Opinion

Calls for newer institutions to ‘know their place’ fail to understand the need to engage both with surrounding communities and major international challenges, argues Keith Burnett

The use of examinations when other more sophisticated real-world assessment is available seems increasingly strange, says Craig Mahoney

New guidelines have rightly rejected publisher claims that gold is the only sustainable path for open access, say Stephen Eglen and Rupert Gatti

Concerns over the rising number of top marks thanks to teacher-assessed grades should not obscure the limitations of the UK’s exam system, says Nick Hillman

Summer schools that funnel thousands of international students into UK universities are on the brink of collapse, warns Tim Essex

Universities can cut plagiarism by working with students’ unions to raise awareness of contract cheating and the value of academic integrity, says Aaron Yaverski

Students are not being pushed to consider imaginative ideas that would truly tackle global warming, argues Peter Sutoris

Tackling global warming will need the work of humanities researchers as much as scientists or engineers, says ex-universities minister Chris Skidmore

All will hope that predictions of the pandemic’s retreat are correct, but that won’t stop universities preparing plans A, B and C

A resulting sense of obligation often leaves women unable to relocate for better or more secure jobs, says Lara McKenzie

Funding body’s impending review should recognise sector’s clear preference for immediate open access, says Steven Inchcoombe

But journals’ open access fees are suddenly increasing researchers’ need for funding, says Adrian Furnham

Abandoning measurable evaluation criteria will make judgements more political and more random, say Raymond Poot and Willem Mulder

Any savings on the student loan book will be dwarfed by the costs of making retraining harder, says Jo Johnson 

Universities must do more to help those dissatisfied with academic life as they seek a career in industry, says Mayra Ruiz Castro

Chevening-like bursaries for EU undergraduates will send the right message to those considering studying at a UK university, says Almut Caspary

Campus-based education has its advantages but, for first-gen students, its digital complement can have more, say Jonathan van Belle and John Kaag

Institutions that want to help their staff have children should focus on the factors that drive postponement, says Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos

Shutting off the talent pipeline into the creative industries risks the UK’s reputation for creativity and its potential for growth, says Anne Carlisle

The pandemic highlighted UK creative industries’ innovative capacity. Public research spending choices should reflect that, says Andrew Thompson

Ethical reviews must become the cornerstone of Western universities’ internationalisation strategies, says Peter Brady

Offloading virtual learning to third-party ‘partners’ doesn’t always work for students but remains a blind spot for quality assurance, says Nora Carrol

New scholarships and admissions policies may help to address low participation from Traveller communities, but outreach and curricula should also change, argues Emily Danvers

The quality of universities’ statements in the wake of Atlanta’s mass shooting correlates with their curricula, say Charles Crabtree and Yusaku Horiuchi

Wedding receptions and other boisterous events on campus will be a dry run for marshalling unmasked students this autumn, reflects George Bass

Uncertainty should be insisted on as a mark of seriousness and honesty, say Michael Blastland and George Davey Smith

We all need to be strategic about where we devote our service time – especially those of us most inclined to say ‘yes’, say seven academics

We increasingly need to protect not only our freedom of speech as scholars but also our freedom of thought, says Keith Burnett

It is not in the interests of institutions with high-quality provision to offer courses that fall short of the mark, says OfS chair Lord Wharton 

Dharmendra Pradhan faces an uphill struggle to implement the new National Education Policy, says Mukhtar Ahmad

A multidisciplinary approach to the issue of attention is an experiment in charting genuinely new intellectual territory, says Marion Thain

Right-wing politicians’ caricaturing of a mature research approach is a social dominance power play, says Steve Raven

England’s free speech bill should outlaw gag orders that stifle revelations of bad practice, says an anonymous author 

We need knowledge and content that go beyond the Western world to design a meaningful decolonised, research-led curriculum, says Masi Noor

Opacity and double standards are infuriating, but the blessings of an academic career are present at all ranks, says Adrian Furnham

It will take real courage to unpack the failures of leaders over the past year, but there are important lessons to be learned, says Patrick Sanaghan

Our innovative, empathic and cooperative approach to the pandemic needs to be used to address more deep-seated problems such as poverty and inequality, says Chantal Jouannet Valderrama

Unequal degree classification ranges mean that improvements get more reward at the higher end, say Andy Grayson, Susannah Lamb and Chris Royle

Pride Month may be over but inclusion needs year-round commitment that goes beyond noisy and colourful gestures, says Karen Lambert

The University of California’s decision to back away from the SAT and ACT will only further benefit privileged applicants, says Matt Larriva

Transitioning to remote and hybrid modes has made the university experience about more than the transmission of knowledge, says Sergio Pulgarín Molina

The summer marking marathon is among the most dreary of academic duties. Thank goodness students can appeal, says Brian Bloch

Back-to-back publication reinforces findings, and preprints could facilitate it. So why are journals still so wary of it, asks Josh Hardy 

Amazon may have killed the traditional business model but a physical store remains an asset for the academic community, says Paul Kelly

A post-qualification applications system is the best way to ensure equity in admissions, says Sasha Roseneil

We should embrace the possibility of degrees made up of a pick-and-mix of modules from around the world – but comparability is crucial, says Nick Isles

Anglophone universities must embrace the skills and cultural understanding that learning foreign languages instils, says Vicky Lewis

As we emerge from the pandemic, we can expect to see a new range of online and blended options, says Mark Stevenson

NIH data hint at the extent of bullying and emotional abuse, but barriers to tackling the issue remain high, says Joanna Buscemi

Funding is declining but business school research is as vital as science to post-pandemic economic recovery, says Zahir Irani

If leaders don’t proceed with openness and consideration towards nervous staff, it is students who will ultimately suffer, says Rachel Gallardo

A new survey underlines the importance of anti-racism, mental health and climate change to current and potential undergraduates, writes James Sloam  

While female undergraduate numbers have finally reached parity, it is a different story among college fellows, say Elizabeth Baigent and Claire Hann

Grand challenges won’t be solved unless disciplinary research data are opened up to all, says Nathan Cunningham

Wider take-up by academics requires both relevance to specific disciplines and accessibility across disciplines, says Camille Kandiko Howson

We must challenge carping about the bottom-line worth of university study by reiterating that other paths’ pay-offs in no way denigrate a degree’s value

Many academics exhibit an appalling degree of exceptionalism and entitlement – and an inability to complete even basic tasks, says Kate Eichhorn

Some students have abused privacy allowances and marking latitude – but others’ ongoing engagement has been heartening, says Robert Zaretsky

Initiatives on mental health and sexual harassment are welcome, but racial discrimination also demands greater attention, says David Mba

As Maastricht University celebrates its 45th anniversary, it is tapping into its founding spirit in a bid to stay forever young, says its president, Martin Paul