February Research, Science and Knowledge

Read the articles selected in February 2017

European science organisations call on leaders to address Trump and global science

Source: http://eua.be/, 10 February

EUA with 40 European science organizations has published a letter to the major European authorities, expressing concern for the policies of the new US administration limiting the open change of ideas and people, censuring government scientists and legitimating views not based on facts and scientific evidence.

Big and open data are prompting a reform of scientific governance

Source: Times Higher Education, 21 February

The importance acquired in the last years by data collections has changed how research is conducted, organized and assessed, changing the established hierarchies of who produces and analyzes data and the idea of scientific excellence, that should be protected from the overriding of traditions and methods built up over centuries.

A computerized early warning system for students in academic trouble

by John Bohannon

Source: Science, 19 February

The Georgia State University has realized a computerized system that flags early signs of one student failure, so as to help him on time. The system has been able to increase significantly the graduation rates among students at risk or disadvantaged and the STEM graduates.

Mind the Gap: inequality in education

by Tracey Burns

Source: https://www.oecd.org/, 16 February

Equity in opportunities and quality of education is paramount for the economic growth and the inclusivity of our society. Ensuring to all the children the access to high-quality early childhood education, supporting with convenient resources the disadvantaged schools does not mean lowering the excellence threshold.

Calais “Jungle” camp refugees attend French university

Source: http://www.france24.com/ 2 February

80 refugees from former Calais camp have been selected after their demonstrated interest from 200 applicants to follow the intensive French programmes by the University of Lille, preliminary to the graduate courses offered by the institution hosting the migrants in the student housing.

Topping up the trust fund: restoring public confidence in science

Source: Times Higher Education, 9 February

It’s paramount to improve social trust in science and boost its relevance to voters and politicians. A good communication is not a dialogue between educated and ignorant people but enhances public participation, understanding, and engagement with science, made as a fundamental part of culture and society.

Key issues for digital transformation in the G20

Source: http://www.oecd.org/

This report about G20 economies performances illustrates how the digital transformation is reshaping economies and societies. Despite the rapid spread and uptake of digital technologies, G20 countries’ performances vary significantly with far-reaching effects on productivity, employment, and well-being.

Erasmus+ mid-term review: EUA’s recommendations for the 2020 programme

Source: http://www.eua.be

As a contribution to the European Commission’s public consultation that will be opened in March 2017, EUA has published a series of recommendations on how to improve Erasmus+ programme, decreasing the administrative burden, enhancing online processes and improving funding.

Pen and paper “beat computers for retaining knowledge”

by Ellie Bothwell

Source: Times Higher Education, 13 February

A survey of undergraduates and postgraduates in European and Asian countries found out that students in the digital era keep on using paper and pen when they have to learn and retain information. Most students work with a mix of paper and computers.

In the age of robots, schools are teaching children to be redundant

by George Monbiot

Source: The Guardian, 15 February

The current teaching methods used in the school are tailored for an industrial workforce that our age doesn’t still require. Order and discipline, a regime of standardization, testing and top-down control stifle children learning instinct. But an education out the factory and into the real world is possible.

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The World’s Most International Universities 2017

by Ellie Bothwell

Source: Times Higher Education, 1 February

This new ranking measuring the international outlook of universities after their proportion of international staff and internationally co-authored publications is led by two Swiss institutions and the universities of Hong Kong and Singapore. The UK has 13 institutions in the 150 and the US only one in the top 30.

Social inequalities in education are not set in stone

by Carlos González-Sancho

Source: https://www.oecd.org, 31 January

Contrary to the expectations, given the rising income inequalities in the last years, after a PISA report equity in education has improved across OECD countries thanks to targeted social policies ensuring also high educational standards.

Scientists urge boycott of U.S. meetings

di Kai Kupferschmidt

Fonte: Science, 3 Febbraio

More than 5000 researchers from around the world have announced to boycott U.S. scientific meetings as a protest against the immigration policies of the new Trump administration, that violates the statutes of the International Council for Science. They are worried about the progress of science.

Newly-updated EUA Refugees Welcome Map – one year of support for refugee students and researchers

Source: http://www.eua.be/, 6 February

EUA Refugees Welcome Map collects information about institutions from 31 countries supporting refugee students and researchers with a series of initiatives and actions that facilitate the access to education. Under these figures out the University of Tor Vergata with its institutional organization of “cultural and educational channels”.

Universities better than governments at achieving SDGs

by Munyaradzi Makoni

Source: University World News, 10 Febbraio

Universities with their knowledge and expertise play an essential role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, beyond the capabilities and the interests of governments. Investing in education is a key factor in the economic growth and in ending poverty.

International Day of women and girls in science 11 February

Source: http://www.un.org

“The world needs science and science needs women”. Unesco has launched the Manifesto “For Women in Science”, to promote the participation of women and girls in science, that still represents a minority. At the same time, women are in the first line in the fight against poverty and natural disasters, that science has to face.

European universities call for immediate rethinking of Trump’s executive order

Source: http://www.eua.be/, 30 January

EUA calls on President Trump and the new administration to recall or reformulate the executive order banning travelers from 7 Musulman countries to enter in the US and hindering the flow of talents and ideas, so crucial for research and culture.

Who are the winners and losers of the expansion of education over the past 50 years?

by Dirk Van Damme

Source: https://www.oecd.org, 27 January

An account of the secondary education attainment from 1965 until 2015 shows a uniform level of education reached in 2015 in the most OECD countries and the entangled interplay between education expansion and the social and political development of a country, that means to help those left behind.

The imperative of increasing access to university

by Graeme Atherton

Source: University World News, 27 January

Higher education is perceived as an exclusive privilege, and not as a force to address inequalities. That urges politics to widen the access to higher education, but, since politics is not reliable, the higher education leadership does have to take on the own responsibilities.

Young girls are less likely to believe their gender is brilliant as they age

by Emma Hiolski

Source: Science, 26 January

After a recent study young girls begin at the age of 6 to associate intelligence and smartness to the male gender, rather than to the female and are interested not so much in games that fit to really smart children, but that rather require perseverance.

Limiting PhDs creates the wrong kind of elite

byTom Cutterham

Source: Times Higher Education, 5 January

Despite the fact that there are more Ph.D. graduates than academic jobs, reducing the number of PhDs would make the market more competitive and less meritocratic. The solution is to expand and transform universities, cutting class sizes, reducing teaching loads and investing more in research and in lifelong learning.

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Pubblicato il : 19/12/2017
Modificato il : 04/04/2019

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In the age of robots, schools are teaching children to be redundant pdf

February Research, Science and Knowledge

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