The Covid-19 crisis has imposed distance education on everyone, not without pain . At the University, our students have been almost exclusively at a distance for almost a year! These successive confinements have had serious consequences. First there were the technical issues, the poor network connection, insufficient computer equipment, the difficulty in isolating yourself from others. Then, very quickly, we […] … learn more→

A-level exams in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been cancelled, along with Highers in Scotland. It’s not yet clear what the replacement for these exams will look like, and many students may be feeling anxious or despondent about their prospects. However, some kind of assessment will take place – so now is not the time to […] … learn more→

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the university sector under greater scrutiny. In some cases, this has prompted new conversations about the purpose of higher education. These have included the extent to which universities are upholding their commitment to public service, and whether the current institutional adjustments in universities will change the way higher education is delivered. But […] … learn more→

What is your experience being a woman of color with a doctoral degree? I am not only a woman who holds a Ph.D. in a male-dominated field, but a woman of mixed heritage (Irish and Native American). There was never a time during my Ph.D. studies that I was not made aware that I was […] … learn more→

Whether it’s purchasing power parity or the Happiness Index, global comparisons require benchmarking. Sport does this well with World Cups and the Olympics, or better still the single ranking familiar to tennis and golf aficionados. The problem with universities is there are around a dozen rankings. Each is a variable mix of research, reputation and teaching metrics, leading […] … learn more→

Ask any university or higher education provider in general and they will tell you the same: Their faculty is the most important and invaluable resource at their disposal. Nevertheless, higher education institutions continue to encounter difficulties with the creation and maintenance of centralized information systems that meet the needs of their faculty members. According to […] … learn more→

Universities have faced major planning challenges due to COVID-19. While there has been significant media coverage about universities offering students online learning, what has been less discussed is how some activities have continued in face-to-face settings. My research is concerned with outdoor science education so I have long been engaged in studying outdoor learning. At the Université de Sherbrooke, among […] … learn more→

When it comes to assessment, would the school get wise while the rest of society goes mad? We note, in fact, the coexistence of two movements in opposite directions. One, concerning school evaluations, which strives to better explain the objects of evaluation (new programs, core competencies ), advocates a more reasonable use of marks (or even a deletion of marks ), […] … learn more→

When this year’s lockdowns forced a sudden pivot to online teaching, academics had to scramble to adapt their teaching materials and curricula. You might have thought that they would have grabbed all the advice they could get. But while a few attended the online webinars on “emergency remote training” provided by agencies such as Advance […] … learn more→

When Congress decided in 1994 to ban federal student aid for people behind bars, it was part of a wider political agenda to “get tough on crime” – even though crime rates had begun to fall in the 1990s. The number of people behind bars grew, but, without access to federal student aid, higher education programs in America’s correctional facilities dwindled. […] … learn more→