When it comes to conducting classes this fall, most colleges seem to be stuck between holding in-person or remote classes, or some combination of the two. As a researcher who focuses on the design of educational spaces, I believe there’s a fourth option that’s not being given its due: outdoor spaces, such as open-air tents. From a […] … learn more→

When I studied theatre in the late 2000s, I and the majority of my classmates were convinced that we would become celebrated writers, actors and directors. Ten years on, however, many of us are pursuing traditional arts careers, others have taken unexpected roles as researchers, communications strategists and project managers. These alternative careers are exciting […] … learn more→

We already know, since the beginning of history, the names of the victims and the culprits. Yet, as in Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s novel, no one seems to care … Between Covid-19, a new law on national security and police repression of pro-democracy movements, the universities of Hong Kong are currently increasing the offers intended to retain […] … learn more→

How might campus protests be different this fall? Sam Abrams: I anticipate that we will continue to see in-person protests this fall at campuses that are open and have spaces that cannot be locked down. These include public universities embedded in easily accessible settings. While this may be dangerous with the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person gatherings […] … learn more→

This year’s school results in England have highlighted how a narrow focus on so-called academic standards can hide much greater issues of justice in how we assess student performance. The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare underlying problems – but these issues have existed for a long time. This is an opportunity to go back to some basic […] … learn more→

No university leader needs me to tell them how challenging it was to suddenly switch to online teaching during lockdown. But our experience is that, if anything, it is even harder to get students and staff to return to the campus when the restrictions lift – at the same time as retaining the positive changes […] … learn more→

The coronavirus pandemic has had a serious and potentially detrimental impact on the lives of young people in the UK. The disruption to A-level results is one significant example, but is not the only way the future career prospects of young people have been affected. Those aged 16 to 24 have been among those hardest hit by […] … learn more→

As the 2020-21 school year gets underway – both at the K-12 and college level – many students find themselves attending online classes via Zoom or similar teleconferencing platforms. Although sticking with remote instruction may be the correct decision from the standpoint of public health, it is not without problems. As a researcher who studies behavior and the brain, I have found […] … learn more→

The traditional big-book thesis emerged in Germany more than a hundred years ago, in a cultural and temporal context in which such feats of scholarship were particularly highly valued. Yet it has been adopted fairly inflexibly across the world, with little attention paid to how it relates to the needs and interests of students – […] … learn more→

A mentor is a professional who acclimates a protégé into a profession. In the Bottegas of Renaissance Florence, upstart Leonardo Da Vinci pulverized Tuscan stone and collected eggs to make tempera for mentor Andrea del Verrocchio, who might allow Da Vinci to assist Michelangelo with his paintings. Although this model was adopted by the research laboratories of the Enlightenment […] … learn more→