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A Counterfactual Model of Plagiarism
Get PDFAbstract: How are we to understand plagiarism? In early 2024, controversy broke out over plagiarism accusations against Harvard’s former president, Claudine Gay. The plagiarism accusations against Gay were the beginning of the politicization of plagiarism claims. During this crisis, plagiarism seemed to entail terrible wrongdoing, no matter the form or extent. Garrett Pendergraft, with research assistance from Arik Chu, provides a counterfactual model of understanding the relationship between plagiarism and ethical wrongdoing: a particular instance of plagiarism is wrong to the extent that removing it from history would make a big difference. The counter-factual model of plagiarism gives an intuitive and functional model of attaching degrees of blameworthiness to cases of plagiarism. The counter-factual model of plagiarism was published in an article by Inside Higher Ed titled “A New Way to Think About Plagiarism” by Garrett Pendergraft, serving as an ethical work of public philosophy, spreading clearer thinking to the wider public
Blazing a Trail to Dispute Resolution: The Advantages of Mediating Insurance and Mass Tort Claims Following Wildfires in California
Get PDFYear after year, wildfires in California decimate property, the environment, and local communities, precipitating costly and protracted litigation. This Comment explores the advantages of mediating, rather than litigating, insurance and mass tort claims in the aftermath of these devastating natural disasters. In particular, this Comment contends that mediation benefits all parties—wildfire victims, their insurers, and alleged tortfeasors—by quickly and inexpensively resolving claims, preserving the common pool of funds to prevent insurer insolvency, and maintaining flexibility, predictability, and confidentiality. Drawing on examples of other successful disaster mediations, such as the Agent Orange case and those following Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, this Comment proposes a structured wildfire mediation framework tailored to the needs of California’s communities, insurers, and utility providers
Colonial Legacies and Gender Equality: A Study of Women’s Rights in Angola & Namibia
Get PDFAngola and Namibia, neighboring countries in southwestern Africa, share a history of colonial exploitation and rich natural resources, yet diverge sharply in their post-independence trajectories concerning gender equality. This paper employs the method of difference to investigate how Namibia emerged as a continental and global leader in advancing women’s rights, while Angola continues to face significant challenges. It argues that Namibia’s inclusive liberation movement and peaceful, UN-brokered decolonization contrast with Angola’s prolonged and violent colonial legacy under Portugal, which culminated in a devastating civil war. The paper also considers how Namibia’s smaller population may have fostered greater unity and gender inclusivity. Ultimately, the study highlights the importance of political processes in shaping gender outcomes and calls for further research to examine how additional factors intersect with colonial legacies in influencing women’s lived experiences
Navigating the Academic Terrain: Examining the Challenges and Success Factors of Student Veterans in Higher Education Institutions
Get PDFThis study investigates the academic experiences of student veterans, addressing specific challenges they face in higher education. Using Schlossberg’s adult transition theory, it explores the effects of invisible barriers, enrollment trends, and institutional factors on veteran student success, leveraging the VA’s GI Bill Comparison tool to examine public versus private school support. Findings underscore the need for targeted resources, faculty training, and institutional awareness to foster a supportive and inclusive environment that enhances veteran students\u27 academic success and sense of belonging
A State At Risk: A Policy Analysis of Potential New Mexico School Choice Programs
Get PDFPrimary and secondary education in the United States has seen little improvement since A Nation At Risk was published in 1983, detailing proficiency rates lagging far behind those of other developed countries despite higher spending per student. New Mexico, the nation’s worst state in terms of primary and secondary education scores, spends more than several states, yet sees abysmal proficiency rates. Despite this, the state offers no publicly funded alternatives to the public school option, trapping many families in an underperforming monopoly of the education system. By providing no financial support for families attempting to seek alternative education sources, only those wealthy enough to afford such alternatives can do so. To address the market failure of primary and secondary education in New Mexico, the state legislature should consider implementing an income-driven universal school voucher program at a statewide level, while attempting to appease teachers’ unions and other special interest groups that may be concerned with the potential of funding being pulled from the public education system. This policy analysis recommends protections for disabled students and the consideration of minimum salary guarantees equating to that provided by teachers’ unions, to disincentivize hostility to the voucher program
Empower the Marginalized: Enhancing Developing Countries’ Legal Access to WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanisms
Get PDFThe World Trade Organization (WTO) operates as a central institution for resolving international trade disputes within a fragmented global economy characterized by economic anarchy. Its Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM) offers a rules-based structure aimed at promoting fairness, predictability, and stability in global trade. However, developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) often face considerable barriers when engaging with the DSM due to limited financial resources, inadequate legal expertise, and institutional constraints. These disadvantages affect their ability to participate effectively in consultations, panel proceedings, and implementation phases. Through a comparative case study of the WTO disputes concerning the European Communities’ sardine labeling standards and banana import regime, this research analyzes the structural and strategic limitations faced by developing countries in trade litigation. Particular attention is given to Peru’s role in the sardine dispute, where insufficient legal capacity hindered the development of coherent argumentation, interpretation of WTO rules, and articulation of trade interests. The study highlights the challenges of navigating the dispute process without strong third-party support or coordinated strategy, and concludes by offering policy recommendations that concentrate on strengthening legal capacity through initiatives of the China Programme. Expanding access to targeted legal training and increasing multilateral support are essential steps toward improving inclusive participation in the global trade system
Conceptualizing Learning Engineering
No full textThe Learning Engineering Toolkit (Author et al., 2022) defines Learning Engineering (LE) as a process and practice that applies the learning sciences using human-centered engineering design methodologies and data-informed decision-making to support learners and their development (Kessler et al., 2022). The LE process involves developing an understanding of the learner, the context, and the team addressing the central learning challenge. Solutions are targeted to specific learners and contexts with data collected and analyzed to inform continuous improvement through iterative design (Author et al., 2022). The LE process makes data central to decision-making and emphasizes iterative development and refinement.Figure 1: The Learning Engineering Process (Kessler et al., 2022)We aim to show how LE is moving forward as a practice. LE uses an iterative human-centered design approach and the results of a rich body of research from the learning sciences and related fields to (a) understand affordances and constraints of a learning venue, (b) identify salient characteristics of the targeted learners, including variations in what learners bring to their learning, (c) propose design solutions that are informed by what is known about learning and how to support it, (d) iteratively work towards learning solutions that are engaging, effective, equitable, and impactful, and (e) utilize data to understand the effectiveness of learning interventions (Author et al., 2022; Kolodner, 2023). LE incorporates the best learning and design disciplines into its processes and practices.While science aims to discover truths about the world, engineering focuses on developing practical and scalable solutions using scientific knowledge as a tool (Author et al., 2022; Craig et al., 2023; Dede et al., 2019). LE embodies this distinction (Kolodner, 2023) by using what is known about how people learn and how to support learning in the design of curriculum, learning technologies, learning resources, environments for informal learning, training materials, and more (Dede et al., 2019). The LE approach is designed to close the loop on efforts to improve learning outcomes and bring solutions to scale (Saxberg, 2017).LE emphasizes practical application, scalability, and the optimization of learning experiences through interdisciplinary methods and data analytics. LE uses various theoretical lenses on learning, identifies ways to instrument and analyze data, and iterates designs. It encourages attention to theoretical underpinnings and systematically incorporates data instrumentation for continuous improvement of solutions.LE integrates principles from multiple fields to create effective educational interventions, emphasizing collaboration among stakeholders to apply research findings practically. It is a team activity, as a wide variety of expertise is needed to design learning solutions that will work: expertise on different literatures related to learning processes, targeted learners, pedagogical approaches, technology, data collection and analysis, subject matter, and project management (Author et al., 2020; Roberts & Miller, 2019). A central tenet of learning engineering is the need for a variety of expertise and shared understanding needed to solve a learning challenge (see Figure 2).Figure 2: Learning Engineering Teams (Author et al., 2022