Blog Archives

The Australian government will cap new international students at 270,000 in 2025. But this number may not be reached

The Australian government will cap new international students at 270,000 in 2025. But this number may not be reached

After months of speculation, the federal government has announced what the cap will be for international students in Australia. In 2025, the number of international students starting a course will be set at 270,000. This includes both higher education and vocational education courses. This still requires parliamentary approval. The Senate needs to pass legislation to allow the government […] … learn more→

In a new era of campus upheaval, the 1970 Kent State shootings show the danger of deploying troops to crush legal protests

In a new era of campus upheaval, the 1970 Kent State shootings show the danger of deploying troops to crush legal protests

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has expressed his intention, if elected to a second term, to use the U.S. armed forces to suppress domestic protests. The New York Times reports that Trump’s allies are marshaling legal arguments to justify using National Guard or active-duty military troops for crowd control. Moreover, as the Times notes, Trump has asserted […] … learn more→

Anthropology students present their research in poetry, plays and op-eds in this course

Anthropology students present their research in poetry, plays and op-eds in this course

Title of course: Multimodal Anthropology What prompted the idea for the course? “Multimodal” simply means using more than academic written text to present research findings. My first multimodal science project was a third grade project on humpback whales, which was inspired by a vinyl LP recording of their “songs” that National Geographic mailed out to subscribers. In […] … learn more→

3 strategies to help college students pick the right major the first time around and avoid some big hassles

3 strategies to help college students pick the right major the first time around and avoid some big hassles

Not long after new college students have finished choosing the college that is right for them, they are asked to declare an academic major. For some students, this decision is easy, as their majors may have actually influenced their choice of college. Unfortunately, this decision is not always an easy one to make, and college students […] … learn more→

Academic cyborgs and bullshit reading

Academic cyborgs and bullshit reading

The other day, my good friend Professor Narelle Lemon sent me a link to an academic paper called “AI and its implications for research in higher education: a critical dialogue”  because it cited … one of my old blog posts. It’s a good paper, and open access, so I recommend having a read. It’s written as a debate between […] … learn more→

International students will offer a big boost to the US economy this back-to-school season

International students will offer a big boost to the US economy this back-to-school season

Of the millions of young adults heading off to college this fall, many will be international students. If trends continue, about 1 million students from around the world will come to the U.S. to pursue higher education this year. These young scholars make a big economic impact. Altogether, they pump more than US$40 billion into the U.S. economy and support […] … learn more→

‘Will this degree lead to a job?’ is the wrong question. Here’s what you should ask instead

‘Will this degree lead to a job?’ is the wrong question. Here’s what you should ask instead

It is the season of university open days and study decisions for Year 12 students. As an academic, the question I get asked most by students and parents is, “will this degree lead to a job?”. It is understandable. However, it isn’t necessarily the right question to ask as young people consider what course will suit them best. Focusing […] … learn more→

This anthropology course looks at building design from the standpoint of different species

This anthropology course looks at building design from the standpoint of different species

Title of course: Space/Power/Species What prompted the idea for the course? A few years ago, I came across the architect Joyce Hwang’s artificial habitat for bats at the Griffis Sculpture Park in upstate New York. Titled “Bat Tower,” this outdoor installation was designed to house the little brown bat, an endangered species threatened by a fungal infection […] … learn more→

Love for cats lures students into this course, which uses feline research to teach science

Love for cats lures students into this course, which uses feline research to teach science

Title of course: “The Science of Cats” What prompted the idea for the course? I’m an evolutionary biologist who has spent my career studying the evolution of small lizards in the Caribbean. I’m also a lifelong cat lover, but it never occurred to me to do anything scientific with house cats. They’re hard to study – […] … learn more→