Whether we like it or not, published research remains one of the significant benchmarks by which academics are measured. So from the perspective of science and the social sciences, how does the postdoctoral researcher (or temporary lecturer) go about achieving this? I want to focus on three linked areas that are based around work, publication […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Want to be a successful academic? It’s all about getting published
The curse of the living deadline
A few weeks ago, you might have heard that somebody took a steamroller to novelist Terry Pratchett’s hard drive. At the Great Dorset Steam Fair, an industrial beast named Lord Jericho was tasked with executing the last wish of the Discworld creator, who died in 2015 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease: the utter obliteration of […] … learn more→
Which degrees yield the most flexible career paths
With literally hundreds of career paths available to those studying at colleges and universities, choosing the right one can be a challenge. After all, people’s tastes and interests change over time: some degrees and careers do not provide the flexibility necessary to branch out into new endeavors. As you grow and change over the course […] … learn more→
Waitress with a Ph.D.
Employer: “Kid, everyone has a high school diploma. What else you got?” —over a century ago, a high school diploma meant something, but this is what it’s worth today. Part of what made a college degree valuable was scarcity—not everyone had one. Once government made high school “free” for everyone, our kids left high school […] … learn more→
Online learning punishes minority students, but video chats can help
Online learning is expanding in Canada at a rate of about 8.75 per cent every year. This shift to online environments has redefined the format of education. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), for example, have become wildly popular, with more than 700 universities offering 6,850 courses to 58 million students in 2016. Universities promote online […] … learn more→
How to write (and publish) like a pro
Academic conferences can be full of networking opportunities and professional wisdom. For me, last month’s Society for the Study of Social Problems international conference was brimful of both. I had the privilege to attend talks given by prolific scholars and senior editors from across the country. I also had the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations […] … learn more→
Super-selective universities are stoking anger at higher education
In a healthy, growing economy, one group should not be gaining at the expense of others. A rising tide is said to lift all boats, but does it? Consider where things stand in the US today. The aggregate US GDP may have grown over the past 40 years, but increasing income inequality has resulted in a very large […] … learn more→
Academic writing is like a painful, upper middle class dinner party
Although I got reasonable marks for my creative essays in high school, literary criticism was never my strong suit. One of the issues with my analytical writing was that I didn’t really understand how to use verbs. It wasn’t until I nearly finished my masters degree that I found out that verbs function in academic […] … learn more→
Robot teachers won’t replace us
While some of my esteemed colleagues are heralding the imminent arrival of robot teachers, stating that current advances will bring “the greatest revolution in education since the printing press”, I have to disagree. This is not because I am a latent technophobe. Regent’s University London, for example, is currently investigating the very latest assistive technologies, including how […] … learn more→
College student as serf
Confessions of a College Dean is a surprisingly popular blog, as he never really confesses to anything. I’ve known a few Deans that were downright criminal. I’ve shown many an upper level administrator engaging in morally reprehensible acts that, even if the Dean didn’t perform the acts as well, at least looked the other way. […] … learn more→
