“The times are bad, children have stopped obeying their parents and everyone is writing books,” lamented Cicero in one of his most epic harangues. And many today would be tempted to adopt this phrase from the famous Roman orator as their own. It is a phenomenon that repeats itself throughout history: each generation tends to neglect or […] … learn more→

Organizations with resources to support entrepreneurs often overlook their own organizational roles in amplifying stereotypes of entrepreneurs as primarily masculine, white and technology-focused. Globally, women are less likely to benefit from entrepreneurship education and training, particularly in programs supporting high-growth enterprises. When entrepreneurship programs do consider inclusion, most focus on gender without considering age, ethnicity, race or other identity […] … learn more→

When I teach research methods, a major focus is peer review. As a process, peer review evaluates academic papers for their quality, integrity and impact on a field, largely shaping what scientists accept as “knowledge.” By instinct, any academic follows up a new idea with the question, “Was that peer reviewed?” Although I believe in the […] … learn more→

Title of course: Anthropology of Cannabis What prompted the idea for the course? Whenever I taught my medical anthropology course, I noticed that students were most curious about the section of the course that deals with the uses of plants, fungi and other species for a range of medical purposes. Those purposes included healing, psychological […] … learn more→

It’s a phone call most journalists dread to make. A woman in her 20s has died after she was struck by a car while riding her bicycle. “What is your favourite memory of Eleanor?” a journalist asks the woman’s father in an interview. The man’s voice quivers. “I don’t have a favourite,” he says. “Every […] … learn more→

A Kenyan vice-chancellor recently went public about the scarcity of university professors. There are fewer than 1,000 professors for the country’s 68 universities and 562,925 students. That is an average of around 563 students per professor. South Africa has around 4,034 professors and 1,112,439 students – around 275 students per professor. Professors occupy the highest teaching rank in the university. They […] … learn more→

In recent decades, studies on inclusive education and diversity in universities have multiplied. To evaluate the ease of access and permanence of vulnerable or underrepresented groups in higher education, these studies analyze three key factors: presence, participation and progress. Regarding the presence or existence of diversity among students, faculty and technical staff, the university is inclusive […] … learn more→

Engineering courses are a popular choice among South African university students. But these courses are also gruelling and the attrition rates are high. The Council on Higher Education reports that half of the engineering students enrolled at South African universities do not complete their studies. That figure is similar in other parts of the world. Yet, some students weather the storms of […] … learn more→

Quite a few high-profile careers in higher education have been upended as of late amid questions of academic integrity. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who had served as president of Stanford University for seven years, stepped down in 2023 after it was determined that he had falsified information for a dozen academic papers. The latest casualty is Claudine Gay, […] … learn more→

Do men and women learn differently? Beyond possible sociological or physiological differences, what our research among university students of Political Science is demonstrating is that gender has an impact on the learning process . Socialization involves the assumption of norms during childhood and adolescence that are internalized unconsciously. In a patriarchal system, socialization is carried out through gender norms that […] … learn more→