Dialogue has been at the heart of learning since Plato’s academy was founded in the 4th century BC. For centuries it has pushed students in higher education to go the extra mile, provoked them into seeing things in new ways and forced them to defend their own ideas. However, the traditional forms of student dialogue have […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Academic dialogue reshaped by WhatsApp era
PJ Thum’s treatment will dampen Singaporean academics’ willingness to speak out
Many governments are debating what to do about the spread of online “fake news”. Singapore is no exception, and it has constituted a parliamentary Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods. Among several academics to make written submissions and to be called to give evidence in a March hearing was Thum Ping Tjin (P. J. Thum), a […] … learn more→
The plight of University Presses
The Kentucky General Assembly recently passed a budget that reduces funding for higher education by 6.25 percent, and will require cuts of as much as $24 million at the two major state universities. Numerous programs may have to be shuttered as a consequence, most likely including the University Press of Kentucky (UPK), which stands to lose its […] … learn more→
Red tape is alienating academics from their own research and work
When South African academics want to set up a new degree module, they’re entering into a process that can take years to germinate. These modules must be approved through an incredibly cumbersome process – departmental, school, faculty, various university quality control committees, an institution’s senate, the South African Qualification Authority. Only then can they be […] … learn more→
Colleges struggle with belated attempt to make online ed legit
Admin, addressing full time faculty: “We’re going to put more of our programs online, for more efficiency. I know we’re asking for a great deal of work from you, but you’ll be helping to build a great institution.” Admin, 6 months later: “Thank you for your hard work developing these courses. We’re going to hire […] … learn more→
Choosing the wrong college can be bad for your mental health
Going off to college might be a source of anxiety for some students, but once a student is on campus it shouldn’t be a total drag. But that tends to happen more frequently when a student ends up at a college where the student body is weaker academically overall than the one where the student […] … learn more→
Coping strategies for full time workers turned PhD students
I made the decision to commence a full-time PhD after ten years in the workforce. At the time, many people made encouraging comments such as, “you’ll be fine, you’re very organised.” While I appreciated their compliments, I didn’t share the same level of confidence. Although I worked with researchers every day as part of my […] … learn more→
Chicago Professors walkout to protest working conditions
Leftism, in its current representation, is nothing without hypocrisy, and today I want to focus on one aspect of this system of belief, namely socialism. Socialism is all about “power to the workers.” The most common worker on our campuses used to be, and should be, the professoriate, the people who actually do the teaching […] … learn more→
Stop treating students like customers and start working with them as partners in learning
University is a big investment. Students want value for money because a future of debt is scary. But there is also a danger when we talk about higher education only in financial terms. It shifts the conversation away from how universities develop students as learners, thinkers, and future leaders. It turns students into customers. Perils […] … learn more→
Higher Ed pay skyrockets in Canada too
So I’m finishing up on an excellent article taking the entire Canadian higher education system to task. The American system operates by essentially the same rules, however, and Canada’s is merely a reflection of the incredibly corrupt system of their much larger southern neighbor. The last abuse discussed in the article is administrative looting of […] … learn more→
