Dr Flavius Akerele III's The E Team Education blog

I have been working with international students at higher education institutions now for several years. Having an international background myself, it is always interesting and fun to see the new crop of students learn to navigate their way through everything and ultimately add some much needed diversity to a school. Some of the students come for the education and with immediate plans to go back to their country and apply what they have learned, some come with no idea and just want a new adventure, and some come with the dream of never leaving. It is the last category that often tends to be the most vulnerable to certain scams and fraud. While this fra ud comes in many forms, the one I will focus on is the “we have a job for you” fraud. International students are limited to what kind of jobs they can do while here since school is supposed to be the priority. Part-time on campus jobs are the usual, but paid internships and jobs that sponsor their visas are allowed under certain...

The first article I am sharing might sound familiar to some of you because it is not a new scam: “New Scam Targets Scholars” “A new scam is tricking academics into thinking their research has been accepted for publication in a scholarly journal, the American Historical Association warned on Tuesday . Scholars will initially receive an email with "grammatical errors and unprofessional language" with an offer to publish a conference paper, and after submitting one, the scammer will ask the author to pay a "service charge" of several hundred dollars to review, edit and print the piece. The scam is targeting scholars in a "variety of disciplines," the AHA noted”. Read here: http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/10/30/new-scam-targets-scholars I would wager if you survey newly minted PhDs and EdDs, you will find they have seen shameful fraud before and perhaps have fallen victim to it. This next one article is interesting because it talks...

In this day of electronic information transfer and social media, it is more important than ever to pay attention to things like the following article: “Who Are You, Really?” “Employment-related screening tools were the focus of conversation last week in the human-resources class I teach. As I expected, there were plenty of questions about how employers use Internet searches to make decisions about applicant suitability and a fair amount of outrage about how completely unfair employers are when it comes to using digital content to make hiring decisions”. “While employers may deny they are using Google and other tools to evaluate your employment suitability, trust me, they are. In fact, they are typing your name into search engines early and often. Given that, it is up to you to be savvy about how to make a positive impression and reveal your true persona”. “When it comes to determining who you really are, hiring authorities want to answer five key questions:” Read the rest ...

Anyone who has had to fill out a FAFSA form understands the feeling of dread, anxiety, frustration, and all the other things that go with filling out that long form. When I read this article today, I was a little shocked and hoped it was not true because students have enough to worry about as it is. “Using FAFSA Against Students” “Some colleges are denying admission and perhaps reducing financial aid to students based on a single, non-financial, non-academic question that students submit to the federal government on their applications for student aid”. “Millions of high school students and their parents probably have no idea this happens after they fill out the ubiquitous Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form, known as the FAFSA, is used by nearly every American who needs help paying for college”. “It turns out students’ pleas for help are now being systematically used against them by some colleges”. Read the whole thing here: http://www.insidehighered.com/n...

“There Have Been a Lot of Shootings This Year. Children Seem to Have Noticed” “A new survey by the children's magazine Highlights digs into the hopes, dreams, and psychology of America's children, and suggests that they're picking up on stories of violence nationwide”. “Here was a particularly interesting one: "If you could make one new law for our country, what would it be?"” “Given this wide range of latitude, children called for laws to eliminate homework and strengthen universal education, among many others. But when kids' thoughts turned to safety, something jumped out to report analysts: Children don't focus on bullying--they focus on violence. Six percent of children thought their should be weapons laws, but only two percent mentioned bullying”. Read the whole thing here: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2013/10/children_have_noticed_gun_violence.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2   Children always have interesting things to s...

“Some Good News About Public Schools” “When I hear someone complain about the public school system, I feel like a parent listening to a rant by a 15-year-old. They tell me that I am terrible at my job and that I don't listen. In angry frustration, they tell me that I don't understand the problems, and that I care about the wrong things and should be doing more”. “As a parent and as a teacher, I sit and listen, trying not to provoke. These rebukes are not news, and they are not right, but they do offend”. “I don't really understand the psychology that makes teachers and parents the scapegoats for so many problems, but in both cases I know the truth: We stand and face the challenges daily. We have become the faces associated with the struggle”. “I am not a perfect parent; far from it. But my kids are happy and successful. I see evidence of their growth constantly, even when they are blind to it”. “The public education system is also far from perfect. But our kids...

There is not much that needs to be said about this because it speaks for itself:   “American University of London sells study-free MBA”   “A so-called university sold an MBA degree for thousands of pounds with no academic work required, a BBC Newsnight investigation has revealed”.   “The American University of London (AUOL) awarded a fictitious person created by the programme a Master's in Business in exchange for a £4,500 fee”.   “AUOL has insisted it is "not a bogus university" and defended the robustness of the qualifications it offers”.   “Newsnight has found hundreds of senior executives listing AUOL qualifications”.   Read the rest: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24618786   Another version of the article:   “How the BBC Helped a Dog Earn an MBA”   “The BBC decided to investigate the M.B.A. program offered by American University of London, and so enrolled a dog named Pete, giving him the fake name P...

From time to time, I need to remind everyone about the ongoing issue of sexual assault on college campuses, and more importantly the culture that allows it to thrive. Changing a culture is not easy, and it cannot be done without absolute buy in from the top all the way down. Administration often talks the talk, but does not walk the walk when it comes to tackling this issue. Many institutions are still showing the warning signs that this problem does and will persist. “Amherst Warns Students About Advances From Alumni” “In preparation for homecoming weekend, Amherst College sent resident counselors an advisory e-mail that included a warning to watch out for alumni. “Keep an eye out for unwanted sexual advances,” the e-mail said, according to Newsweek . “A lot of alums come back for Homecoming pretty jaded with the bar scene and blind dating of the real world and are eager to take advantage of what they now perceive to be an ‘easy’ hook-up scene back at Amherst. Also, many alum...

Do you remember a time before texting, Facebook, and twitter? Do you remember payphones and pagers? It seems like simpler times, and I say simpler not perfect. Technology has made life convenient; technology has a definite place in our world. However, in terms of the classroom, when does technology become too disruptive? At the K12 level, there are rules in place that teachers can enforce (although those get broken regularly), at the college level it becomes harder, especially if you are teaching non-traditional students. As educators, we certainly do set expectations about how we would like things to go in class; it is in the syllabus, we talk with students, and remind them regularly. There however, seems to be a growing crop of students who feel that the rules do not apply to them, and that “they are paying your salary therefore…”. “Texting in Class” “If you are leading a class and imagine that students seem more distracted than ever by their digital devices, it's not ...

Sometimes it is good to just end the week on a positive note, no matter what is glaring at you. I enjoyed this article, so it is time to share! “Teachers, Don't Forget Joy” “As another school year moves into high gear, I would like to offer a few thoughts”. “Not long ago, the room where classmates and I met for our 50th high school reunion buzzed with all the conversations you'd expect: children, grandchildren, retirement, travels, and where we lived. But there was also another equally important conversation—about our teachers and why we remembered them. "She told me I was a writer," one former classmate said. "I loved math because of him." "I wish he'd only lived a little longer; I had so hoped to tell him of the impact he had on my life." "I became a teacher because of her." I wondered as I listened and shared similar musings what my former students might say about me when they think of our time together. Would joy come to ...

If you have ever had to manage a budget in education, you know that there is never enough money to do the job you were initially (things always are added) hired to do without overstressing yourself, and there are never enough staff members to accomplish the task quickly and efficiently. The reward for getting the job done is more work and a smaller budget. Your average frontline employee in most universities are underpaid (I did not say poverty, just underpaid), but they accept that because there are benefits and perks with working in higher education, not to mention you are helping people. When I hear of situations like the article I am about to share, I shake my head in disgust because this is not the kind of behavior we expect to see in education. I have previously blogged about this individual as well so this is no surprise.   “Dobelle Placed on Leave” “Five-time college president Evan Dobelle's job hangs in the balance after he was placed on paid leave early thi...

The latest on the countdown to doom for City College San Francisco is that they are trying to put a leader in who will lead them to the promised land. “New Chancellor for Embattled City College of San Francisco” “City College of San Francisco, fighting for its life amid an accreditor's call to shut it down, will announced today the hiring of an experienced administrator and antiterrorism expert as its first permanent chancellor in 18 months, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The hiring of Arthur Q. Tyler, former president of Sacramento City College and a former state-appointed trustee at another California community college, Compton College, comes at a time when the 80,000-student San Francisco institution is reporting to a special trustee as it challenges a decision by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges to strip its accreditation, citing significant financial and management problems”. “Today's announcement of a new chancellor is another ...

For many of us in education, whether you are K12 or Higher Education, our chosen career path is often described as a “calling”. To me personally, that means that we love what we do, and that is great, but it does not mean we want to do it all for free (studies show that “70% job satisfaction” is considered very good, and I have yet to hear of the ‘perfect job’). It was a recent article I just read got me thinking about today’s topic not so much because the editor in question was rude to the scholar (people are often rude to educators), but because the editor seemed outraged that the scholar wanted to get paid for doing some work.   “An employee known only as Ofek recruited Danielle Lee, a postdoctoral fellow at Oklahoma State University, and author of a blog called "The Urban Scientist" to write for Biology-Online. When she turned him down, after being told that Biology-Online did not intend to pay her, Ofek responded: "Because we don't pay for blog entries...

I have been lucky to have experiences with both for-profits and non-profits, both as an administrator and student. While there might be some slight differences, the one thing that unites them all is that they want to keep their students and recruit more students. I have been saying for years now that there should be more collaboration between for-profits and the traditional sector because they both have different strengths that could complement the respective weaknesses. However, higher education being what it is, it it will be a while before that chasm is significantly crossed and the various institutions are truly talking about helping students together. That being said, and article I was reading this morning bothered me a great deal because it seems like an unfair double standard. “Differentiation vs. Discrimination” “The Obama administration is toughening its regulation of for-profit colleges in numerous straightforward ways, most notably and publicly by taking another s...

We know military TA is on hold; so the question is what are schools doing to make sure their military students are not being punished for something beyond their country? “Military Tuition On Hold” “The U.S. military’s decision to stop paying financial aid for active-duty service members during the shutdown is jeopardizing their academic progress and forcing some to withdraw from classes, according to officials at colleges with large military populations”. Read the rest: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/11/suspension-military-education-benefits-forces-some-students-drop-out   Schools, I hope you are working with your students to make sure they are able to finish their education. Now that would be some student service! Dr Flavius A B Akerele III The ETeam

Every so often, this subject reappears, usually around the beginning of the new school year: students whining about grades. Sometimes it seems it has become more about the letter grade rather than what it should be, and that is the learning. Student 1: “I am an A student, I always get As” Student 2: “I worked so hard I deserved an A” Student 3: “You suck as a teacher because I failed” Student 4: “You are the only teacher I know who does not accept late work” I could go on… Answer 1: “There is a first time for everything” Answer 2: “Working hard is important, and I hope you gained some knowledge from your hard work. However, it does not guarantee an A” Answer 3: “Perhaps if you had shown up to class and handed in some assignments…” Answer 4: “Late work is accepted up to 48 hours after the assignment is due. You are trying hand in your work 8 weeks after it was due and I have been reminding you for a long time now” Every professor I know has stories like this, an...

"The Cost of Prison Reform"   "In today’s Academic Minute, Rice University's Richard Boylan explains the connection between prison reform and a reduction in social aid programs. Boylan is a professor of economics at Rice. Find out more about him here . A transcript of this podcast can be found here ". Read here: http://www.insidehighered.com/audio/2013/10/09/cost-prison-reform#ixzz2hFGBrQ00 Inside Higher Ed Dr Flavius A B Akerele III The ETeam

“National University Becomes Latest to Sponsor a Bowl Game” “First the University of Phoenix paid millions of dollars to plaster its name on the stadium where the National Football League's Arizona Cardinals play their games. Then Bridgepoint Education, a fast-growing for-profit education company, sponsored the Holiday Bowl college football game in San Diego, where its corporate headquarters are located. But with Bridgepoint's primary institution, Ashford University, facing significant scrutiny from Congress and challenges (now mostly resolved) in retaining its accreditation , the company opted to let its sponsorship expire this year”. “Now another university -- a nonprofit one -- is stepping in. National University, a professionally focused institution that is part of a growing system of similar colleges , will become the title sponsor of the Holiday Bowl this year, the Union-Tribune of San Diego reported. National does not have any sports teams itself”. Read here: ...

Here is a little history lesson about some of our current entitlement programs: social security and Medicare. Fears about Social Security and Medicare are surprisingly similar to the ones critics have raised about the Affordable Care Act today. “The Social Security Act, which in 1935 introduced old-age insurance, unemployment insurance and other social welfare programs, faced critics who worried it would threaten democracy itself”. http://www.nbcnews.com/business/obamacare-fight-vs-birth-social-security-which-was-uglier-4B11241122 "Isn’t this socialism?” one senator, Thomas Pryor Gore, asked. A major critic of Medicare was Ronald Reagan. In 1961, the future president recorded a speech in which painted a dark picture of a time in which doctors would be told by the government which patients they could see, and where. He used the term socialism quite strongly. Listen to the speech here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bejdhs3jGyw Like it or hate, “the Affordable Health...

In today’s news… “The Department of Defense has suspended a program that provides members of the military with money to attend college because of the federal government shutdown. Branches of the armed forces will not authorize tuition assistance for new classes during a government shutdown, a Pentagon official wrote in a blog post this week”. “In addition to rejecting new requests for the benefits, the Army said in a statement that it could not process some existing requests that were received before the shutdown began on October 1”. “The Department of Veterans Affairs, meanwhile, said it is continuing to process veterans’ education benefits, but that could stop if the shutdown drags on longer than several weeks. The agency has already closed its education call center because of the shutdown”.  Read here: http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/10/04/government-shutdown-stalls-military-education-benefits Imagine this: ‘good morning even though you have the mone...