67% of DEIS students want to go to college but lack confidence in ability to do so

Posted in Fees, access and admissions on August 19th, 2019 by steve

Ireland“Two-thirds of children from DEIS schools want to go to college, but many lack confidence in their ability do so, according to new research. A study carried out by academics involving secondary school students and parents also found that social factors were also an obstacle in some cases to moving into higher education – including a fear that they would not fit in …” (more)

[Noel Baker, BreakingNews.ie, 19 August]

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Hundreds of extreme self-citing scientists revealed in new database

Posted in Research on August 19th, 2019 by steve

International“Some highly cited academics seem to be heavy self-promoters – but researchers warn against policing self-citation. The world’s most-cited researchers, according to newly released data, are a curiously eclectic bunch …” (more)

[Richard Van Noorden and Dalmeet Singh Chawla, Nature, 19 August]

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More than half of students skip class to work so they can pay for rising rents

Posted in Life on August 19th, 2019 by steve

Ireland“More than 50% of students reported skipping lectures to work, as they struggle to pay soaring rents. Some 15% of students said they would cut down on food to afford living costs and 11% admitted avoiding medical check-ups to deal with the financial burden. The number of students missing lectures to earn money rose by 33 percentage points compared to the 22% figure in 2017, according to the Irish League of Credit Unions survey …” (more)

[Laura Lynott, Independent, 19 August]

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On Higher Education, a Government Under Scrutiny – And Still Without Ideas

Posted in Governance and administration on August 19th, 2019 by steve

Ireland“This week, Ireland’s education ministers found their way into the glare of the national headlines with an intensity not often seen in recent years. For a sector whose struggles have long been confined to the background of public debate, it was refreshing to see story after story on higher education making it to the front pages of Ireland’s newspapers …” (more)

[University Times, 18 August]

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Library services

Posted in Governance and administration on August 19th, 2019 by steve

Ireland“Sir, – Your guide to college life in Ireland (August 13th) details the realities of student life and includes ‘what’s hot’ and ‘what’s not’ for a number of university campuses. For DCU the author unfortunately notes in the latter category, that one would ‘have conquered Everest sooner’ than walk to the library. I can only deduce that he is referring to the O’Reilly Library on the Glasnevin campus …” (more)

[John McDonough, Irish Times, 19 August]

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Minister would ‘report college drug dealers to gardaí’

Posted in Governance and administration, Legal issues on August 19th, 2019 by steve

Ireland“Higher Education Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor has said she would report those dealing drugs in colleges to gardaí. She told the Sunday Independent there was a ‘laissez-faire attitude’ to drug dealing in colleges. “I’m not talking about smoking weed, for instance. I’m talking about MDMA, ecstasy …'” (more)

[Niamh Lynch, Independent, 19 August]

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