“I’m going to be an engineer! I get free tuition for taking the classes!” –So many female students walk on campus saying something like this. I have no problem with scholarship, but there’s a trap here many “female engineering students” fall into… Every year, students come to campus, and many are clever enough to understand: […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
The predatory MFA
Money woes force South Africa to revisit how it rewards researchers
It’s been 30 years since South Africa first introduced a rating system to incentivise the country’s academics and scientists. This system was built on the principle that funding should be awarded to those researchers with a proven track record of scientific excellence. This is a unique approach among global rating systems: it rewards individual researchers […] … learn more→
Explainer: preparing to be professionally edited
Every document deserves an extra set of eyes! Some students ask a friend or relative to proofread their thesis for them, some cross their fingers and hope for the best, and some use a professional editor. Most of the students who use my editing services are from non-English language backgrounds, and in some cases the […] … learn more→
How to master time management as a student
Time management is one of the biggest challenges for students who are trying to strike the right balance between university life, home and work. Without a proper plan to arrange your priorities, it’s hard to stay on track and be organized, especially during the exam period. Whether you’re a full-time, part-time, online or on-campus student, […] … learn more→
Looking after the environment with my canvas tote bag
First day of class and I am really comfortable making my way across campus with a canvas tote bag by Ketabags Being an environmental science student I carefully considered my clothing and accessory options before coming to College as I did not want to be looked down on as a fresher. The canvas tote bag […] … learn more→
Does regulating artificial intelligence save humanity or just stifle innovation?
Some people are afraid that heavily armed artificially intelligent robotsmight take over the world, enslaving humanity – or perhaps exterminating us. These people, including tech-industry billionaire Elon Musk and eminent physicist Stephen Hawking, say artificial intelligence technology needs to be regulated to manage the risks. But Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg disagree, saying the technology is not nearly advanced enough for […] … learn more→
Telling Chinese students to conform won’t fix cross-cultural issues
Incidents of Chinese students being offended by Australian lecturershave become a heated topic in the media. Some reports blame lecturers for mentioning sensitive matters (such as the status of Taiwan), others express concerns about preserving the freedom of speech in Australian campuses, and some attribute the students’ reaction to deliberate influence from the Chinese government. Government influence or not, these […] … learn more→
Don’t try to write “classy” – starting the phd
One of the earliest books on academic writing in the social sciences is by Howard Becker. Or Howie as I gather he likes to be known. As I don’t know him, I’m compelled to call him by the full name on his books. No Howie for me. That might seem like a silly thing to […] … learn more→
The academic economics war
I know I pick on Women’s Studies often; I have many issues with this particular field of “study,” namely that it isn’t one. There’s another field that sure looks like it should be a legitimate academic topic, which nevertheless bears even more claim to absolute scorn: economics. It isn’t simply because economics departments succumb to […] … learn more→
Diversity statements aren’t enough to combat implicit bias
As we grapple with regular reminders that the America available to whites is still different from the America available to people of colour, one environment that must be examined is the university classroom and gradebook. Most US universities distribute standardised policies, to be included in all course syllabi, assuring students that their educational environment will […] … learn more→
