Noam Chomsky once said, “Nobody is going to pour truth into your brain. It's something you have to find out for yourself.” As I reflect on some of the turmoil in higher education—and society in general—it occurs to me that Chomsky’s counsel is falling on deaf ears.  Increasingly, the public is relying on the media as a proxy for direct access to information and the truth. This has resulted in the epidemic of misinformation and disinformation that is infecting and influencing the higher education ecosystem.  In this episode I’ll assess the necessity of maintaining skepticism and critical thinking as we consume information filtered through the media and poured into our brains.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

A recent study by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association outlines trends in the relative contributions made by states, the federal government, and students to the cost of higher education. The study also makes several policy recommendations that might ease the burden on students. That sounds promising, except that the recommendations all involve increasing state and federal allocations. Since funds for these allocations come from tax dollars, the real recommendations involve robbing Peter to pay Paul. In this episode I’ll take a look at the smoke and mirrors involved in determining the allocation of costs. I’ll then go way off the rails and suggest how a rational budget process for the higher education sector could enable it to become sustainable and integrated into the fabric of the American economy.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

There is considerable speculation about what a new administration in Washington will mean for higher education in America, and in particular for the Department of Education. It is likely that issues like DEI, rising costs, campus unrest, and federal policy missteps could lead to increased scrutiny of the education sector and possible policy changes.  But would this be a bad thing? In this episode I’ll assess the chances of a second Trump administration making substantial changes to a department that has weathered persistent attacks since its creation some 45 years ago.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

There’s a lot of conflict in higher ed these days. Students battle with institutions. Faculty battle with students. Everybody battles with state and federal government. But there is relatively little compromise or resolution. And that is because the fine art of negotiation has been abandoned. Combatants in higher education, as well as in broader society, have rejected compromise in favor of chaotic, winner-take-all skirmishes that lose sight of the end game, in case there is one. Without an effort to achieve collaborative negotiation on the part of all parties, the war cannot be won because there is no war, just disjointed battles. Tune in and I’ll explain.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Research and teaching have always been considered fundamental elements of the higher education faculty experience. Graduate curricula regularly include courses in research methods and strategies, and degree completion is usually based in large part upon students’ ability to demonstrate proficiency in research. Once in the faculty ranks, research will be a major component in determining overall achievement in the higher ed community. But what about teaching? Although faculty are assessed on pedagogical acumen, graduate education places relatively little emphasis on teaching preparation.  In this episode I’ll ask why this is and what can be done about it.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Amid the current turmoil in higher education, there are those who remind us about and lament the demise of the good old days.  In this episode I’ll look at two hallmarks of the higher ed ecosystem that are fading into the forgotten annals of history—the graduate student experience and tenure. I’ll look at both of these milestones in the higher ed process and how they are part of the redefinition of the higher education experience. More to the point, I’ll assess what these changes portend for the future of higher education.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

Sometimes we miss the forest for the trees.  And we tend to forget that the forest changes as new trees are planted and grow. By the same token, sometimes we miss the big picture of higher education by not connecting the dots that reveal the whole ecosystem. And sometimes we rely on old dots that give us an outdated and inaccurate account of what the sector looks like. In this episode I’ll consider an array of dots, both old and new, that need to be connected to give us an accurate picture of where higher ed stands today.  

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network

Higher ed is very concerned, if not obsessed, with the effects of Artificial Intelligence on the education experience.  Worries abound about how it will reshape the student-faculty interface. Will it make it easier for students to cheat?  Will it usurp faculty roles? A recent article asked “Will AI Make Things Better or Worse?” But couching the question in these terms makes it seem like AI is a living, active force. It is not. AI is transactional. It does not act on its own. Humans are transformational. They take action to impact their own destiny.  AI is a tool that only “does” what humans program it to do. Humans are not the victims of AI, they are its master.  In this episode I’ll look at recent research that describes how a proactive approach to AI in higher education can show AI to be a valuable tool—and little more.

 EdUp Insights is part of the EdUp Experience network

A recent study revisits the now decades-old struggle of higher education to keep up with the march of technology.  This analysis updates the print vs. digital resources debate, with predictable conclusions. In this episode I’ll discuss what progress is being made or impeded, where faculty stand on the issue, and why the current state of affairs is both heartening and disappointing.

EdUp Insights is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network

Higher education has traditionally sought to homogenize the student experience, from intake to outcomes.  The assumption is that students should be uniformly prepared to achieve a uniform set of outcomes in order to be prepared for a post education world experience.  The problem with this is that students are diverse coming in, and the real world on the other side of education is also diverse. This often leads to a complex, frustrating experience that is tied to enforcing artificial norms and leveling cultural deficiencies.  In this episode I’ll discuss how simplifying the education experience without homogenization celebrates how cultural diversity contributes to the workforce and society. 

EdUp Insights is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network