In recent weeks, the discovery of unmarked burial sites at residential schools in British Columbia and Saskatchewan has unleashed shock, anger and grief across Canada. It’s also intensified discussions on how to address Canada’s past and ongoing settler colonialism. In the city of Toronto, there are fiercely divided opinions about whether Ryerson University should change its name given its namesake’s role in […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Ryerson’s reputational crisis: What to do about its namesake and his legacy
The up in writing
Last week I moaned about the unintended side effects of the term imposter syndrome. Maybe I’m just feeling generally a bit browned off because I also caught myself this week revisiting old irrits about the term “writing up”. It’s nostalgic niggle time. I was thinking about the fun Barbara Kamler and I used to have […] … learn more→
History made the world we live in: here’s what you’ll learn if you choose it in years 11 and 12
History is for students curious about the world. It involves discovery, evaluation and imagination. Around 40% of Australian senior students chose to study year 11 and 12 history in 2016. It was more popular than other humanities subjects such as geography and psychology and more girls chose to enrol (23%) than boys (18%). Here’s what you need […] … learn more→
How to speed up your accelerated online degree
When it comes to college, a lot of people take the accelerated route. Some people want to get into the workforce as quickly as possible. Some want to balance school with other responsibilities. Still, others may want to take advantage of a time period when they don’t have a lot of obligations. Whatever the reason, […] … learn more→
We can put city and country people on more equal footing at uni — the pandemic has shown us how
University study is out of reach for many people in regional Australia. Most of our universities are based in a handful of capital cities. The result is persistent educational inequity between our capital cities and regions. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced universities to move their activities online. This shift has created challenges for students, but has also temporarily […] … learn more→
Australia badly needs earth science skills, but universities are cutting the supply
Earth science is vital to Australia’s economic and environmental future but we are dramatically decreasing our earth science capability. Earth scientists work not only in mining and mineral exploration (which contribute 11% of Australia’s GDP) but also in fields such as environmental science, groundwater monitoring for the agricultural and environmental sectors, geotechnical work for the construction […] … learn more→
Unis are killing the critical study of religion, and it will only make campuses more religious
Global developments in tertiary education suggest the critical scientific study of religion is endangered. One of the departments slated for extinguishment amid the pandemic-related upheavals was my own at the University of Sydney. This reflects a trend that has captured the academy in Australia and worldwide. If we take South Australia as an example, over the past decade programs […] … learn more→
Canceling student loan debt will barely boost the economy, but a targeted approach could help certain groups
At the end of June 2021, 43 million borrowers – or about 14% of all adults in the U.S. – owed approximately US$1.59 trillion in outstanding federal student loans. Although in many cases the media has focused on borrowers with extremely large balances – such as the orthodontist who owes over $1 million in student loans – the average balance is […] … learn more→
Thinking of choosing a science subject in years 11 and 12? Here’s what you need to know
Studying science helps you make sense of the world and opens the door to a wide range of careers. If you’ve decided to be a doctor or engineer then you will already know you need to do a science. But if you’re in the 45% of students who don’t know what career they’ll end up in, you […] … learn more→
What to look for when choosing a university as the digital competition grows
Online teaching became the norm almost overnight when the pandemic hit. For students, the situation’s complexity was brutal, the shift frustrating but unavoidable. Prospective students weighing up study options might have been confused too. However, they are now better placed to understand what universities offer in an increasingly competitive digital learning market. They also have […] … learn more→
