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If only politicians focused on the school issues that matter. This election is a chance to get them to do that

The political attention education issues are getting in the lead-up to the federal election may be an opportunity to demand politicians focus on issues that matter to schools and their communities.

Algorithms can decide your marks, your work prospects and your financial security. How do you know they’re fair?

Algorithms are increasingly being used to make decisions that have a lasting impact on our current and future lives. There is a growing public awareness that algorithms, especially those used in forms of artificial intelligence, need to be understood as raising issues of fairness. But while everyone may have a vernacular understanding of what is fair or unfair, when algorithms are used numerous trade-offs are involved.

Thinking of choosing a science subject in years 11 and 12? Here’s what you need to know

Studying science helps you make sense of the world and opens the door to a wide range of careers. If you’ve decided to be a doctor or engineer then you will already know you need to do a science. But if you’re in the 45% of students who don’t know what career they’ll end up in, you may want to study a range of different subject types to keep your options open. Science could be one of them

How do educators and educational technologists think about data as evidence to support their work?

This question is central to work being undertaken by colleagues at UTS and internationally. Evidence and data are increasingly emphasised in educational contexts, with the spread of What Works centres such as the Educational Endowment Foundation (UK), Evidence for Learning (Australia), the What Works Clearinghouse (USA), international (PISA), national (SATS, NAPLAN, etc.

Using evidence to help build and evaluate good ideas in education technology

As researchers, we care that our educational systems improve, support all learners, and are grounded solidly in research evidence. But how do we work with stakeholders like educational technology startups to support effective use of that evidence?

How do educational technology developers ensure that their products have positive impact, and don’t cause harm?

Whether they’re driven by commercial interests or not, most developers and companies care about positive impact. Of course, impact helps in selling products, but it’s also a key motivation in why people develop and refine technologies: they care about supporting learning.

Keep your job options open and don’t ditch science when choosing next year’s school subjects

Studying chemistry can take you into many careers, from an analytical chemist to a forensic scientist and even an environmental consultant. Shutterstock/Rawpixel.com Tracey-Ann Palmer, University of Technology Sydney

How might teacher design help to support sustainable innovation in higher education?

Higher education around the world is facing the significant challenge of providing excellent teaching in response to complex, shifting pressures. Institutions must adapt to changing student populations, rising societal expectations and technological advances.

Should mobile phones be banned in schools? We asked five experts

We asked five experts if schools should ban mobile phones in classrooms. Four out of five experts said no.

STEM education in primary schools will fall flat unless serious issues are addressed

Not all schools have access to enough equipment for their students, which means they waste time building, un-building and re-building their projects. Shutterstock Jane Louise Hunter, University of Technology Sydney