Blog

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scholars have striking stories to tell, Matthew Reisz concludes from his experience judging a prize for academics seeking to bring their work to a wider readership

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 

With so much pressure to publish, when will we ever have time to read and reflect? asks Christiaan De Beukelaer 

With Brexit, we’re on the precipice of a new world order, but UK universities have first mover advantage if they act fast, says Simon Marginson

Supporting global talent on campus and in our communities will help build peace around the world, writes Lisa Porter, who lost a research assistant in the Iran plane tragedy

University staff are being asked to perform duties that only the border force should do, says Gustaf Houtman

UK research funding and sector awards should be linked to institutions’ work under the Race Equality Charter, says Kalwant Bhopal 

Matthew Reisz talks to Grayson Perry and an academic expert on performance art about the limits of student artistic expression in higher education 

Augar’s questions remain largely unanswered but proposals for further education are largely comprehensive and coherent, says Nick Hillman

From alienating alumni to excluding contingent workers from governing councils, societies and university departments risk doing a disservice to 70 per cent of academics in the US, says Zeb Larson 

The proposals set out in India’s Draft National Education Policy 2019 are a positive step towards it becoming a knowledge economy, including strengthening the country’s research capacities and international collaborations, writes Tanya Spisbah 

Poor treatment of migrant academics, especially after Brexit, will severely hurt UK universities, writes Asiya Islam 

The entire higher education sector should join the institutions that have already committed to fighting climate change by divesting from fossil fuel companies, says Joy Carter 

Preventing unethical behaviour requires regulatory and institutional reforms, as well as lead researchers remaining close to work done in their name, says Futao Huang

Just as the AI revolution calls for more computer scientists, engineers will be needed to develop next-generation AI hardware, says Bashir M. Al-Hashimi

Life-changing experiences will be beyond the grasp of too many students if the UK doesn’t negotiate a post-Brexit place in the EU’s student mobility scheme, says Tanja Bueltmann 

How will renewed calls for a science and innovation hub in the north of England be any different from similar attempts that have failed in the past? asks G. R. Evans

The two countries had similar tertiary enrolments in the late 1980s but literacy rates and policy strategy set them on very different paths, says Alan Ruby

Artificial and virtual reality have merit, but we should be investing in technology that will have a greater impact on student outcomes, says Dave Kenworthy 

Science is central to the European Commission’s Green Deal, but basic research and new knowledge in the arts and humanities will be crucial to its success, says Jan Palmowski

Students need to develop their own well-informed positions on the difficult questions raised by climate change without being told what to think, says Mike Hulme

Students of colour need safe spaces to find support and encouragement from people who look like them, says Elizabeth Ajagbe 

Test your knowledge of higher education history, famous alumni and universities in pop culture

If holiday talk turns to yawn-worthy diet or dreams, put a medieval spin on it, advises Kathryn Rudy 

Acknowledging that faculty and students both struggle with mental health is the first step to tackling it, says Hilal A. Lashuel

Our affection for the past keeps our old favourites, with their old fashioned values, at the top of the Christmas charts, says Alexandra Lamont

Step away from work, don’t check your email and explain to your family what it is you actually do, Karen Rodham suggests 

Another five years of austerity means universities must work harder to combat its impact on their communities, says David Etherington 

The world is a complex place and universities must ensure they carry out rigorous travel risk assessments for students and staff, writes Paul Cusition 

Alison Blunt, Martin Evans and 89 other signatories, including 59 heads of geography departments, reject the claim that geography is a ‘soft option’ for ‘posh students’

As Conservatives turn towards non-graduate voters, they may find universities a tempting target for economic and cultural hits, writes John Morgan

England will keep its tuition fees, but research funding post-Brexit remains a mystery, as does the sector’s next minister, says Rachel Hewitt 

The strict rule discourages article submissions from a variety of authors, including displaced scholars, argues Paul Ostwald

The new government should work side by side with the sector to make significant improvements to admissions and course quality, says Graeme Atherton

The UK needs an immigration system that doesn’t discriminate against the salary of international academics and university staff, says Alistair Jarvis 

Universities must work to facilitate discussions about racist experiences if they are to be reported and resolved effectively, argues Jason Arday

Susanne Täuber warns that mandatory gender diversity measures will be no more successful in the corporate world than they have been in academia unless genuine organisational transformation is achieved

Vicky Blake outlines recommendations from the University and College Union’s democracy commission, established after intense infighting at the union’s 2018 congress

University administrators must meet students on their own terms to truly understand their needs, says Tessa Bravata 

The risks of being an academic are compounded by the unique challenges displaced scholars face, say Lisa Herzog and Özge Yaka

Collaboration and openness are central to Phil Bourne’s takeaways after opening a new school at the University of Virginia 

Unesco’s efforts to enable degree qualification recognition across borders will improve access to higher education for refugees and displaced people, says Joanna Newman 

Humanity and deliberate acts of kindness can turn symbolic gestures into action, argues Francis Petersen