“Educate in equality so you don’t miss a single talent due to lack of opportunities.” Josefina Aldecoa, Story of a Teacher, (1990). Every March 8 we commemorate the International Women’s Day declared by the UN in 1975. That important day for feminism has not only become a memory for textile workers who demonstrated in New […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
When the Spanish public university opened the door to women
Psychopathic behaviour is a hidden problem in higher education
Irina Dumitrescu’s November 2019 article in Times Higher Education “Ten rules for succeeding in academia through upward toxicity” highlights an important issue that all university administrators should be more aware of: an environment where some psychopaths flourish. She was correct to say that “universities sing the song of meritocracy but dance to a different tune. […] … learn more→
Cyberbullying by students in course evaluations should not be tolerated
Those people who said cruel things in the press and on social media about the British reality TV host Caroline Flack, who killed herself last month, probably thought she was too famous and successful to be hurt by anything they could say. But while it is impossible for outsiders to say what prompted this desperate […] … learn more→
Why colleges should think twice before punishing student protesters
For much of the 2019-2020 academic year, Syracuse University has been besieged by student protests over how the school handled of a series of racist incidents on campus. In the latest protest, Syracuse student activists have occupied the campus administration building since Feb. 17. Using the hashtag #NotAgainSU, they are calling for action in the wake of racist, anti-Semitic and bias-related […] … learn more→
We should use ‘I’ more in academic writing – there is benefit to first-person perspective
The use of the word “I” in academic writing, that is writing in the first person, has a troublesome history. Some say it makes writing too subjective, others that it’s essential for accuracy. This is reflected in how students, particularly in secondary schools, are trained to write. Teachers I work with are often surprised that I […] … learn more→
Critical theory represents the power, not the corruption, of the humanities
It would seem as if the Trump era has been especially bad for the humanities. Sure, in the years before 2016 there was constant worry about “the crisis in the humanities”, with the disciplines’ supposed descent into jargon, specialisation and obscurity. Undergraduate enrolments fell. Literature and language departments closed. Even President Obama, a former law […] … learn more→
Understanding emotions is nearly as important as IQ for students’ academic success
The ability to understand emotions contributes almost as much to students’ grades as their IQ. Past studies show two personal qualities are important for student academic success – intelligence and conscientiousness. IQ scores explain about 15% of the differences between students’ grades. Conscientiousness, such as having the diligence to do enough study, explains about 5%. Our recent research has found […] … learn more→
How to make universities more inclusive? Hire more working-class academics
For several years, higher education institutions have been putting in place widening participation initiatives. These are designed to help address low levels of under-represented students applying to university. Such initiatives have led to increasing numbers of working-class students going on to higher education. Often, these students are the first in their family to go to university. Not knowing […] … learn more→
Female academics need to embrace competition
It is well known that women are under-represented in senior academic positions in most if not all countries. In UK business and management fields, for instance, only 20 per cent of senior academics are women, and this proportion is far from an outlier. A number of academic institutions have responded by trying to reduce bias in […] … learn more→
Your chances of getting an internship are better if you’ve already had one
When summer approaches, many college students (and their parents) wonder how they can land the perfect internship. But what kind of résumé really impresses firms looking for interns? And how are the internships connected to the broader job market? We are researchers who specialize in issues of labor economics and employment, particularly for interns and recent college graduates. In […] … learn more→
