Opinion

HE is already suffering the financial impact of the coronavirus. But could a longer-term effect include a positive shift in mindset over HE’s fundamental role?

How future governments view R&D investment will be impacted by this fresh injection of funding, writes Athene Donald 

Universities are wrong to assume that they are entitled to use recordings of lecturers however they please, says Robert Cluley

Robert Zaretsky is troubled by his students’ refusal to see any nuance in a historical text that contains racial slurs  

There’s a great opportunity for Wales to show the world how an education centred on public service and community can be delivered, says Kirsty Williams 

Consulting citation data would ameliorate the all-too-human shortcomings of departmental review, says a Russell Group professor

But social media spats also reflect people’s desire for truth, social justice and greater openness, says Jingtai Tang

H. A. Hellyer shares his top principles for being a good academic – and a good person

The UK’s requirement that dyslexia tutors have specialist qualifications is a strain on hourly paid tutors and limits universities’ pool of workers, says Stephen Campbell 

Fear of reprimand is stopping researchers from looking into why workplace bullying is reported more in higher education than in other sectors, say Daniel W. Lund and Nick Forster 

The UK government's increasingly proscriptive policies on teacher education could start encroaching on universities’ autonomy, say Viv Ellis and Keith Turvey 

The government may be putting a new emphasis on universities and the role of research, but the attention may also bring new demands for delivery

Abuse of anonymity is damaging for both academics and students. It should lead to serious consequences, says Stefan Cantore

We should not be apologising for the way the humanities have been used in the Trump era, but striving to harness their force, says Sara Guyer

Employers value higher and degree apprenticeships. Restricting access to them would be counterproductive, says Jane Longmore

A recent posting on bioRxiv may have been erroneous, but the mistakes were picked up within hours, notes Kristen Sadler

The National Student Survey promotes higher education as a service passively consumed by students but it should encourage students to take more responsibility for their own learning, says Neil McBride

The Universities Superannuation Scheme is changing how it invests in ethical funds, which should be a concern to striking academics, argues Bernard H. Casey 

Working with actors in “left-behind” communities and recognising expertise beyond their walls will help close knowledge gaps on economic divisions, say Siobhan Morris, Olivia Stevenson and John Tomaney 

An atmosphere of fear on campuses has served to mute expression and limit academic freedom, but action can still be taken to fight back, says Debora Diniz

International mobility defines many academics’ careers – but how should we weigh the costs and benefits to individuals, and their adopted homes?

UK universities’ multiple missions can be accelerated under the new government’s ministerial briefs, say Chris Husbands and Natalie Day 

Even women with identical performance ratings to men suffer large pay deficits. This must be fixed, say Ann Brower and Alex James

Removing biases in the system may not be enough to achieve a truly equal gender balance, says Sun Young Lee 

Canada’s excess of directive funding programmes risks hobbling scientific imagination and progress, says Jim Woodgett

The financial urge to allow Chinese students to begin the new university year must not trump public health concerns, says Salvatore Babones

Impersonating the Messiah is apparently a necessity for funding success – but it’s hell, says Piers Kelly

Student protests have won victories since the movement began two years ago, but big changes must be made to protect women’s rights in China, says Lü Pin

We need a global Silicon Valley because open collaboration is essential to closing the artificial intelligence skills gap, says Huawei’s Jack Lyu Ke

In a class full of highly opinionated young scholars, it’s hard to get a word in edgewise, but more structure is needed, says Desiree Thorpe

Both Beijing and Hong Kong must adjust their approaches and sensibilities to restore confidence and trust in HK universities, argues John Burns

Working to the exclusion of all else is unhealthy, but a one-size-fits-all limit is hard to set when careers and reputations are on the line

UK academics love the ERC, but selective participation in Horizon Europe is unlikely to be on the table, says John Womersley

Coventry University’s endeavours notwithstanding, other international education initiatives are more sustainable, say Philip Altbach and Hans de Wit

Our rankings have helped to reveal overlooked pockets of potential, says Ellie Bothwell

Sinn Féin’s desire for an all-Ireland education system could see it reject fee rises north of the border, says Diana Beech

A five-year state initiative is bringing problem-solving, global engagement and diversity to Taiwan’s higher education system, says Chia-Ming Hsueh

UKRI and other funders must prevent good intentions on open access from undermining good science, says Lee Cronin 

Academic publishing needs more transparency, clearer appeals processes and more safeguards against citation fraud, says Afroz Ahmad Shah

After a fleeting fear that the digital world was passing her by, the ubiquity of internet trolls has made Mary Joannou realise that might not be so bad after all

Developing countries cannot cower from technological progress if they and all their citizens are to advance, argues Tshilidzi Marwala

Students often overcome traumatic experiences to sit in our classrooms, and we must support them to find new opportunities, says Ayesha Ahmad

Stereotyping Chinese students as a threat is as wrong-headed as pretending that there is no problem at all, say Kerry Brown and Ed Byrne

Universities must meet the disruption caused by the new coronavirus with technological dexterity, tactical flexibility, strategic vision – and compassion

If a college education makes people more liberal, it is potentially the best remedy for bigotry, says Kate Eichhorn

Long after they have finally landed a full-time job, many academics still find themselves feeling insecure and guilty, says Rachel Moss

The UK’s structures for supporting and nurturing research leaders are woefully underdeveloped, says Matthew Flinders

Striking again would rob students of vital lecture time and damage the progress we’ve made through bargaining, says one anonymous UCU member

Even as medics scramble to address the coronavirus, research into its social and political entanglements is vital, says Robert Peckham 

Many emerging higher education systems in Asia are paying external faculty members to collaborate on scholarship when they should be investing in staff development, write Bruce Savre, Laurene Chua-Garcia and Anna Nguyen Loan

Large investments are needed to make research data open and accessible but tackling global problems depends on it, says Paul Ayris 

With business backing for education declining, the government must invest to ensure that universities can offer a lifetime of learning opportunities, says Jonathan Michie

As China’s influence grows, UK scholars question how best to collaborate. A post-Brexit transition may offer change to more than our EU relationship

Why is there so little concern about the catastrophic decline in part-time adult learners in England? asks John Butcher

Excessive criticism reflects a dearth of research funding and space in top journals. But peers needn’t play ball, says an anonymous academic

A feudal approach to intellectual property has turned the academy into a modern police state, says Steve Fuller

Academics are key to lifting public engagement with climate change and stopping the spread of nonsense passing as news, says David Lloyd

The appointment of Manuel Castells as the country’s universities minister signals a change in fortune, says José Martinez-Sierra

Universities must learn how to handle the medical, sociological and academic fallout of global emergencies like the coronavirus, says Brian Wong 

The Decade of Action towards the UN’s sustainable development goals has begun and universities must pay them urgent attention, writes Mark Charlton