The real problem with our higher education system is the academic fraud, predominantly paid for by the student loan scam. If our schools offered a legitimate education, the bulk of the issues we’re seeing there would be irrelevant. A somewhat buried scandal gives a clue what’s going on here: NCAA Punishes Missouri in Blatant Academic […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Another glimpse into online academic fraud
Universities must exorcise their ghost students
Most seasoned university teaching staff will have encountered them at some point in their careers. They are the mysterious “ghost” or “no-show” students who enrol in your modules, sometimes in significant numbers, but then fail to attempt any assessment tasks. In many cases, these students also avoid the lectures and tutorials, or don’t participate in […] … learn more→
‘I’m an international student in Australia. How do I tell my parents the pressure they put on me is too much?’
On behalf of student here from Hong Kong I am so worried to tell my parents that the work is too much. They want me to study hard and continue at an Australian university. – Anonymous Key points first and foremost, look after yourself try to talk to your parents, remembering they only want what’s […] … learn more→
Keep the quirky bits! Turning your PhD into a best selling book
Posts and comments on this blog talk about the lack of respect for doctoral qualifications awarded to us elites, closeted in our ivory towers. We not only have the ability to change this misconception, I believe we have an obligation. We must stop worrying what other academics will think and write for the general public once we […] … learn more→
A PHD … with teenagers
At many times during my PhD years (2013-2018) I wished for a ‘pause button’ which would freeze the lives of those around me. Mainly, I wanted to put on pause the lives of my sons who were aged 13 and 10 when I embarked on my PhD but had become teenagers before I submitted my […] … learn more→
Online versus traditional classrooms: an undergraduate’s take
I’m an undergraduate student currently studying two degrees: chemical engineering in a traditional classroom setting and business administration online. The experiences have shown me what works (and what doesn’t) in both settings when it comes to peer interaction, student participation and engagement. I’ve found peer interaction is far easier in a classroom than it is […] … learn more→
Talking about salaries
At universities in Australia, we get used to knowing one another’s salaries (in rough terms). Every university uses the same basic salary structure, and has relatively comparable pay rates within that structure. So, if someone is a Professor or a Lecturer, you know roughly how much they earn. This familiarity means that we often forget […] … learn more→
Cambridge assigns Commissars to white academics
In Soviet Russia, there was real concern that the guys with guns, i.e., the army, might someday turn on the ideologues who were running the show. One of the solutions (beyond the Leftist favorite of “mass murder”) was the new military position of Commissar, who kept a close eye on the officers and troops, to […] … learn more→
Dark matters of the university
A former university colleague once remarked on his practice of copying emails to an administrative officer to encourage her to feel a sense of ownership for his work. When the officer began to devote increasing time to helping him, he complained that she was getting ahead of herself: from the way she wrote, he said, […] … learn more→
Washington state’s big bet on ‘free college’
Washington state doesn’t have a problem finding educated people to work in its booming high-tech economy – it’s just most of those people come from out of state. This is why Washington enacted the landmark Workforce Education Investment Act into law in May 2019. The main idea behind the new law is to make college more affordable. […] … learn more→
