Blog

Global university networks, enhanced by technology, will offer students more flexibility over where to study, says Youmin Xi

As Netflix’s film on Sutton Hoo illustrates, collaboration between academic and commercial research enriches understanding of history, says Susan Greaney

The discipline’s existence reflects an enduring Western belief in the inferiority of knowledge production specific to different cultures, says David Simon

Fighting discrimination is a must, but the IHRA document undermines that fight and threatens free speech, says Hagit Borer

Reduced tuition fees and more hardship scholarships would help those watching Zoom lectures while working on checkouts, says Barbara Franz

His experience teaching in Iraq has underlined for Jack R. Williams the perils of simply extrapolating from personal experience

Flexibility around degree provision is the only way to ensure that workforces are equipped for the future, says Liz Barnes

Announced increases in hardship funding are not enough, while missed educational opportunities must be replaced, says Paul Blomfield

Shocking lapses in scientific standards show why renewed scrutiny of existing literature and new anti-fraud measures are needed, says David A. Sanders

English universities are making huge efforts to support students through the pandemic, but the government must play its part, says Anthony Forster

Discovering unexpected oddities while wandering round a university library is one of academia’s purest pleasures, says John Gilbey

Shazia Jagot’s life was transformed by the chance to read Chaucer as an undergraduate. It is crucial, she argues, that a new generation of black and ethnic minority students get the same opportunity

Forthcoming policies on ‘low-value courses’ and grade inflation must acknowledge how pandemic will hit graduate prospects and undergraduate preparedness for years to come, says QAA deputy chief executive Vicki Stott

Compulsory Covid jabs for students may seem sensible but would discriminate against minorities, says Zachary Michael Jack

Ambiguous status of postgraduate research students in lockdown has underlined why they should be treated as staff, says Rebecca Teague

The never-ending checklist of skills required by academia means careers advice is rarely consistent, says Maarten van Smeden

The Turing mobility scheme is a poor substitute for Erasmus+ but UK universities must learn to love it or it will soon crumble, says Marcus Dowse

Researchers should campaign with the public to build back better, say Stephen Bradley, Jessica Butler and Chris Chambers

When students can’t or won’t cross borders, universities can do it instead, says Wing Lam

The unique skills that academics bring to local projects underline that they change lives well beyond the lecture theatre, says Zahir Irani

Biden must unravel the whole sordid mass of restrictive laws and venomous vitriol that drove down overseas enrolments, says Aditya Sharma

The way US graduation figures are calculated misses out those with a non-traditional path through higher education, says Corey S. Bradford

It is often forgotten that this group suffers from even worse educational outcomes than white, working-class boys, says Nick Braisby 

The new coronavirus variant means that the costs to public health outweigh any pedagogic benefits of reopening campuses sooner, says Simon Williams

Senior administrators should serve the greater good, not pander to their most powerful stakeholders, says Kathy Johnson Bowles

New research shows that inadequate oversight is leaving institutions dangerously exposed, says Andrew Kakabadse

The president-elect may have academic connections, but the path from campus to cabinet is rarely travelled successfully, say three political scientists

Having surveyed thousands of instructors on their lockdown experiences, James T. Walker discusses two key findings and their practical implications

The European programme’s globe-spanning successor, the Turing scheme, is more suited to meeting today’s challenges, says Louise Nicol

The Turing scheme’s focus on outbound mobility will take the UK off the map for most European exchange students, laments Barbara Lorber

Nurturing talent via teaching and research is a well-established pathway to building an innovative, prosperous society, says Dawn Freshwater

Universities may think they have more pressing priorities than the UN’s SDGs. But they don’t, say Martha McPherson and Kate Roll

The proposed Turing scheme will be hard to set up – especially given its lack of reciprocity, says Martin Paul

University administrative staff are often the first point of contact for troubled students but training on how to manage these encounters is non-existent, says Sarah Bones

Uneasy bonds between lecturers and education specialists must be strengthened to deliver post-pandemic learning, says Neil Mosley

Growing impatience with online learning in South Korea highlights the limitations of socially distanced teaching, says Justin Fendos

Practitioners have a lot to teach students, but the value of research training should not be dismissed lightly, says Sam Christie

Some countries and institutions are already grabbing the chance to widen access, says Graeme Atherton

Essay mills’ opportunism, preying on student anxiety about online assessment methods, strengthens the case for legislation, says Douglas Blackstock

Mass reliance on the traditional 50-minute lecture format will soon be a thing of the past, says David Maguire

Pandemic or no pandemic, academics should try to find time for regular rethinking of their curricula and methods, says Jessica Johnson 

Two decades of Bologna-driven programme accreditation has proved that universities can be trusted to assure their quality, says Michèle Wera 

Rules requiring students to show their faces during online lessons are misguided, says Mark Heaton

A rationalisation of transnational delivery was already in the offing, but post-pandemic austerity will hasten it, say Matt Durnin and Jazreel Goh 

In the new world order, leadership is about collaboration and coordination. Higher education networks are an obvious forum, says Annelise Riles  

The US’ announcement that it now regards Israeli settlements as consistent with international law does not make them so, say eight senior academics

Gavin Williamson’s directive will embolden other groups to demand the enforcement of their interests by ministerial fiat, says Geoffrey Alderman

The Purpose Coalition will bring together the skills and the jobs needed to create a fairer, greener UK, says Justine Greening

Professionalising university teaching and changing incentive structures are the first steps, says Steven Mintz

Universities’ ethics oblige them to pay their own interns, so why do they permit their students to work many months for free, asks Sam Scott

Evidence suggests that different personality types are drawn to – and excel at – teaching and research, says John Dreijmanis

Inevitable examples of jargon or poor research are no reason to reject an entire discipline, say Debby Cotton, Elizabeth Cleaver and Dilly Fung

Academics remain wedded to prestige indicators, but peer reviewers may conclude that the journal is profiteering, says Dorothy Bishop

The ‘Tasmania Model’ of addressing social need offers lessons for the wider sector, say Rufus Black and Nick Fowler

With global warming a priority for the next US president, the International Universities Climate Alliance can lead the academic response, says Ian Jacobs

An Australian university’s attitude towards Rwanda illustrates the West’s failure to treat African academics as equal partners, says Timothy Carey

Until they have their allotted departure time, no one is meant to travel home. So, asks George Bass, should security guards dive on anyone pulling a suitcase? 

This week’s spending review could see commitments revisited and important policy documents released, predicts Nick Hillman

Pledged support for equality must be put into practice on multiple fronts, from syllabi and curricula to advising and recommending, say Chisomo Selemani and Anna Young

University careers attract intellectually curious people who want to make a difference. But Donna Swarthout has been disillusioned once too often