Here is another pre-print article for your enjoyment. We hope to find a publisher soon, but if you would like to cite this unpublished version, please contact me. emperorsnewclothes_learninganalytics_nbDownload
Transitioning into higher education: Ditching the institutional focus on risk-analysis
Bahr, N. & Cook, P.J. (2020). This article has not yet been submitted for publishing. If you wish to cite it or comment please contact me. Abstract This paper reflects on the efficacy of approaches to learning support for commencing university students that rely on risk markers to identify those who might benefit from a... Continue Reading →
Are the best teachers smart?
A comment from a popular online blog: “Yes, they do have to be smart and most of my colleagues are smart. By which I mean: They are smart enough.” (Quora, 2017) Given that a good teacher can’t be dumb, how smart do they need to be to be good, and are smarts enough? The literature... Continue Reading →
Can you stall the progression of Parkinson’s Disease through Martial Arts? An insider’s view.
Dr Nan Bahr Abstract Maintenance of an active lifestyle and engagement in coordinated physical activities such as ballroom dance, bowling, yoga, and tai chi have been reported by others to temporarily and partially relieve or delay the progression of symptoms for those with Parkinson’s Disease. However, available reports only consider relatively low impact, uncomplicated, and... Continue Reading →
An ecosystem model for holistic student experience in higher education
Introduction In this paper, I reflect on the desperate need for a backbone, a framework, for attending to holistic student experience in higher education. This emerges from my observation that although various elements of a University community proudly proclaim that they attend to student experience, rarely do they connect beyond their specialist siloes. This results... Continue Reading →
Product vs process: toward effective assessment in higher education
Warning: this blog will be confronting for those who like setting exams or who believe examinations are an unavoidable necessity, I have come to the belief that examinations are an incredibly flawed approach to assessment. I can use my own experience as evidence. I call it the “cram and dump” approach to gaining a degree.... Continue Reading →
Pandemic pandemonium
Twenty two weeks have now passed since I have spent more than a few hours at farther than 5 minutes from home. Twenty two weeks, or 154 days, edging up to half a year. Rather than dwell on the potential mental health crisis that may be looming for me, in the style of Sue Townsend’s... Continue Reading →
How do the students deal with the shift from face to face to full online learning?
To be direct, generally not well. This is not because they are not familiar with online environments. Nor is it because they are necessarily uncomfortable with a sudden shift in mode for learning. It is because the quick turnaround has put the content presentation ahead of the design for learning. The speed of the shift... Continue Reading →
“Oh kids are mean, aren’t they?”
This phrase, "Oh kids are mean, aren't they?" is common enough, usually said by an adult in response to a story of some unkindness sprayed at one child from others. It is often followed up with a comment to diminish the significance of the meanness, something like “Kids always find some aspect to pick on,... Continue Reading →
“What does success look like?” The vital question for higher education
The elusive goal for every institution is to be the organisation of choice. That is, it is the organisation that students flock to, where graduands are hunted by employers, where research is world leading, where teaching is research led, and where people love to come to work. And then thrown in for good measure, the... Continue Reading →
Building quality in teacher education
1st International Conference on Innovation in Learning Instruction and Teacher Education, Hanoi National University of Education Here is a transcript of my opening address for this conference. 1st-international-conference-on-innovation-in-learning-instruction-and-teacher-educationDownload
PFHEA
I'm delighted to have been recognized as a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA). Thank you to all who have supported me, but most of all, thank you to my students! This has been an excellent process for reflection on personal teaching and learning values and the importance for always striving: ever better,