There’s a looming economic crisis in higher education. Perhaps you have lost work already and you’re wondering how you will support yourself (I’m really sorry). It’s hard to know if you’ll get more or less teaching next semester and what form it will take. Will it be online? Or face to face? Maybe your courses […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Where do I call time on the way we do the PhD
Online invigilation will be a tough examination
With many universities shifting their exams online as a result of the coronavirus, questions are being asked about how students can be given an equal chance to succeed given their varying levels of access to a conducive home environment. This, I predict, is likely to be a very vexed issue given the volume of complaints […] … learn more→
A way to make COVID-19 college furloughs more fair
When the state of California cut funding to the University of California system by US$619.3 million, or 19%, in the wake of the 2008-09 recession, the leaders of the UC system tried to spread the resulting economic pain to its employees in a fair way. More specifically, employees with bigger salaries took on larger cuts – […] … learn more→
Gulp – deadlines despite lockdown
Be kind to others and to yourself. Do what you can do. Make small daily goals. Be realistic. Celebrate every victory. Don’t be hard on yourself. These are extraordinary times. These are the messages that I and a lot of others have been spreading during lockdown. And I stand by those sentiments. However, seven weeks in […] … learn more→
This year’s ATAR could be even less predictive of student success than usual
With Covid-19 now under control in Australia, it is likely that most secondary schools will reopen in term two. This is good news as there has been much concern about the impact of the shutdown on students’ year 11 and 12 studies and their transition to university or college. There are eight different school systems […] … learn more→
Teaching in the time of the coronavirus
This week, I’ve taught quantum mechanics to one of my dear students in quarantine in Shanghai. It is not the first time that I have talked about science to someone in a distant land, but it was nevertheless a heady event. It made me think about all my colleagues in universities and colleges around the […] … learn more→
Universities need a new compact with society and these should be the priorities
We recently argued in an essay in Fast Company that the many aftershocks emanating from the coronavirus pandemic will prevent any return to “normal”. Instead, we must plan for the new directions civilisation will take. Education, broadly understood, is one of humanity’s oldest institutions and a pillar of our collective civilisation. For the sake of […] … learn more→
5 things new graduates should do to plan their careers
Today’s graduates start their job search with a belief that they should enter their company or industry of choice immediately after graduation. At least that’s what we’ve observed in our experience advising thousands of college students over the years on how to launch their careers. Research has shown that younger millennials and older Gen Zers – that is, those born […] … learn more→
Rethinking ‘excellence’ in post-pandemic university admissions
The education landscape has changed dramatically in the wake of Covid-19. Many traditional indicators of student success have been thwarted, and for high school seniors in particular, this has caused panic over how they will be evaluated in the college admissions process. School districts across the US are assigning students pass/fail grades (or in some […] … learn more→
The US hiring freeze is leaving contingent faculty out in the cold
The sudden, nationwide transition to remote learning that swept the US in mid-March quickly revealed the inequities among students, faculty and institutions. A month later, these inequities persist. Universities and colleges are tightening their belts as refunds flow to students sent home in the middle of the spring semester and institutions brace themselves for lower enrolments amid what is expected to […] … learn more→
