In this very polarized political environment, it is perhaps not surprising that much of the political rhetoric has crossed the line that distinguishes partisanship and prejudice, discourse and dogma, persuasive argument and demagoguery. It is also not all that surprising that much of the most superheated rhetoric is coming from the Far Right. Politics and…
Well, thank you. (Applause.) Oh, my goodness. Thank you so much. (Applause.) Oh, my goodness. It is such a — you all, rest yourselves. You’ve got a long day ahead. It is beyond a pleasure and an honor for me to be here with all of you today. Of course, I want to start by…
A Senate investigation has revealed that between 2009 and 2012, Apple avoided paying taxes on $44 billion in profits that it earned offshore. Where the corporation did pay taxes on its offshore earnings, it paid at a much reduced rate. Taking advantage of low corporate tax rates in Ireland, it made that country the base–at…
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, thank you so much. Everybody, please be seated. Thank you, Dr. Gee, for the wonderful introduction. I suspect the good President may have edited out some other words that were used to describe me. (Laughter.) I appreciate that. But I’m going to let Michelle know of all the good comments. To the Board…
Professor Kaye Adkins, author of this guest post, teaches at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri. In its May 15 edition, the Wall Street Journal published an interview with Daphne Koller a co-founder and co-chief executive of Coursera (“Coursera Defends MOOCs as Road to Learning,” Managing, p. B5). In the interview, Koller explains “where teachers…
The following item has appeared in Futility Closet [http://www.futilitycloset.com/2013/05/17/in-brief/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FutilityCloset+%28Futility+Closet%29] In 1962, botanist Reid Moran published an article in the journal Madroño recounting his collection of a bush rue on a mountaintop in Baja California. The paper’s title was “Cneoridium dumosum (Nuttall) Hooker f. Collected March 26, 1960, at an Elevation of About 1450 Meters on Cerro Quemazón, 15…
COLUMBUS, OHIO—Faculty and staff members from colleges and universities across the U.S. met in Ohio over the weekend to address the some of the toughest issues facing student success in America’s higher education system. The rapid drive to move students’ classes from campuses to online and the Gold Rush mentality behind many entrepreneurs pushing the…
In the recent blizzard of press over the cost of higher education, the impact of technology, and the continued relevancy of the curriculum, much of the ongoing effort by higher education institutions to improve their environment has been lost as other more polarizing stories pushed to the front of the queue. For much of their…
The New Yorker writer George Packer (who served in Peace Corps in Togo just a few years before I did–more on that in a minute) wrote a piece for The New York Times today. Entitled “Celebrating Inequality,” it blasts our new culture based around a new elite of celebrity and, of course, money. In it, Packer writes: This new…
Ericsson, Patricia Freitag & Haswell, Richard H. (Eds.). (2006). Machine Scoring of Student Essays: Truth and Consequences. Logan, UT: Utah State University Press.* A compilation of seventeen original essays by teachers of composition discussing the assessment methodology and educational impact of commercial computer-based essay-rating software such as the College Board’s WritePlacer Plus, ACT’s e-Write, ETS’s e-rater, Measurement, Inc.’s Project Essay…