Parents want their children to succeed and the only way to do that is getting a college degree. However, transitioning from high school to college is quite difficult, as most students are forced to leave their home behind. It is up to the parents to help their teenager make this transition as smooth as […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Preparing students for transitioning from High School to College
Scientific peer review: an ineffective and unworthy institution
Given the entirely appropriate degree of respect that science has for data, the ongoing discussion of peer review is often surprisingly data-free and underlain by the implicit assumption that peer review – although in need of improvement – is indispensable. The thing is, the peer review of scientific reports is not only without documented value […] … learn more→
Even West Point is corrupted
When I rant about the corruption of higher ed, I’m pretty careful to put some weasel-ly qualifiers: “most” institutions are corrupt, “most” degrees are worthless, “many” administrators are there to plunder the schools, and so on. When I consider those schools which don’t fit the general rule, usually the schools which come to mind are […] … learn more→
Defining value: without expensive research, there’s no ‘higher’ to higher education
Higher education is expensive. It is more expensive, in fact, than many people realise because many of the costs of higher education originate with a set of activities that are not well understood by outsiders. Teaching in its strictest sense is only one part of these costs. The most obvious other costs include research and […] … learn more→
Looking beyond the sandstone: universities reinvent campuses to bring together town and gown
Curtin University has a redevelopment plan to transform 114 hectares of its Bentley campus in Perth into a “city of innovation”. Its stated vision is to provide an “urban context that supports constant exchange between education, research, industry and government … where knowledge and innovation extend beyond buildings”. Also in Perth, the University of Western Australia is heading towards […] … learn more→
Improving universities’ image is not just about education
The headline-grabbing resignation last week of University of Bath vice-chancellor Dame Glynis Breakwell after intense opprobrium over the size of her salary was another sign of how far UK universities have slipped in public perception in recent months. So, what can we do to redress the situation? If we believe that higher education is a […] … learn more→
Engineering research in Africa is growing but it’s still a patchy picture
Africa’s vast land mass and rich natural and mineral resources make it strategically important and an increasingly significant global player. It is also a dynamic young continent: about 60% of its residents are aged below 25. The African Union is trying to harness this enormous potential through its Agenda 2063, which includes elevating Africa through improved education and […] … learn more→
Why the Department shouldn’t weaken the gainful employment metrics
Since the release of the 2015 federal higher education accountability rule known as gainful employment (GE), the regulation has been battered with lawsuits, modifications, delaysand a proposed repeal. That heavy-handed response from industry came as no surprise, given that the rule has put many for-profit colleges under scrutiny. Most recently, the Department of Education has begun the process of […] … learn more→
Trump might lose more Honorary degrees. This is a thing?
I know, referencing Orwell’s 1984 is tiresome and cliché but…every day it seems I see something in the real world that mirrors the supposedly purely fictional world: “…Similar slits existed in thousands or tens of thousands throughout the building, not only in every room but at short intervals in every corridor. For some reason they were nicknamed […] … learn more→
Black students on going to Oxbridge: ‘it’s not even asked or pushed for, it’s just assumed no one is applying’
Just 1.5% of all offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities went to black British A-level students in 2015, recent data obtained by Labour MP David Lammy revealed. The majority of places went to students in the south-east of England with professional parents. This has sparked extensive debate about the accessibility of elite higher education institutions for the socioeconomically disadvantaged […] … learn more→
