Nothing to Fear!

The above image, taken at the British Library, says it all with regard to why we should seek to know more about the world around us.

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Vice Chancellor’s Awards 2010-11

Nominations for this year’s Vice Chancellor’s Awards at the University of Hertfordshire open Monday 10 January. The Vice-Chancellor’s Awards annually recognise staff at the University who do exemplary work. Students can nominate staff in one of two categories; ‘Tutor of the Year’ and/or ‘Outstanding Service in Support of Student’. Staff at the university, as well as those [...]

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Comtemplation

Following on from my previous post, which cited an interview with Noam Chomsky, it is also worth noting his comments on how the rise of internet has altered the quality of public debate. Chomsky commented that the internet ‘is basically positive but it has its downsides. If something comes to mind, people just put it [...]

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Towards more effective study

In a recent interview with Nigel Farndale, of the Telegraph newspaper, Noam Chomsky was asked about stories of undergraduates at British Universities having to be taught grammar in their first year of study. Noam Chomsky replied ‘Yes, there is that. It is probably down to the texting culture. The use of textonyms and so on. But it [...]

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Is the easy option always the best option?

In a recent edition of the Times Higher Education there is an article entitled ‘Students swear by module of obscenely hard work’. In the article, Professor Martin promises his students that if  ‘they work obscenely hard then he will work obscenely hard, too’.  While one might want to avoid elements of ‘public humiliation’, I found [...]

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National Student Survey 2010

January saw the launch of the National Student Survey (NSS) 2010 at most universities and colleges across the UK. Entering its sixth year, the NSS is a census of students in the final year of a course leading to undergraduate credits or qualifications across the UK. It is your opportunity to give your opinions on [...]

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Exams!

It is 0930! I have just returned from checking that my final year undergrads exam in environmental policy and management is all OK. I hope they all do really well, they deserve to. It has been a privilege to teach them. They have been so motivated and engaging throughout the course. When you get such [...]

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Little Gems

Some further pearls of wisdom for you from the great Randy Pausch and his book entitled ‘The Last Lecture’. Always ‘ have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome’ For me this means that you should always come prepared and ready to discuss your subject. Not only do you appear [...]

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Because I care…

I am currently reading the book ‘The Last Lecture’ by Professor Randy Pausch, and was struck by the following : ‘”When you’re screwing up and noboby says anything to you anymore, that means they’ve given up on you.” [...] you may not want to hear it, but your critics are often the ones telling you [...]

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