Blog

The university lecture should be seen as a special form of human encounter, argue Amanda Fulford and Áine Mahon

Staff qualifications deserve greater weighting in the overall assessment of teaching excellence, argues Geoff Stoakes

If the legislative requirements to respond to gender pay gaps are perceived as weak, the moral imperative for universities to act is strong, argues Anthony Forster 

Ahead of the Times Higher Education Research Excellence Summit in the Czech Republic, Jan Palmowski summarises the changes needed to unlock the research potential in new Europe

It’s time for students to step in and end the political stalemate on stopping gun violence on university campuses, says Sarah Kenny

After publishing a collection of narratives from women of colour in academia, Deborah Gabriel has seen how personal experiences of whiteness can make progress towards racial equality 

University teachers are wrestling with the challenge of facilitating a new mode of online peer-to-peer learning, says Peter Kahn

Efforts to reclaim imperial history from so-called ‘politically correct’ professors have little to do with genuine academic debate, argue James McDougall and Kim Wagner

Using the Retail Price Index to calculate student loans only leaves students with more debt and the government with a future income shortfall, argues Will Ing 

Suspected spies posing as professors have hit the headlines in recent months. Matthew Reisz considers academia's long – and ongoing – entanglement with espionage

Anne Kiem wishes more people knew about the amazing things going on in higher education – and offers some tips for entrants

Growing up working class meant Michelle Deininger was more worried about money than academic aspirations, but after a second chance she managed to complete her PhD 

The framing of the Peter Horrocks row misses the bigger issue underlying the conflict and the opportunity to sketch out a vibrant future for this important national institution, say Mark Brandon, Joe Smith and Martin Weller

Financial disputes and litigation are lose-lose situations for universities and students no matter the outcome, says Ronel Lehmann 

Emerging online threats and tough new penalties for data breaches are forcing universities to take cyber security more seriously than ever, says Kamal Bechkoum

University strategising in the days before JoJo, BoJo and Brexit was more back-patting than visionary, but what universities need now is a plan for survival, says John Cater 

Pleas by Conservative backbenchers for an intervention to help the OU ignore the fact that they recently made it harder to assist under-pressure institutions, says Pam Tatlow

Student representatives are essential to institutions and any power they have is hard-won, says Ben Vulliamy

As a parliamentary committee calls for an independent review of Prevent, Steven Greer and Lindsey Bell argue that too much criticism of the anti-extremism programme is based on myths

Barrister Daniel Sokol explains some of the key mistakes made by those advising students on academic appeals

Organising community projects is a way for academics to hone the skills desirable to future employers, says Alice Eden

As England’s new higher education regulator the Office for Students begins this week, its deputy chair Martin Coleman explains how it will balance institutional autonomy and public accountability

Marking the first year of the UK’s apprenticeship levy, Roxanne Stockwell argues for a move back to basic skills-based education

Time constraints mean international PhD students caring for families can’t make contributions to research and their fields can’t benefit from their insights, Andrew Basden argues

A sample essay by Philip Newton and Michael Draper on the dodgy disclaimers used by essay mills makes clear why the Advertising Standards Authority’s ruling will not stop contract cheating

Universities will need to think hard about how they will respond to the growing popularity of the qualification, says Elizabeth Miller

Too many poorer students across Europe are unable to maximise their learning owing to inadequate financial support, argues Simon Marginson

A newcomer in the Oxford-Cambridge innovation corridor will reshape our understanding of what higher education is for, says Lynette Ryals

Qualified actuary and academic Nick Foster says the case for university pension reform cannot be ignored despite a brilliant anti-cuts PR campaign

This strike’s momentum is unprecedented because the proposed pension cuts are a symbol of the UK’s flawed higher education system, says George Letsas

As the National Union of Students conference in Glasgow begins on 27 March, Nick Hillman ponders if the student voice is becoming too powerful in universities

Sport is one of the ways that universities are helping to transform the lives of young people from socially disadvantaged communities, says Geoff Thompson

As peak marking season approaches, Julianne Law gives a frank assessment of where her university’s new paperless marking system has gone right and what could be improved

Edge Hill vice-chancellor John Cater explains why the new non-Russell Group medical schools are so vital

Female under-representation in spin-offs is likely to be attributable to the usual suspects: gender bias, lack of appropriate support and limited access to the right networks, says Simonetta Manfredi

Protests by West Ham fans have striking similarities with the unrest sparked among academics by proposed pension cuts, says Richard Watermeyer

Bill Galvin, chief executive of the Universities Superannuation Scheme, tackles some of the ‘misunderstandings’ about the fund’s approach to its valuation

Documents published on the Office for Students’ website have raised further questions about its independence, accountability and powers, says Gill Evans

Unprecedented spending on university estates are transforming campuses and cities more generally, explain the authors of a new book on contemporary design in higher education

Leaving academia can be a wrench, but it can also open up new opportunities to enjoy your discipline, says Greta Perel

Lancaster University's vice-chancellor Mark E. Smith and Nicola Owen argue that a new composite ranking offers a more nuanced view of institutional excellence

Stephen Hawking’s enormous achievements in science and communication are a manifestation of amazing willpower and determination, says the astronomer royal

The Pensions Regulator, not universities, is the driving force behind proposed cuts due to its nonsensical approach to discount rates, argue David Bailey and John Clancy

New Zealand is reaping many benefits from reducing the cost of a PhD for international students a decade ago, says Brett Berquist

The reawakening of political activism within academia sparked by the pensions strike will reinvigorate scholarship, says Jana Bacevic

Academic sleuths have used investigative skills and Twitter to tell the real story behind proposed pension cuts, says Sherrill Stroschein

Introducing a ‘consumer-style ratings system’ for degrees has the potential to cause terrible damage to universities and society in general, argues Cathy Shrank

Better-resourced universities are the key to achieving the government’s ambition for a knowledge-based economy, says David Mba

Having well-resourced and world-leading university research is crucial if the UK is to succeed as a knowledge economy, says Michael Drew

The government must end its absurd and self-defeating stance against the National Union of Students, says Ruth Wilkinson

Pension cuts have been presented as a matter-of-fact and inevitable response to an enormous deficit, but this position has started to unravel, says Jan Machielsen

There are very few outlets for women to work together against unhelpful concepts that hold back female progression in academia, says Elisabeth Julie Vargo

Where you live and where your family comes from still determine your access to a university education, says London Metropolitan University vice-chancellor John Raftery

Doing a part-time doctoral degree while working full-time is rewarding, but it can be demanding, says Pat Culhane

Diplomatic dinner celebrating US-Australian relations is only the entrée to a full-blown battle over funding cuts that has put the demand-driven system on ice, says John Ross

Students in the UK who are angered and alienated by Brexit must find new ways to collaborate with their European counterparts, says Laura Chiorean

The university strikes are a militant campaign that attacks the very heart of learning as the union propaganda makes clear, says John Marenbon

Historians must not let Boris Johnson and other armchair scholars take centre stage in their discipline, says Tanja Bueltmann

With state intervention back in vogue, and publishers’ profit margins still sky-high, journals could be the next monopoly to come under scrutiny

Too many partisan board members are causing the university pensions dispute to drag on, says Adrian Bell