Think the way to forge a brilliant career in academe is to produce good research, teach skilfully and mentor generously? That arduous approach works for some – but there is an easier way. Universities sing the song of meritocracy but dance to a different tune. In reality, they will do everything to reward and protect […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Ten rules for succeeding in academia through upward toxicity
More questions about Higher Ed answered
So I’m looking at a list of “17” (actually more than that) questions about higher ed that a former Poo-Bah of higher ed now asks…he’s out of the game, so he can afford to ask questions which would cost the job of a lowly one such as myself to ask. If we were building from […] … learn more→
Planning a paper
Last week I was in Norway running a three part workshop on planning a journal article. The workshop was based around a Tiny Text abstract. As a planner myself, I use Tiny Texts for sorting out the contribution argument of a paper as well as developing a writing schedule. In case this approach is of […] … learn more→
A Retired poo-bah asks 17 Higher Ed questions. Here are answers…
The “global warming” scam has been running for 20 years now. Back when it started and people were buying into it, I tried to point out obvious issues, such as clear evidence the climate was warmer during Roman times…and clearly the climate didn’t change because the Romans weren’t driving around in SUVs. It did little […] … learn more→
How WhatsApp groups support Nigeria’s nurse graduates
Around 12,000 students are enrolled in Nigeria’s nursing schools each year. As it is in many health professions, these students often find it challenging after graduation when they search for and start their first job. They feel unprepared and have difficulties to put their knowledge from school into practice. In addition, many feel unwelcome in their teams, which […] … learn more→
Another leftist College in a death spiral…and why
We clearly hit “peak education” a few years ago, and overall college student population has been dropping for years now. The for-profits have taken the brunt of this, though that’s more of a technicality—those schools are being regularly closed as frauds. Amongst the “legit” schools (and bear with me on that classification), the community colleges […] … learn more→
Teaching critical thinking is not universities’ raison d’être
Critical thinking is one of the supposed pillars of higher education, lauded in commencement addresses and celebrated on institutional websites. The great crises of our day – climate change, political corruption, economic injustice and corporate surveillance – demand problem-solvers who can apply their critical minds to complex situations, we are told. Critical thinking skills are […] … learn more→
Setting yourself free of perfectionism?
I realised the other day, in the midst of a brutal surge of anxiety about my PhD, that I never fully commit… to… A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G…. UNLESS I am assured it will be successful. Mistakes? Phooey. Perfection. YES! Pleasing and impressing. YES! Life’s Journey in a straight line. YES! I am a recovering perfectionist, as so beautifully […] … learn more→
Higher Learning Commission: Accreditation is no sign of quality
The College Meltdown recently had a post which basically said what I showed years ago in my book: accreditation is a fraud. Before going on, a quick overview of accreditation: well over a century ago, our institutions of higher education got together and decided to share ideas on how to run their institutions. It was a completely […] … learn more→
Common core graduates are the worst prepared for College
I feel like plucking some low-hanging fruit today, and so let’s take a look at Common Core. I’ve written of it before, how it ignores science, how it’s just another excuse to inject more indoctrination into our schools, and how by changing the approach to how mathematics is learned, will further separate the children from […] … learn more→
