As Australia welcomes back international students, it’s a time for education providers to re-imagine how they cater to these students. Our research shows helping them to build strong connections with other students, as well as employers, makes them more likely to have a productive and fulfilling time in Australia and to find suitable work when they graduate. Australia […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
As international students return, let’s not return to the status quo of isolation and exploitation
How far can we invoke academic freedom
In recent months, academic freedom has been the subject of particular attention, in an entirely new way in France. This sudden interest in a hitherto unrecognized freedom is mainly explained by the emergence of various threats that come from the political, economic and militant spheres. This climate of tension goes against the necessary independence of academics in their fields […] … learn more→
Who benefits from a break on federal student loan payments? An economist answers 3 questions
Economist William Chittenden illuminates who benefits and who pays when borrowers get a break on paying back their federal student loans. 1. How helpful is this pause to individual borrowers? It depends. 18.1 million borrowers – out of 43.4 million borrowers – were making federal student loan payments prior to the current loan pause. Now, these borrowers will continue […] … learn more→
‘Lose some weight’, ‘stupid old hag’: universities should no longer ask students for anonymous feedback on their teachers
Student evaluations, in the form of anonymous online surveys, are ubiquitous in Australian universities. Most students in most courses are offered the opportunity to rate the “quality” of their teachers and the course they take. The original intention of student surveys was to help improve the learning experience. But it’s now become much more. Student surveys are often […] … learn more→
Benefits of studying for your Masters online
When it comes to choosing the next steps in your life, it can be a difficult decision to make. No matter what stage of your life you are at, there is a good chance you have a big decision ahead of you. For some people, this could mean starting a family. While for others, trying […] … learn more→
Trouble finding a writing angle? try cubing
You have research results. You want to write something – a book, a chapter, a paper. You’re in a field where there is already an active conversation. You’ve done an analysis which seems to repeat what is already out there. Noooo! You know that this probably isn’t going to be good enough; the publisher/editor is […] … learn more→
The hidden ways College can make you feel uneasy
College is an incredibly exciting time, during this period you are not only making an investment in your educational growth, but your personal growth as well. With growth, however, comes growing pains. Sometimes all the excitement can overshadow some of the ways that the college experience can give you pause. Instead of ignoring, or dwelling […] … learn more→
College students with young kids – especially mothers – find themselves in a time crunch
We found that college students who have children had significantly less time for college than their childless peers – about 4.3 hours less per week, to be specific – and that this “time poverty” is greatest for mothers of preschool-age children. That’s according to a 2021 study of 11,195 U.S. college students. Our study found other trends as well. Student […] … learn more→
How to win at academic tearoom conversations – even when there are no tearooms
Did you have a break over Christmas / New Years? I hope so. It’s summer here in Australia, so we are rolling into the quiet month of January. For the second year in a row, we have a low fire danger summer, instead of a repeat of the horror of 2019. In fact, it pretty much […] … learn more→
Volunteer on a dig for the thrill of digging up the past (you’ll also learn to hate buckets)
A few more brushstrokes and the student gasped with excitement. There in the dirt was a small, bronze statue of a calf, revealed for the first time in 3,000 years. The discovery could have been yours! In this article, I dip into the many opportunities for you to take part in an archaeological dig both […] … learn more→
