Thinking about becoming an academic? A graduate student and aspiring academic reflects on a semester-long internship shadowing an assistant professor. Anyone contemplating an academic career will find this reflection of particular interest.
Stephen Harper’s minority government has been making much of its “innovation strategy” in recent months, especially in regard to how it plays out in post-secondary institutions.
Does the dearth of pedagogical training and awareness and too-heavy overburdened workloads contribute to culture of “antipedagogy” on campus?
Self-centeredness is the core of organizational politics in the university. The antidote for fear and loathing in the academy is a pedagogy of engagement, which means consideration for others.
Shortly after her visit to the University of Western Ontario, media outlets began to document the more controversial aspects of Ann Coulter.
Research into teaching and learning might confirm that some widely-used pedagogies are not effective. For some, it might seem better just not to go there.
Dr. Judith P. Robertson is a retired professor from the University of Ottawa who currently finds pleasure reading, writing and painting on the Southern shore of Newfoundland.
Are New Faculty At-Risk of “Letting Themselves Go” due to the Demands of their Profession?
When done properly, mentorship plays an important role in graduate student success. Mentoring relationships encourage the transfer of relevant knowledge, skills and, competencies that will allow graduate students to be successful during their studies and in their professional careers.
In business, writes McMaster University’s Marc Ouellette, the virtual enterprise reduces competition while increasing standardization, an outcome antithetical to academic excellence. But the model is upon us, and that has implications for faculty.
With a doctorate in genetics and plant breeding, I had been working in India as an assistant professor and a scientist in the discipline of genetics, plant breeding and plant biotechnology for several years. I had never aspired to be …
Brad Wuetherick, Director of Undergraduate Student Services in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences at the University of Alberta looks at how rethinking the teaching-research nexus might enhance both the student and faculty experience of higher education.
Universities most often respond to junior faculty members’ concerns about tenure and the tenure process with workshops offering tips and strategies for how to conduct their work lives optimally pre-tenure and how to prepare the best case for winning tenure. While these workshops are helpful, they assume a basic meritocratic structure, uniformity of objectivity, and fairness across departments, an assumption that is more myth than reality.
Just over a year ago, a debate emerged in Canada over the so-called “Big Five” proposal for Canadian universities. While it succeeded in grabbing headlines, I wouldn’t put my money on it ever seeing the light of day. At best, …
The Internet has made Open Access publication – the free distribution of scholarly work – a powerful possibility for scholars, administrators and publishers alike. Leslie Chan takes an in-depth look at the potential benefits, and looming challenges, facing this new approach to knowledge dissemination.