The UK student population has doubled in the last twenty years to almost two million. During this time, higher tuition fees have placed increased pressure on students – with a recent survey finding that 75% of students who receive a maintenance loan feel stressed about their debt. It may not be a total surprise then […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
More students are dropping out of university because of mental health problems
Have a good research ride
I am now back from two weeks annual leave. Going on leave doesn’t mean leaving your research and teaching interests behind. As often happens, I had a thought or two during my ‘downtime’. In fact, we had hardly begun our drive through the Highlands when we came across a large group of motor cyclists outside a […] … learn more→
Quality assurance in US higher education: one size does not fit all
Americans want their higher education system to do more to help students fully realise their talents and develop the skills that will lead to lifelong success. We believe that the higher education regulatory system can be improved to help achieve these goals. While president Donald Trump and secretary of education Betsy DeVos seem poised to […] … learn more→
How we doubled the representation of female classical scholars on Wikipedia
With more than 5 million articles in English and 30 million registered users, Wikipedia is the largest and most influential source of information in the world. But the online community-based encyclopedia is not a self-generating mass of neutral and reliable knowledge. It is created by people writing collaboratively all over the world. As a result, […] … learn more→
Bibliography v. reference list … just semantics?
So here’s the thing. What’s the difference between a bibliography and a reference list? I was always taught there was an important difference between a bibliography and a reference list. The reference list is the stuff you actually cite in the paper. The bibliography is all of the books you read, some/a lot of which […] … learn more→
Empathy? Not in my book
In the 18th century, novels seemed scandalous to many because, above all, they were about subjective experience. Impressionable young men and women, sitting on newfangled sofas gripped by pages of sentimentalism, were moved with pity and pain. Empathising with the plight of so many of those sorry literary protagonists, readers called for social change. Worse […] … learn more→
After 20 years of teaching in higher education, this is why I am walking away
After nearly 20 years teaching in higher education, I’m walking away. I have taken voluntary redundancy from my post as associate professor at Plymouth Institute of Education. Recently I was informed that the computing and ICT specialism that I have helped to develop and deliver for the past 10 years has been cut from the B.Ed […] … learn more→
Supervisor shopping
Whether it is art, science or a little bit of magic, choosing the ‘right’ PhD supervisor is one of the most important decisions you will make. There is no doubt that a little bit of luck (or magic) is involved, and both students and supervisors sometimes wish they had a crystal ball that would enable […] … learn more→
Tech Ed: How innovation is effecting education
Education gets a bad rap for being slow to innovate. Because it’s a system with a firm foundation, change doesn’t happen at light speed, but it does happen. The world of education is definitely experiencing impressive evolution, thanks to the adoption of modern technology. Why is it important that education get on the fast track […] … learn more→
How online degrees have changed the face of learning
From Oxford to MIT, many of the world’s leading universities are now offering online courses and distance learning is an opportunity being seized upon by more and more people. Online courses have gone from something of a joke, with a reputation for being of a lower quality than a traditional degree, to becoming a viable […] … learn more→
