Filter & Sort
Mothering at Mid-Career: Not Complaining
Academics are some of the best complainers I know. In my field of English, I explain our penchant for complaining by saying that we are, after all, critics — and we can always find something to criticize. But it may be an occupational hazard for all academics — we spend an awful lot of our time, after all, grading, reviewing, and measuring, and things are bound to fall short more often than not. So we complain.
The English Fee Policies: Short- and Long-Term Consequences
Much has been said about the (potential) impact of recent higher education policies of the English government, particularly regarding the effects of the increased fees on student access and participation and on the higher education institutions’ budgets. Now closer to the date—from September 2012—it is worthwhile to take stock.
Something to ‘Noodle’ Over
These days, you can use a search engine like Google to find pretty much anything - from a local spa to information about Vienna. Noodle is attempting to allow users to find a wide range of learning opportunities.
Growing Your Own?
Where will the next generation of deans come from? It’s an increasingly urgent question, since the current crop is largely aging out of the profession. And in many settings, there’s no heir apparent at the ready.
The Grand Bargain
My friend Joe Storch, who works as an attorney at the SUNY System Office, calls an idea that has been...
Design in FYC?
If we begin to ask students to write in different forms using electronic mediums and digital tools, do we also need to teach them about design?
"Who Gives a Tweet?" Who is to Decide?
Recently, there’s been considerable interest in how academics can evaluate the impact of social media outputs. A recent article, titled “Who Gives A Tweet? Evaluating Microblog Content Value” [PDF] and signed by Paul André, Michael S. Bernstein and Kurt Luther, shares the results of a study which involved the creation of an online tool, titled “Who Gives ATweet?” (WGAT).
Pets in Grad School
When I started graduate school, I lived with a girl who owned a sweet-natured and protective black lab who bonded well with me. When my first roommate graduated, I happily accepted a new roommate who owned a miniature pomeranian and a Persian cat. Unfortunately, this did not work out quite as well as the previous living situation, as the pom took to relieving himself in my bedroom while I was at class, and the Persian exhibited a depression so severe that she sat unmoving on a chair for days at a time. These situations underscored some of the advantages and disadvantages to owning pets in graduate school.