Blog

Low-quality studies waste resources, abuse patients and undermine trust in science. Ethics committees should be more stringent, says Edzard Ernst

A reliance on critical thinking alone will fall foul of students’ cognitive biases, says James Southworth

If the emphasis in the job market is on skills-based hiring, a college transcript ought to reflect that, says Darren Catalano

Our higher valuation of scarce commodities and our aversion to losing things we value now play in digital education’s favour, suggests Paul Penn

By helping colleges deliver degrees, the OU will be fulfilling its founding mission, say Nadhim Zahawi, Tim Blackman and David Hughes

Disabled, disadvantaged, introverted and international students may all appreciate ongoing online options, says Robert Phillips

The professionalism and collegiality with which editors used to respond to complaints has all but disappeared, says Harvey Graff 

Retention, progression and completion data arguably better reflect the work universities do to help students fulfil their potential, says James Miller

The passions roused by the culture wars show that people care deeply about history and culture right now, says Edward Harcourt

Language is a powerful tool for breaking down resistance and normalising unhealthy cultural change, says Bruce Macfarlane

Why can’t scholars acknowledge that a professor was both mistreated by Princeton and mistreated his former student lover, asks Jonathan Zimmerman

Without practical teaching at their heart, many departments of music technology, drama and dance could face closure, says Ian Pace

Ditching digital provision will waste pandemic progress and make life harder for students who are disabled or carers, says Meredith Wilkinson

Northumbria’s REF 2021 results emphasise that growing research capability can benefit teaching, business and employment, says Andrew Wathey

Long timelines, siloed training and the prioritisation of drug development make life-saving advances in detection less likely, says David Crosby

Interactions with his student neighbours have convinced Harvey Graff that they crave a supportive, broadly based, interactive education

Long-standing debates about what ‘research quality’ means make it obvious that the REF can be little more than make-believe, says Martyn Hammersley

The extent of research‘s cross-subsidisation by overseas student fees is too rarely understood by policymakers and academics alike, says Ruth Arnold

Even students who have spent many years in UK secondary schools struggle to make the transition, says Pat Moores

There is no evidence in art and design that the REF drives a wedge between research and students' interests, says Victoria Kelley

Resignations from the Australia India Institute suggest that politicisation of university management is not confined to the mainland, says Mukhtar Ahmad

Thinking in terms of disembodied abilities undermines again well-rounded learning and secure employment, says Gavin Moodie

Progress on widening participation may go into reverse if mounting scepticism about university’s value isn’t addressed, says Zahir Irani

Pursuing research relevance is important, but the risk is that it becomes a form of deference, co-option and control, says Matthew Flinders

The complexity of tackling major social challenges makes universities a natural launchpad for firms aimed at doing so, says Tanya Filer

Higher education is key to reassessing who we are as a nation and why we’re tolerating such extreme division and deception, says Vincent Rougeau

Covid vaccine successes notwithstanding, researchers should remain wary of corporate capture, says Tahir Shah 

As a major publisher and information provider, Elsevier embraces its role in promoting diversity, say Ylann Schemm and Holly Falk-Krzesinski

Focus on organisational hygiene and you get a nice place to work. Quality and high performance may or may not follow, says Grahame Dowling

Merlí: Sapere Aude offers glimpses into academic life that are truly compelling and, at times, disturbing, says David Lunn

If good collegial practice is recognised, shared and rewarded, universities will be more enjoyable places to work, says Rachel Norman

Too many reviewers ignore their duty to independently review materials and instead rely on the candidate’s narrative, says Richard Utz

A congressman’s call for all Russian students to be kicked out of the US was unfair and wrong-headed, says Anna Wise

Growth in competitiveness, employment, incomes and regional attractiveness occurs only when policy is aligned with local need, says Simon Collinson

Discontent about the shortage of university posts and funding will also continue regardless of how people are judged, says Jan Palmowski

The practice is banned in most countries but it remains rife across the region, with universities no exception, says Sabrin Ramadhan

In Sri Lanka, an increase in the number of clerical staff has been accompanied by a downturn in quality, says Chani Imbulgoda

Singaporean students are focused on grades, but their skills and attitudes are just as important for their success, says Thanusha Raj

Systems have the data to track students, the leverage to facilitate collaboration and the authority to create transfer policies, says Nancy L Zimpher

Links to journals’ genuine websites should be added to the government’s database of reputable publishing outlets, says Rameez Mahesar

Mobile phones may distract students, but apps can bring the past alive for students and the public alike, says Fabrizio Nevola

Labyrinthine university administration is causing unnecessary stress for scholars and students but beware red tape cutbacks, says Maree Martinussen

Accepting industry money risks distorting research and allowing polluting firms to greenwash their reputations, says Zak Coleman

Universities and colleges have such a range of histories, missions and demographics that proposing single solutions is misguided, says Harvey Graff

Some topics are lightning rods for disagreement, but there are ways to insulate yourself against online vitriol, say Kristine Maloney and Teresa Valerio Parrot

Complicity of Russian universities in the savage assault on Ukraine must lead to severe punishments, write four Ukrainian academics

The University of Gdańsk is housing hundreds, and expects thousands. But couldn’t the burden be shared more widely, asks Agnieszka Piotrowska

Emilia Şercan has exposed a vast array of senior public officials for plagiarising their theses, writes Július Kravjar

The pandemic underlined the value of international university alliances for sharing problems – and solutions, says David Eastwood

Standard mentoring is not enough if we want a resilient, compassionate and happy research workforce, says Mark Reed

The default mode of human problem-solving is to add complexity. But we must try harder to resist, say Leidy Klotz and Robert Sutton

Universities’ oligarchic control of degree provision and metrics’ misguided focus are shortchanging both students and academics, says Murdoch Gabbay

Mental illness has been depicted as the primary occupational health hazard of UK student life since the 1950s, says Sarah Crook

University educators must not be blind to other life goals – like building a savings account, says Brent Lucia 

As war descends on Europe again, how many of the idealistic young scholars defending their country against invasion will live full lives, muses Keith Burnett

For the new technical qualification to be a success, every university must encourage applicants from these courses, says David Gallagher

Boycotting Russia will hinder research, punish the innocent and damage the prospects of a peaceful future, says Binoy Kampmark

Trials suggest that far from being mutually exclusive, both can play an important role, says Kim Eggleton

Any attempt to address regional inequalities must recognise the role of post-92 universities as anchor institutions, says Ian Campbell

A few electronic mailing lists still thrive in the academy, reminding us that peer communication need not be all about ‘building the brand’, says Kate Eichhorn