Academe Today

Government

DeVos Keeps Higher Ed — and Reporters — at Arm’s Length

The education secretary’s aversion to national media, and her communication style, have created a knowledge gap for college leaders seeking to understand her philosophy on higher ed.

Faculty

Getting Faculty Members to Embrace Student Data

Pierce College has improved graduation rates by breaking down student success, course by course.

Administration

Can a 20-Minute Test Tell Employers What a College Degree Cannot?

Some companies and education groups think so. A spate of attempts to assess job readiness offers a new challenge to the value of higher education.

The Ticker

Instructors, Did You Ever Cheat When You Were a Student?

There’s a good chance that, as professors, you’re now in a position to make or enforce rules about plagiarism and other forms of cheating. Has your past experience informed your teaching strategy?

Your Daily Briefing

The Daily Briefing, an email that tells individual subscribers everything they need to know about higher ed, turned one year old this week. Here’s a sample.

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Commentary

What’s So Bad About Ken Burns?

There’s one big reason that academic historians turn up their noses at his popular documentaries: sour grapes.

Advice

Rethinking the Scientific Career

A career in science should be a long and winding adventure, not an uphill slog.

Lingua Franca

The Rise of the Restrictive Comma

Ben Yagoda explains why we need one in “the Major League home-run champion, Giancarlo Stanton,” and notes a peculiarity in their usage today.