Many universities encourage students to purchase laptops that they can bring to class. Charities like One Laptop per Child provide low-cost laptops to disadvantaged students. There is no doubt that having a desktop computer or laptop in school is useful for writing papers, gathering information and learning how to program and use software. But, as […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
It’s true, internet surfing during class is not so good for grades
Private schools: Benefits of enrolling your child
Are you worried for the future of your child? The best that you can do is to give them a good start in life and let them take it from there. One of the best ways of doing so is by enrolling them in a great school at an early age. As a parent, the […] … learn more→
Mobile phones offer a new way for Africa’s students to learn programming
It’s not easy for Computer Science students at most universities in Africa to practice and develop their programming skills. They have the ability to program, but access to desktop or laptop computers might be a problem. I experienced this first-hand while teaching programming at a Kenyan university. Most African universities have public computer laboratories, but […] … learn more→
I will not do ‘whatever it takes’ to be a more successful academic
In the past couple of days, I’ve read two articles that both made me a bit sad. One, “Look What They Make You Give”, is Elizabeth Rodwell’s reflections on turning down a tenure-track job and what sacrifices she’s made to establish an academic career. The other is an anonymous author’s frustrations with her professor-husband and the way […] … learn more→
Eastern Michigan U: Mandatory Black studies
Time and again I’ve often wondered about the honesty of what I’m doing in higher education. It isn’t the upper level, technical courses that repeatedly cause me to evaluate my morality, even though it’s easy to make a case that the more advanced courses are the least relevant to what anyone would use math for. […] … learn more→
Scientists have a word for studying the post-truth world: agnotology
As we watch Donald Trump take on the most powerful position in the world, many of us are left asking how a man who has consistently lied to his public could get so far. Some pundits are calling this the dawn of a new era. They say we now live in a post-fact or post-truth […] … learn more→
Who will keep predatory science journals at bay now that Jeffrey Beall’s blog is gone?
For aficionados of bad science, the blog of University of Colorado librarian Jeffrey Beall was essential reading. Beall’s blog charted the murky world of predatory and vanity academic publishers, many of which charge excessive fees for publishing papers or have dysfunctional peer review processes. I’ve seen rubbish on chemtrails, alien life, climate, HIV-AIDS and vaccines […] … learn more→
Colleges attack “toxic” masculinity
As a white male, it’s been long made clear to me that I have little future in higher education….my skin color and gender preclude advancement, you see. I’ve mentioned the “white” part of campus bias before, but I want to address the “male” part a bit more today. It isn’t just evidenced at the faculty […] … learn more→
Dwindling US international student numbers? Don’t blame Trump!
This year will be an auspicious year for many reasons. Russia will celebrate the centenary of the Bolshevik revolution. Canada will celebrate its 150th birthday. But there are also portents of a year of change and disruption for higher education throughout the world. The election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States will […] … learn more→
In face of failing financial model, what’s a College to do?
There is a basic, fundamental truth about the American college or university operating model: It doesn’t work. In the second half of the 20th century, America’s colleges and universities moved toward a similar operating model, depending upon their size, purpose, and funding source. Some scaled up to the research powerhouses that we know today. A […] … learn more→
