Ninth Level Ireland

Student loans: ProPublica rounds up the best reporting on student-loan debt

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:47:21 +0000

“Outstanding student loans now top $1 trillion, more than the nation’s credit-card debt. ProPublica has rounded up some of the best explanatory and investigative journalism on student debt …” (more)

[Blair Hickman, Slate, 18 May]

Higher Education Grants – Farm Assets

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:44:11 +0000

“Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether farmers land or farm assets be taken into account when means testing for college grants in view of the fact that while farmers land may be an asset they are of no value to the farmer unless they sell; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 17 May]

Processing Higher Education Grants

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:40:41 +0000

“Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of persons that were employed nationally in 2011 to assess student grant applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 17 May]

USI defends itself against claims of voting flaws in ‘Preferendum’

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:55:45 +0000

“The Union of Students in Ireland, USI has defended itself against allegations of flaws in the voting system in a country-wide referendum. The debate to set the policy of the national student union on whether to change its stance on tuition fees is taking place in colleges and Universities around the country as USI continue their ‘preferendum’ …” (more)

[Ciaran Hanna, Belfast Studenty.me, 18 May]

Putting Irish Science on the (Google) Map

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:21:56 +0000

“It’s a digital, interactive, online, tricked-out Google map called The Atlas of Ingenious Ireland. Dedicated to ‘Putting Irish Science on the Map’, it locates and annotates key science, tech and natural history landmarks …” (more)

[John Lee, Huffington Post, 18 May]

Researchers Meet Protesters in TV Debate

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:42:16 +0000

“The fate of an experimental field of genetically modified wheat in the United Kingdom is still unclear after a televised debate between researchers in charge of the field trial and activists opposed to GM crops …” (more)

[Daniel Clery and Gretchen Vogel, ScienceInsider, 18 May]

The story behind Trinity’s proposed student loan scheme

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:33:28 +0000

“It has been reported today that Trinity students may soon be able to avail of a student loan scheme to cover the cost of the student contribution charge. The scheme is being discussed by the College, the Students’ Union and Bank of Ireland …” (more)

[Ronan Costello, University Times, 18 May]

Alternative to points system proposed

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:26:23 +0000

“New gateways to college and alternatives to the current CAO points system need to be explored fully, the Provost of TCD Dr Patrick Prendergast has said. Addressing a major conference on undergraduate admissions he said his major complaint about the points system was that it remained the only gateway to college …” (more)

[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 18 May]

NUS referendum at Queen’s ‘invalid’

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:23:45 +0000

“The referendum on National Union of Students affiliation at Queen’s University, Belfast Students’ Union has been declared invalid ‘due to an oversight in the process’ …” (more)

[Ben Finch, Belfast Studenty.me, 18 May]

TCD Negotiates Student Loan Scheme as Govt Explores PPPs

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:21:38 +0000

“Advanced negotiations have taken place in Trinity College, Dublin, involving Bank of Ireland and the Students’ Union, about pioneering a student loan scheme. Trinity News also understands that the government is exploring the use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) with banks to provide loan schemes for students in higher education …” (more)

[Rónán Burtenshaw, Trinity News, 18 May]

Competition Is Killing Higher Education (Part 1)

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:59:07 +0000

“Competition, we are constantly told, encourages individuals, institutions and companies to take the risks necessary for innovation and efficiency. But in higher education, competition often discourages risk taking, leads to overly cautious short-term decisions, produces a mediocre product for the price, and promotes excessive spending on physical plants and bureaucracies …” (more)

[Mark C Taylor, Bloomberg, 18 May]

Argonne National Lab director on the myth of the lone inventor in the garage

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:34:00 +0000

“… our inventor-heroes have been popularly viewed as single-combat warriors working feverishly in a basement or some other threadbare den of solitude. And that’s unfortunate, because the myth that innovative genius burns brightest in dingy isolation has a real impact on the way this nation views the importance of the knowledge enterprise and the scientific infrastructure that supports it …” (more)

[Eric D Isaacs, Slate, 18 May]

First-year students entering third level have been taught to learn – not to reason

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:31:22 +0000

“Students face several challenges when entering third level. Having spent the previous year as the most senior class in school, they arrive in an alien environment at the bottom of the ladder …” (more)

[Derry Cotter, Independent, 16 May]

Quebec rocked by student protests

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:59:48 +0000

“Quebec’s provincial government, facing the most sustained student protests in Canadian history, has introduced emergency legislation that would shut some universities and impose harsh fines on pickets blocking students from attending classes, as it looks to end three months of demonstrations against rises in tuition fees …” (more)

[Guardian, 18 May]

Anti-intellectualism is taking over the US

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:57:50 +0000

“Recently, I found out that my work is mentioned in a book that has been banned, in effect, from the schools in Tucson, Arizona. The anti-ethnic studies law passed by the state prohibits teachings that ‘promote the overthrow of the United States government’ …” (more)

[Patricia Williams, Guardian, 18 May]

Freedom of speech in Bahrain

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:08:52 +0000

“Sir, – On foot of your paper’s excellent article by Mary Fitzgerald (‘Why Bahraini human rights matter in Dublin’, Education Today, May 8th). We write to help broaden the issue to include the plight of the many teachers, academics and students who face charges related to exercising their basic rights to freedom of speech and right of assembly during the recent pro-democracy rallies in the Kingdom of Bahrain …” (more)

[Pat King and others, Irish Times, 18 May]

Private university regulation ‘a mess’

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:05:38 +0000

“A scheme to fund more student places at private universities is under fire after the Universities minister, David Willetts, admitted that no checks are made on whether undergraduates complete their course …” (more)

[Richard Garner, Independent, 18 May]

Quarter of pupils have experienced web abuse

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:03:16 +0000

“Up to 25% of school pupils have had experience of cyberbullying – either as a victim or as a bully. Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald revealed the figures at a new anti-bullying forum yesterday. One in four girls and one in six boys had been involved in bullying online …” (more)

[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 18 May]

Croke Park report will verify substantial savings, says Cody

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:00:59 +0000

“‘Substantial’ savings will be verified when the body charged with implementing the Croke Park agreement makes its second annual report next month, the leader of one of the country’s largest public sector unions has forecast …” (more)

[Stephen Rogers, Irish Examiner, 18 May]

Assessing our students

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:59:00 +0000

“Sir, – Seán Cottrell (Education Today, May 8th) argues that Ireland should withdraw from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In seeking to support his position, he misrepresents key aspects of PISA, and we think it is important these matters are clarified …” (more)

[Gerry Shiel and Jude Cosgrove, Irish Times, 18 May]

School faced dilemma over pupil expulsions

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:56:52 +0000

“Did the board of management at Oatlands College, Stillorgan, overreact by moving to expel four students who posted abusive comments about their teachers on Facebook? Or did it respond with a penalty that was entirely appropriate in the circumstances? …” (more)

[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 18 May]

Technological Universities

steve — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:54:07 +0000

“Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on proposals to create a technological university in the State. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on future plans for the Dublin Institute of Technology …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 16 May]

Muscle from Brussels as open access gets an €80bn boost

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:55:58 +0000

“The European Union is set to throw the weight of its €80 billion (£64 billion) research funding programme behind open-access publishing, Times Higher Education has learned. An official at the European Commission, which is drafting proposals for the Horizon 2020 programme, said that for researchers receiving funding from its programme between 2014 and 2020, open-access publishing ‘will be the norm’ …” (more)

[Elizabeth Gibney, Times Higher Education, 17 May]

Robert Solow, Tyler Cowen, and other economists misunderstand science and technology

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:52:33 +0000

“… It would take a thick head indeed to believe that new technologies aren’t valuable to the economy. But determining how they are important, and how important they are, gets thorny. That’s because we don’t have access to a counterfactual world in which a given technology was never developed …” (more)

[Konstantin Kakaes, Slate, 17 May]

New national third level tabloid website set for launch

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:56:11 +0000

“The University Times has learned of plans to launch a student tabloid website based around the Dublin third-level institutions. The project involves a significant proportion of staff of the Midnight promotions group, who run events in Alchemy, Dandelion, and Tramco nightclubs on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday respectively …” (more)

[Jack Leahy, University Times, 17 May]

Open access is not enough; we must learn how to communicate our research to make it truly accessible

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:48:58 +0000

“Open access debates have long been fostered by science disciplines but to make open access work truly powerful, we must make the same push for quality research presented in an accessible manner …” (more)

[Brant Moscovitch, Impact of Social Sciences, 17 May]

Scottish universities: Tartan and thistles

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:47:04 +0000

“Scotland has a glorious educational tradition: in the 16th century the nation boasted four universities to England’s two. But fairness is also a national trait. One of the first things the Scottish Parliament did after being formed in 1999 was to abolish upfront tuition fees for all Scots studying in the country …” (more)

[The Economist, 17 May]

Elite institutions predicted to fall short on research student qualifications

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:45:17 +0000

“Imperial College London is among the universities predicted to see a below-par qualification rate among its current research students. Other prominent institutions flagged up in a report published last week by the Higher Education Funding Council for England include Newcastle University and the Institute of Education and the School of Oriental and African Studies, both University of London …” (more)

[Paul Jump, Times Higher Education, 17 May]

Grad tax will eliminate fees while ensuring quality education

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:32:56 +0000

“A graduate tax perhaps achieves the best balance between the availability of higher education for all and how to pay for it in a fair and effective way without putting too much pressure on government …” (more)

[Cormac Shine, University Times, 17 May]

New rules on overseas students ‘will cost universities billions’

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:02:39 +0000

“Universities UK urges rethink, saying changes to visa system will cost higher education institutions £5bn to £7bn a year …” (more)

[Jessica Shepherd, Guardian, 17 May]

French research minister appointed

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:26:01 +0000

“Geneviève Fioraso, deputy mayor of Grenoble, and a Socialist member of the National Assembly (the French parliament), representing the Isère constituency, has been appointed minister of higher education and research …” (more)

[Declan Butler, Nature News, 17 May]

Who is responsible for learning?

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:23:56 +0000

“One of the hard things about teaching is that there is only so much you can do. In the end, you can try to lead students to information, but in the end, it’s up to them how much of that information they choose to take in, and final responsibility for performance in exams, tests or essays rests with the student. This is why good teaching is also hard to judge …” (more)

[Skepticlawyer, 17 May]

Talking to HETAC About Jobs That Don’t Exist Yet

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:20:18 +0000

“We welcome a team of accreditation experts to the LIT-Tipperary campus today as we defend several programmes that articulate the skills of jobs that do not exist yet …” (more)

[Bernie Goldbach, Inside View from Ireland, 17 May]

Time to end silent suffering of gay students

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:07:08 +0000

“Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (Idaho), when governments, communities, families and individuals act to end discrimination and violence towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people …” (more)

[Michael Barron, Irish Times, 17 May]

Pupils expelled after abusive Facebook posts about teachers

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:05:01 +0000

“Four pupils at Oatlands College, Dublin, have been expelled from the school after posting abusive remarks about their teachers on Facebook. The school board of management moved to expel the four – all fifth-year students – at a specially convened meeting earlier this week …” (more)

[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 17 May]

Education staff only returning for exams

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:02:50 +0000

“… As well as teachers of Leaving and Junior Certificate classes, some recently retired third-level staff are also seeing out the academic year with their students. Academics and other third-level staff who returned to their old jobs immediately after retiring are being paid at one-fifth their old salary …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 17 May]

Is this the real life? Is this just CIT?

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:00:26 +0000

“Forget The X Factor and The Voice. Forget dropping out of school to form a band. A third-level college in Cork is set to produce a new breed of highly-qualified pop stars. Cork Institute of Technology’s Cork School of Music announced yesterday that it is to offer Ireland’s first degree in pop music later this year …” (more)

[Eoin English, Irish Examiner, 17 May]

Campaign to name new Dublin City bridge after Nobel physicist Ernest Walton

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:58:28 +0000

“What better way to celebrate Dublin’s 2012 tenure as European City of Science than to name the new Marlborough Street bridge in the capital city after Ernest Walton, the Irish physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1951 along with John Cockcroft …” (more)

[Carmel Doyle, Silicon Republic, 17 May]

Students ‘see no rise in lectures’ despite tuition fee hike

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:55:27 +0000

“Universities have been accused of ripping off students after figures showed that a sharp rise in tuition fees has failed to translate into more teaching …” (more)

[Graeme Paton, Daily Telegraph, 17 May]

Maximum Student Numbers Policy

steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:52:54 +0000

“Alban Maginness (Social Democratic and Labour Party) asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to outline the timescale for the commencement and completion of the review of the maximum student numbers policy …” (more)

[Northern Ireland Assembly Debates, 15 May]

DCU President announces new Centre for Digital Learning

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:50:42 +0000

“Professor Brian MacCraith, President of Dublin City University, has announced plans to establish a new Centre for Digital Learning at DCU to revolutionise the student learning experience in an increasingly digital society …” (more)

[DCU News, 16 May]

ACTA deathwatch: profs call process unconstitutional, Europe revolts

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:47:49 +0000

“Just when you thought that everyone was content to let debates about the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) simmer down, a group of American legal scholars has now submitted an open letter to the United States Senate, challenging the lack of a Congressional approval process for ACTA …” (more)

[Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, 16 May]

Grad Tax and Free Fees Campaigns Duel on YouTube

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:44:00 +0000

“As the second day of voting in USI’s funding preferendum goes on, the battle lines have been drawn between those advocating the retention of the free fees policy and those in favour of a new approach to the funding issue. The latter have generally declared themselves in favour of a graduate tax …” (more, videos)

[University Times, 16 May]

DSM 5 Could Mean 40% of College Students Are Alcoholics

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:59:40 +0000

“Are you or have you ever been a college binge drinker? Welcome to alcoholism, a diagnosis your college self could qualify for under the changes proposed to the next edition of psychiatry’s diagnostic manual, the DSM 5 …” (more)

[Maia Szalavitz, Time, 14 May]

Third Level Remuneration

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:42:00 +0000

“Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills the different salary scales for the different grades of lecturer in the National University of Ireland Maynooth; and the increments or reductions they have received since 2008 …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 15 May]

Grants for Postgraduate Degrees

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:38:56 +0000

“Deputy Peter Mathews asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reintroduce postgraduate grants or if there is a plan to bring in a student loan scheme to finance postgraduate studies; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 15 May]

Confucius Institutes

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:35:30 +0000

“Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Education and Skills the role being played in the educational system here with the development of Chinese Confucius Institutions; the funding streams available to universities and colleges through these institutions; if he will explain the detail, role, purpose and benefit of the Confucius Institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 15 May]

Grants for Postgraduate Degrees

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:31:44 +0000

“Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding grants for postgraduate students in the coming academic year; if he will review the decision to end maintenance payment under the student grant scheme for students entering new postgraduate courses from the 2012/2013 academic year onwards with a view to re-instating the payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 15 May]

Grants for Postgraduate Degrees

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:27:57 +0000

“Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills the grants available to Irish students who have been accepted for post graduate study at universities in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 15 May]

Unauthorised Allowances

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:24:09 +0000

“Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a breakdown of all unauthorised allowances to each of the senior academics for the 2005 to 2011 period; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 15 May]

Project Maths

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:20:36 +0000

“Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the engagement he has had or intends to have with teachers in relation to the progress of project maths; if teachers are satisfied with the content of the course and that their professional development is sufficient; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 15 May]

Petition to fly the rainbow flag at Queen’s

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:29:30 +0000

“A petition has been set up for Queen’s University to fly the rainbow flag from the Lanyon Building during the Belfast Pride parade on 4 August 2012. The petition, which currently has 76 signatures, states …” (more)

[Ben Finch, Studenty_Belfast, 16 May]

Education minister faces copycat allegations over ‘Freudian slip’

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:26:03 +0000

“Germany’s federal Education Minister Annette Schavan faces allegations that part of her doctoral thesis may have been plagiarised. Schavan denies the claims but the University of Düsseldorf, which awarded her doctorate, is having her thesis reviewed …” (more)

[University World News, 16 May]

The Walton Bridge petition

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:47:33 +0000

“IOP Ireland is campaigning to have the new bridge across the Liffey in Dublin at Marlborough Street named for ETS Walton – Ireland’s only physics Nobel prizewinner. If you agree, please sign our petition …” (more)

[Institute of Physics in Ireland, 15 May]

The argument for free third level education

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:02:33 +0000

“In recent time, it has been popular to view education solely as a ‘personal investment’, and that the recipient should pay for it. This school of thought, although simplistic, is not entirely without its merits …” (more)

[Fiachra O’Raghallaigh, University Times, 16 May]

Vote none of the above, there is another way

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:24:13 +0000

“… Free fees, cheap credit, and a graduate tax are all discussed as possible options that could combat the problem of affordability in education. All of these routes, however, have somewhat obvious drawbacks. Free fees would mean that the taxpayer sets the price of education. Cheap credit would be a problem due to a possible debt aversion amongst prospective students …” (more)

[Conor Kenny, University Times, 16 May]

I can no longer work for a system that puts profit over access to research

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:21:37 +0000

“Associate editor of Genomics says its publisher Elsevier effectively denies developing world access to research findings …” (more)

[Winston Hide, Guardian, 16 May]

Ireland’s 7 scientific wonders

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:19:46 +0000

“A new atlas of scientific people and places has named Ireland’s 7 scientific wonders. The ‘Atlas of Ingenious Ireland’ is an interactive online map designed to highlight local and national sites of scientific interest around the country and is part of the Dublin City of Science 2012 programme …” (more)

[Fearghal O'Connor, Business Post, 16 May]

Massive Open Online Confusion?

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:17:54 +0000

“The Future of HE? Or Massive Open Online Confusion? For the latest Imperfect University piece a few thoughts on a topic which is attracting considerable comment at the moment: the growth of the Massive Open Online Course or MOOC …” (more)

[Registrarism, 16 May]

USI preferendum will continue after first day hitch, confirms Deputy President

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:05:28 +0000

“The Union of Students’ in Ireland (USI) national ‘preferendum’ ran into a major technical hitch on its first day of operation after it emerged that former students had been able to vote on the poll, designed to assess current college students’ feeling towards how best to fund third level …” (more)

[StudentNews.ie, 16 May]

Judge: Ample evidence that Apple ‘knowingly joined’ e-book conspiracy

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:02:37 +0000

“Apple is not officially on the hook yet for allegedly colluding with publishers to fix e-book prices, but US District Judge Denise Cote had some harsh words about the company’s actions. Cote denied Apple and five publishers their request to have a class-action suit over the alleged price fixing thrown out on Tuesday …” (more)

[Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica, 16 May]

Property People ‘sorry’ over abuse of student

steve — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:59:48 +0000

“A Belfast property company has apologised to a resident after he was threatened and verbally abused by one of its employees. A recording of the incident captured by student Bill McAtavey was heard by hundreds of people when it was uploaded to YouTube …” (more)

[Anna Maguire, Belfast Telegraph, 16 May]

USI Update on USI vote issues

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:31:01 +0000

“Some issues have been raised by students, Students’ Unions and graduates about the voting process in the online USI Funding Preferendum. USI would like to clarify the following issues. It should be noted from the outset that the system used for authentication is not software designed for or by USI and is provided by HEAnet, see below for more information …” (more)

[The Student Observer, 15 May]

The Insane Cost of Higher Education

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:28:28 +0000

“This is an issue I’ve been interested in for a while, not least since I had a kid, later in life, for whom tuition and fees will probably equal the GNP of Equatorial Guinea. Via Tim Noah, I see that the Times is reporting that President E Gordon Gee, whom I knew a bit back in his days as a Mountaineer, is taking some steps at his current perch at (the?) Ohio State University, is considering selling the school’s airport and golf courses. Noah is upset that they even own these things …” (more)

[Michael Tomasky, Daily Beast, 15 May]

USI Initiate Full Audit after Flaws in Online Voting System

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:20:14 +0000

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI)’s online ‘Funding Vote’ has been called into question after it emerged that database errors allowed former and part-time students to vote and some students who had been registered for courses in more than one college to vote more than once …” (more)

[Rónán Burtenshaw, Trinity News, 15 May]

Setbacks on first day of USI fees vote, but Trinity unaffected

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:15:29 +0000

“The first day of the online USI vote on third level funding did not go as smoothly as the organisers would have hoped. It was discovered early in the day that former students of NUI Maynooth, DIT and UCD were being allowed to vote in the online poll, giving rise to complaints that the final tally would be distorted and therefore invalid …” (more)

[Ronan Costello, University Times, 15 May]

Focusing on the Total Quality Experience

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:13:14 +0000

“The university rankings debate is heating up – again. Hopefully, this time it will be different and with better outcomes for everyone. At a time when many nations are experiencing high levels of public and private debt and higher education is in great demand, university rankings have encouraged a preoccupation with the trials and tribulations of a handful of ‘world class’ universities …” (more)

[Ellen Hazelkorn, Chronicle of Higher Education, 15 May]

Major flaws in USI voting system?

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:30:27 +0000

“The voting system used for the USI ‘preferendum’ on funding for third level education has been called into question by The Student Observer. They are reporting that it is possible for the system to be abused as former students are able to vote …” (more)

[Ben Finch, Studenty_Belfast, 15 May]

Protesting scientists deliver coffin to Downing Street

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:28:14 +0000

“Physicists and chemists in the UK have staged an unusual protest against their research funder: carrying a coffin down London’s Whitehall to Downing Street. The stunt marks the start of a campaign pressing for reform of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council …” (more)

[Ananyo Bhattacharya, Nature News, 15 May]

20 ways of thinking about digital literacy in higher education

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:25:55 +0000

“From understanding what digital literacy is, to developing skills and establishing ethical principles for students, our live chat panel share ideas and resources for universities …” (more)

[Eliza Anyangwe, Guardian Professional, 15 May]

Higher Education and Debt: Another Perspective

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:24:02 +0000

“Andrew Martin and Andrew Lehman have a front page story in Sunday’s New York Times: ‘A Generation Hobbled by Debt’. The top of the fold color picture features Kelsey Griffith, age 23, in debt $120,000 from her college loans, now working two restaurant jobs …” (more)

[Lawrence M Schall, Huffington Post, 15 May]

Students Across the Country to Decide USI Fees Policy in Online Vote

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:21:28 +0000

“The Union of Students in Ireland is in the process of re-examining their established campaign for ‘free fees’, and are putting the question to students across the nation to decide the approach it should take on the issue of third level education fees …” (more)

[Leigh Ashmore, Studenty_Belfast, 15 May]

Oxford students told off for wearing pyjamas to breakfast

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:07:46 +0000

“Undergraduates at Brasenose College have ‘failed to distinguish between public and private spaces’ while enjoying their breakfasts and have been warned to dress more appropriately forthwith …” (more)

[Hannah Furness, Daily Telegraph, 15 May]

Time to embrace student loan scheme

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:41:41 +0000

“The USI has finally heeded the call for a direct democratic vote on the preferred choice for funding of higher education. This is a sign that the majority are tired of the unrealistic free fees policy …” (more)

[Daire Collins, University Times, 15 May]

Crèche closures will force students to drop out of education system

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:23:18 +0000

“The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has called for an urgent rethink on cutbacks that will force several crèches in further education colleges around the country to close in the coming weeks. The union today said that the most vulnerable students will suffer as a result of this retrogressive move. The closure is due to a cutback that formed part of the last Budget …” (more)

[Teachers’ Union of Ireland, 15 May]

Stranded: the students and staff hit by the crackdown on ‘bogus’ colleges

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:21:23 +0000

“As the coalition attempts to cut immigration, it stands accused of taking the equivalent of a machine gun to private colleges …” (more)

[Jessica Shepherd, Guardian, 14 May]

Could you cope in Copenhagen?

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:19:26 +0000

“Studying abroad as part of your degree will impress law firms – but a masters at a European university may not …” (more)

[Alex Aldridge, Guardian, 15 May]

DIT site ‘close to ideal’ for hospital

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:11:44 +0000

“A proposal to locate the national children’s hospital on the extensive Grangegorman site in Dublin 7 is being backed by the city council’s former chief planning officer, Pat McDonnell …” (more)

[Frank McDonald, Irish Times, 15 May]

It’s time to escape from a narrow college admissions system

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:09:39 +0000

“In twenty-two days’ time almost 59,000 Irish students will sit down to begin one of the most stressful examinations of their lives. The real stress, however, comes not so much with the Leaving Certificate examination, as with the points race that accompanies it …” (more)

[Patrick Prendergast, Irish Times, 15 May]

Where cash will come from to pay for project

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:06:36 +0000

“Construction work on the new Grangegorman campus is going ahead, despite the challenge facing the Grangegorman Development Authority (GDA) to raise finance. The €500m project involves renovating 11 buildings and building another 40 …” (more)

[Independent, 15 May]

Kenny in dark over jobs ‘snub’ to young graduates

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:04:58 +0000

“Taoiseach Enda Kenny last night admitted he didn’t know why retired public servants were being brought back to work while thousands of young graduates languish on the dole …” (more)

[Michael Brennan and Eoghan MacConnell, Independent, 15 May]

Surprise at decision to invest €40m in St Patrick’s teacher training college

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:02:43 +0000

“The government’s decision to invest close to €40 million in the upgrading of St Patrick’s teacher training college has been greeted with surprise in education circles. The move, announced by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn, will provide new facilities and upgrade old, inadequate teaching laboratories and science facilities, according to the department …” (more)

[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 15 May]

RCSI and plight of medics in Bahrain

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:00:19 +0000

“Sir, – I write in response to Prof Eoin O’Brien’s letter (May 14th) regarding the involvement of Irish third-level institutions operating abroad in general, and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in Bahrain in particular …” (more)

[Cathal Kelly, Irish Times, 15 May]

Social equity and access to higher education

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:58:37 +0000

“One of the great developments of higher education across much of the developed world over recent years has been the dramatic increase in participation rates. Where once it was common to find fewer than 10% of each age cohort going to universities and colleges, today it is not unusual to find up to and more than 50% getting a degree …” (more)

[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 15 May]

What’s the talk of education?

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:56:40 +0000

“Review of the Department of Education. ‘On the one hand it criticises the D of E for being too timid in promoting its agenda, whilst on the other says the department is too unskilled to formulate useful policies????? Given the latter case, the former problem is probably a good thing …’” (more)

[Irish Times, 15 May]

USI sets up poll on higher education funding

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:55:10 +0000

“The Union of Students in Ireland is asking students from across the country to vote in a nationwide online poll. It is to decide the union’s stance on student fees and whether or not the USI should continue its policy of campaigning for ‘free fees’ …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 15 May]

UL tops poll for best student experience

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:52:21 +0000

“Students from around the world have voted the University of Limerick as providing the best student experience, best student support and warmest welcome. UL achieved multiple firsts in the survey which received input from more than 5000 international students currently studying across the countries seven universities …” (more)

[David Raleigh, Irish Examiner, 15 May]

Teacher’s pet

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:50:29 +0000

“Should Department of Education have a role in third level if lacking expertise? That critical review of the Department of Education by senior civil servants is an important document – which will become a key source for academics, researchers and anyone with an interest in education …” (more)

[Irish Times, 15 May]

On an unjust Irish oral examination

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:48:28 +0000

“TBH: An unheard voice in education A leaving cert student writes: ‘I have just taken my Leaving Certificate Irish oral exams. In my experience, these exams, which are worth 40 per cent of the Irish mark, are conducted in an unjust and utterly inadequate way. I spoke to friends in my own and other schools about their experiences and discovered many anomalies and problems …’” (more)

[Irish Times, 15 May]

Programme 139, Reasonable Accommodations for Students Doing State Exams

steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:46:17 +0000

“Presented and produced by Barry Hennessy. On this week’s programme Barry spoke to Sally Maguire, resource teacher in St Raphaela’s School in Stillorgan and Vice President of the ASTI about the reasonable accommodations available to support students with disabilities taking the Leaving Certificate Examination.” (mp3)

[Inside Education on 103.2 Dublin City FM, 14 May]

As 17 more states join class action against book publishers and Apple, new details revealed

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:15:16 +0000

“New York, the District of Columbia and fifteen other states have joined the e-book pricing class action suit against Apple, Macmillan and Penguin. A total of 31 states (if you include DC) now allege that Apple and publishers conspired to set e-book prices …” (more)

[Laura Hazard Owen, paidContent, 14 May]

Emer Costello welcomes Bord Pleanala approval of DIT/HSE Grengegorman campus

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:57:48 +0000

“Dublin Labour MEP Emer Costello has this afternoon welcomed An Bord Pleanála’s approval of Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) for a unified campus for the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) combined with a new HSE Mental Health facility and Primary care services at Grangegorman, Dublin 7. The proposal is also significant in that it is the first SDZ to be adopted for Dublin City …” (more)

[Labour Party, 14 May]

Rebekah Brooks to lose honorary fellowship?

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:53:38 +0000

“It’s not just David Cameron who continues to be plagued by his association with the former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks. Following publication of the culture, media and sport select committee’s report on phone hacking, the University of the Arts London (UAL) is facing renewed calls from staff and students to revoke the honorary fellowship it awarded to the former Sun editor in July 2010 …” (more)

[Guardian, 14 May]

Student visa rules cost universities millions, MPs told

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:51:08 +0000

“Universities and colleges are spending millions of pounds to navigate the government’s ‘Kafkaesque’ new student visa rules, a committee of MPs has been told. An institution such as the London School of Economics spends £250,000 a year trying to understand regulations governing the entry of non-European Union students, the public accounts committee heard …” (more)

[Jessica Shepherd, Guardian, 14 May]

Tutoring and teaching Plath

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:13:53 +0000

“… The classroom is no longer a place where I learn, but somewhere where I teach. Well – this is what I thought originally prior to embarking on tutoring. Little did I know, I had a LOT to learn. Being an Instructor, Tutor, TA … It’s a huge challenge …” (more)

[The Plath Diaries, 14 May]

DIT site at Grangegorman approved

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:18:23 +0000

“An Bord Pleanála has approved the development of a €486 million centralised Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) campus at Grangegorman in Dublin …” (more)

[Irish Times, 14 May]

Cambridge University gossip site shut down after spiteful students turn it into ‘forum of hate’

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:08:32 +0000

“An anonymous gossip website at Cambridge University has been shut down amid allegations ‘countless’ bullying and abusive messages had turned it into a ‘forum of hate’ …” (more)

[Hannah Furness, Daily Telegraph, 14 May]

€500m centralised DIT campus at Grangegorman gets go-ahead

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:55:47 +0000

“The €500m development of a centralised DIT campus in Grangegorman has been approved by An Bord Pleanála. But the board ruled that three proposed buildings of between 12 and 15 storeys high will have to get separate planning permissions because of their potential impact on the city skyline …” (more)

[RTÉ News, 14 May]

Students to hold nationwide online vote to decide fees policy

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:48:20 +0000

“Students from across the country are to be asked to vote in a nationwide online poll from tomorrow, the results of which will be used to determine the stance of their national union on whether to change its policy on tuition fees …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 14 May]

‘Dyslexics should not get extra time in exams’

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:46:27 +0000

“James Murray writes for Durham’s Palatinate on why he believes students with dyslexia like him shouldn’t be given extra time: ‘Examination concessions are simply not justifiable within the current examination system …’” (more)

[Rosie Taylor, Ones to Watch, 14 May]

Ministers ‘playing immigration numbers game’ by including students

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:44:29 +0000

“Ministers have included overseas students in the government’s net migration count because they are more interested in playing the numbers game than with long-term migration, a leading thinktank has claimed …” (more)

[Alan Travis, Guardian, 14 May]

The student contribution is fair and maintains academic standards

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:25:59 +0000

“Governments exist to make decisions, and unions exist to lobby against any negative impact these decisions may have on their members. To mandate a national students’ union to do anything but fight for a system that balances meritocratic universality of access to higher education and the maintenance of academic standards would be ludicrous …” (more)

[Jack Leahy, University Times, 14 May]

Perverse incentives for economists? I don’t think

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:23:53 +0000

“PublicPolicy.ie is a new think tank set up to ‘carry out and support independent research to inform fiscal policy choices in the Ireland, communicate the results effectively and stimulate constructive discussion amongst policy-makers, civil society and the general public’. It will hopefully prove to be a useful addition to the policy space in Ireland …” (more)

[Kevin Denny: Economics more-or-less, 14 May]

IMI only Irish business school placed in FT executive education rankings

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:14:47 +0000

“The Irish Management Institute (IMI) is the only Irish business school to be ranked among international providers of customised executive education in this year’s Financial Times (FT) executive education rankings for the fourth year in succession …” (more)

[Bernice Barrington, Business and Leadership, 14 May]

Prof Alice Roberts: ‘Public engagement should be part of academic life’

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:12:56 +0000

“Alice Roberts, professor of public engagement in science at Birmingham University and BBC TV presenter, discusses society’s evolving view of science and how universities must get better at explaining it …” (more, video)

[Philip Oltermann and Phil Maynard, Guardian, 14 May]

A higher level of ranking?

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:11:01 +0000

“U21 has published some new work on national education systems that gives the first ranking of countries which are the ‘best’ at providing higher education …” (more)

[Registrarism, 14 May]

The Hidden Cost of University 2.0

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:09:24 +0000

“We have entered a new digital era that appears to have made the traditional trappings of higher education – eg, fixed curricula, going to lectures, even physically attending a college or university – about as necessary to getting a college degree as the telegraph is for sending messages …” (more)

[JM Anderson, Minding the Campus, 13 May]

Staff qualifications more nuanced

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:57:39 +0000

“Niall Murray’s recent article on staff qualifications in the Institute of Technology sector presents raw figures that are interesting, but there are nuances that might have been included to provide a clearer picture …” (more)

[Kevin Lalor, Irish Examiner, 14 May]

RCSI and plight of medics in Bahrain

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:54:04 +0000

“Sir, – In her excellent article ‘Why Bahraini human rights matter in Dublin’, Mary Fitzgerald (Education Today, May 8th) outlines the proposed charter for human rights for Irish universities operating overseas …” (more)

[Eoin O'Brien, Irish Times, 14 May]

Teacher training college upgrade

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:52:04 +0000

“Almost 40 million euro in Government funding has been allocated to upgrade a teacher training college. Education Minister Ruairi Quinn gave the go-ahead for the construction of new facilities and refurbishment of existing amenities at St Patrick’s Teacher Education College in Drumcondra …” (more)

[Independent, 14 May]

Large numbers of public service retirees rehired

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:50:17 +0000

“Large numbers of those who retired from the public service are being taken back by Government departments, according to replies given by Ministers in response to questions from a Fianna Fáil TD …” (more)

[Paul Cullen, Irish Times, 14 May]

Scenes from a Weekend of Grading

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:47:53 +0000

“Right, sorry about the lack of updates lately. It’s exam-marking season at the University and I’ve been focused on grading papers for the last week or so. Hard to get much else done when you’re faced with a mountain of student scripts and a pressing deadline but as long as one stays sane it’s entirely possible to survive …” (more)

[illusory promise, 13 May]

Book Review: Degrees of Nonsense, The Demise of The University in Ireland

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:46:09 +0000

“Degrees of Nonsense: The Demise of The University in Ireland, Edited by Brendan Walsh. A Review by Martin O’Grady. The first thing to be said about Degrees of Nonsense is that this is an important book. It should be read by everyone who cares about our universities and everyone should care about them. That said, it is to be read much more because it begs rather than answers deeply important questions …” (more)

[Network for Irish Educational Standards, 13 May]

Long-Awaited Ruling in Copyright Case Mostly Favors Georgia State U

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:42:52 +0000

“A federal judge in Atlanta has handed down a long-awaited ruling in a lawsuit brought by three scholarly publishers against Georgia State University over its use of copyrighted material in electronic reserves. The ruling, delivered on Friday, looks mostly like a victory for the university, finding that only five of 99 alleged copyright infringements did in fact violate the plaintiffs’ copyrights …” (more)

[Jennifer Howard, Chronicle of Higher Education, 13 May]

Future U: The stubborn persistence of textbooks

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:40:47 +0000

“Textbooks are a thing of the past, says the common wisdom. Well, the common wisdom of the Technorati maybe. The problem with that thinking is that the number one publisher in the world is Pearson, a textbook publisher, who brought in $7.75 billion in 2009 …” (more)

[Curt Hopkins, Ars Technica, 13 May]

What’s wrong with the University?

steve — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:38:11 +0000

“Conference: University College Cork, June 5 & 6, 2012. These are testing times for universities and for those working in them. Staff are constantly exhorted to be more efficient without compromising quality; to compete with one another but also to collaborate; to be creative and be more accountable; and to foster autonomy in a regime of control. In short, public expectations of universities are confused and contradictory …” (more)

[Donncha Kavanagh, 13 May]

Google’s head of news: Newspapers are the new Yahoo

steve — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:46:31 +0000

“Google has a somewhat tense relationship with the traditional newspaper industry, since publishers like News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch still believe it is depriving them of revenue by ‘stealing’ their content and aggregating it at Google News. So you might think that Google’s head of news products, Richard Gingras, would try to smooth over any ruffled feathers …” (more)

[Mathew Ingram, GigaOM, 12 May]

Universities hold the key to economic growth

steve — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:44:17 +0000

“Economic growth is the priority of every European government, and it cannot come soon enough. How can universities help? Europe’s research universities are already making a huge economic contribution; that much is obvious. We educate the future workforce, we perform research that governments, business and industry commission through research contracts, and …” (more)

[Leszek Borysiewicz, University World News, 13 May]

Vice chancellor criticises ‘back door route’ in to university

steve — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:41:49 +0000

“Sir David Bell, who led the Department for Education until the start of this year, said that letting in working-class students with lower A-level grades than their middle-class counterparts was ‘patronising’ and could be seen as a ‘back door route in’ …” (more)

[Julie Henry, Sunday Telegraph, 13 May]

English-only postgraduate courses at Milan Polytechnic spark protest

steve — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:39:38 +0000

“The Politecnico di Milano, one of Italy’s leading technical universities, has announced that from the beginning of the 2014 academic year, all MSc and PhD courses will be taught exclusively in English. But some of the institution’s professors oppose the switch to English from Italian, and 285 have signed a petition to the rector …” (more)

[Lee Adendorff, University World News, 13 May]

Keep health checks for all, Hefce tells quality consultation

steve — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:35:00 +0000

“Unscheduled investigations of standards at universities could be triggered by indicators including poor student satisfaction survey scores, graduate employment data and low levels of ‘professional accreditation’ of teaching staff, England’s funding council has proposed …” (more)

[John Morgan, Times Higher Education, 10 May]

What My 11 Year Old’s Stanford Course Taught Me About Online Education

steve — Sat, 12 May 2012 19:38:00 +0000

“My 11 year old son just took a course at Stanford. That has a nice ring to it but it is actually meaningless because these days anyone can take a course at Stanford. You don’t even have to pay. All you need is access to a computer and a reasonable Internet connection …” (more)

[Joshua Gans, Forbes, 7 May]

Student voters urged to register

steve — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:51:29 +0000

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) today urged those not registered to vote in the upcoming referendum to do so by this Monday, May 14th. Students living away from home who are already registered to vote also have until the 14th to complete a change of address form …” (more)

[Irish Times, 12 May]

Jeanette Winterson takes on University role

steve — Sat, 12 May 2012 09:07:26 +0000

“Jeanette Winterson, who has described herself as an ‘evangelist for the word’, is to become a professor of creative writing. The author of Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit will begin a two-year stint at the University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing in October …” (more)

[Martin Chilton, Daily Telegraph, 12 May]

UL President says Opera Centre site will enhance links with the city

steve — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:26:41 +0000

“The president of the University of Limerick says the future development of the Opera Centre site presents an opportunity to intensify the involvement of UL in the city. Prof Don Barry made his comments last night at the ninth annual President’s Gala Dinner, which was held in the Strand Hotel …” (more)

[Limerick Leader, 12 May]

GMIT urged to review ‘unacceptable’ fees decision

steve — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:20:58 +0000

“GMIT has come under fire for its proposed 73% increase in fees for part-time Art & Design Students. North-West MEP Marian Harkin slammed the hike as ‘unacceptable’, adding that it would cause many to abandon their course and is an unjust and unreasonable approach by the college …” (more)

[Marie Madden, Galway Independent, 12 May]

New ranking system provides boost to Ireland’s universities

steve — Sat, 12 May 2012 06:49:29 +0000

“The international reputation of higher education in Ireland has received a boost from a new global ranking system. The Irish third-level system is ranked 16th among 48 countries, ahead of Germany, Israel and Japan. The rankings were compiled by Universitas 21 (U21) an international network of leading research-intensive universities in 15 countries …” (more)

[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 12 May]

Colleges get ‘could do better’ report card

steve — Sat, 12 May 2012 06:46:54 +0000

“Could do better. That was the clear message on Ireland’s report card after a study published yesterday ranked our universities 16 among 48 countries – although we do come out ahead of Germany, Israel and Japan. US universities top the list, while Canada and Scandinavian countries dominate the top 10 national rankings. Great Britain nabbed 10th position …” (more)

[Mark O'Regan, Independent, 12 May]

Scientist of distinction who led way for biochemistry

steve — Sat, 12 May 2012 06:43:44 +0000

“BARRY DUGGAN: As a scientist in the field of medicine, Prof Barry Duggan, who has died aged 79, played a major role in laying the foundations of clinical biochemistry in Ireland. Academically brilliant, he gained national and international distinction and was president of the Association of Clinical Biochemists in 1975 and again in 1986, 1987 and 1988 …” (more)

[Irish Times, 12 May]

Online Facility for Student Grants – Staffing

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:46:00 +0000

“Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of persons that will be employed to assess applications through the online facility for student grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann Written Answers, 10 May]

Online Grant Applications System

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:42:53 +0000

“Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills when he will be announcing the new online only grant applications system for student grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann Written Answers, 10 May]

Emotional persistence in online chatting communities

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:30:15 +0000

“How do users behave in online chatrooms, where they instantaneously read and write posts? We analyzed about 2.5m posts covering various topics in Internet relay channels, and found that user activity patterns follow known power-law and stretched exponential distributions, indicating that online chat activity is not different from other forms of communication …” (more)

[Antonios Garas and others, Scientific Reports, 10 May]

‘New York University’ Is Added to China’s List of Banned Internet Search Terms

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:47:18 +0000

“China’s Internet censors have added ‘New York University’ to their list of blocked search terms, reports China Digital Times. Last week, NYU’s law school offered the blind civil-rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng a visiting-scholar position …” (more)

[Chronicle of Higher Education, 11 May]

Some college students deserve failing grades

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:41:39 +0000

“I remember how bad I felt when I assigned my first F. The night before I turned in my grades, I could barely sleep; I kept tossing and turning, worrying about the student who was about to fail …” (more)

[Melissa Nicolas, Inside Higher Ed, 10 May]

Aberdeen decides against alternative medicine chair

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:24:01 +0000

“A university has decided against a controversial proposal to establish a chair in a brand of alternative medicine that advocates mistletoe as a cure for cancer. The chair in ‘integrative health care and management’ at the University of Aberdeen would have been funded primarily by supporters of anthroposophy, a movement founded in the early 20th century by Austrian spiritualist Rudolf Steiner …” (more)

[Paul Jump, Times Higher Education, 11 May]

Comparing universities: which country comes top for higher education?

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:06:51 +0000

“A new ranking of international universities and higher education systems has been compiled to give more insight into the strength of HE in different nations …” (more)

[Ross Williams, Guardian Professional, 11 May]

German leaders, not students, reject charges

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:04:54 +0000

“Opposition to tuition fees among German students is waning as they reap the benefits of extra educational funds, a conference has heard. Stephan Bierling, professor of international politics at the University of Regensburg, told a British Council conference on the UK and German higher education systems that opposition to upfront fees came principally from politicians, not students …” (more)

[Jack Grove, Times Higher Education, 10 May]

English libel reform to bring peer-review protection

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:08:07 +0000

“Peer-reviewed publications and scientific conference reports can expect explicit protection as England revises its libel laws, newly published legislation reveals. Libel law in the country has been a concern to scientists for some time …” (more)

[Daniel Cressey, Nature News Blog, 11 May]

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:48:04 +0000

“Senator Sean D Barrett: I move amendment No. 1: In page 12, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: ’9.—(1) This Act shall not apply: Ia) to the evaluation of educational course materials, course designs, evaluation structures and materials that have been analysed and adjudicated upon by an external examiner appointed by the academic council and the governing body of a previously established university …’” (more)

[Seanad Éireann, 10 May]

The data confirms: If you want to stay in science and see your children grow up don’t have children before you have tenure

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:39:19 +0000

“Women are much more likely than men to move out of the research-professor pipeline in order to have children. Bjoern Brembs wonders if we should make science a 9-5 job in order to accommodate women with children, or should we get used to not having a 50-50 distribution of men and women? …” (more)

[Impact of Social Sciences, 11 May]

Scholar’s paper doesn’t add up

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:07:37 +0000

“An Indian mathematician who had a journal article retracted last year over its claims that mathematics and spirituality both ‘came from space’ has seen another of his publications suffer a similar fate for having ‘no scientific content’ …” (more)

[Paul Jump, Times Higher Education, 10 May]

English students to gain free tuition at Scottish universities by claiming Irish grandparents

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:55:29 +0000

“Thousands of English and Welsh students will be able to claim free tuition at Scottish universities by claiming Irish grandparents, it was revealed today. Last week, it emerged that students from Northern Ireland could avoid fees by taking dual Republic of Ireland citizenship and applying as EU students, which would result in them having their fees paid under European equality law …” (more)

[Tim Bugler, Daily Mail, 11 May]

Newspapers thinking money grows on links

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:00:08 +0000

“Did you hear the one about the organisation ‘representing’ newspapers copyright in Ireland sending threatening letters to voluntary organisations/charities who publish links to newspaper articles on their own websites about items that may be of interest to readers? (Breathe it’s a long sentence I know, sorry) …” (more)

[Maman Poulet, 11 May]

Rating our colleges – Good, but must do more

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:58:22 +0000

“A new international rating of the world’s higher education facilities suggests things are not as bad in our colleges and institutes as we might have thought. The Universitas 21 findings on resources is particularly interesting as we are ranked 12th out of 48 countries, ahead of France, Germany and Israel …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 11 May]

U21 Rankings of National Higher Education Systems 2012

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:56:22 +0000

“… The measures are grouped under four headings: resources (investment by government and private sector), output (research and its impact, as well as the production of an educated workforce which meets labour market needs), connectivity (international networks and collaboration which protects a system against insularity) and environment (government policy and regulation, diversity and participation opportunities). It also takes population size into account …” (more)

[Universitas 21, 10 May]

Funding cuts force closure of college creches

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:53:34 +0000

“A number of creches in vocational colleges across the State are closing at the end of the academic year due to cuts in funding from the Department of Children. Creches in the Vocational Education Colleges in counties Cork, Clare, Limerick and Carlow will close in coming months, while the City of Dublin VEC confirmed it will close its three creches – in Ballyfermot, Cabra and Whitehall – at the end of June …” (more)

[Kitty Holland, Irish Times, 11 May]

Major science forum for Dublin

steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:51:07 +0000

“Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn has announced details of the career programme that forms part of a major forum in Dublin this July. The city won the right to host the Euroscience Open Forum, the largest scientific conference in Europe, this year. It will bring more than 5,000 delegates to Dublin over five days from July 11th to 15th …” (more)

[Dick Ahlstrom, Irish Times, 11 May]

HPAT

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:14:37 +0000

“Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reform the HPAT entry exam to Irish medical schools; his views on whether those who can afford expensive preparatory courses are at an advantage when sitting the exam; his views on whether there is a more equitable assessment process that could be instituted; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 9 May]

The Bologna Process: reinventing the never-ending saga?

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:09:06 +0000

“Just over a week ago, the Bucharest communiqué was adopted, the seventh communique in the Bologna process that started in 1999. Now encompassing 47 countries it often tends to be glorified by the actors involved as a great success and hallmark of changes achieved, whereas the research evidence tends to be more modest in terms of the actual impacts and convergence …” (more)

[Higher Education Development Association, 9 May]

If you put all the water on Earth in one place

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:02:40 +0000

“Put all the water on this planet into a single sphere and it would have a diameter of about 860 miles, says the United States Geological Survey. For reference, that’s roughly the distance between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Topeka, Kansas …” (more, picture)

[Maggie Koerth-Baker, Boing Boing, 10 May]

Can Universities Manage Risks to Academic Freedom in Foreign Outposts?

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:59:11 +0000

“… So what does this have to do with cross-border higher education? At the OBHE Global Forum in Kuala Lumpur that Kevin attended last month, one recurring theme was managing reputational risks when operating in other countries. Due diligence, academic integrity and quality assurance were considered key. But one example, the London School of Economics involvement with the Gaddafi regime in Libya, had a different lesson. In essence, don’t get in bed with dictators. This seems like obvious advice …” (more)

[Jason Lane and Kevin Kinser, Chronicle of Higher Education, 10 May]

Are we now part of the problem?

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:31:11 +0000

“I have that terrible feeling (after more than 20 years) that my whole approach to teaching is fundamentally misguided. Like many people, my response to the transformation of third level into a form of mass education (and the inevitable decline in the academic ability of the student intake) has made me change my teaching style into one that is really an extension of the second level system …” (more)

[educationandstuff, 10 May]

WIT vice president urges institutes to change governance

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:29:08 +0000

“The vice president for research and innovation at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) said educational institutions need to rethink their current governance models to allow for the merging of innovation and research with education …” (more)

[Waterford News & Star, 10 May]

Enterprise education: making academic and business skills compatible

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:26:52 +0000

“Caroline Usei at Swansea Met tells Eliza Anyangwe why entrepreneurship is less about start-ups and more about ideas – which are vital in higher education …” (more)

[Guardian Professional, 10 May]

Software Association backs two postgrad qualifications

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:42:14 +0000

“Addressing what has long been considered an Achilles heel of the local technology sector, the Irish Software Association is has introduced two new postgraduate qualifications in software product management …” (more)

[Irish Times, 10 May]

Best apps for university administrators?

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:40:25 +0000

“This does presuppose that every university administrator is equipped with an iPad. Which is not necessarily the case. Anyway, if you are fortunate enough to be issued with an iPad in support of your administrative duties there are a number of key apps you will want to get hold of …” (more)

[Registrarism, 10 May]

Respect the REF!

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:38:38 +0000

“I am going to write in praise of the Research Excellence Framework (REF), the successor to the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), which currently determines the distribution of university research funding grants in the UK. I am going to argue that the RAE is good value and good at what it does …” (more)

[Russell Dean, 9 May]

Why telly-dons like David Starkey, Lucy Worsley and Bettany Hughes get top marks

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:36:25 +0000

“We were ‘doing’ the Tudors. My nice‑but-dull history tutor was giving me a reading list for the following week’s essay in the cosy confines of his Oxford rooms. ‘How about Antonia Fraser?’ I piped up …” (more)

[Peter Stanford, Daily Telegraph, 10 May]

Trinity Through A Lens

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:02:01 +0000

“To assist students with procrastination during the exam period we decided to run a photo competition. Here are their submissions. Personal favourite is the ‘Freshman Decline’.” (photos)

[Broadsheet.ie, 10 May]

Teacher agrees no new applications on gender bias

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:59:21 +0000

“A teacher has agreed before the High Court not to bring any new court applications over claims he was a victim of gender bias arising from being refused a place on a college course 10 years ago …” (more)

[Irish Times, 10 May]

TCD web project resurrects long-lost ghosts of Irish history

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:57:20 +0000

“The fruit of 40 years work by historians at Trinity College Dublin, a new website goes live today which will provide access to more than 20,000 historical documents which it was thought were lost forever when the Public Record Office was destroyed in the 1922 Four Courts bombardment …” (more)

[Irish Times, 10 May]
[The website is chancery.tcd.ie]

REF may push players towards open goal

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:53:37 +0000

“Open-access publications may receive favourable treatment in future research excellence frameworks, funders have suggested. The idea of using the REF to encourage moves to open access was mooted last week by David Willetts, the universities and science minister …” (more)

[Paul Jump, Times Higher Education, 10 May]

Higher Education Grants

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:51:31 +0000

“… We all witnessed the difficulties in the old system with delays and backlogs, particularly in recent years. All public representatives have received appeals at local level to sort out those problems. However, the reason I raise this matter today is that there is a fear among some parents and students that what was a backlog at local level will now be 66 times greater and cause a total bottleneck at national level …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann Topical Issue Debate, 9 May]

How science is getting its groove

steve — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:48:49 +0000

“In the eyes of scientists, dance has never been so chic. These days, the two disciplines are chatting about the perception of movement, bodily memory, or the cognitive processes underlying the creation of choreography and improvisation. And then there’s ‘Dance your PhD’ …” (more)

[Michael Seaver, Irish Times, 10 May]

Civil servants’ review blasts lack of ‘bigger vision’ at Dept of Education

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:57:25 +0000

“A review by senior civil servants at the Department of Education has blasted the Department for allegedly lacking a sense of ‘bigger vision,’ among other findings. The management assessment also found that the Department was ‘too deferential’ in dealings with major teacher unions and pressure groups, such as the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) …” (more)

[StudentNews.ie, 9 May]

Third Report of the Organisational Review Programme

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:31:04 +0000

“The Department of Education and Skills operates in a very challenging and complex environment, shaped in particular by profound economic, social, technological, cultural and demographic changes. Simultaneously, the Department has been undergoing some restructuring and devolution of functions; it has implemented a number of phases of decentralisation to Athlone and Tullamore over the years and has established and devolved functions to a number of agencies …” (more)

[Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, 9 May]

HE Policy blog: The five big trends shaping higher education

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:40:52 +0000

“Now and again it can be useful to lift your gaze from the latest news story, burning policy issue or regulatory change that is occupying your attention. If you set your focus to the widest possible angle, then you will start to see some of the bigger and longer-term changes to higher education take shape …” (more)

[Pearson Centre for Policy and Learning, 9 May]

Academics accused of undermining studies by racing to publish their works as popular histories

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:38:07 +0000

“Young historians are in danger of watering down their academic studies in the dash to convert their research into commercial books, according to the judge of a leading history writing prize …” (more)

[Richard Alleyne, Daily Telegraph, 9 May]

Is your university monitoring your social networks?

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:29:20 +0000

“Social networking not only leaves academics at the mercy of unfair comments but it’s also turning universities into Big Brother, says one academic anonymously …” (more)

[Guardian Professional, 9 May]

Beware the creeping cracks of bias

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:26:15 +0000

“… Yet closer examination showed that the trouble ran deeper. Science’s internal controls on bias were failing, and bias and error were trending in the same direction — towards the pervasive over-selection and over-reporting of false positive results …” (more)

[Daniel Sarewitz, Nature News & Comment, 9 May]

Study helps explain why we over-share on Facebook, Twitter

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:23:38 +0000

“… It’s all a matter of degrees of course (talking about yourself isn’t quite as pleasurable as sex for most of us), but the science makes it clear that our brain considers self-disclosure to be a rewarding experience. This may help explain recent surveys of Internet use that show that roughly 80% of posts to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook consist simply of announcements about one’s own immediate experience …” (more)

[Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 8 May]

Creator of ‘Anonymous’ Gossip Site Names Names

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:53:12 +0000

“Campus-gossip Web sites like JuicyCampus and CollegeACB used the lure of anonymity to entice students to post on them. The cloak gave students a virtual bathroom wall on which to write racy rumors and explicit insults about their peers without fear of being exposed …” (more)

[Nick DeSantis, Chronicle of Higher Education, 9 May]

The Inefficiency of Academic Ceremonies

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:44:21 +0000

“Graduation is around the corner and you know what that means — pull out the academic regalia and prepare for some pretty boring events. At USC we have three ceremonies …” (more)

[Bill Tierney, 21st Century Scholar, 9 May]

Review says Department of Education has ‘no sense of the bigger vision’

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:18:42 +0000

“The Department of Education is too focused on the management of short-term issues, and this has ‘crowded out the development of strategic, longer-term thinking’, according to a highly critical management review …” (more)

[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 8 May]

Dark days for Irish universities?

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:47:11 +0000

“Sir, – Tom Garvin’s passionate polemic on ‘the bleak future of the Irish university’ (Education Today, May 1st) is timely. There has been an astonishing and largely unchallenged transformation in the governance and ethos of most Irish universities in little more than a decade, and immense damage has already been done …” (more)

[Tom Dunne, Irish Times, 9 May]

The Open Access Price Wars Have Begun

steve — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:44:59 +0000

“News reached me today on Twitter that Peter Binfield, Publisher of PLoS ONE, is leaving PLoS to found a new company, Peerj.com. Peerj will be an open access publishing company with a radical new premise: publishing in a scholarly journal can cost a heck of a lot less than the extortionate fees charged by PLoS …” (more)

[Joseph Esposito, Scholarly Kitchen, 8 May]

Higher uptake in Erasmus places

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:34:56 +0000

“The uptake of Erasmus places by Irish third level students has increased by almost a fifth, new figures released by the European Commission have shown. Ireland had the fourth highest increase in out-bound students of more than 30 participating European countries last year …” (more)

[Genevieve Carbery, Irish Times, 8 May]

Universities hold students’ transcripts hostage over debt

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:32:57 +0000

“American universities – whose grads often owe six-figure debts that can’t be discharged in bankruptcy, and that can even be charged against their Social Security checks – are increasingly engaging in the (legal) tactic of refusing to provide transcripts to grad schools or employers as a means of extorting payment out of students who get behind …” (more)

[Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing, 8 May]

Economics professor in London: ‘They aren’t here to learn, they’re here to pass’

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:18:36 +0000

“Joris talks to an academic about the pressure on students, the social skills of quants and the problem with financial models …” (more)

[Joris Luyendijk, Guardian, 8 May]

Anti-fees protesters’ trials are putting policing in the dock

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:16:38 +0000

“Two more student protesters, brothers Christopher and Andrew Hilliard, have been acquitted of charges of violent disorder relating to the anti-fees demo of 9 December 2010. The unanimous verdicts, which the jury took only two hours to reach, came hot on the heels of similar not-guilty verdicts for three other defendants …” (more)

[Nadine El-Enany, Guardian, 8 May]

What We Talk About When We Talk About Academic Blogging

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:14:23 +0000

“Logistics and institutional issues: how do you find time for it, where (if anywhere) should it go on your c.v., and how should tenure and promotion committees evaluate it? At least, this is what the audience questions were almost exclusively about when I spoke about blogging at my faculty’s ‘research retreat’ on Friday …” (more)

[Rohan Maitzen, Novel Readings, 5 May]

NUI draft charter on human rights welcomed

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:05:21 +0000

“Amnesty International has welcomed the drawing up of a draft charter for human rights and code of conduct by the National University of Ireland (NUI) for Irish third-level institutions operating in countries with poor human rights records …” (more)

[Mary Fitzgerald, Irish Times, 8 May]

Chatterbox

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:01:51 +0000

“What’s the talk of education? The bleak future of the Irish university. ‘The managerial types running universities need to remember they are there to provide a service to the academic staff and students …’” (more)

[Irish Times, 8 May]

Academic years

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:59:09 +0000

“Back in 1978, I sat my final undergraduate examinations in Trinity College Dublin. In those days TCD had its exams in September, thus ruining everyone’s summer, and the last paper I tackled was on a Saturday towards the end of the month …” (more)

[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 8 May]

Time we relied on our own expertise

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:57:36 +0000

“Ireland was known the world over as the ‘island of saints and scholars’, and we traded on that reputation for many years. How often did teachers report receiving a new pupil from the UK or the US but, after a while, advise the parents that their child should drop back a class? …” (more)

[Seán Cottrell, Irish Times, 8 May]

Teacher’s pet

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:54:52 +0000

“The real scandal in Tipperary. The Tipperary school which refused admission to a pregnant 16 year old has drawn much criticism. Last week, Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn made headline news when he joined the chorus of criticism …” (more)

[Irish Times, 8 May]

Why Bahraini human rights matter in Dublin

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:52:02 +0000

“Controversy over the involvement of Ireland’s Royal College of Surgeons in Bahrain has prompted new guidelines on human rights for third-level colleges with operations abroad …” (more)

[Mary Fitzgerald, Irish Times, 8 May]

Willetts, research, open access – and wiki

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:50:06 +0000

“I find myself in a dilemma about David Willetts’s latest pronouncement about free access on-line to publicly funded research – not unlike my dilemma about podcasts, I guess. There is certainly something in what he says: the public purse funds pricey research which then ends up being published in journals that even the richest of UK universities can barely afford to buy …” (more)

[Mary Beard, A Don's Life, 7 May]

Education research exists, so why isn’t it used in policymaking?

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:48:06 +0000

“Earlier this year, the House of Lords published a long and detailed report on the outwardly rather dry topic of government chief scientific advisers. This 100-page report was based on almost 400 pages of evidence and made some important recommendations about how scientific evidence should be acted upon in public policymaking …” (more)

[Fiona Millar, Guardian, 7 May]

The Promise of Lower Costs and Quality Education

steve — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:46:16 +0000

“Competition is wonderful. A Stanford professor, Sebastian Thrun, starts his own online instructional company and gets a six-digit number of participants. No doubt worried about the implications of this, Stanford teams with Princeton, Michigan and Penn to offer free online courses …” (more)

[Richard Vedder, New York Times, 6 May]

Publish-or-Perish Culture Promotes Scientific Narcissism

steve — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:58:25 +0000

“The motto for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is simple, elegant, and symmetrical: ‘Advancing science. Serving society’. What I love about these four words is that they convey a dual role of the association …” (more)

[Phil Davis, The Scholarly Kitchen, 7 May]

Confrontation over Sydney cuts

steve — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:47:21 +0000

“Students protesting staff cuts at the University of Sydney squared off with police in a series of campus confrontations this afternoon and last night attempted to storm a meeting of its Senate …” (more)

[Stephen Matchett, The Australian, 7 May]

Stripping, vomiting, and drinking themselves unconscious: Cambridge students annual summer party

steve — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:45:18 +0000

“Families were disgusted to see more than 2000 drunken Cambridge University students stripping off, vomiting and drinking themselves unconscious at a riotous summer term party in a public park …” (more)

[Daily Telegraph, 7 May]

Dark days for Irish universities?

steve — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:02:25 +0000

“Sir, – I have known Dr Hugh Brady since before he became president of UCD. No university president from Ireland in my experience is more admired in America for their expansive vision and dedication to the highest standards than Dr Brady …” (more)

[Niall O'Dowd, Irish Times, 7 May]

Colleges paid top staff €8m without approval

steve — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:58:17 +0000

“New figures show universities paid almost €8 million in unauthorised allowances to senior academics over a six-year period. The allowances were paid between 2005 and 2011 without the approval of the Higher Education Authority (HEA). This is despite legislation that stipulates its approval must be sought …” (more)

[Carl O'Brien, Irish Times, 7 May]

Scholars challenge OUP’s standards

steve — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:55:06 +0000

“A group of leading scholars has presented a petition to Oxford University Press calling on the renowned publisher to uphold what it describes as ‘basic scholarly standards’. The petition arose out of a letter sent to Niko Pfund, president of OUP USA, about the book Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know, by Robert Paarlberg, professor of political science at Wellesley College, Massachusetts …” (more)

[Matthew Reisz, Times Higher Education, 7 May]

€16m sports academy for Tralee unveiled

steve — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:53:13 +0000

“Plans for a €16m international sports academy, which will be developed in two phases, were unveiled yesterday by the Institute of Technology in Tralee, Co Kerry. A total of 150 jobs will be created during the construction work, set to commence in 2013 …” (more)

[John O’Mahony, Irish Examiner, 7 May]

Can the Colleges Be Saved?

steve — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:51:32 +0000

“Many years ago I asked Otto Neugebauer, a pioneering historian of mathematics and astronomy in the ancient world, about his education in pre–World War I Austria. Neugebauer was known both for his comprehensive histories and for his editions and interpretations of very difficult texts …” (more)

[Anthony Grafton, New York Review of Books, 6 May]

Academic spousal accommodation in Europe

steve — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:49:36 +0000

“An American friend asked me recently whether Dutch universities have a practice of accommodating spouses when they offer an academic a job. Spousal accommodation could take many forms – either offering a job to the spouse, or making a serious effort in finding a job for the spouse, or supporting the spouse in his or her own job search …” (more)

[Ingrid Robeyns, Crooked Timber, 7 May]

Collini and Science

steve — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:47:37 +0000

“A couple of months ago published his book What are Universities for? to much interest. This book was reviewed in many places including here on OT by Erika Cule, although overall the reviews were pretty mixed …” (more)

[Athene Donald's Blog, 6 May]