Filter & Sort
Massive Open Online Courses: How “The Social” Alters the Relationship Between Learners and Facilitators
We're getting close to the tail end of the 36-week-long experiment called #change11, or “the mother of all MOOCs.”
Pure Parental Exhaustion
Late Spring is always difficult. It’s the end of the academic year, so that brings with it the Revenge of the Rubber Chicken Circuit -- a cascading series of evening events calculated specifically to defeat family time. Each event is worthwhile in its own right, of course, but the sheer number of them becomes wearing.
Pros and Cons of "Why Nations Fail"
I read Why Nations Fail this month while traveling in South Korea. The book was much on my mind as I looked across the DMZ at North Korea on the 38th parallel. South Korea, a country of about 50 million people, enjoys a per capital PPP (purchasing power parity) GDP of around $32,000.
Interviewing Skills for Qualitative Research
When doing research, sometimes it is easy to forget about the actual research project as you jump through all the hoops to get your IRB approved, find your subjects, honing in on your questions, etc. For those of us doing more qualitative work, there can be another huge layer of work involved interviewing subjects will be a part of your study. I wanted to look closely at some other factors that can help prepare interviewers beyond the simple adage of "don't ask close ended questions!"
Application Advice
Hester Blum read 740 essays in a year from people seeking positions or grants. She explains how some people impress, and how seemingly small slips doom others' chances.
Politics First on Student Loans
Keeping the interest rate low may be good election-year politics, but it's dubious policy that will further balloon student debt and could lead to even higher tuitions, writes Arthur M. Hauptman.
Class Dismissed
Half of new bachelor’s degree grads are either unemployed or underemployed, according to the Associated Press. The market isn’t ready to absorb them.
New providers in UK higher education
Government policies from the late 1990s have stimulated competition between existing universities in England and lowered the barriers to entry for new providers. This process has been accelerated under the coalition government which took office in 2010 — its 2011 White Paper sets out a number of measures intended, apparently, to encourage greater private sector involvement in English higher education – for example, by making it easier to gain a university title, and to remove legal impediments to private companies buying existing universities.