Jonathan Jansen, vice-chancellor of the University of the Free State in South Africa until a year ago, has written a book on the country’s higher education sector. As by Fire – The End of the South African University is one of a number of recent books that set out to make sense of the current […] … learn more→

I can’t emphasize enough how scary it is to work in higher education. Granted, if you’re an administrator, you’re guaranteed pay raises and advancement no matter how poorly you do your job, but if you’re an academic, you’re on eggshells all the time. The reason for this is our systems are loaded down with bureaucrats […] … learn more→

I’m a good friend to have if you are in the business of examining theses as you can probably imagine. A large number of my academic friends have called me up for expert advice on acceptable style, structure and tone. Some eight years ago now, my good friend Dr Scott Mayson rang me up about […] … learn more→

Tutoring can be a great source of extra income while going through your own schooling or just to help support you financially. It can even be a full-time income, if you want it to be. You will need to meet some basic requirements, but once you have met those requirements, you can start tutoring immediately. […] … learn more→

Our colleges campuses are drowning in leaders. I’ve literally taught courses where I had to report to 4 different bosses (in addition to the department head and Dean) during the semester regarding every issue that came up in the class. It takes some effort to teach a class, but not that much (it’s why faculty […] … learn more→

Pursuing a professional degree can be extremely stressful for students, who often experience it as a time riddled with anxiety, uncertainty, fear and financial challenge. The emotional health of law students was recently brought to my attention in an email from a student at the University of Cape Town’s law faculty where I am the […] … learn more→

When students join college they are expected to have good writing skills. In fact, they face some problems with assignments such as getting the right sources for information, the right format, and delivery on time just to mention a few. Basically, writing is a complex skill that is needed for any student to be successful […] … learn more→

Choosing your child’s education can be one of the most daunting tasks you face as a parent. Regardless of whether you choose to go the public, private or home school route, there are numerous factors that make one program, school or curriculum more appealing than another. Boarding school is one such option that appeals to […] … learn more→

If you’ve been paying attention, you know that on Aug. 21, we’re in for a special cosmic treat: the Great American Eclipse of 2017. The moon’s shadow will track a 4,000-kilometre course across the continental United States from coast to coast, beginning with Depoe Bay, Ore., and end after 93 minutes in McClellanville, S.C.. As […] … learn more→

How does a thesis get written? What do I as a supervisor do to help? How does feedback work best? A set of inter-related questions that keep many of us mildly, or a lot, worried. Well, I have an ‘ideal model’ for feedback on a thesis. I don’t always follow it. Quite often my model […] … learn more→