In a graduate-level educational psychology course at Florida State University, my professor didn’t allow students to take notes. He reasoned that taking notes prevented students from reflecting on the lesson. Yet, the professor also thought students needed a good set of notes to review later for exams. So he provided students with complete notes following […] … learn more→

Engaging with #phdchat on Twitter and other platforms is equal parts terrifying and hilarious for a new PhD candidate (see @legogradstudent and @GameofAcademics as evidence). The internet can quickly become a vortex of stories of bad supervision, huge writing deadlines and long journeys through the Valley of Shit. It seems that stories of happy, early completion […] … learn more→

One aspect of fraud in higher education I seldom touch on is the credential fraud of graduate school. To clarify, to advance in a position, often a worker needs to have some sort of a graduate degree. Trouble is, if you have a job, you really don’t have time to go to grad school…but if […] … learn more→

The publication of the updated edition of the U-Ranking Report , carried out by the BBVA Foundation and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research, has once again focused on the university system, apart from the accurate analysis established on the basis of objective indicators , has included in this occasion data on a complex and worrying phenomenon, […] … learn more→

16.9 million. That’s how many students are going to college at the undergraduate level this fall. Of that number, roughly half – 46% – will take out federal student loans. It’s a decision that could bring certain rewards – not the least of which is a well-paying job – but it can also come with serious economic […] … learn more→

The nation’s wealthiest private colleges and universities have a new expense. Thanks to a provision in the tax reform package that President Donald Trump signed in late 2017, these schools are paying a 1.4% tax on their net investment income. This highly targeted tax only applies to schools with endowments worth at least US$500,000 per tuition-paying student. One aspect […] … learn more→

When I taught at a community college or questionable state university, one of the things which surprised me was how many of my students did not want to be there. I don’t mean simply didn’t want to do homework, or study, or take tests…but even being on campus was a chore for them, something that […] … learn more→

Since an interview given at the end of 2014 by Maurice Lévy to the Financial Times , the expression “uberiser” is flourishing. The question was even invited in the debates of the last presidential election, that is to say. According to Wikipedia , this term, taken from the name of the Californian company of passenger vehicles with drivers, Uber, refers to “A recent […] … learn more→

Last summer, a friend gave me a copy of The Slow Professor: Challenging the Culture of Speed in the Academy by Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber, professors of English language and literature respectively at Queen’s University and Brock University. It gave me lots of food for thought. Working at a university, after several years of […] … learn more→

I’ve written several times of how GPA is essentially meaningless now in higher ed. What used to be solid F grade when I started teaching in higher ed is a solid C now, if not better. As much as I’d like to see every student get an A, I realize awarding grades like that is […] … learn more→