China’s policy of downgrading struggling PhD candidates to a master’s degree has recently been the subject of renewed public debate after the Ministry of Education called on universities to implement it. Back in 2013, the ministry vowed to tighten postgraduate evaluation and transfer students to a master’s programme (or simply hand them a master’s degree) […] … learn more→

The relationship between a mentor and his student goes much further than the simple training period of a few years. It is an intellectual union that connects with a tradition that goes back, at least in the West, to the first universities. It is truly a torch that has been passed from person to person for […] … learn more→

It is a little noticed fact that 15 universities in the UK are managed and governed by churches. To all intents and purposes these are faith universities. They began in the 19th century as training colleges founded by the major churches to supply teachers for their schools. Over the subsequent decades, they developed other kinds […] … learn more→

When high school students get into the habit of revising their writing, it has a positive impact on the quality of their work. Despite the proven benefits of revision, students often resist making changes to the initial versions of what they wrote – because it requires additional effort. Or, if they do revise, they only do it in a mediocre way. Finding […] … learn more→

Many East Asian universities have been remarkably successful in their internationalisation efforts over the past decade. There are now 14 universities from the region included in the world’s top 100, according to the latest THE rankings. One significant factor has been the use of English in teaching, which has facilitated the recruitment of overseas students and staff, […] … learn more→

Most people come into a PhD program with well developed writing skills but a  dissertation – or as it is called in Australia, a Thesis, is a very particular kind of writing challenge. All thesis writers must bend their existing skills to the appropriate ‘thesis style’. Ironically, the people I have seen struggle the most […] … learn more→

This is the time of year that I run writing workshops and courses. And because I’m preoccupied with teaching, I’m also thinking about new and different strategies for authoring and revision. Authoring and revision strategies are inter-related – heuristics used for authoring can often be converted for revision purposes and vice versa. I sometimes find […] … learn more→

Cornel West and his co-author made a common mistake when they wrote a recent essay in The Washington Post chastising Howard University for eliminating its classics department. Reducing the decision to a “spiritual catastrophe,” they overlooked a deeper and more urgent problem: the financial constraints facing historically Black colleges and universities, and the inequality that underlies them. […] … learn more→

After years of secrecy, lobbying and other corporate political activities are becoming increasingly visible. The ongoing scandal in the UK about former prime minister David Cameron’s lobbying activities on behalf of the financial services company Greensill Capital has added to concerns about how the government assigned Covid-related contracts. There are similar concerns in Germany, where […] … learn more→

High school can be especially challenging for the 2%-3% of U.S. teens who identify as transgender, or trans. They disproportionately experience harassment and victimization by their peers and rejection by family members. Entering an affirming and inclusive college environment can help set trans youth on a path of personal, academic and professional success. A trans-affirming college can also be transformative […] … learn more→