The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest higher education news from around the world, on 8 April 2013.
Canada: Wikipedia editors object to University of Toronto assignment
An assignment set by a psychology professor at the University of Toronto has led to criticism from Wikipedia’s editorial community, reports Macleans On Campus. Steve Joordens set his class of 1,900 students a voluntary assignment to add content to the psychology pages of the open online encyclopedia. Wikipedia’s community of editors, however, took issue with this, stating that articles were being updated with inaccurate information, and questioning the validity of information being added by contributors who could not yet claim to be expert in the field. Joordens defended his students’ contributions, pointing out that only 33 out of the 910 edited articles were flagged as potentially problematic. The question of whether openness or accuracy on a website used by nearly 500 million people every month but with an editorial community that numbers only in thousands has been brought to the fore by the debate.
India: Eight universities rated deficient in 2009 now deemed to be good enough
An assessment of 126 Indian universities in 2009 by a government committee found that only 38 were fit to be called universities (group A), while 44 suffered from some deficiencies (group B), and another 44 were completely unfit (group C). The institutions that did not pass muster took the issue to the country’s Supreme Court, where it is still being considered. However, a reassessment to check on the progress made since the initial review has found that eight group B universities have improved to the extent where they have been moved up to group A. The assessment, reports The Times of India, was based on factors such as the number of teaching staff with PhDs, university governance, and research output – a key indicator for university rankings, and one in which marked improvements have reportedly been made.
Global: Regular testing helps students retain information taught online, finds study
Researchers at Harvard University have found that being regularly tested from an early stage helps students who are studying online to concentrate and learn, reports The Harvard Crimson. The research was conducted by the university’s psychology department in response to a lack of information of the challenges posed by online learning. It was found that, if an online lecture was broken into segments of five minutes, each followed by a short test, students daydreamed less and learned more. During an unbroken lecture, at any given time, up to 40% admitted they were not paying attention. With MOOCs bringing online courses to the fore, and online learning being touted as a way to reduce high university costs, issues like this are likely to concern many researchers in coming years.
US: Virginia institution to allow students to carry loaded, concealed guns into classroom
A change in policy at US institution Liberty University will allow students, staff and visitors who have a concealed gun permit to bring loaded weapons onto campus and into the classroom, reports The Huffington Post. The policy is eye-catching, as concealed gun permits are relatively easy to acquire in the state of Virginia, in which the university is based. Students are not permitted to bring guns into university accommodation, and the loosened controls do not apply to anyone facing disciplinary action. Liberty University, with a total student body of 74,000, is the largest religion-affiliated school in the US. Though guns are allowed, its students are not allowed to dance, watch R-rated movies or listen to ‘un-Godly music’.
US: Stanford course allows students to study own genetic code
A new course offered by Stanford University’s School of Medicine will allow students to study their own genetic code if they so choose, reports The Stanford Daily. This analysis will allow them to find out if they are susceptible to certain diseases, and also to find out things they may not have previously known about their ancestry. Before the course was launched, a committee made up of scientists and philosophers met to discuss the ethical implication of this, eventually concluding that the benefits of knowledge acquisition outweighed the cost of stress.