Each year, the rankings of universities flourish, causing the same stir as the publication of major gastronomic guides. Who will be in the “top 50”? Have we made progress? Where are the neighboring universities (friends, nonetheless competing)? These questions stir the heads of higher education institutions. In fact, these rankings would hold larger global stock markets that are the Dow Jones […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
What is the purpose of university rankings
Dependent and vulnerable: the experiences of academics on casual and insecure contracts
A majority of academic staff at some of Australia’s top universities work in casual or fixed-term positions. This reflects a trend towards casualisation in academia, and other industries, in Australia and New Zealand. Fixed-term employment is also a form of precarious employment. This is usually when the university employs research staff working on externally funded projects only for the extent of the project. So, […] … learn more→
Business School: Virtual Reality Renews Marketing Courses
Immersive learning, experiential learning, “action learning” … innovative teaching methods have flourished in recent years so that we no longer speak of learning but of learning experience. Changing posture, the student and the teacher are now both part of a process of co-construction of knowledge and competence. What would be the virtues of these educational innovations? To […] … learn more→
A 5 step program for finishing your PhD (finally!)
Have you, or have you considered anything along the lines of *actually finishing* writing? I can produce writing like nobody’s business, and get well on my way into a paper. Finishing, however, is agony. I think this is in part because I’m a lateral thinker and a perfectionist. I’m sure you are familiar with these […] … learn more→
Review of 5 free educational website builders for developing websites for Colleges and Schools
A great way to express the school’s ideology, vision, and make its presence felt is by creating a website. A website for schools and colleges is somewhat similar to the websites we come across every day. But features that set them apart are the professional style, information board, important links for students and student dashboard, […] … learn more→
The sugarbaby students of Minnesota
I didn’t exactly work my way through college—I lived at home, and mowed many, many, lawns in the Florida sun, among other unpleasant jobs. They were paying the princely sum of $5 an hour for sheet metal roofing, and it only took a few weeks of that to make enough to pay the $1,000 or […] … learn more→
Surviving the conference marathon
So, you’ve found the call for papers, and submitted an abstract, been accepted, got your faculty funding or organised some extra shifts to get the cash, registered, booked travel and a lovely/scummy room, and decided which shoes will make your presentation really pop. My first conference outside my university was a big one at a […] … learn more→
How universities can really help PhD grads get jobs
A rising tide floats all boats. Until recently this has been Canada’s attitude towards the fact that there are are more PhD students than there are academic jobs. Some in the sciences have warned that graduate training should be restricted: for example, fewer students could be trained in specialized programs, and then they could move onto professional scientist […] … learn more→
Immigration, Higher Education, and Trump?
You know you’ve made a great achievement in science or mathematics when you relate two things that don’t look like they’d be the same thing at all. The basic example of this is a formula (some scribblings on a page) that perfectly describes some physical thing actually happening in the real world. A recent article […] … learn more→
Three job interview types you’ll encounter as a PhD
If you’re at the end of your PhD and on the job hunt like I am, you’ve probably read articles on keeping yourself organised or how to improve your professional etiquette. You may even have completed mock interviews for various industries. Regardless of your status, it is important to remember that applying for and interviewing […] … learn more→
