It’s Quiet Out There…Too Quiet
The Academic Oligarchy’s Kryptonite
Excellence vs Progress
Should university and college instructors ban cell phones in their classes?
Seeking simple solutions to complex problems: The careers conundrum
In recent years the policy spotlight has been shining on careers and employability provision. Graduate destination metrics heavily influence Teaching Excellence Framework outcomes and league table positions. This part of the institutional offer plays a key role in student recruitment and is a hot topic at open days across the sector. More...
Why a grade threshold for higher education study is neither necessary or defensible
Better off parents also have extra options should they think their offspring might not reach the proposed grade threshold, getting them ‘over the line’ through private tuition, funding exam resits, or paying for exam grade appeals. This is a point too rarely highlighted in this debate: the threshold would primarily hit the aspirational poorer applicant, not a middle- or upper-class applicant with lower attainment. More...
Everybody wants to recruit the world: our Tier 4 fears (and how to fix them)
Opinion on higher education policy is starkly divided across the political spectrum. What should be on offer, where, when and who pays for it – every position appears hotly contested. On one issue, however, there is near universal agreement, but little tangible action: the UK’s approach to international students. More...
The tide is turning for transformation in higher education
New, agile systems are making it easier for universities to pick and choose the top priority areas for incremental transformation. More...
Do you teach the way you were taught?
As academics, we tend to model our teaching style on the way we were taught. In some courses this works well, but in other courses it may not. Learning how to teach the students we have and not the students we want can be an eye opener. More...