Discussion Transcripts

Class is back in session, and colleges aren't the only ones bracing themselves for the influx of students. The residents of college towns across the nation are doing the same. Student behavior — loud noise, frequent parties, poorly maintained living spaces — often clashes with the lifestyle of longtime residents. ... (9/6/2007)

Introductory science courses have long relied largely on lectures and tests that reward memorization. But studies have shown that students learn more, and are more excited by, new methods that emphasize continual interaction with professors and teamwork to solve problems. ... (8/1/2007)

Academics designed the Internet 30 years ago, and it hasn't kept pace with the times. Citing increased identity theft, viruses, and attacks on Web sites, researchers are planning a major overhaul of the system. Why can't we make do with spam filters and firewalls? ... (6/28/2007)

In the last several years, numerous foreign scholars have been denied visas to enter the United States, without any explanation from the federal government. Academic and civil-liberties groups say the Bush administration has used heightened security fears since September 11, 2001, to justify keeping out scholars whose politics or ideas it does not like. ... (6/14/2007)

Many people would rather not talk about the performance gap. Whatever the reasons  — poor preparation, the residual effects of segregation, the lack of role models  — black, Hispanic, and Native American college students continue to earn lower grades than their white and Asian-American peers. ... (5/30/2007)

In recent years the number of American children with a diagnosis of autism or related disorders has mushroomed, raising fears of a national epidemic. But several factors, including how we define the disorder, can explain that increase... (5/10/2007)