Nigel Caplan
@nigelc.bsky.social
Professor @ Univ of Delaware: ESL, education, linguistics. Focused on teacher-training for multilingual learners. Also SFL, ungrading, resisting AI. Newish books: ESSENTIAL ACTIONS and GENRE EXPLAINED. All views my own. www.nigelcaplan.com
Exactly. But we need a less rejective University to follow suit or we run a risk of exaccerbating unequal access to worthwhile learning and degrees. Which the strategic planning committee I have somehow been assigned to is going to get sick of hearing
BREAKING: Boston University's English department (my dept) recently voted to approve new learning outcomes for the English major, including an anti-AI provision that requires students to
“craft and revise writing that is sustained, original, and generated without the assistance of AI."
“craft and revise writing that is sustained, original, and generated without the assistance of AI."
New Learning Outcomes Announced | English
www.bu.edu
September 17, 2026 at 10:47 AM
Exactly. But we need a less rejective University to follow suit or we run a risk of exaccerbating unequal access to worthwhile learning and degrees. Which the strategic planning committee I have somehow been assigned to is going to get sick of hearing
Funny. My first reaction is that it's odd to ban such a specific smoking habit, but who am I to judge?
September 15, 2026 at 1:10 AM
Funny. My first reaction is that it's odd to ban such a specific smoking habit, but who am I to judge?
I'm working more with undergrads now, and one theme screams out from their reflections: they crave human interaction. They enjoy working with pen and paper. And most of their other classes seem to be chalk and talk/screen and screed. It's not that hard, folks.
September 3, 2026 at 11:30 AM
I'm working more with undergrads now, and one theme screams out from their reflections: they crave human interaction. They enjoy working with pen and paper. And most of their other classes seem to be chalk and talk/screen and screed. It's not that hard, folks.
Hey Delaware, are we going to let NY have all the fun?
"'The fact that this policy exists at all is due to the enormous work of parents across the city who spoke out against the overreach of A.I. into their kids’ classroom,” @kellyclancy.bsky.social said."
A.I. Is to Be Banned in N.Y.C. Elementary and Middle Schools
A new policy to be announced by the Department of Education bars younger students from using A.I., but stops short of a moratorium.
www.nytimes.com
September 2, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Hey Delaware, are we going to let NY have all the fun?
All while the *students* are sleeping because by making education solipsistic instead of social, there's really no need to bother, is there?
July 15, 2026 at 11:35 PM
All while the *students* are sleeping because by making education solipsistic instead of social, there's really no need to bother, is there?
NYT running strong for Correction of the Year: "An earlier version of this obituary misstated the location of Central, S.C., the town where Senator Lindsey Graham was born. It is in the western part of the state, not the eastern part. "
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/u...
Lindsey Graham, Republican Senator and Trump Ally, Dies From ‘Sudden Illness’
He died from “a brief and sudden illness,” his office said. Over more than two decades in the Senate, he consistently pushed for the use of U.S. military power overseas.
www.nytimes.com
July 12, 2026 at 4:24 PM
NYT running strong for Correction of the Year: "An earlier version of this obituary misstated the location of Central, S.C., the town where Senator Lindsey Graham was born. It is in the western part of the state, not the eastern part. "
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/u...
Nah, that won't happen because the aliens would be caught in the offside trap. Let me explain...
A Brazilian psychic teared up while claiming that aliens will invade the Brazil vs Scotland match at the World Cup
She says UFOs will abduct players and hundreds of fans from the stadium
She says UFOs will abduct players and hundreds of fans from the stadium
June 25, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Nah, that won't happen because the aliens would be caught in the offside trap. Let me explain...
A colleague tried to get two different "AI" products to simplify a task for me today, and they screwed it up in two different ways. Beautiful.
June 22, 2026 at 8:52 PM
A colleague tried to get two different "AI" products to simplify a task for me today, and they screwed it up in two different ways. Beautiful.
Fascinating piece. But mostly props for not burying the Leder with this phrase that describes more than just a building in Wilmington: "so aggressively bland that it almost begs not to be noticed"
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/m...
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/m...
Elon Musk’s Feud With Delaware May Transform Corporate America
www.nytimes.com
June 17, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Fascinating piece. But mostly props for not burying the Leder with this phrase that describes more than just a building in Wilmington: "so aggressively bland that it almost begs not to be noticed"
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/m...
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/m...
This is the most wonderfully German thing I've seen all year. Herzlich Glückwunsch, Brötchen!
The Berlin Zoo named their baby Hippo Brötchen. :) (Bread roll 🥖)
June 12, 2026 at 10:58 AM
This is the most wonderfully German thing I've seen all year. Herzlich Glückwunsch, Brötchen!
If I hear one more piece on NPR on whether it's called soccer or football... literally no one cares, and no one gets confused except NPR editors, it seems
June 11, 2026 at 11:28 AM
If I hear one more piece on NPR on whether it's called soccer or football... literally no one cares, and no one gets confused except NPR editors, it seems
Local friends should absolutely read the News Journal's article about the new statue that "towers over" the UD campus as symbol of, something, and then go find the diminutive bronze chicken that is surrounded by taller buildings and trees. It's ... yeah, whatever.
June 9, 2026 at 11:29 AM
Local friends should absolutely read the News Journal's article about the new statue that "towers over" the UD campus as symbol of, something, and then go find the diminutive bronze chicken that is surrounded by taller buildings and trees. It's ... yeah, whatever.
Exactly - a silent classroom is one where learning is superficial. Toss out the chromebooks and invest in whiteboards, markers, and teachers!
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/o...
Opinion | The High Cost of Silent Classrooms
www.nytimes.com
June 8, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Exactly - a silent classroom is one where learning is superficial. Toss out the chromebooks and invest in whiteboards, markers, and teachers!
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/o...
Nice timing for UD's faculty senate special meeting today that's considering a resolution that would hopefully prevent this kind of self-sabotaging disaster scenario.
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/m...
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/m...
A University System Went All In on A.I. Now It’s Tearing Itself Apart.
www.nytimes.com
June 1, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Nice timing for UD's faculty senate special meeting today that's considering a resolution that would hopefully prevent this kind of self-sabotaging disaster scenario.
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/m...
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/m...
Exactly. What. We. Predicated. But this becomes labeled as "one side" in a "polarized " "debate" rather than the evidence based status quo. It's exhausting to be a good educator
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/o...
Opinion | Writing Is Fundamental to How We Think
www.nytimes.com
May 27, 2026 at 10:45 AM
Exactly. What. We. Predicated. But this becomes labeled as "one side" in a "polarized " "debate" rather than the evidence based status quo. It's exhausting to be a good educator
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/o...
Another day, completely ignorant op ed about educational policy written by non educators.
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/o...
Opinion | It’s Becoming Impossible to Know How Your Kid Is Doing in School
www.nytimes.com
May 26, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Another day, completely ignorant op ed about educational policy written by non educators.
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/o...
If you had "Vatican has clearer AI policy than university IT department ", you won the jackpot
May 25, 2026 at 12:05 PM
If you had "Vatican has clearer AI policy than university IT department ", you won the jackpot
At a faculty meeting today, colleagues bemoaned the "polarization" of opinions on "AI". It's not polarization. It's realization.
May 22, 2026 at 10:02 PM
At a faculty meeting today, colleagues bemoaned the "polarization" of opinions on "AI". It's not polarization. It's realization.
Reposted by Nigel Caplan
Elitism is always about limiting opportunities for the many
My latest Substack post, in response to the attempt by Harvard to limit the number of A grades
#HigherEd
#Assessment
#Grades
open.substack.com/pub/susandbl...
#HigherEd
#Assessment
#Grades
open.substack.com/pub/susandbl...
Oh Harvard. Limiting A’s Is Not It
Grade Inflation, Deflation, and Obsession
open.substack.com
May 21, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Elitism is always about limiting opportunities for the many
Personally, the number of As in my class is always proportional to the number of times lessons are disrupted by the sound of loud motorcycles speeding down Main Street. Quiet semester? Sucks for you. Seems about as reasonable as 20%* (*plus 4 because reasons)
We can solve grade inflation by make As & Bs proportional to the gold & silver specie in each department’s vault.
Or…
We can recognize that grade inflation is economizing bullshit in service of anti-education culture wars & not a real problem.
Or…
We can recognize that grade inflation is economizing bullshit in service of anti-education culture wars & not a real problem.
May 21, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Personally, the number of As in my class is always proportional to the number of times lessons are disrupted by the sound of loud motorcycles speeding down Main Street. Quiet semester? Sucks for you. Seems about as reasonable as 20%* (*plus 4 because reasons)
Please don't let economists make and explain educational policy. This is a beauty: "We know our answer isn't very good, but at least it's easy to implement and short enough for a headline in the NYT." Sounds like someone wants an easy A. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/o...
Opinion | 60 Percent of Grades at Harvard Were A’s. Enough Is Enough.
www.nytimes.com
May 21, 2026 at 12:17 PM
Please don't let economists make and explain educational policy. This is a beauty: "We know our answer isn't very good, but at least it's easy to implement and short enough for a headline in the NYT." Sounds like someone wants an easy A. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/o...
As a professor at what literally nobody calls the Harvard of the upper bit of the Delmarva peninsula, I will give as many damn As as my students merit based on evidence of their learning. That's the job isn't it, not to create artificial rankings?
Right! Harvard and Yale (which is enacting a different--and worse--policy: to force a median of a B grade in every course) admit only students who have had stellar grades their whole lives and then expect (via forced policy) that some kind of bell curve will emerge? It makes zero sense.
I can't imagine trying to grade all these students who have done everything perfect their entire lives, gotten A's on everything, just to look for reasons to give 80% of them B's, C's, and D's. Sounds painful.
May 20, 2026 at 4:39 PM
As a professor at what literally nobody calls the Harvard of the upper bit of the Delmarva peninsula, I will give as many damn As as my students merit based on evidence of their learning. That's the job isn't it, not to create artificial rankings?
How lead pipes challenge child development. What schools should know
How AI Complicates Student Well-Being. What Schools Should Know
How AI Complicates Student Well-Being. What Schools Should Know
AI-powered products are becoming increasingly powerful. Existing education tools that incorporate AI are being developed with the intention of helping kids build better social skills and support their mental health. But mental health experts have raised alarms over adolescents’ abilities to tell…
www.edweek.org
May 20, 2026 at 4:36 PM
How lead pipes challenge child development. What schools should know
The justification? I plagiarized as a warning to others. Lies and laziness. The book should be pulped
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/b...
Book on Truth in the Age of A.I. Contains Quotes Made Up by A.I.
www.nytimes.com
May 19, 2026 at 4:23 PM
The justification? I plagiarized as a warning to others. Lies and laziness. The book should be pulped
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/b...
My spam folder is unusually on point today.
May 19, 2026 at 11:43 AM
My spam folder is unusually on point today.