Could Distributed Peer Review Better Decide Grant Funding?
The landscape of academic grant funding is notoriously competitive and plagued by lengthy, bureaucratic processes, exacerbated by difficulties in finding willing reviewers. Distributed […]
How Germany Managed to Abolish University Tuition Fees
If Germany has done it, why can’t we? That’s the question being asked by many students around the world in countries that charge tuition fees to university. Barbara Kehm explains how Germany reached this point, and whether it’s likely to stay there.
What Should Universities Make of Online Brand Awareness?
Awareness and prestige of universities is increasingly being driven by their exposure on online platforms. But what does that really mean? Fernando Rosell-Aguilar explores that question.
The Scottish Referendum: Social Science and National Identity
As the independence vote moves from all-consuming question to historical incident, what are the lessons that Scottish universities and in particular Scottish social scientists should take away?
The Perverse Results of Performance Funding for Universities
Given the rise of policies that try to link state appropriations for public universities to the student outcomes for those institutions, the natural question must be: do these funding policies correlate with higher student achievement? The answers may surprise …
Even in a MOOC, Students Want to Belong
Even in the austere and potentially lonely world of of the online course, students respond best when they feel they’re part of the family, new research finds.
Putting Quality Into Qualitative Research
The authors of an award-winning textbook on qualitative research discuss their love of the method — and their respect for choosing the right method for the task at hand.
How Do You (Successfully) Gamify a Course?
Some people say college is already a game — but a poorly designed one. Political scientist Mika LaVaque-Manty is bringing game logic into his introductory courses, a winning effort that was honored at this year’s APSA annual conference.
The Slippery Slope: Dumbing Down into Secondary Schools
Although this piece first posted at The Conversation was not intended as a response to Daniel Nehring’s request for opinions about effect of ranking-mania on academic labor, Alister Scott’s observations on the current state of British higher education do shine a light on one facet of the larger issues involved.
