Topic: Academics

How Can Professors Inspire Students to Want to Learn?

Jun 23, 2021 · · Comments Off on How Can Professors Inspire Students to Want to Learn?

COVID-19 has revolutionized how we think about online college teaching. Until last spring, two perspectives predominated. One argued that massively enrolled online classes presented by impressive teachers or prestigious universities would increase efficiency while preserving quality. The other worried about the quality of online classes, and that the gap between those able to afford in-person … Continue reading “How Can Professors Inspire Students to Want to Learn?”

When Universities Don’t Step Up, Good Professors Are Forced to Step Down

Jun 18, 2021 · · Comments Off on When Universities Don’t Step Up, Good Professors Are Forced to Step Down

With “cancel culture” running rampant on social media, in politics, and in the classroom, professors who put forth the effort to help students think critically and challenge their beliefs are needed more than ever. Over the last 15 years at Central Michigan University, journalism professor Timothy Boudreau championed those practices in his classroom, to the … Continue reading “When Universities Don’t Step Up, Good Professors Are Forced to Step Down”

Did You Know? Some Professors Are Slow to Grade

Jun 17, 2021 · · Comments Off on Did You Know? Some Professors Are Slow to Grade

Students across the country report that they are being left in the dark about their grades. Even when students turn in their assignments on time, as required, some professors take weeks, or sometimes even months to return that same grade. For example, a recent pre-med graduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill … Continue reading “Did You Know? Some Professors Are Slow to Grade”

We Need to Teach About the Socialist Alternative…and Its Failure

Jun 16, 2021 · · Comments Off on We Need to Teach About the Socialist Alternative…and Its Failure

Karl Marx is a common fixture on college course syllabi. From English to sociology to philosophy, the German socialist’s writings are explained, analyzed, and dissected. I find myself, a teacher of modern social theory, often explaining the nuances of Marxist concepts like “commodity fetishism” and “species being” to students. But there is one thing you … Continue reading “We Need to Teach About the Socialist Alternative…and Its Failure”

Stith: “The Best Community College System in the Country”

Jun 14, 2021 · · Comments Off on Stith: “The Best Community College System in the Country”

In the past year, the North Carolina Community College system said goodbye to one president and gained another. After former president Peter Hans took up his new role as the head of the University of North Carolina system, the community college system began its search for a new leader.  In December 2020, Thomas Stith was … Continue reading “Stith: “The Best Community College System in the Country””

The Backlash to Critical Race Theory Is on The Way

Jun 11, 2021 · · Comments Off on The Backlash to Critical Race Theory Is on The Way

Michelle Goldberg complains in the pages of The New York Times about how it is the left wing that is currently a victim of cancel culture—thanks to the right, which is trying to destroy “critical race theory.” Sounding alarm at the global counter-movement, she writes that Critical race theory, the intellectual tradition undergirding concepts like white privilege … Continue reading “The Backlash to Critical Race Theory Is on The Way”

Did You Know? The Role of Feeder Schools in Elite Higher Ed

Jun 10, 2021 · · Comments Off on Did You Know? The Role of Feeder Schools in Elite Higher Ed

Boarding schools and charter schools have been “feeder schools” to the Ivy Leagues for decades. Feeder schools are high schools where many or most students go to higher education institutions, often the most prestigious schools like the Ivy League. Many parents believe that they should send their children to elite private schools to guarantee their … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Role of Feeder Schools in Elite Higher Ed”

The Rot of the Prestigious Colleges

Jun 9, 2021 · · Comments Off on The Rot of the Prestigious Colleges

Parents will go to all sorts of lengths to give their children a leg up. In Guilty Admissions: The Bribes, Favors, and Phonies Behind the College Cheating Scandal, journalist Nicole LaPorte digs into how and why parents decided to work with the “college counselor” Rick Singer. LaPorte describes Singer’s strategies to place students in highly … Continue reading “The Rot of the Prestigious Colleges”

Diversity Training Comes to NC State University

Jun 7, 2021 · · Comments Off on Diversity Training Comes to NC State University

North Carolina State University students need to be taught about how to be “inclusive,” according to the school’s chancellor and top administrators. Last June, NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson released a statement decrying individual and systemic racism and revealed the university’s plan to roll out mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion training for students, faculty, and … Continue reading “Diversity Training Comes to NC State University”

Did You Know? The UK Wants Free Speech on Campus

Jun 3, 2021 · · Comments Off on Did You Know? The UK Wants Free Speech on Campus

In a new law that will change the direction of higher education in the United Kingdom, the British government is drafting the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which might require universities to defend free speech and freedom of expression. The British political system lacks the First Amendment protections for free speech like the American … Continue reading “Did You Know? The UK Wants Free Speech on Campus”