Conservative speaker Ben Shapiro gave a “successful” talk at Berkeley recently. It’s a sad state of affairs that we now call a talk by a non-Leftist as “successful” if it satisfies the condition of “no Leftists rioted.” The secret to the success? Not telling the police to stand down. It’s a good start, but another […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Middlebury College intimidated by students
Nearly 2/3rds of public U’s have become less accessible since 1990s
Since the late 1990s, nearly two-thirds of selective public universities have reduced the share of students they enroll who come from families in the bottom 40 percent of the income scale, according to a new report that New America released today. The report, Moving on Up?: What a Groundbreaking Study Tells Us about Access, Success, and […] … learn more→
Will universities become a redundant archipelago?
In the early days of the World Wide Web, management author Peter Drucker predicted that long-distance learning would end higher education as we know it. Quoted in Forbes, Drucker predicted: “Universities won’t survive. The future is outside the traditional campus, outside the traditional classroom. Distance learning is coming on fast.” It is a message that is […] … learn more→
Students will suffer if Australia and New Zealand change tertiary fee agreement
New Zealand’s new Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has asserted that the current tuition fee arrangements for Australian students in New Zealand will end if the policy does not remain reciprocal. In a debate during the general election campaign, Adern stated: If [Australia] lock us out of tertiary education, we will lock them out of it here. […] … learn more→
Tackling the reproducibility crisis requires universal standards
Reproducibility is the conduit through which scientific discoveries become future innovations, cures and commercial opportunities. It is also the central pillar of scientific integrity: the barometer by which future generations can independently validate all the progress that came before them. But, as is now widely acknowledged, reproducibility is in crisis. A 2016 Nature survey, for instance, found […] … learn more→
Performance funding is not the way to improve university teaching
A week after the Nick Xenophon Team called for a new review of higher education, the Productivity Commission has provided one, of sorts. The report, titled “Shifting the Dial”, covers higher education as well as health care, schools, cities, government and energy. It is part of much broader five-year productivity review and covers topics from recent policy debate on higher […] … learn more→
The predatory MFA
“I’m going to be an engineer! I get free tuition for taking the classes!” –So many female students walk on campus saying something like this. I have no problem with scholarship, but there’s a trap here many “female engineering students” fall into… Every year, students come to campus, and many are clever enough to understand: […] … learn more→
Money woes force South Africa to revisit how it rewards researchers
It’s been 30 years since South Africa first introduced a rating system to incentivise the country’s academics and scientists. This system was built on the principle that funding should be awarded to those researchers with a proven track record of scientific excellence. This is a unique approach among global rating systems: it rewards individual researchers […] … learn more→
Explainer: preparing to be professionally edited
Every document deserves an extra set of eyes! Some students ask a friend or relative to proofread their thesis for them, some cross their fingers and hope for the best, and some use a professional editor. Most of the students who use my editing services are from non-English language backgrounds, and in some cases the […] … learn more→
How to master time management as a student
Time management is one of the biggest challenges for students who are trying to strike the right balance between university life, home and work. Without a proper plan to arrange your priorities, it’s hard to stay on track and be organized, especially during the exam period. Whether you’re a full-time, part-time, online or on-campus student, […] … learn more→
