Quote: Stephen Downes on the value of open courses
Stephen Downes, widely recognized as one of the original inventors of the "MOOC" concept, on why courses should be open: "MOOC - The Resurgence of Community in Online Learning". Why make our courses...
View ArticleBig data, little data
Jacquelyn Gill is a paleoecologist who writes at her blog, The Contemplative Mammoth. Today she ponders a paradox: at the same time that pollen data are more and more in demand for meta-analyses,...
View ArticleHistory dissertations under wraps
Via a reader, this article in the New York Times about the American Historical Association's vote to recommend that newly-minted PhDs be allowed to hide their dissertations away: "Historians Seek a...
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Marapo Stones and Bones project
I was on the road when this announcement came out, but now that I'm back to regular blogging I want to share it more broadly: Marapo Stones & BonesThe Marapo Stones & Bones Casting Project – a...
View ArticleTextbook troubles
A link from a reader: "'Required reading': As textbook prices soar, students try to cope".The College Board found that the average student at a four-year public college spends $1,200 on “books and...
View Article"Open access spam" and how journals sell scientific reputation
John Bohannon is a reporter for science magazine, who has been engaged in an investigative report for the last year about "open access" journals: "Who's afraid of peer review?". Bohannon's project was...
View ArticleTime to trash anonymous peer review?
This week's Science magazine is organized on the theme of science communication. In addition to the John Bohannon "sting" operation I discussed in the last post ("'Open access spam' and how journals...
View ArticleRising Star: In the hot seat
My first Rising Star Expedition update has been posted on the expedition blog: "In the hot seat". I’ve had an extraordinary number of new fossils pass through my hands in the last four days. But here’s...
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Rising Star: What we know and don't know
Today's blog post on the Rising Star Expedition blog provides an FAQ about the expedition's results so far: "What We Know and Don’t Know So Far". I tackle questions about the dating of the site, the...
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