Corporate Engagement » education

Podcasts may be better than lectures: US study

Trevor Cook — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:00:46 +0000

From ars technica: “Listening to podcasted versions of university lectures seems to be better for students than simply going to class, according to new research by State University of New York (SUNY) Fredonia psychologist Dani McKinney. Her study, titled “iTunes University and the classroom: Can podcasts replace Professors?” suggests that students who download the podcast version of a class tend to achieve better academic performance than those who don’t, though it’s more about what the students do when they download the podcast than the existence of the podcast itself”

Why stop at bus passes, make the rich pay for public education

Trevor Cook — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:47:13 +0000

Well, I’m being devil’s advocate to some extent but don’t the arguments being made against free school travel also apply to school education?

In a system that is starved of funds especially in lower socio-economic areas, wouldn’t it be fairer to impose a modest fee on well-off parents who send their kids to places like Mosman High and re-direct that money to places that need it a lot more?

If the era of free bus travel to school is coming to an end in NSW then perhaps the era when the well-off can get a free education for their kids should also come to an end? Just seems logical to me.

At last some sense on student unionism

Trevor Cook — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:44:30 +0000

One of the silliest, and stupidly destructive, decisions of the Howard Government was the introduction of ‘voluntary student unionism’. This was an ideological battle left over from the 1970s that had remained an obsession with people like Tony Abbott, Peter Costello and Eric Abetz.

All that happened was that services provided on campuses around the country declined and, absurdly. universities were prevented from charging a services fee by the Government. It is fascinating how interventionist, and heavy-handed, the Liberal party can be when it suits them.

So it is good to see the new government introducing a new services charge:

The Federal Opposition says the Government’s new plan for student services fees at universities could be used to channel money to student unions.

From July next year, universities will be able to charge students up to $250 a year to run services such as health, childcare and counselling.

The new fees will replace money lost when the previous federal government introduced voluntary student unionism three years ago.

Federal Youth Minister Kate Ellis says there will be no role for student organisations or unions in providing the services.

Of course, education spokesperson Christopher Pyne is whining about it but he’s a silvertail lightweight and another ideological crusader who has yet to make any substantive policy contribution in any portfolio.