True Crime on Campus

True Crime on Campus The following reports were taken from campus police logs as reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education. OLD DOMINION U. May 21 Intimidation. ODU Student reported unknown persons left a note on the windshield of her vehicle, accusing her of sleeping with someone's boyfriend and threatening to make her life hell, while …

Some problems with academic standards and comparability

Some problems with academic standards and comparability HEPI has recently published an interesting brief report by Professor Roger Brown on the comparability of academic standards in higher education. Whilst there is a periodic and reasonably predictable media interest in university standards, similar to the annual panic over the alleged decline in A level standards every …

Pakistan’s politicians in fake university degree scandal

Fake university degree suggestions in Pakistan The Daily Telegraph has reported that Pakistan's Supreme Court has asked the Elections Commission to examine the degree certificates of almost all the country's 1,100 elected officials: The investigation has also reopened a question about whether President Asif Ali Zardari ever graduated, as he claims, from a London business …

Admission Officials’ Tweets – Students Not Interested

Another social media disconnect? According to a report in The Chronicle, Admission Officials' Tweets are not being noticed by prospective students: Colleges are ramping up efforts to connect with prospective students through Twitter—but students aren’t interested, a new study says. Evidence has shown that teenagers rely on college visits and Web sites to learn about …

How Much Do Branch Campuses Really Matter?

So, do branch campuses really matter? The Chronicle of Higher Education carries an interesting piece on branch campuses by Ben Wildavsky: What should we make of the news this week that Michigan State is closing its Dubai campus? In my view, not too much. If one satellite campus’s demise meant that others were bound to …

Three quarters of employers ‘require 2:1 degree’

BBC News reports on new gloom for graduate job seekers: Intense competition for graduate jobs means that more than three quarters of employers require at least a 2:1 degree grade, a survey suggests. The Association of Graduate Recruiters says there are more graduates chasing fewer jobs - with vacancies down by 7%. Applications have soared, …

What is an education hub?

And can anyone join in? According to a brief report in the Chronicle of Higher Education there are lots of them about: Two hundred and fifty locations in the world talk about being "education hubs," said Peter Upton, country director for the British Council in Hong Kong. Eight of those locales regard themselves as "world …

Detecting Plagiarism in Admissions Essays

Tackling plagiarism in admissions According to The Chronicle of Higher Education some colleges in the US are stepping up their efforts to detect plagiarism among applicants: About 25 universities and 20 application services are testing a plagiarism-detection service offered by iParadigms, the same company that provides Turnitin.com, a popular tool for catching plagiarism in academic …