Opinion

To remain carefully balanced ecosystems where experience and youth combine, should universities impose a sell-by date on academics?

From steely-eyed sadists to licky Labradors, ingénue academics should beware of the cast of kinky characters who flock to academic get-togethers, says Tara Brabazon

It is imperative that the government stop repeating the mistakes of the past when it comes to teaching assessment, says Roger Brown

Wherever you are, populism and its effect on universities is never far from conversation, finds Chris Parr

Emily Van Duyne on why she missed graduation despite being passionately committed to her students

It is time to revisit the idea of a graduate tax, argues Andy Green

Geoffrey Boulton writes the first in a series of articles from Jisc on research in the age of open science

Ahead of the 2017 THE Research Excellence Summit, taking place in Taiwan from tomorrow, we hear from Partha S. Mallick on the importance of valuing talent

Joanne Roberts on the importance of mentoring, and understanding the needs of your staff

Vice-chancellor and chief executive of the University of Worcester, David Green, offers his thoughts on the HE landscape post-election, and what needs to change

Adam Tickell calls on the UK higher education sector to look again at its environmental policies

Sung-Chul Shin, President of KAIST, on his biggest challenges, successes, and the person who has inspired him in his career 

Academics who think they can do the work of professional staff better than professional staff themselves are not showing the kind of respect they expect from others

UK universities’ complacency in the good times has left them ill-equipped to respond to falling postgraduate master’s enrolment, says Michelle Morgan

Two summers, on the beaches of Greece and in the libraries of New York, define what the “long vac” meant to John Sutherland

The sweatshop conditions in which sessional academics work in Australia mirror the treatment of schoolteachers in Victorian times, say Hannah Forsyth and Jedidiah Evans 

Few in academia will have celebrated Brexit’s first anniversary but the unpredictable year since the vote has shown the power of a united voice

The 'simplistic metric-driven ranking' runs the real risk of stifling the growth it seeks to stimulate, says Gavin Schwartz-Leeper

Headteacher Chris Ramsey is in favour of a teaching excellence framework – but not necessarily the one we have got

Stephen Hutchings and Yaron Matras call for the modern languages community to be proactive in what are difficult times for the discipline

The political changes of 2017 will benefit China, and influence the future of international student mobility, says Marguerite Dennis

Looking for a surefire way to alleviate the boredom of an exam board meeting? Bingo

Emilie Murphy calls on those who challenged the teaching excellence framework methodology in the past to stop sharing their university ratings with pride

On International Women in Engineering Day, Alice Larkin decries the slow progress on improving gender balance in her discipline

The TEF will do ‘more than any single step in history’ to change the landscape of teaching in British universities, argues Anthony Seldon

Key figures from the world of higher education respond to the publication of the TEF results. This page will be updated regularly – please refresh the page for latest response 

The teaching excellence framework shines a light on teaching provision, raises its profile, flags up areas for improvement and gives prospective students more information, says Chris Husbands

Demand-driven funding in higher education but not vocational education will distort both provision and student choice, says Peter Noonan

Don't dismiss the meditation technique as a fad: its well documented benefits for those in demanding careers make a strong case for teaching it at university, says Craig Hassed

The TEF results will not halt universities’ unease about the exercise, the prospect of gaming the system or anxiety about long-term consequences

Phil Baty reflects on the Times Higher Education World Reputation Forum, which took place in Harvard Square this month

Some vice-chancellors will decry the results of the teaching excellence framework, but should recognise areas of poor teaching it exposes, says Edward Peck

As student loan debt in the UK passes £100 billion, Sir Keith Burnett says it’s time we faced up to the real cost of tuition fees and debt

Research suggests that most brands are instantly forgettable – but what can universities do to stay memorable? Max du Bois takes a look

The wild variations in the proportions of top grades awarded by different departments and universities must be addressed, says Bernard Rivers

Sara Ladrón de Guevara and Anthony Monaco on why institutions should collaborate with their neighbours to develop ideas and solve local problems

His experiences on a panel reviewing Canadian grant allocation has convinced Jonathan Grant that the evidence base for current practice needs serious reinforcement

Academics can acquire cult-like followings, but our goal should not be self-aggrandisement but the advancement of others, says Shahidha Bari

Lots of money is spent on medical education in England – but very little of it goes towards teaching, says Philip Chan 

The wide appeal of Labour’s fees pledge means free higher education is back on the agenda, amid a shift in the political landscape

Harvard faculty, students and alumni illuminate what the university does and shape its reputation like no other communications tool, says Paul Andrew

Susannah Baker and Anna Myers say that creating a distinctive university profile requires a clear idea of who you are and what strengths you offer

Complaints about university PR units often stem from inflated expectations and bad practice. Mark Ferguson offers tips on how to master media

Sir Keith Burnett on the reaction of scholars and students in America as the US president pulls out of the Paris Agreement

Steven Franklin lays bare the questions and doubts that go through his mind as he sits down to work on his thesis

Victoria Leonard on bringing equality to the world's largest reference tool

Martin Kurzweil and Wendell Pritchett cast their eye over the possible future direction of quality assurance under Trump

For the good of the country, ministers must now look at their stance on international students and tuition fees, writes Pam Tatlow

Duncan Ross looks back at Times Higher Education’s predictions of how students could swing the general election

Since the Labour leadership contests, students have been building their political influence, says Tom Cutterham 

Nick Hillman looks at the implications of the election result for the university sector, and finds a small slither of silver lining

News and analysis as Conservative Party fails to win an overall majority in the general election

And, if so, does it matter where they studied and what subject they specialised in?

New leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, promises research grant cuts to universities that offer safe spaces or speaker bans, says Creso Sá

UK universities could curry much more political favour if they adopted a more constructive and pragmatic tone, says Sir David Bell

Greater outreach by scientists could ramp up demand for politicians with better scientific training, says David Berman

The fashionable idea that reading novels could improve students’ fellow feeling bears little scrutiny, says Seán Williams

The maths just does not add up when you look at the impact of cuts on tuition fee prices, says Andrew Gillen

There are now so many regulations to abide by in higher education, it's a wonder there is any academic freedom left, says Steve Wheeler

Alex Holmes was surprised by the reaction of some of his colleagues when he took shared parental leave