This week I’m working on book proofs. And right at the start, in “prelims”, I noticed an acknowledgement I’d made. I’d written: Charlie, our surly and eccentric elderly poodle, needed to be put outside at regular intervals; she ensured that I did not end up with completely overwhelming back and neck troubles from too much […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Dogs and cats and rabbits and..
Chinese students offer the West an unrivalled learning opportunity
With the coronavirus monopolising headlines across the globe, the huge numbers of Chinese students at Western universities has once again come into public focus. In the UK, 130,000 Chinese students were admitted in 2019, up from 110,000 in 2018. Application data indicate that the figure may well rise even higher in the coming year. Accommodating […] … learn more→
Trump’s big bet on career and technical education
President Donald Trump has proposed one of the largest increases in funding for career and technical education in recent history. As a education policy researcher who studies the economic and employment impact of career and technical education in high school, I believe this proposal has a lot of potential to open up new job opportunities, especially for students who […] … learn more→
The critical look of the digital humanities
From time to time the Universia portal shows how the careers of the future are completely crossed by digital technology: data analyst, cybersecurity specialists, robotics, big data, artificial intelligence… they are part of a neutral tone list and infographic, although crossed by The concept of technoscience. Science and research at the service of technology and the future as much […] … learn more→
Precarity has a long hangover
In November, 60 UK universities took part in eight days of industrial strike action, with thousands of staff walking out over disputes related to pensions, pay and working conditions. Another 14 days of action are scheduled for this month and next. Casualisation of the university workforce was a key theme, with union members keen to stress not […] … learn more→
A college president’s advice to college students of the future: Don’t borrow
Back in 2017, I started regularly leaving my office at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, to speak to high school students in the Texas Panhandle. This past fall, I did the same thing in the South Plains. These two areas are the northern most 46 counties in the state of Texas. Driving a […] … learn more→
Paying external mentors is the next wave of rankings gaming
A recent ad in The Chronicle of Higher Education caught our attention. Duy Tan University (DTU) in Danang, Vietnam, a comprehensive university of about 20,000 students, was soliciting external faculty to work collaboratively with DTU faculty in the social sciences and humanities. The ad stated that DTU would offer paid research and writing collaborations for external faculty to research […] … learn more→
3 ways the coronavirus outbreak will affect international students and how unis can help
The 2020 academic year is off to a rocky start. Instead of the usual excitement that comes with a new semester, university students, particularly Chinese students still offshore (more than 100,000, or about 56%, of Chinese students) and those who have just returned, face uncertainty. On January 30, the World Health Organisation declared the new […] … learn more→
The coronavirus outbreak is the biggest crisis ever to hit international education
The coronavirus outbreak may be the biggest disruption to international student flows in history. There are more than 100,000 students stuck in China who had intended to study in Australia this year. As each day passes, it becomes more unlikely they will arrive in time for the start of the academic year. Of course international affairs are […] … learn more→
Reviewers should stop doing the market’s dirty work
I’m planning some renovations in the house, so I’m learning about party wall surveyors. Their role is to resolve disputes between neighbours. But, strikingly, no matter who appoints them or pays for their services, party wall surveyors do not act on behalf of either neighbour. Rather, they act “for the wall”. Science, too, is a […] … learn more→
