Aging Faculty

Jasper McChesney and Jacqueline Bichsel provide statistics on the greying professorial population at U.S. universities.

-DD

Toward Economic Recovery

Goldie Blumenstyk writes about how the current recession harms the prospects of new graduates, especially first generation minority students. She calls for efforts to help the economically challenged succeed, as a groundswell of economic success by the poor will bring economic growth to those at all income levels.

-DD

Drive-In Churches

Andrew Chow writes about the current movement to drive-in churches to limit coronavirus exposure. And Daniel Silliman provides a history of the drive-in church movement, starting in 1955 with Robert Schuller's drive-in church, the Crystal Cathedral.

-DD

Alumni Help New Graduates Find Work

Melissa Ezarik writes about an initiative at Beloit College.

-DD

Cloth Masks Hinder Viral Spread

Linda Carroll explains research showing that cloth masks can hinder the spread of Coronavirus.

-DD

The Art of "No"

Robin Bernstein offers strategies for declining commitments . These include:

• Suggest another qualified person who may see this as an opportunity
• Don't explain your reason
• Do explain your reason.

Bernstein suggests it is important to have internal guidelines regarding when to accept invitations. Having a personal policy for accepting or refusing commitments prevents agonizing when asked for a decision.

-DD

Professorial Parenting

Jessica Early and Trisalyn Nelson provide tips for professors with young children . They recommend a couple keep expectations conservative, that they should strive for efficiency, and integrate work and family activities where possible.

-DD

Conditions for Cheap Air Fare

Barbara Paterson lists what needs to happen for airline ticket prices to be inexpensive . She anticipates that airlines will tend to reduce the size of their fleets and raise ticket prices. But if the glut of unused planes is sold within the United States, they might be purchased by discount carriers such as Breeze, creating a resurgence in the discount market.

-DD

Lessons from the Pandemic

Mary Hinton describes lessons education leaders received from the coronavirus pandemic.

The gift of a renewed focus on community
The gift of clarity on what matters
The gift of strategic surrender
The gift of listening
The gift of imperfection.

-DD

Collateralized Loan Obligations

Frank Partnoy calls attention to a threat to the financial system caused by risky investments spawned by a desire to maximize profits.

-DD

Inclusion and Protests

Johnathan Flowers promotes retaining courses on race and gender despite the current academic revenue declines. Flowers predicts if efforts at inclusion falter, there will be student protests.

-DD

Bible Study Software

Kevin Purcell reviews five software packages to help an individual study the Bible . For a less critical list of Bible software packages which is not Windows-centered, check this link.

-DD

Standout Virtual Events

Keith Johnston suggests that marketing a virtual event requires these conditions be met:

• Select the right "venue."
• Engage your audience before the event.
• Poll your audience, speakers and sponsors for topics receiving enthusiastic interest.
• Help speakers engage attendees.
• Create compelling learning outcomes.
• Develop a format that benefits attendees.
• Avoid one-size-fits all delivery.
• Make it a never-ending event.

I think the final point (that content should be posted for those unable to attend) is valuable for research results. On the other hand, I think that commercial event content should have an expiration date, if for no other reason that services and price-points change rapidly. Leaving stale commercial data posted is asking for customer disapointment.

-DD

Android Calendar Apps

J.R. Raphael recommends the best Android calendar apps.

-DD

The Post-COVID Economy

Steve LeVine peers into the future of the world economy , and foresees more unemployment due to both the disruption of small employers and the automation of large employers.

-DD

Deceased Debtors

Sarah O'Brien tells how unpaid debts are handled when the debtor is deceased .

-DD

Gaming History

Matthew Guida explains how "Reacting to the Past" educational games made an American History course come alive for students. History teacher Pamela Walker and librarian Martha Attridge Bufton worked together to develop added content for Greenwich Village 1913.

-DD

Videoconferencing With Microsoft Teams

Howard Wen provides guidance for videoconferencing using Microsoft Teams .

-DD

Discovering the Common Good

Christopher Beem muses that the coronavirus is teaching us the value of the common good.

-DD

Conspiracy Theories

John Cook, Sander van der Linden, Stephan Lewandowsky and Ullrich Ecker have researched and classified what draws individuals to conspiracy theories. These include:

1. Contradictory beliefs
2. Overriding suspicion
3. Nefarious intent
4. Conviction something’s wrong
5. Persecuted victim
6. Immunity to evidence
7. Reinterpreting randomness

-DD

Interstellar Matter

J. Xavier Prochaska and Jean-Pierre Macquart found evidence of interstellar matter first predicted a generation ago.

-DD

Printing From an Apple Mac

Johnny Evans provides tips for Apple Mac users on printing .

-DD

Android Password Managers

J. R. Raphael provides an overview of Android password managers .

My biggest concern about password management software is that lazy people grow into relying on the automated provision of passwords which occurs on their phone or home computer when it is working properly. The rub occurs when the personal device is NOT working properly, and a password has to be remembered to access or configure a new device. If a person has not documented their user credentials on a piece of paper, a lapse of memory can leave a person unproductive.

-DD

Asynchronous E-Learning

Flower Darby gives five tips for adding asynchronous learning to an online course.

-DD

Web Site Design

Sam Goree reports on research showing that website design is developing specific conventions or visual conformity. Goree notes that standardization makes usage more convenient by eliminating a learning curve that might exist for a new interface, though conforming shackles new artistic designs.

-DD

Churches Building Online Communities

Beth Daley explores how churches are building community online .

-DD

Apple MacIntosh Dock

Johnny Evans gives Mac users tips for maximizing the Dock .

-DD

Microsoft OneDrive

Howard Wen provides tips and shortcuts for using Microsoft OneDrive .

OneDrive integrated into the current version of Microsoft Office and Windows 10. Microsoft by default uploads work to OneDrive. Users often become confused whether they stored their work on a disc built into their system or uploaded to OneDrive. Long-time computer users tend to hunt for files on the computer's desktop or Documents folder. It is very important for users to know where their documents are being stored so they can recover them in the future!

-DD

Google Meet

Google has opened Google Meet to all people, not just enterprise users. J. R. Raphael discusses the marketing confusion caused by expanding access. Raphael also suggests add-ons for this videoconferencing platform.

Charlotte Trueman has created a comparison of Google Meet and similar videoconferencing platforms. Trueman concludes with a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the five platforms, and concludes with a chart comparing features. This is the nutshell of her Zoom evaluation:

Of all the platforms we tested, Zoom is arguably the easiest and most intuitive to set up and use, and it offers the largest range of in-meeting features. However, the company’s security and privacy practices have left much to be desired.

-DD

Gmail Encryption

J. R. Raphael discusses Gmail encryption. Raphael describes the basic security provided with all gmail accounts, as well as additional options available at various price points for specific vendors.

Raphael also reviews (pans) Gmail's "Confidential Mode":

The idea is that it lets you prevent someone from forwarding, copying, printing, and downloading anything you send them — and, if you want, lets you set an expiration date after which your message will no longer be accessible. You can also create a passcode, delivered via email or text message, that's required in order to open the message.
That all sounds nice enough on the surface, but the problem is that it doesn't really do a heck of a lot when it comes to actual security. Messages still aren't encrypted in any end-to-end manner, meaning Google (and other mail services) are still able to view and store them. The "no forwarding, copying, printing, and downloading" bit doesn't mean much, either, since anyone can still take a screenshot of a message if they're so inclined.

-DD

Letter Writing Should Not Perish

Sean Morris talks about the value of letter writing, and suggests incorporating letter writing into the university curriculum.

-DD

Speech Droplets and Coronavirus

Valentyn Stadnytskyia, Christina E. Baxb, Adriaan Baxa, and Philip Anfinrud write about the role of "speech droplets " and the spread of diseases such as coronavirus.

-DD