Episodes

  • Rate Your Professor - Praise and Recognition
    Feb 19 2025

    AcademicJobs.com hosts a "Rate Your Professor" platform that seeks to recognise and celebrate the positive contributions of university educators. The platform allows students and colleagues to express their appreciation for professors' dedication and expertise. Constructive feedback and praise are encouraged to foster a culture of appreciation and continuous improvement within academia. The ultimate goal is to uplift professors, boost morale, and acknowledge teaching excellence in higher education. Examples of praise messages show appreciation for engaging lectures, supportive professors, helpful feedback, and inclusive classrooms. Messages can also highlight innovative teaching methods, mentorship, and professors serving as role models.

    Key Themes and Ideas:

    1. Celebration and Recognition of Professors: The central theme is the importance of recognising and celebrating the dedication and impact of professors. The platform is described as a means to "celebrate and recognize the dedication, expertise, and impact of professors in higher education."
    2. Constructive Feedback and Appreciation: The emphasis is on providing constructive feedback in the form of praise. It allows "students and colleagues to share their experiences and express gratitude for the hard work and commitment of educators."
    3. Fostering a Culture of Gratitude and Continuous Improvement: The platform aims to create a positive feedback loop, promoting both appreciation and professional development. It "fosters a culture of appreciation and continuous improvement."
    4. Positive Impact on Professors' Morale and Institutional Recognition: The intended outcome is to improve the well-being of professors and enable institutions to identify and celebrate teaching excellence. "This platform not only boosts professors' morale but also helps institutions identify and celebrate teaching excellence, creating a positive ripple effect across the academic community."
    5. Focus on Specific Qualities and Impact: The example praise messages highlight specific qualities valued in professors, including:
    • Passion and Engagement: ("Your passion for the subject is contagious! Thank you for making every lecture engaging and inspiring.")
    • Support and Dedication: ("You go above and beyond to support your students. Your dedication truly makes a difference!")
    • Constructive Feedback: ("Your feedback is always thoughtful and constructive, helping me grow both academically and personally.")
    • Inclusive Classroom Environment: ("You create a welcoming and inclusive classroom environment where everyone feels valued.")
    • Enthusiasm and Impactful Teaching: ("Your enthusiasm for teaching is unmatched. You’ve made this course one of the highlights of my academic journey!")
    • Approachability and Guidance: ("Thank you for being so approachable and always willing to help. Your guidance means the world to me.")
    • Innovative Teaching Methods: ("Your innovative teaching methods have made complex topics easy to understand. You’re a true educator!")
    • Critical Thinking Development: ("You challenge us to think critically and push our boundaries. I’ve learned so much from your class!")
    • Mentorship and Belief in Students: ("Your mentorship has been invaluable to my academic and career growth. Thank you for believing in me!")
    • Role Model Status: ("You’re not just a professor—you’re a role model. Your dedication to your students and your field is truly inspiring.")

    • Rate Your Professor on AcademicJobs.com is a powerful platform designed to celebrate and recognize the dedication, expertise, and impact of professors in higher education. This platform not only boosts professors' morale but also helps institutions identify and celebrate teaching excellence, creating a positive ripple effect across the academic community.

    • Rate Your Professor on AcademicJobs.com is fostering a culture of gratitude and celebrating teaching excellence.

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    8 mins
  • The Academic Rankings: Algorithm and Metrics explained
    Feb 7 2025

    AcademicJobs.com presents its 'Academic Rankings' initiative, a system evaluating academics beyond conventional metrics. The ranking employs a proprietary algorithm considering factors such as publications, teaching performance, and public profile. Eight key metrics contribute to the overall score, encompassing purpose, experience, publications, ambition, engagement, student feedback, affiliate influence, and public engagement. Recent publications and the impact of past work are both evaluated, alongside professional contributions like collaborations and mentorship. The system also factors in student feedback and the influence of peers and institutions. Ultimately, the ranking aims to promote and celebrate those actively contributing to excellence in higher education.

    ‘Celebrating and promoting those who have and continue to create excellence, impact and energy in higher education’

    The Academic Rankings initiative is a multifaceted system that goes beyond traditional metrics like publications and citations. It aims to capture a broader picture of an academic’s engagement, impact, and contributions to higher education by incorporating elements like collaborative activities, teaching performance (when relevant), and public profile. The proprietary algorithm and the variety of metrics are designed to create a specific type of ranking system that emphasizes engagement and outward focus as much as pure academic success.

    The Academic Ranking is algorithmically generated. Eight key metrics contribute to the overall ranking score:

    · Current Purpose & Motivation

    · Experience in your field

    · Publications – recent output & past impact

    · Academic Ambition

    · Current Academic Engagement

    · Student Feedback (if applicable)

    · Affiliate Influence – ranking s of peers / collaborating institutions

    · Willingness to engage publicly

    The Academic Rankings’ Metrics:

    · Current Purpose & Motivation: How you see yourself as an academic and what drives you. An honest reflection of where you are and what you want to achieve. This reflection is vital in creating a successful academic roadmap forward.

    · Experience in your field and awards: The length of time an individual has been an academic is a factor. This suggests that experience in the field contributes to a higher ranking. There is an opportunity for junior academics to identify why ‘achievement’ should outweigh years of experience in their case.

    Publications – recent output & past impact: The number of papers published in the last two years is a core component, reflecting "recent academic engagement." This emphasizes the importance of active scholarship. The ranking also considers "your most successful / cited academic paper/s." This acknowledges not just quantity but also the influence of research.


    Affiliate Influence – rankings of peers and collaborating institutions: The ranking takes into account who your collegiate influences are and where you are currently working. This acknowledges the impact of positive professional and institutional linkages.

    · Willingness to engage publicly: The academic's willingness to promote yourself publically, so you can be accessible to your academic community. This emphasises the importance of outreach and visibility.

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    5 mins
  • How to get your jobs seen by more with a greater Google Ranking
    Feb 3 2025

    Boosting Higher Ed Job Site Google Rankings - by AcademicJobs.com


    Is your job page getting enough traffic from Google?


    Does your job page need a boost on Google?

    Do you need to compete with the bigger universities on Google?


    Find out the secrets of AcademicJobs.com as to how they got positioned on Google with a Harvard Job Search, and attracting Harvard jobs seekers to their website.


    Search engine optimisation is a tricky business, and Google have recently changed their algorithms shift things up again for you.


    AcademicJobs.com is the fastest rising higher ed platform on Google, and here’s how.


    - They understand top key words in higher education employment search

    - They know how to create meaningful Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions on each webpage

    - They utilise best ‘Header 1’ practice for job boards in higher ed

    - they create meaningful content on it’s site for its users and Google celebrates that. Ask them what content would be best on your career pages.

    - they create profile pages that are informative, interesting and lead viewers to where they want to go.

    - they follow all Google guidelines of the day to nurture their current Google rankings.


    There is a lot to it. Reach out if you think your careers and job pages could perform better on Google.


    Check out the link here to see our Google Ranking for Harvard University Jobs, and click to see our Harvard University Profile listing for ideas as to how to create your profile on your website and on AcademicJobs.com

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    7 mins
  • What is it like to be an Academic?
    Feb 2 2025

    What is it really like to be an Academic in Higher Education?


    Being an academic means dedicating your career to researching and teaching within a specialized field at a university or higher education institution, often involving deep immersion in your area of study, conducting research to generate new knowledge, writing publications, presenting findings at conferences, and guiding students through learning processes, all while navigating a competitive landscape with a focus on continuous scholarly development; it can be intellectually stimulating but also demanding due to the pressure to secure funding, publish regularly, and excel in teaching responsibilities.

    Key aspects of being an academic:

    Specialization:

    Academics typically focus on a specific area of study, becoming experts in their field.

    Research:

    A significant portion of an academic's time is spent conducting research, designing studies, collecting data, analyzing results, and writing papers for publication.

    Teaching:

    Delivering lectures, leading seminars, and supervising students in their research projects are core responsibilities.

    Grant Writing:

    To fund research projects, academics often need to write competitive grant proposals to secure funding from agencies.

    Peer Review:

    Academic work is typically subject to rigorous peer review by other experts in the field to ensure quality and validity.

    Conferencing:

    Presenting research findings at conferences is a way to share knowledge and network with colleagues.

    Publishing:

    Disseminating research findings through publications in academic journals is crucial for career advancement.

    Collaboration:

    Academics often collaborate with other researchers, both within their institution and internationally, to tackle complex research questions.

    Potential challenges of being an academic:

    Competitive Landscape:

    The academic job market can be highly competitive, with pressure to publish consistently and secure tenure.

    Funding Challenges:

    Securing research funding can be difficult, requiring extensive grant writing and navigating funding cycles.

    Time Management:

    Balancing research, teaching, administrative tasks, and other responsibilities can be demanding.

    Publication Pressure:

    The need to publish regularly in high-impact journals can be stressful.

    Work-Life Balance:

    The nature of academic work can sometimes lead to long hours and challenges maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

    Positive aspects of being an academic:

    Intellectual Stimulation:

    The opportunity to delve deeply into a fascinating subject area and contribute new knowledge to the field.

    Academic Freedom:

    The ability to pursue research interests largely based on personal curiosity.

    Impactful Work:

    The potential to make a meaningful contribution to society through research findings.

    Global Network:

    Opportunities to collaborate with researchers worldwide and travel to conferences.

    Mentorship:

    Guiding and supporting the next generation of scholars.


    Find all Academic careers on AcademicJobs.com

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    6 mins
  • How does an Academic get Research Funding
    Feb 2 2025

    The Academic Pitch: Tap into Opportunity - an Academic Jobs Podcast


    The Academic Pitch (TAP) is a platform on AcademicJobs.com designed to connect academics globally. It facilitates collaboration, investment, and other opportunities by allowing users to share their research and ideas with a targeted audience. Users create profiles specifying their goals, such as co-authorship or employment, and control who views their work. The platform encourages proactive networking, emphasizing that career advancement requires taking initiative and engaging with potential collaborators and investors. Ultimately, TAP aims to empower academics to pursue their ambitions and achieve career success.


    Key Features:

    User-driven: Academics create profiles highlighting their work and specify the type of opportunity they seek (collaboration, employment, investment, etc.).

    Targeted audience selection: Users can choose who sees their profile and ideas.

    Opportunity-driven engagement: Interested parties "express interest," and users decide how much information to share.

    Focus on individual empowerment and proactive career management.

    Main Messages:

    Unlocking the potential of academic work: TAP aims to move academic ideas beyond theory and into real-world application through collaboration and partnership.

    Taking control of one's career: Jarrod Kanizay, CEO of AcademicJobs.com and founder of TAP, emphasizes individual agency: "Your life and your outcomes are up to you, no one else." He encourages a proactive approach: “You must ask for the dance! […] After you asked, you have just given yourself a 50/50 chance of hearing a YES and dancing.”

    Building a community of innovation: TAP aims to foster a global academic community where knowledge is shared, ideas are developed, and opportunities are created. Kanizay highlights the power of connection: "Ideas and knowledge can only become bigger with the right people around us."

    Quotes:

    "The Academic Pitch is all about YOU, your life's work, where you are now, and where you want to be. The opportunities are endless." - Jarrod Kanizay

    “Ideas and knowledge can only become bigger with the right people around us. A dream is but a dream. It is only by putting yourself and your ideas forward that creates opportunity, happiness, and life's success.” - Jarrod Kanizay

    “You must ask for the dance! Before you ask, the answer is no. After you asked, you have just given yourself a 50/50 chance of hearing a YES and dancing.” - Jarrod Kanizay

    "Remember these 10 two-letter words: If it is to be, it is up to me" - Jarrod Kanizay

    Call to Action:

    The text concludes with a direct invitation to join TAP: “Now, go to AcademicJobs.com and join The Academic Pitch today.”

    Overall Impression:

    The text presents TAP as an innovative platform with the potential to transform the way academics connect and collaborate. Its emphasis on individual agency and proactive career management could resonate with academics seeking to expand the impact of their work. However, the success of TAP will depend on the level of engagement from the academic community and its ability to deliver on its promises of connecting users with meaningful opportunities.


    Us The Academic Pitch at www.Academic Jobs.com

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    6 mins
  • Rate My Professor - but ONLY POSITIVE VIBES!
    Feb 1 2025

    Rate Your Professor: A New Academic Ranking

    AcademicJobs.com has launched "Rate Your Professor", a platform enabling students to provide feedback on their professors. The goal is to recognise excellent teaching and improve the academic experience. This initiative aims to create a student-centred university ranking system, complementing existing rankings that primarily focus on research. By gathering student feedback, the platform seeks to better understand and measure student engagement, learning, and outcomes. Ultimately, this data will assist prospective students in making informed choices about their higher education.

    1. Recognition and Appreciation of Teaching Excellence:
    • The platform's primary objective is to acknowledge and celebrate professors who have a positive impact on student learning. The founder emphasises the importance of giving "accolades to those professors who help us learn and shine."
    • This suggests a move away from simply measuring research output to valuing the quality of teaching and student-professor interactions.
    1. Student Reflection and Gratitude:
    • The platform encourages students to actively reflect on the impact professors have had on their lives.
    • The founder explicitly links this activity to the positive feeling of expressing gratitude, highlighting a perceived "win win for all" approach to the rating system. "Research shows that when we express gratitude, we feel good for doing it, and that is a win win for all."
    1. Development of Student-Centric Data and Rankings:
    • A significant goal is to collect data on "student engagement," "student learnings," and "student outcomes." This data is intended to shift the focus of university rankings from metrics like research citations and institutional reputation (traditionally rated by "stuffy old academics") to areas more relevant to the student experience.
    • The platform is explicitly designed to challenge current ranking methodologies: "You see all university and academic rankings out there focus largely on research output and citations, as well as global impact and institutional reputation rated by stuffy old academics. This ranking serves very few students."
    • The aim is to develop an "academic ranking and profile that assists future students and their families".
    • Student Empowerment and Influence:The platform seeks to give students, both past and present, a voice in evaluating the quality of teaching within universities.
    • The use of student feedback is presented as crucial to the creation of the student-centric ranking system and will form the base data for the entire system.
    • By encouraging students to "rate your professors," the platform aims to empower them to directly influence the future of higher education.
    1. Improving Higher Education:
    • The ultimate goal, as the founder sees it, is to improve the higher education system as a whole. The closing line of the text: "So when you rate your professors, you and helping you, them and the future of higher education and learning," suggests this idea.

    Important Facts and Points:

    • The platform is hosted on academicjobs.com.
    • The founder's motivations are: recognition for excellent professors, student reflection and data collection focused on student engagement and outcomes.
    • The platform is designed to provide data for a new type of university ranking - one that is meaningful to the undergraduate student.
    • Student feedback is the primary mechanism for rating and data collection.
    • The platform aims to benefit students, professors and improve the future of higher education.


    Further Considerations:

    • The specific mechanisms for data collection and analysis will need to be understood to assess the reliability and validity of the rankings produced.
    • The platform's long-term impact on higher education institutions will depend on how it's adopted and how the data is used.
    • The possibility of bias and/or gaming the system by students needs to be considered as well.

    Rate Your Professor today at www.AcademicJobs.com

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    6 mins
  • Rate Your Professor - give back to those who gave to you.
    Feb 1 2025


    Showing Gratitude to Your Professor - using the Rate Your Professor platform on AcademicJobs.com

    This podcast provides guidance on expressing gratitude to professors using AcademicJobs’ new platform . It highlights the importance of acknowledging professors' efforts and suggests various methods, including heartfelt thank-you notes specifying positive impacts, offering research assistance, and utilising the "Rate Your Professor" platform on AcademicJobs.com. This platform allows students to leave positive reviews impacting professors' career prospects. The podcast suggests optional small messages of appreciation.


    Key Themes and Ideas:

    Professors Value Acknowledgement and Praise:

    The document emphasises that professors work "tirelessly for their students" and that "any acknowledgement and praise is greatly received by them." This sets the tone that expressing thanks is not just a polite gesture, but a meaningful act of recognition for the effort and dedication professors put into their roles. The source argues that "Any time is a good time to say a simple thanks."

    The "Rate Your Professor" Platform:

    AcademicJobs.com's "Rate Your Professor" platform is presented as a key mechanism for expressing gratitude and simultaneously enhancing a professor's career. This platform allows students to leave personal messages of thanks while also contributing to the professor's "academic ranking," which is said to positively impact their future career prospects. The document clearly states, “The more a professor is given accolades and acknowledgment by their students, the more the academic will be seen in a positive light by a future employer or contractor.”

    The platform serves as a dual-purpose tool, benefiting both the student (by allowing them to express gratitude) and the professor (by contributing to their professional growth).

    Specific and Genuine Expressions of Gratitude:

    The document stresses the importance of being specific when expressing thanks. Instead of general statements like "thank you for a great class," students are encouraged to mention "a particular lecture, assignment, or office hour discussion that made a difference."

    Sincerity is another key element, with the document advising the use of phrases such as "I truly appreciate," "I am grateful for," and "I found your teaching style very effective."

    The advice includes using the proper academic title, e.g. “Dear Professor [Last Name]”.

    Methods of Expressing Gratitude Beyond the Platform:

    While the platform is highlighted, the document suggests a variety of other ways to show appreciation:

    Thank-you Email or Letter: Sending a "thoughtful thank-you email or letter" detailing specific positive impacts the professor had.

    Offering Research Assistance: Proposing to help with a research project, showing interest in their field.


    Small Gifts (Optional): Considering a small token of appreciation if appropriate, like a coffee card or book.

    Example of Gratitude: The source provides a sample of the sort of feedback that can be used on the platform. For example; “Thank you for your guidance and cooperation at each step of my journey. Everything was new to me even usage of technology but your contribution by providing examples to each assignment helped me a lot and everything went smoothly. Thanks a lot to be our mentor. Thank you for being a kind and caring Professor.” This offers a framework for the student to follow in their own message.

    Key Takeaways:

    Professors highly value student recognition of their efforts.

    The "Rate Your Professor" platform provides a way to express thanks and support a professor's career advancement.

    Specific and sincere expressions of gratitude are more impactful than general ones.

    Multiple methods exist for showing appreciation, including verbal, written, and practical actions.

    Leaving thanks for your professor benefits both parties as the student shows gratitude and the professor is supported in their profession.

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    5 mins
  • The Academic Pitch
    Jan 9 2025

    The Academic Pitch: Connecting Researchers with Opportunity

    This briefing document reviews the key features and benefits of "The Academic Pitch," a new platform launched on AcademicJobs.com designed to connect academics and researchers with opportunities for collaboration, investment, and career advancement.

    Main Themes:

    Breaking down silos in academia: The Academic Pitch seeks to bridge the gap between researchers and potential collaborators, funders, and industry partners.

    Empowering researchers to take control of their careers: The platform encourages academics to proactively share their ideas and expertise to attract opportunities that align with their goals.

    Fostering a global network of academic talent: The Academic Pitch aims to create a diverse and inclusive community where researchers from all disciplines and career stages can connect and collaborate.

    Key Features and Benefits:

    Simplified Idea Sharing: Researchers can create concise profiles highlighting their research interests and expertise on the "TAP portal."

    Targeted Opportunity Matching: Users can specify the types of opportunities they are seeking (e.g., collaboration, speaking engagements, investment) and target their profiles to specific audiences.

    Controlled Information Release: The platform allows researchers to manage the level of information they share with interested parties, ensuring they maintain control over their intellectual property.

    Streamlined Connection Process: Interested parties can easily express interest in a researcher's work, facilitating direct communication and potential collaborations.

    Quotes:

    Jarrod Kanizay, CEO of AcademicJobs.com and Founder of The Academic Pitch:"The Academic Pitch is all about you, your life's work, where you are now, and where you want to be. The opportunities are endless."

    "Ideas and knowledge can only become bigger with the right people around us. A dream is but a dream. It is only by putting yourself and your ideas forward that creates opportunity, happiness and life's success. This is your opportunity to shine, be happy and succeed."

    “You must ask for the dance! Before you ask, the answer is now. After you asked, you have just given yourself a 50 50 change of hearing a YES and dancing. Tap someone on the shoulder today”

    "Remember these 10 two letter words: If it is to be, it is up to me”

    Call to Action:

    AcademicJobs.com invites all researchers to embrace The Academic Pitch as a powerful tool for advancing their careers and making a greater impact with their work. By actively participating in this global network, academics can unlock new possibilities, forge valuable connections, and contribute to a brighter future for research and innovation.


    Find out more at AcademicJobs.com

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    5 mins