As college students nationwide prepare for graduation, a new analysis has shown that just under half of all those who receive Pell Grants – the federal government’s main form of direct financial aid for low-income students – finish their four-year degree programs on time. The federal government considers “on time” being six years for a four-year degree. […] … learn more→

“Your academic writing trouble and how to fix it” was born of our frustration at reading the strange comments supervisors sometimes write on thesis drafts. Sometimes academic feedback makes even less sense than the text that inspired it. In this book we work backwards from these hard to interpret supervisor comments to tell you want […] … learn more→

I recently had lunch with a colleague who had been my interviewer when I applied for my current job a few years ago. When this topic came up, she recalled, “I saw ‘PhD’ on your application, so I knew you would be smart.” While flattered by the compliment, I found myself questioning her inference: was […] … learn more→

It is easy to think of China in the terms of government, business opportunities and special economic zones. However, it is – above all – a country of more than a billion individuals. Among those are millions of children, teens and adults seeking education. This education, however, requires an overhaul to create a better system […] … learn more→

It seems every month I see our campuses take a major step towards the socialist utopia so accurately depicted in 1984. Normally I focus on how our campuses mirror the “fabulous wealth and power for the people at the top, poverty for everyone else” aspect, but today I want to talk about something that, until […] … learn more→

What happens when African philosophies and practices are placed at the centre of learning? How can teachers and students on the continent use the concepts of ubuntu (human interdependence) and ukama(relationality) to come up with homegrown solutions for societal and educational concerns? These were two of the questions we sought to answer when we set up a Massive Open Online […] … learn more→

The statement on censorship recently published by the Association of University Presses deserves wide support. It affirms opposition to “all restrictions imposed on the dissemination of [scholarly] work” and raises important questions about censorship in China and the changing nature of researching and publishing. But we must get our facts straight on both of those. […] … learn more→

Student attrition is of concern to universities and to politicians and, most importantly, costly for the students concerned, both financially and emotionally. Voluntary attrition – “dropping out” – has been studied extensively, and can be broadly correlated with measures of disadvantage. We looked at the under-researched area of students who face being excluded from university for […] … learn more→

During my PhD at Cambridge, I developed the nervous habit of tying knots in my hair. Sitting in the library, I’d twist clumps of it around and around my fingers into a tight, fist-sized tangle. The procedure was very satisfying – until the knot wouldn’t undo and I’d have to cut it out. At the […] … learn more→

The past several years have seen increased calls for colleges and universities to demonstrate their value to students, families and taxpayers. And the pressure has come from both sides of the political spectrum. Barack Obama, for example, didn’t mince his words when he spoke a few years ago on the University of Michigan campus: “We are putting […] … learn more→