Incidents of Chinese students being offended by Australian lecturershave become a heated topic in the media. Some reports blame lecturers for mentioning sensitive matters (such as the status of Taiwan), others express concerns about preserving the freedom of speech in Australian campuses, and some attribute the students’ reaction to deliberate influence from the Chinese government. Government influence or not, these […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Telling Chinese students to conform won’t fix cross-cultural issues
Don’t try to write “classy” – starting the phd
One of the earliest books on academic writing in the social sciences is by Howard Becker. Or Howie as I gather he likes to be known. As I don’t know him, I’m compelled to call him by the full name on his books. No Howie for me. That might seem like a silly thing to […] … learn more→
The academic economics war
I know I pick on Women’s Studies often; I have many issues with this particular field of “study,” namely that it isn’t one. There’s another field that sure looks like it should be a legitimate academic topic, which nevertheless bears even more claim to absolute scorn: economics. It isn’t simply because economics departments succumb to […] … learn more→
Memo to the IPA: history teaching is driven by student demand, not ‘identity politics’
The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) has released a survey of history subjects at Australian universities, arguing that “identity politics” (subjects related to race, gender, class and the environment) have increased at the expense of subjects related to “Western civilisation”. The report, authored by Bella d’Abrera, has found that of 746 history subjects on offer, 241 […] … learn more→
A conference paper? it may be five texts, not one…
Conference season begins again. Well it certainly seems that way – there are lots of calls around for papers, workshops and posters. A conference paper seems like an easy thing to do. Just write the abstract, then write the actual paper, and then present it. Not too hard. And not high stakes at all. A […] … learn more→
Educators have a responsibility to help students plan for life after graduation
Ken Bain’s 2004 book, What the Best College Teachers Do, is something of a contemporary classic on the practice of higher education. One of the main themes of the book is the idea that the highest goal for college teachers is to inspire an intrinsic love of learning among college students. What is missing from this […] … learn more→
5 promising models for College affordability
As reported last week by Ashley A. Smith in Inside Higher Education, one of the most interesting developments in higher education is how the growing concern over high tuition sticker prices is playing out in state and national politics. Much of the discussion is a good-hearted effort to make college more affordable, especially for middle class students […] … learn more→
How fake subjects invaded Academia
Youtube is such an awesome resource for knowledge, it’s a shame they’re consigning videos with “alternative” points of view to concentration camps, no longer easily accessible to the public. It really is amazing what those alternative videos have accomplished, literally dissecting false media narratives in real time, completely shutting down the worst of the lies our […] … learn more→
Why engineering schools globally need more creative women
Engineers are good at solving problems. We make bridges safer, computers faster and engines more efficient. Today, the profession is working on an especially thorny problem: gender equity in higher education. While other fields of study continue to make significant advances towards gender equity, engineering schools are still struggling to pull their numbers of women students […] … learn more→
How to stop cheating in universities
A recent investigation into plagiarism in higher education by the Quality Assurance Agency found hundreds of companies are regularly producing papers for students to pass off as their own. And only last year, an advertising campaign saw posters for an essay mill prominently placed around the London Underground – particularly at tube stops near university […] … learn more→
