World university rankings are released towards the end of each year. Institutions globally scramble to see how they have fared. Have they risen or fallen? If so, by how much and in which rankings? Have they maintained their position in an increasingly competitive global higher education landscape? There have been some improvements in African universities’ performances. But […] … learn more→

Title of course: Alcohol in American Literature What prompted the idea for the course? I got the idea for the course when I was writing a chapter on the temperance movement in American literature for my doctoral dissertation. I ended up reading a lot of fiction and poetry about alcohol and the anti-alcohol movement. I […] … learn more→

In recent decades, architects have seen how CAD (computer-aided design software) tools have complemented and even replaced freehand drawing. Technology to create 2D plans, 3D modeling, render projects and edit images has become essential for architectural professionals, facilitating communication with colleagues and clients. Today, artificial intelligence in this field goes beyond aesthetics. Experts point out that AI will not […] … learn more→

This post is a generalisation. Be warned. But the general stuff in this post does hold for most things you’ll write for most journals. Just not all. The message in this post is simply this – journals generally do not publish only research results. Yes, you heard me. But let me put it another way. Research results alone […] … learn more→

The higher education systems in France and the United Kingdom have experienced significant turbulence in recent years. Establishments, students and staff appear increasingly vulnerable. Universities are in budgetary difficulty , students are struggling with debt and poverty , and academic staff are facing a loss of purchasing power (salaries and pensions) and increasing precariousness. On both sides of the Channel, teaching […] … learn more→

In a recent talk about new ways to do college admissions, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona spoke about his own experience taking a college course while still in high school. He was referring to dual enrollment – an increasingly common practice in which high school students take college courses, simultaneously earning high school and college credit. A 2019 report showed […] … learn more→

Everyone has favorite writers. Books and other scholars that they return to again and again. Well, if you don’t, perhaps you might consider it. Some of my favorite writings speak to my current work. Other writing is not so obviously useful. In fact its very pleasure might well lie in its non-immediacy. In the fact […] … learn more→

Title of course: “Arts and Geometry” What prompted the idea for the course? After a serious injury in 2016, I started drawing and painting during my recovery as a form of self-taught art therapy. I found the experience transformative. During my recovery, I rediscovered Pablo Picasso’s artwork and the geometry of his cubism, which inspired […] … learn more→

The Australian Catholic University has recently announced it will abolish academic positions in history as part of broader cuts in the humanities. Staff are understandably shocked and dismayed by the news. Regrettably, the plight of these academics is part of a broader decline in the study of history in Australian universities over the past few decades. As our yet-to-be-published […] … learn more→

From “mandates” to “guidelines”, universities across Australia are looking to enshrine a one-size-fits-all approach to working on campus. There is mounting evidence that you cannot wind back the clock to the pre-COVID status quo of 9-to-5 office days as standard. Research is flipping up things like 70% of workers want to continue working from home and whether we […] … learn more→