Changes in the higher education sector have created the perfect environment for students to cheat – and get away with it. New research shows that can students cheat on virtually any type of assessment. So why is this the case, and can anything be done to prevent cheating? Why is it so easy for students […] … learn more→

In recent years, my leading Australian university has opened several landmark new buildings that have received numerous architectural awards and mountains of international press coverage. It has also invested huge amounts in the surrounding real estate, converting countless buildings into collaborative teaching spaces and student lounges. All this has been accompanied by a cinema-quality advertising […] … learn more→

If you are one of approximately 1.8 million students receiving a bachelor’s degree this year, you’ve probably been working on your resume. This can be a challenging task for upcoming college graduates, especially those with minimal work experience. When you consider that hiring managers typically take less than 10 seconds to decide which pile your […] … learn more→

Pupils who have access to physical educational resources, such as books and computers at home, tend to perform better in science than those who don’t. This has been proved by a great deal of international research. It’s true in South Africa, too, but our research has found that less tangible factors also play a role […] … learn more→

Writing about your own work is sometimes tricky. There are ‘secretarial’ text issues involved in using your own work. I’ll talk here about how you refer to yourself and the work, and the vexed question of self-plagiarism. writing your work into the text The advice on self citation often suggests that you refer to yourself by […] … learn more→

Recently, I found myself in my doctor’s office with an ever-growing list of concerns. My doctor spent most of the consultations asking me questions while facing her laptop, typing out what I said. Then one morning, I woke in excruciating pain and was unable to stand. When I called my doctor, the person who answered […] … learn more→

With college tuition perpetually increasing, parents are highly motivated to cut costs. One way to cut costs is to enroll kids into “AP courses” in high school. Advanced Placement courses provide college credit, at least if the students can pass the AP exam…and there’s the rub, as that test costs around $100 to take. Because […] … learn more→

Michael Foley, my high school Shakespeare teacher, was a known tyrant. As underclassmen, my friends and I would walk past his closed door, peer in the narrow vertical window, and see him gesticulating wildly at some hapless senior, blood vessels popping in his forehead. We were genuinely terrified. I would eventually discover that Foley wasn’t […] … learn more→

My sister is fond of reminding me that, in 1992, after returning from my first overseas trip to Europe, I told her I wanted a career where I could “get on and off planes and talk to people for a living”. It’s appropriate then, that I write this post while flying high above the red […] … learn more→

While just a few years ago, headlines predicted eBook supremacy and the demise of the paper book, that’s now reversed. They’re now saying the Kindle is clunky and unhip and paper books are cool and selling well as eBook sales crash. But are today’s claims any more accurate than those of 2012? The latest round […] … learn more→