In my opinion

We’ve all heard about the “death of the humanities” – the decreasing enrolments and loss of full-time positions in these disciplines. What we tend to overlook is that, while there are certainly tenure-track jobs available in Canada, many tend to go to foreign-trained academics. However, until someone embarks on a much-needed and full-scale study on […]

Yves Gingras, in his recent opinion article, argues against the general validity of academic rankings. He writes that they do not tell the whole story and should not be taken seriously by “well-educated academics.” This begs at least one question: What exactly should be taken seriously as we assess or scrutinize universities and colleges for […]

Every year on August 15 exactly, many university presidents – particularly in Europe – get nervous. They know that the annual “Shanghai Ranking” – published since 2004 – is released on that day. Has their institution moved up or down on the list? Whatever the case may be, the communications department will prepare a press […]

I have the spent the days since the U.S. election wading through a complex series of emotions. I was numb, angry and confused. I didn’t understand and didn’t want to believe that the politics of fear and hatred had prevailed. Almost simultaneously however, I began to feel a new strength and resolve emerging, one that […]

President-elect Donald Trump – I never imagined I would be writing those words. I would think that most of Canada’s academics, aside from the odd misanthrope, share my concern at the prospect of such a dangerous and temperamentally unfit individual in the White House. Within hours of Mr. Trump’s surprise win, higher-education journalists in the […]

Do not despair: A letter to my students.

Every decade has its trend, and in the university sector “differentiation” seems to define the current one. It’s difficult to take issue with the basic idea: different institutions should focus on their different strengths. But, this notion has encouraged some implausible conclusions that warrant better scrutiny. One of them is the notion that research (and […]

The social science traditions in Canada are strong, but it might be time to consider new interdisciplinary approaches.

In our work as university advisors within the University of British Columbia’s enrolment services unit, we often feel as though we are coaching students through increasingly competitive requirements. The standards to get into university, make it through midterms, or apply to the program a student desires can seem unforgiving. Our students are making what seem […]

The ways that digital education is organized, enacted and designed is undergoing significant change.

A good education is not simply job training.

Savvy students understand that learning happens in multiple venues beyond the classroom.

For Professor Caroline Patsias at Université du Québec à Montréal, once a professor at Université de Sherbrooke. If you’re a university professor, chances are fairly good that you have initiated or participated in mobbing. Why? First, because mobbers are not sadists or sociopaths, but ordinary people; second, because universities are a type of organization that […]

The gold standard for assignments would engage the student in learning while also contributing to the social good.

We’re building a database of qualified women to help the media find them.

Many job postings in the field of education across the country do not require a minimum number of years working in schools.

As a student, I was pleased to be part of a school where we at least allegedly strived to serve each other and society.

At the back of every conference organizer’s mind lurks the fear that sometimes you build it and they don’t come. That did not turn out to be a problem at the Future of the PhD in the Humanities conference held at Carleton University in May. Students, faculty and administrators came in droves from across the […]

The push-back was strong when we sought to increase the diversity of teachers through a modified admissions policy in our education degree program.

Let’s save the hype for what helps families now: evidence-based social and community support.