Arts-based research project will help young Syrian women articulate the challenges they face – and the supports they’ve found
Jasmine Nathoo considered herself fortunate as she joined high-school classes after moving from Kenya to Canada as a teen. She already spoke English and came from an academically strong program. Yet it was still a challenge. “I had to repeat some courses which weren’t recognized. I was having to advocate for myself in the school…
Instead of pursuing the unattainable ideal of academic equality, we should focus on redefining our idea of educational success
Canadians have an unhealthy obsession with statistical parity. In 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced his 50-50 cabinet, prioritizing gender over merit in the name of equality. And last summer, Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced the end of academic streaming to combat “systemic racism.” Streaming refers to grouping students based on performance. Beginning in…
Study of female varsity athletes suggests they look after their mental health before, during and after the sports season
Women varsity athletes who flourish during the season invest heavily in their mental health in the off-season, according to a University of Alberta study aimed at creating tools to help athletes maintain a healthy mental outlook as they navigate the ebbs and flows of a school year. “Athletes do struggle with mental illness and we don’t really…
University administrators and student unions are tearing down something more important than statues. These self-appointed censors are dismantling the dialectic method bequeathed to us by Socrates and generations of scholars, triggering a brain drain away from academia. Neither arcane nor novel, the rigorous, timeless methodology at stake means examining, discussing, and arguing opposing ideas to…
This obsession with identity can do nothing good for a society that values equality of treatment of all its people
On my desk is a commemorative plate honouring the 1966 Grey Cup champions, the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It includes the pictures of Canadian Football League legend Ronnie Lancaster and his teammates. A quick scan of these portraits reveals something odd: just three of the players are black. If one looks at the rosters of other CFL…
By Paz Gomez Research associate Frontier Centre for Public Policy The finances of universities in Canada – which ranks among the world’s top five nations as a study destination – are in a tailspin due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, new student visas were almost half of what they were in 2019. Canada’s higher education…
Be skeptical when claims indiscriminately vilify an entire community of scholars and workers
The University of Calgary has admitted to being a systemically racist institution against Blacks, Indigenous people and other people of colour. The revelation by its executive team has hardly received any attention. The shocking admission was made on June 24, which coincidentally is when John Cabot landed in Newfoundland in 1497. Only three weeks earlier,…
U of A education researcher offers advice on how post-secondary schools and students can foster a sense of belonging and improve learning
For any first-year student, university classes can seem scary. Add in a learning disability and it’s easy to be overwhelmed. Just ask Lauren Goegan. Now a post-doctoral researcher in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Education, she vividly recalls one of the first lectures she attended as a new undergraduate with dyslexia. The class was delivered…
There simply is no ethical justification for colleges calling athletes back to campus while telling other students to stay home
A group of U.S. college football players (#WeAreUnited) have presented a set of demands to Pac-12 athletic conference administrators. The demands vary from COVID-19-based health and safety concerns to economic and racial justice issues. Big Ten football players, through a group called College Athlete Unity, followed with a similar list of demands. It’s clear to…
The ability to fail, to think critically and to learn from one’s mistakes aren’t generally taught in school
A wise person recently told me, “People don’t care what type of degree I have. They care what mistakes I have made and what I learned from them.” There’s typically a correlation between rising unemployment and increased enrolment in colleges and universities. But this year, due to the move towards closed campuses and increased online…
Jasmine Nathoo considered herself fortunate as she joined high-school classes after moving from Kenya to Canada as a teen. She already spoke English and came from an academically strong program. Yet it was still a challenge. “I had to repeat some courses which weren’t recognized. I was having to advocate for myself in the school…
