EduLinks – Tuesday 16 October

Welcome to the new full-on EduLinks. Not content with being an afterthought, it’s now a main post on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Bear with me as I iron out any creases. I want it to look presentable and I’m not happy that it is right now. Honestly, the things that wind us up!

Media Guardian – Is Radio 1’s new schedule really down with the kids?

Guardian – Top universities awarding more top degrees

[Are we growing more original, or are degrees being taught on a different assessment basis now?]

Higher Education Achievement Report (Hear):

Guardian – Change by degree

BBC News – Degrees ‘should give more detail’

The Times – New degree awards to reveal graduates’ talent

[What’s your opinion on these likely changes to awarding degrees? I fear it’s missing the point of why your grade is now ‘not fit for purpose’. That’s not to say the proposed changes are a bad idea. I’m all for more information to break down grades and it might help highlight where a student has performed strongly (and subsequently focus better on particular careers). But when you consider the other Guardian article above (Top universities awarding more top degrees), I would worry that a more detailed breakdown of marks could result in more pressure on tutors to try teaching and assessing in a similar way to GCSE and A-Level schooling. When thinking about this, I stopped myself and thought I was perhaps overly concerned about the future of degrees, but my worry returned when I read the (quite true) quote from the vice-chancellor of Leicester University: “When the current system was established, there was a tiny higher education system. We’ve moved from an elite to a mass higher education system.”

Yes, there is now a much higher number of people going in to HE, but how does that create such a change? If many elite universities are giving increasing 2:1 and First grades as each year goes by, what does it actually highlight?

The article’s author concludes by suggesting how hard it is to change the higher education world. He isn’t contradicted by the sounds of things. Maybe it’s this difficulty causing the reason why the point has been missed.]

Sp!ked (Spiked Online) – Is it ethical to watch sport?

Guardian – Out of the comfort zone

[This feature looks at the use of space in determining creativity and work. Apparently, people are a lot more creative when their space isn’t defined as sitting behind a desk, or hiding at the back so nobody can see you. I’ve always been a big fan of opening things up like this. To immerse yourself in a strange and vivid place where you can’t help but be a part of what’s going on (hence being out of the comfort zone), it might feel strange at first, but it’s a great idea to move your creative process forward. I only wonder how it will develop over time when people become used to such spaces. Maybe studying for three years won’t be enough to take away from what the strange spaces aim to do. If it becomes the norm, however, where do you go from there?]

The Times – Libraries left on the shelf?

[Speaking of redefining spaces, I was interested to see that students are making less use, but better use of libraries. It’s great to read that of the fewer visits, they last much longer out of dedicated study and research. I’m not sure what to make of the rather obvious information that students use electronic resources more. I guess this means the Internet, primarily. That’s a positive thing if students are making good use of the net, but a LOT more work needs to be done in helping students find good quality information and pointing everyone in the right direction of just what they can access. It’s amazing how many resources are hidden away, unknown to many students, but which could be a real boon to their study. I have one or two article ideas that I’ll be expanding on over the next month or so that should help uncover some of the goodies available that I’m sure quite a large number of you weren’t even aware of.]

Ergonomics Society – Laptops: Ergonomic Advice for Students

[PDF (Adobe Acrobat) FILE – Got a laptop? If so, read this and then sort it out for your own benefit.]

Telegraph – Brushing up on your housework

[How to iron a shirt, what NOT to put in the fridge, how to descale a showerhead, how to wash trainers, cleaning a chopping board…you know you’re going to need this one day!]

Inc.com – The habits of highly successful bosses

[bear with me here…this short article has advice that’s relevant to many people, not just bosses. Use your imagination. It’s helpful on other levels too, given the broad nature of the advice.]

The First Post – Politicians Fiddle as Britain Burns

[Which ones are Labour and which ones are Conservative again!?]

New York Magazine – Snooze or Lose

[Getting less sleep? Your ability might be put back years…]

The New Republic – What the F*** (Why We Curse)

[WARNING…large amounts of swearing in this article. But it’s of interest and is a lengthy and serious article. If you don’t want to see lots of cursing, then don’t click! If you don’t want to read the article, but want to see lots of swearing, then grow up!]

FOR YOUR PARENTS (if they need it)

The Times – 1. The Joy of Letting Go / 2. Six tips: dealing with a child-free home

[These two articles may help if you’re busy enjoying yourself and your Mum’s not happy that you’ve left home for uni.]

The Independent – Gossip websites: Talk is cheap, but celebrity gossip can be priceless

[Links to the world’s biggest gossip websites, and info on buying them up. I’m not a fan of celeb gossip, but since so many people are, how could I overlook this article?]

Scientific American Mind – Forgetting to Remember

[Why we need to forget, no matter how annoying it can be.]

Ch-Ch-Changes!

It’s been a great start to UniversityBlog and I’ve been so pleased with how quickly it has got off the ground. Thanks to everyone who has been reading. I hope it’s been of great use to you.

I am about to start work at a university quite near to me, which I’m obviously really happy about. In turn, I’ve looked over the stats, info, figures, facts and feedback on UniversityBlog to make some changes that should make sense to the way things have been working over this (admittedly) short period of time.

My current aim is to give the EduLinks posts more pride of place, rather than have them play second fiddle all the time. From now on they will be featured twice a week, on a Tuesday and a Thursday. I aim to spend a little more time giving my thoughts and opinions on the links (if I really can add anything!). Also, I hope to develop the EduLinks to something that we can love even more. They appear popular, as the links get regular clicks and I’ve been thanked for highlighting certain sites in the past. So here’s to the future!

In terms of feature article posts, I am going to add those on the Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It might provide a bit more focus for both the articles and the EduLinks that way. Also, as a result of getting a job in HE, these changes will benefit me too.

Of course, I’ll have to see how the changes affect the balance. Time will tell. And you can tell me too! If you have any suggestions or comments, please do make them! Feedback is much appreciated.

Watch out for the bumper EduLinks tomorrow!

7 Ideas for Adding Fruit and Veg to Your Student Lifestyle

Healthy eating is not exactly the biggest of priorities for a number of you at university. It certainly wasn’t for me. I took most of my nutrients from about six different daily vitamin/mineral/magic ingredient pills. I rattled a lot.

Later on during my degree, I realised there were a couple of my mates who probably ate more fruit and veg than my other uni mates put together! And when I went to visit my girlfriend, she loved making me some of the healthiest meals imaginable. I won’t lie…I wasn’t good enough to make any changes until approaching the very end of my degree. But I wish I’d started sooner. So to help you before it’s too late, here are some pretty simple changes you can make to start getting more fruit and veg in your diet. Don’t be a wally like I was. Love your body and your body will love you back:

Carrots (photo by BSaul)

1. Yoghurt – Don’t eat yoghurt from the carton. Instead, pour it into a bowl and cut up some fruit with it. You won’t need to think about the fruit quite so much that way. This won’t work if you don’t like yoghurt ‘with bits in’. If you don’t like yoghurt ‘with bits in’, you’re just wrong.

2. Add loose salad leaves to a ready meal – Don’t be content with an instant meal on its own. Just buy a bag of peppery rocket, some spinach, or lettuce leaves to go with the food. You don’t need to add a salad dressing or go to any elaborate lengths. Just chuck ’em on your plate and tuck in to a little added veggie goodness with your microwave meal…sorted!

3. Make a veggie stir-fry – For the little more adventurous, buy some stir-fry veg at the supermarket and whack it in the wok! If you’ve not got a wok and your housemates don’t have one (or won’t let you use their one), plonk it in a pan. Either way, give a quick stir-fry a go. They are very quick to make and taste very good with a sauce and a dash of soy sauce. Loadsaveg!

4. Pudding – Grab some tinned fruit or fruit salad and treat yourself after your meal. Hey, it’ll go toward your 5-a-day.

5. You’re bananas – Eat a banana if your energy is low in the afternoon. If it works as a boost for tennis players…

6. Think SIDE – Whatever the meal you make, consider some extra bits to accompany your food on the side. A few slices of cucumber, a tomato, half a tin of (hot OR cold) sweetcorn. It all helps.

7. Don’t go straight for the Jaffa Cakes! (even if you go for them afterwards…) – If you want a sweet bite, try and eat an apple, or an orange. Carry one with you if you’re out and it won’t get in the way. If you’re still in the mood for something a bit more naughty, do it then. At least you’ll have had some fruit at the same time and contributed to your 5 (OR MORE!) a day.

Turning Smalltalk into Bigtalk: 7 Ways to find things to talk about

Talk Bubble (photo by spekulator)

It’s not always easy speaking to other people when they aren’t your closest friends. In fact, working out what to say can feel so difficult to some people that they steer clear from meeting new people. What if the conversation dries up after the initial ‘hello’?

There are lots of ways to find the words to say. And after a bit of chat, you probably won’t need to think about it any more. You’ll have either decided to end the conversation of your own accord, or you’ll be so deep in chat that you’ll have forgotten you ever did have a problem finding something to speak about!

Here are 7 pointers to give you a few more words to choose from when moving a conversation forward. They are aimed at initiating discussions with people and for talking to those you don’t know very well. But they should work just as well for all conversation in general:

Teen Talk (photo by melodi2)

1. Read – I really do mean READ. Don’t stay in your comfort zone and browse the two specialist magazines that you love. If you want to carry an awesome arsenal of smalltalk, read the news, check out the music press, immerse yourself in art, politics, entertainment, gossip, education, technology, food, local information, anything you have the time to devour. The more you take in, the more you can comment on and the more you can open up the conversation.

2. Write – Just as important as reading. Write down anything clever, provocative, funny, interestingly open-ended…anything that you might be able to use in a conversation. Whether it’s something you’ve overheard, something you suddenly thought during a lecture, a joke on TV, a true story that happened to you in the day. Whatever it is, get it written down so you don’t forget it. Then make use of it when chatting. This is where it’s always good to have a pen and small pad about your person, though it’s not always practical.

3. Bad is good – Just because you hate something, why should that stop you talking about it? People on chat shows like to talk about many things they dislike, while some stand-up comedians make a living talking about what annoys them. Make the most of the things you don’t like, just as much as you like talking about the things you love.

4. It’s all about listening – To have things to talk about, you need to develop an ear for what people have to say. If you don’t take in other people’s stories, how are you going to have things to talk about? Another person’s story could well become yours if it’s a corker. I suppose it’s like a high culture version of gossip! Just remember not to repeat a story told in secrecy and don’t use somebody else’s story as if it were your own. You’ll only end up telling the story to a person who knows where the proper story originates and it’s never pleasant to get in that kind of situation. If you’re told a funny story, relay it as a funny story you’ve heard. It shouldn’t lose any appeal just because you’re not telling the story in first person.

5. Learn new things / Do something different – Your experiences open up the opportunities to talk about all sorts. If you tried hang-gliding and it didn’t work out for you, you can talk about your experience. If you went on some crazy hike in the middle of nowhere and ended up lost, you can make light of it now. If you don’t already have experiences like this to hand, then get out there and make some experiences happen. Then you can tell people fresh from doing those things just how it went and get the talk going nice and quickly. And it doesn’t need to be anything fancy either. Even if you just go to a new place or listen to a type of music you’re not used to, it all helps to make smalltalk.

6. Don’t take your life for granted – An activity that has become second nature to you might be the magical answer to another person’s life. You never know. Therefore, it shouldn’t harm to bring up a topic that you find very normal. It may be far from the ordinary for someone else, or it might be an easy source of discussion between you and the person you’re talking to, so either way you can succeed.

7. Keep it clean – If you are finding topics of conversation with people you don’t know, it’s best to leave the smut and bad language out of the conversation until later. Even better, get rid of it altogether. However, if you find yourself in company that’s all for the coarse choice of words and stories, feel free to fit in with that if you’re happy with it yourself. Use your common sense to make your decisions on whatever situation you find. Don’t force the decisions to be made the other way around. For once, letting the other side make the first choice can help keep you very much in control of the situation.

Koliba_Girlz (photo by pjpjpj)