Author Archives: Robert Basil

More on rigour

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Robert Basil

Over at the Teaching and Learning Commons, my colleague Jennifer Hardwick places the concept of rigour in the context of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) : The Oxford English Dictionary defines “rigour” as “the fact of being careful and paying great … Continue reading →

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Heroines Revisited

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Robert Basil

I saw the first photographs from Lincoln Clarkes’ monumental series “Heroines” the day after his initial exhibition closed. That was the day I met Lincoln as well. The curator at Vancouver’s Helen Pitt Gallery hadn’t taken the show down yet, … Continue reading →

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Retraction Watch

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Robert Basil

A student recently alerted me to this splendid website and resource. It’s endlessly useful and interesting – a gift to researchers of all stripes, including students, teachers, scientists, and journalists. Some praise: “The seamier side of academia, lying, cheating and … Continue reading →

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Pedagogy

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Robert Basil

Rigour seems to mean two different practices: The thoroughgoing-ness of the curriculum (here rigour is expected of the professor in terms preparation *and delivery*) and the exactingness of assessment (where the onus is on the student, at the mercy of … Continue reading →

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Bryan Garner

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Robert Basil

I’ve put Bryan Garner’s website on our list of essential resources. Garner is a stratospherically erudite lexicographer, writer, and lawyer – and teacher.

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The Melville School of Business

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Robert Basil

My academic neighbourhood at Kwantlen Polytechnic University has a new name, after philanthropists George and Sylvia Melville gifted $8 million to the school. I am so pleased, particularly with the initiatives this gift will fund. George Melville, cofounder of Boston … Continue reading →

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Smart luck

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Robert Basil

Teena Seelig, a professor in management science and engineering at Stanford, has been studying “luck” for two decades, according to Diana Aguilera’s article in Stanford Magazine. The professor provides some superb, lucid recommendations. My favourite: Show Appreciation. “When someone does … Continue reading →

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Gratitude

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Robert Basil

I have been enjoying getting to know the work of translator/poet/essayist Michael Hoffman. Without an active sense of mischief, he says, translators can easily become bitter people. “Nobody sees what you are doing, and the minute you do something, people … Continue reading →

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Pacing yourself

Posted on July 24, 2021 by Robert Basil

Even before my senescence began blooming, I enjoyed reading obituaries. The well-written ones are edifying distillations of character and action; their omissions are bolder than doomsday. James McMeel cofounded the Universal Press Syndicate, which distributed Garry Trudeau’s “Doonesbury” and the … Continue reading →

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