Blog

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

As the government moves left on economics and right on culture, institutions must show the depth and breadth of their impact, says Sir Chris Husbands

Social media and Covid have forced research committees to become more agile, sophisticated and professional, says James Patterson

Covid and its financial fallout are serious, but managers must grasp the impact of their operating experiments on teaching and learning, says Binoy Kampmark

Government, enterprise and education must contribute to a multi-pronged, long-term programme to boost social mobility, says Anulika Ajufo

In the absence of agreed definitions and rigorous enforcement, good practice will continue to depend on personal responsibility, says Ron Iphofen

Universities are anxious to meet social priorities, but new demands must be properly resourced, say Jo Angouri and Jan Palmowski

Some people will still prefer virtual conferences, but a hybrid approach would allow part of the in-person synergy to return, says Sheldon Jacobson 

Perhaps, says Duncan Angwin – but probably not with an institution of similar size and standing, and not without long-term staff buy-in

Holding university showcases online makes a lot of sense, but a stir-fry banquet with colleagues beats rushed laptop lunches, says Jacob Lotinga 

Universities offer many rewarding technical careers – but local populations are often oblivious of them, says Mike Hughes

Non-disclosure agreements that silence staff or students should be banned, says Mark Geoghegan

Hybrid working may suit some disciplines, but Gary Macfarlane fears that the convenience will come at the cost of creativity and collegiality

Talking to lab members is not very revealing when they are habituated into an abusive culture, says Joana Vieira

As Isaiah Berlin showed, academics need to reflect on who is sidelined by commitments to ‘positive’ freedom, says Joseph Mintz

Major scientific breakthroughs require people to be in their labs well beyond nine to five, and we ought to acknowledge this openly, suggests Eneli Kindsiko

Students would be far better advised to focus on demonstrating their mastery of research skills, says Gordon Message

Neither the Equality Act nor campus groups’ good sense will circumvent the duty to give a platform to anyone who wants one, says David Renton

As post-92 departments close, non-traditional students and scholars risk being shut out – again, says Panikos Panayi

Wide support for cOAlition S’ rights retention strategy would allow negotiators to take a harder line with publishers, says Alice Gibson 

Expecting academics to effectively review potential cheating incidents is unrealistic and ineffective, says Scott McFarland

Making campuses sustainable will help limit future climate change but won’t protect against current threats, say Frank Fernandez and Hilary Coulson

Politicians developing the European Research Area must grasp how new knowledge comes about – and what it can do, says Jan Palmowski

The Kickstart Scheme’s rules are hard to navigate, and its design fails to harness university careers services’ know-how, says Richard Mendez

The legal, security and emotional challenges must not get in the way of proper teaching and research into this crucial issue, says William Allchorn

Careers can depend on publishing in higher-quartile journals, but the statistics are too easily gamed, says Jakša Cvitanić

Universities’ nominal control of undergraduate medical training belies the fractured reality, says Jonathan Rees

Universities are moving in the right direction, but they can and must go further and faster, says Alice Gast

This week’s Climate Exp0 underlines universities’ potential to make net zero achievable, say Emily Shuckburgh, Roberto Buizza and Alyssa Gilbert

Changes to funding mechanisms can feel like a threat, but Aria will be a blast of fresh air for science and technology, says Tom Stephenson

Online exams are unfair and hard to police, even with creepy levels of invasiveness, says Helen Soteriou  

Collaborative, technically enhanced experiential learning will prepare the continent’s vast young population for the digital future, says Laura Kakon

Universities are a juicy target for hackers, and online working has made them easier prey, says Laura Marsden

Doing everything by the book makes it easy for opponents to plan ahead. So shake them up a bit, says Marcia Devlin

Visa reform would offset declining domestic enrolments, spread US values and give students the education they want, says Kent Devereaux

The opportunity exists to reimagine the UK’s post-18 education system in a way that will improve society as well as the economy, says Susan Lea

Churches’ grip on former religious teacher training colleges is incompatible with their remit as publicly funded universities, says Keith Sharpe

The REF and TEF should be brought together, but adopting low-quality shortcuts would undermine the whole purpose, says Thom Brooks 

Interdisciplinarity will not meet its problem-solving potential unless graduates are primed to embrace challenges, says Paul O’Keefe

The sacking of the Higher Education Commission’s chair provides an opportunity to rethink the organisation's entire rationale, says Tahir Shah

As the David Cameron furore underlines, lobbying is big business, fraught with risk. So why have universities shied away from it, asks Alberto Alemanno

An unfriendly and isolating ambience that descended into microaggressions and dismissed complaints shattered one academic's high expectations 

Technical incompatibilities and privacy law risk preventing universities communicating to optimise individualised learning, says Gerd Kortemeyer

The focus of research evaluation on papers and grants excludes far too many vital contributions. We must change that, says Simon Hettrick

Online teaching could have been much better if institutions had previously taken a communal approach to digital evolution, says Doug Specht

Restrictions are rare, but the Russell Group is putting its commitment to the open and rigorous contestation of ideas beyond doubt, says Tim Bradshaw

Tough choices and bold strategies are needed if universities are to navigate the perilous landscape that lies ahead, argue Michael Braun and Scott Latham

The pandemic has curtailed urgent discussion of open access’ impact on scholarly societies, says Frank James

The woeful environmental record of the UK’s research-intensive universities illustrates a lack of leadership and incentives to cut emissions, says Bill Spence

A failure of imagination and aversion to networking is preventing doctoral students finding rewarding careers outside academia, says Max Horder

Qualities of silent endurance and self-containment embodied by the Duke of Edinburgh are unlikely to resonate with, or help, a generation of students faced with adversity, says Adrian Furnham

Merging metrics for the REF, KEF and TEF would free up time for academics to become researchers once again, says Robert MacIntosh

The pandemic experience shows universities of all kinds are willing to be partners for policy delivery, says Debra Humphris

Allowing tattoo parlours and drive-in cinemas to reopen before universities illustrates how students have been ignored during the pandemic, says Olivia Winnifrith

Minor tweaks to repetitive tasks can free up hundreds of hours of academic time for better things, says Andy Grayson

Nearby communities are the priority – but impact is maximised via universities’ crucial global networks, says Dawn Freshwater

Research is for public benefit. The UK’s next deal with Elsevier must accelerate the abolition of journal paywalls, says Paul Boyle

Long-term public and economic health depends on empowering universities, businesses and health systems to work together, says Michael Spence