By Léo Charbonneau. It’s an intriguing invitation: the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research has issued its first-ever call for proposals for new research ideas that address “a complex question of importance to humanity.” My immediate response was to think of something snide, like “Why the Kardashians?” but CIFAR deserves a more serious reply. Read more...
By Fraser Nelson. Britain and the US have chosen two very different models for funding universities – and it’s clear which is winning. If a bunch of sadistic academics were to construct a mass experiment into mankind’s ability to resist temptation, it would look a lot like Stanford University. First, plonk a campus in one of the world’s most agreeable climates and make it look more like a spa hotel than a place of study. Next, have students dress as if they have stepped off the beach, and make sure one lies just half an hour away. Then hang hammocks between trees on the way to lecture theatres to ensnare the weak-willed. Finally, funnel 1,800 teenagers a year into this den of distraction – and see if they can do any work.
Quel est le point commun entre le styliste John Galliano, le général Petraeus et l'ancien élu démocrate new-yorkais Anthony Weiner? Après avoir été au centre d'un scandale largement médiatisé, chacun d'eux devrait finalement dispenser des cours dans des universités américaines. What is the common point between the designer John Galliano, Petraeus and former elected Democrat Anthony Weiner in New York? Having been the center of a widely publicized scandal, each should finally teach courses in American universities. More...
By Elizabeth Gibney. More than half of academics are either not aware of universities’ knowledge transfer services or do not use them, a survey has found. Only 43 per cent of the almost 22,000 academics questioned for the survey reported having had some contact with these services. The level was lower for academics from top-rated research departments. The survey, carried out by the Centre for Business Research and the UK- Innovation Research Centre, and published in a report titled The Dual Funding Structure for Research in the UK, also showed that the most common way of initiating activity with external organisations was for individuals not connected with an institution to contact academics directly: 80 per cent of people cited this channel. Read more...
By Valerie Strauss. Here’s an infographic about some myths about education, from InformED, a blog by Open Colleges, an online education provider based in Sydney, Australia. An Infographic by Open Colleges. Read more...
The following is a guest post by Mark Jia, a Rhodes Scholar studying Chinese politics at the University of Oxford. His views do not reflect those of the Rhodes Trust. When Cecil Rhodes created a set of eponymous scholarships to Oxford, his vision was to “render war impossible” through fostering mutual understanding between nations. Last week Stephen Schwarzman, co-founder of the Blackstone Group, announced a set of international scholarships with the same basic objective. But instead of shipping college graduates to the dreaming spires of England, the scholarships will enroll 200 students in a specialized one-year master’s program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The inaugural class will enter in 2016, drawing most recipients from the United States and China. Read more...
ByMark Rowh. In her role as web manager and assistant director of institutional marketing at Elms College (Mass.), Karolina Kilfeather routinely relies on student workers to help carry the department’s workload. She has found that while they may make valuable contributions, students often pose special management challenges.
By Eric Stoller. Consulting is oftentimes an exercise in troubleshooting or problem solving. Schools bring me in to talk about social media, strategic communications, and/or digital identity. That's the initial premise and while I end up covering the things that I'm "supposed to," there's more to it. Organizational change takes center stage. Divisions and departments don't always recognize it, but they are actually hiring me to assist in working through how they create change. One of the most consistent aspects in my work is the concept of time allocation. Everyone wants to jump in and implement social media tactics and while that is admirable, that is not step one. The beginning task for most people, the part that is the most difficult, is the act of carving out enough time to become fluent at whatever it is they want to do. Read more...By Barbara Fister. We’ve come a long, long way since Scott Carlson kicked off a firestorm of defensiveness and soul-searching with a 2001 feature in the Chronicle titled “The Deserted Library” (subscription required). In the ensuing years there has been so much chatter about “the library as place” that the idea of designing libraries for learning rather than for storing and accessing collections is no longer radical; libraries clearly are places for learning and library spaces should be designed accordingly. Granted some faculty aren’t thrilled with challenges to the dominance of the stacks, and many libraries have some way to go in making their libraries attractive and effective sites for student learning, but nobody thinks it’s a crazy idea. Read more...
By Natalie Cox. The news some students get fewer than 100 teaching hours a year isn't all bad – the free time is a learning experience in itself. I'd wager that few recent graduates were shocked at the news of just how many UK students receive fewer than 100 hours of teaching per year. In fact, I'll bet you three dodgy draft beers and an ill-advised kebab that the first memory to emerge from the fog is not your hand fusing into a claw from the scrawling down of illegible notes, because the truth is that very few of your university years are spent at university. The only lecture that I can recall from my university days involved a geriatric thespian spending so long musing over the answer to a student's question that we worried he'd expired on the podium./https%3A%2F%2Fprofilepics.canalblog.com%2Fprofilepics%2F1%2F0%2F1076071.jpg)
