to think that genes have anything to do with it – but our new study, published in Scientific Reports, reveals that genetic factors influence both university enrolment and achievement. How can inherited DNA […] … learn more→

Ten years ago, the Corruption Eradication Commission and the Attorney General’s Office created an Honesty Canteen program by establishing 1,000 canteens in public schools to train character building and anti-corruption among students. This trial ends as a failure story. The canteens only last in the first year and then most are threatened with bankruptcy. The canteen sells food, […] … learn more→

New research on plagiarism at university has revealed students are surprisingly unconcerned about a practice known as “contract cheating”. The term “contract cheating” was coined in 2006, and describes students paying for completed assessments. At that time, concerns over the outsourcing of assessments were in their infancy, but today, contract cheating is big business. In 2017 alone, the […] … learn more→

It seems every school is loading up on Diversity Officers, filling up Diversity Palaces as they preach Diversity. It’s obnoxious, of course, all the more so because of the ridiculous, truly ridiculous, amounts of money poured into these Diversity Officers: Campus diversity czars frequently draw massive salaries. The University of Michigan’s chief diversity officer, for […] … learn more→

Education and the state of health of our planet are changing rapidly. However, while the number of pedagogical proposals grows, sometimes overwhelmingly , the number of species decreases as the habitats that sustain them deteriorate or disappear. Even so, the future of both seems to be related. Classes to future teachers In this context, I start the course of […] … learn more→

The question of evaluation at school comes back to the fore. While the Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, intends to develop a culture of evaluation, new assessments of students are now planned mid-CP, CE1, and second. An “evaluation body”, dedicated to the appreciation of institutions, is being created for 2019, while MPs Marie Tamarelle-Verhaeghe and Régis Juanico […] … learn more→

The curriculum is not just the “stuff” that students must learn to be knowledgeable and skilled in a particular discipline. It’s about more than just content. Sociologists of education argue that “curriculum” is a highly ideological hybrid discourse. This means that it includes implicit ways of knowing, ways of doing and ways of being – as well […] … learn more→

C3PO, R2D2 and Wall-E: three distinctly memorable robots that captured our hearts as they rolled and beeped across the silver screen. But pint-sized and friendly, humanoid robots are now more than just fictional characters. They’re finding their way into new roles as teachers, ready to shape the way students learn in the classroom. And the […] … learn more→

Earlier this year, I started a ‘Shut up and Wiki’ group at our university. It has been running now for over six months. Many universities, often with researchers working with the Library, are showing their Wiki-friendly faces with wonderful edit-a-thons, Wiki-bombs, Wiki masterclasses, etc. I wanted to get us in on that action. The initial idea with […] … learn more→