In my opinion
National conference in October is a first step to making this a reality
This generous but ill-conceived program distorts the logic of graduate-school funding
It’s not enough to teach about teaching technologies – use them!
A new emphasis in science on the study of genetic variation is raising old issues of race
How to end your course in a way that students will remember
Canadian universities could benefit if they boost efforts to recruit international students, who want quality for fair cost
Boy, do I feel silly recalling how, in the autumn of 2000, I assured my students at York University that there wouldn’t be a strike. “We don’t have the guts to go out. We always have a positive strike vote then cave in at the eleventh hour and accept whatever York’s negotiators offer us. My […]
Universities’ heavy dependence on part-time faculty merits serious attention, but the union’s proposed solution would be unacceptable to every university in Canada
The director of communications at Lakehead University recently wrote, in this column, that it is time that academics realize that we live in a marketplace and thus have to “brand” our universities to sell our “products” to potential “buyers” – the students. She told us how, in much less time than expected, she transformed the […]
If the fate of university scholars is based on the old adage of “publish or perish,” then it’s a wonder that so many who haven’t published haven’t perished. Perhaps that exhortation applies mostly to assistant professors who run the risk of losing their full-time status if they don’t perform adequately in that arena (thank goodness […]
Professor uses plagiarism detection software to find troubles at the draft stage
Students expect more Internet access than ever, and universities need to involve everyone in deciding how to provide it
As a first-generation immigrant living in Toronto from the mid-1970s to 2002, I had never heard of Lakehead University. In fact, I first heard of Lakehead University when I applied for the position of director of communications in November 2002. Once hired, I was excited when my proposal to launch an institutional visual identity program […]
A writing studies professor offers a spirited reply to a rhetorical question from an associate dean of graduate studies
We all do, of course. But when it comes to teaching effective writing, we talk a better game than we play
We should provide whatever assistance we can to empower students, including recorded lectures
It’s that time of year again when students prepare to fill out their course evaluations. No matter how confident I’ve become with my teaching, the drill remains a source of consternation. Like death and taxes, the evaluation exercise is something instructors cannot avoid, certainly not at any university whose administrators believe in accountability. We’ve all […]
Science’s demand to scientists to cut the jargon was a shot heard around the world, and long overdue. Now let’s talk about story telling
Elementary and high schools spend so much time on the content-laden curriculum that students are unprepared for the analytic and conceptual thinking they’ll need at university
We have all heard calls from many quarters for meaningful and innovative reform of our postsecondary education system. Surviving in a global marketplace means ensuring young people have the education they need to compete. But have we forgotten the student loan system that is supposed to support our learning infrastructure in Canada? The Canada Student […]