Behavioural interventions have been successful in improving graduation rates among first-generation and underrepresented students in the US and should be embraced by more educators, say Ben Castleman and Ethan Fletcher
When the alt-right made highly dubious claims about historical Irish slavery, Natalie Zacek realised that a rebuttal from an expert would make no difference
Social scientists’ inexplicable failure to conduct research on their own campuses is holding back quality in undergraduate education, says Richard Arum
UK students may be less likely to commit suicide than the general population, but rates are rising. A properly informed and funded response is vital, says Sarah Niblock
There is no holding back the king tide that is the Asian country’s higher education ambition – yet while the torrent carries some riches, what will it sweep away?
The University Mental Health Charter will be funded by the UPP Foundation and will reward universities that improve student well-being outcomes, says Richard Brabner
Investors’ immense appetite for allocations of the University of Cambridge’s CPI-linked bond is evidence there is plenty of capital available to institutions through debt deals, says Dominic Kerr
The UK government is committed to cracking down on grade inflation but there are steps universities themselves can take towards solving the problem, says Tim Horder
The chaos at the UCU congress reflects the same concerns around democracy and accountability that members have about university leaders, writes Mike Finn, who argues for a member-led union
Treating staff and students like children discourages the kind of experimentation that will yield solutions to the challenges we face, says Frank Furedi
Appealing to students and their families made electoral sense for the Labour Party, but its promises have saddled it with a lot of low-value spending, says Roger Smyth
While advancements in artificial intelligence could streamline the daily responsibilities of a university leader, we should leave the big decisions to a human being, says Vijaya Nath
Compulsory A levels in maths and physics is contributing to the problem of low engineering enrolments, especially among female students, argues Elena Rodriguez-Falcon
Experts in technology and education must work hand in hand if genuinely innovative teaching is to be delivered in the digital environment, says Simone Buitendijk
If the Australian government wants to link university funding to student satisfaction, it must ensure that scores reflect more than students’ gender, wealth or ease of passage, says Julie Hare
Only a completely new institutional structure will see teaching and research on organisations become a proper, socially responsible subject, and not merely a cash cow, says Martin Parker
As critical members of the scientific community, early career researchers should be supported by scientific societies through student-led committees, write Rachelle Balez and Tom Burns
Latin American researchers have a specific social commitment to ensure that their work is accessible and contributing to the good of their communities, says Victoriano Colodrón
The Full Picture initiative at Oxford University intends to celebrate its historical contributions from women and ethnic minorities and to promote inclusivity around campus, write Rebecca Surender
Rapid advancements in telecommunications have come through basic scientific research and connections between industry and universities, writes Chen Lifang of Huawei
Life prospects for children who have been through the care system are dire, but with better support, higher education could be their salvation, says Patricia Walker
France’s new ‘Parcoursup’ system for university entry is intensifying the nation’s historical agonies over whether selectivity is compatible with égalité, says Louise Lyle
The push to admit more students from ethnic backgrounds should not be seen as a chore but as a valuable opportunity to update curricula, says Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett
Concerns about whether internationalisation and English usage has gone too far should be addressed from the perspective of quality assurance, says Michèle Wera
There are hints of a thaw in the Home Office’s icy hostility to immigrants, but universities could also do more to protect their own staff, says Paul Jump
A new curriculum for taught master’s and undergraduates on the use of research animals aims to improve the knowledge base of in vivo experiments, according to members of the British Pharmacological Society’s curriculum development team
As transnational education matures, so too must the branch campus model if it is to remain relevant to the local community it serves, argues Christopher Hill
The long-perceived elitism of universities such as Oxford mean we need to reframe the widening access discussions to talk about economic backgrounds, not just race, argues Roshan Doug
Interdisciplinary PhDs come with unique challenges but if you can find ways to benefit from them, you’ll have the best of both worlds, says Selina Sutton
Young people are more at-risk of joining terrorist groups or being arrested for terrorist offences. University policies to protect them are essential, says Lord Agnew
Asking applicants to disclose their criminal record is an arbitrary admissions process and can deter some students from even applying, argues Christopher Stacey
Concerns about the teaching excellence framework’s rigour and integrity have not been addressed. The exercise needs a fundamental rethink, says Guy Nason
Widely varying tuition fees and financial aid programmes prevent students from making fully informed decisions, and policymakers from understanding the effects of interventions, say Ross Finnie, Richard Mueller and Arthur Sweetman
A home-grown alternative to the research assessment exercise would better reflect local practice and sit better with the special administrative region’s new political reality, says Michael O’Sullivan
Improvements in the TEF awards from one year to another is not only remarkable, says Paul Aswhin, it also calls into question the validity of this exercise to accurately measure teaching quality
It is at the apex of higher education, research and innovation, but issues around integrity and employability must be addressed for doctoral education to continue to thrive, says Luke Georghiou
The second round of TEF outcomes shows a diverse higher education sector that excels in making a challenging and stimulating offering to its students, says Chris Husbands
Bold by nature, young institutions are tailor-made for ambitious projects such as the EU’s plan to create disruptive ‘super-networks’, says Anthony Forster
