Analysis of the data on part-time students shows that recent declines have been biggest for older students studying at lower levels of intensity. This raises questions about the role of higher education in lifelong learning. More...

One of the less remarked upon aspects of the Consultation on the Second Research Excellence Framework (REF) (HEFCE 2016/38) is the quiet but bold statement in Annex C that the UK funding bodies intend the current open-access policy to be extended to monographs for the as-yet unannounced third exercise in the mid-2020s. More...

With an increasing focus on the career progression of graduates, both through the Teaching Excellence Framework and the Government’s productivity plan, HEFCE’s Skills team has been working with the sector to explore the value of work experience. More...

With Disabled Students’ Allowance decreasing and demand for support increasing, the sector must look harder at what inclusivity means and how best to accomplish it with the resources available. More...

When designing the second REF we should note where REF 2014 has enhanced the research environment in the UK, and helped our universities strengthen their position internationally. More...

With events like Brexit, we have seen big changes across the world. The Research Excellence Framework will miss a trick if it doesn’t think about ‘impact’ within this broader context. More...

The next steps in the evolution of research assessment are upon us with the publication of the consultation for REF2021.
Quite rightly, there will be extensive conversations and much exchanging of views before formally responding to a consultation, which, given the significance of the proposals on which it is based, is necessarily world-beating in length. More...

Public engagement and impact are all familiar terms in the world of research. We have recently seen public engagement highlighted as an important route to impact in the Stern Review with emphasis placed on ensuring it is encouraged and fairly recognised during the next Research Excellence Framework (REF). More...

The proposal to submit all ‘research active’ staff to the next REF is a cause of concern for many universities. But it is not only those which stand to lose out that should be worried. To understand the problem, we need to reflect on what it means to be ‘research active’, and what we want to achieve from abandoning the process of staff selection used previously. More...

Principles are one thing. Logistics quite another. It can only be good news that the next Research Excellence Framework will aim to reduce burden on the sector and attempts to game the system. More...