Opinions and leaders from THE

V-cs: useless or priceless?

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Fred Inglis and Nicola Dandridge offer diametrically opposed views of the quality and value of the academy’s leaders

Stand up for shelf life

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Badger your MP and kick up a fuss: London Met's treatment of the Women's Library must be challenged, argues June Purvis

China in their hands

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Howard Davies on the People's Republic's gamble on Western education

From where I sit - Pursuit of happiness

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

It was inevitable that social scientists would devise what they call "indices of human happiness". These indices ask us to think about the well-being of nations not in terms of economic output, but in terms of their citizens.

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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Leader: All for one, or none for all?

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

An every-university-for-itself stance in the face of more austerity could leave higher education worse off as a sector

The Department for Mergers, Shuffles, Shifts and Reboots

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities and schools are said to be 'natural' partners, but it has rarely been the case in Whitehall's swap shop, Andy Westwood notes

Freedom: the bottom line

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Not only are 'public' universities technically private, says James Tooley, but many are close to fiscal independence

Madness of metrics

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

David Bignell scorns target-focused managers whose restructuring may destabilise when what is needed is common-sense adjustment

Let's hear it for pod people

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Sally Feldman on a new wave of academic impact via the online 'airwaves'

From where I sit - Mission creep tarnishes MBA

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The MBA landscape in Germany has always been somewhat troubled. For a start, the degree was actually prohibited until 1990, and since then, the road has been a rapid but rocky one. Recently, articles in the media have been drawing public...

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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Leader: It's gone one step beyond

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Funding bodies set the impact agenda, but university managers made it into a song and dance that everyone had to follow

To join the 'Russellers', we must round up a rather classier crew

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Alasdair Smith overhears a high-powered conversation with top university executives keen on widening their access to the 'elite'

Reassuringly expensive

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Headhunters cannot expect academics to help them fill senior roles without remuneration, argues Ron Johnston

Cracked reflection

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Peer reviewing is still the only channel for scholarly output, but more must be done to hold it to a gold standard, argues Srila Roy

The delegate's tale

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Christopher Bigsby on conferences' picaresque perils and delights

From Where I Sit - New Delhi, we have a problem

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

How times change. Some five years ago, the buzzword in Indian higher education was expansion. The 2007-12 Five-Year Plan - a mechanism by which, in part, the government formulated its economic policy and planned outlays - was an index of...

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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Wider open spaces

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Freely accessed papers are simply points in a constellation of scientific communication with the public, says Alice Bell

Master the new loom before life's tapestry unravels at our hands

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We must ethically control synthetic biology or its box of delights could easily become a Pandora-style nightmare, warns Julian Savulescu

Past is prologue

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Critics, take note: the archives teach us that the academy's 'golden age' had plenty of commonalities with today, Nick Hillman says

Bound for glory

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Alan Ryan on the faith in education that inspired 'Great Books' collections

From where I sit - Filtering Bologna's muddy waters

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

When higher education ministers from 47 countries of the European continent meet in Bucharest on 26-27 April to pronounce on the next steps for the Bologna Process and the construction of the European Higher Education Area, will they be...

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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Debt collection, but without the defaults and the destitution

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Bruce Chapman, who pioneered Australia's income-contingent student loans, is keen to see the system applied in other spheres

A home of one's own

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

As Feminist Review celebrates its 100th issue, Mary Evans assesses its lasting contribution to academic debate

A case of double Dutch

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Nicola Dandridge is sceptical of press reports on the boom in British students heading to the Netherlands for a university education

The history boys and girls

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Felipe Fernández-Armesto recalls a golden age when learning was treasured

From where I sit - Time's not on our side

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

There were problems with the Japanese national unified college entrance examinations this year. In these tests, held over one weekend in January, final-year high school students sat multiple-choice tests in their chosen subjects: up to six...

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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We aim to ensure that the transition goes as smoothly as possible

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Sir Alan Langlands explains what Hefce is doing to provide help during the biggest shake-up of university funding for generations

Raw, not for consumption

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Unpublished research data must be placed beyond the FoI's reach or the academy will suffer, Kevin Schürer warns

Resetting the compass

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Resourceful academies in the global South and East have much to teach the 'developed' North and West, Sir David Watson observes

Winter is coming

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'Lucky' Australia is feeling a rather British chill in the air, says Malcolm Gillies

From Where I Sit - Classified information

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Higher education in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) is undergoing a period of rapid change and growth, which began well before the so-called Arab Spring. Student enrolment across the region has risen sharply and many countries have...

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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Government demands that separate work and values discredit us

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

To be ethical, a funding system must recognise that what universities do supports the common good, argues Thomas Docherty

Victors and spoils

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Indulging 'world-class' institutions distorts higher education policy and fails those it should help, Roger Brown contends

Master and commander

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Andy Westwood salutes Sir Alan Langlands, a steady hand guiding the sector through the stormy waters of frenzied coalition reform

Sorbonne année

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Howard Davies on league tables and rebranding exercises

From Where I Sit - Appliance of the dismal science

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Anyone who has studied or taught economics is aware of the highly theoretical nature of the subject. For some, this is its appeal. Indeed, my old professor in the discipline once told me that the field of management demanded a direct link...

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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National Scholarship Programme is little more than a sideshow

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Financial aid for individuals during their studies is crucial, argues Liam Burns, but the incoherent NSP will do more harm than good

Hate has no place here

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The sector must consider the law, confront its own prejudices, update its codes and banish the extremists from campus, says Ruth Deech

An inclusive mission

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

As a scholar at Cambridge, Rowan Williams will continue pursuing a communal search for truth, says Benjamin Myers

Painful reflection

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Media self-hatred is fuelling the attacks on media studies, says Sally Feldman

From where I sit - Journalistic prejudice

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Heard the one about the academic pondering obscure points of theory in his ivory tower while real people get on with real work in the real world? How about the saying: "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach"?

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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Leader: They never came to the boil

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The dearth of funds to invest in teaching today makes the Cetls' meagre legacy all the more disappointing

A poor policy poorly managed leaves little to show for £315m

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Hefce admits that the multimillion-pound Cetls scheme had minimal impact on student learning. Paul Ramsden is not surprised

Support us to help you

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

More democratic, more accountable and closer to its members: Sally Hunt says her planned UCU reforms will engage it with society

Not all enterprise is private

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Adam O'Boyle outlines how student-led third-sector bodies can offer institutions social and financial benefits

Working with, not against

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Students' unions now focus on cooperation, not opposition, says Paul Greatrix

From Where I sit - Threat to national security

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Throughout the history of the US, the nation has drawn strength from its large, established middle class - families who owned homes, saved for retirement and lived in relative security. They could certainly afford to send their children...

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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Social mobility, yes. Outreach efforts, yes. Quotas, absolutely not

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Ruth Deech argues that any attempt by Offa to shape the make-up of the student body is wrong-headed and could fall foul of the law

Thoroughly entitled

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Twenty years on, post-1992s have proved beyond doubt they are worthy of the university moniker, argues Michael Driscoll

Virtual paths, real gains

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The developing world's need for higher education, says Martin Bean, can be met by the digital delivery of open educational resources

Transatlantic traffic

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

When it comes to the academy, influence flows both ways, argues Alan Ryan

From where I sit - Stockholm syndrome

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

I am an immigrant, again, and this time I don't speak the language. I am a well-paid immigrant, with a very good job and helpful colleagues. And I am taking language lessons, for free, courtesy of the Swedish government. I am making progress....

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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A mistaken conception that the university system is under attack

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

David Willetts defends the government's higher education policies against Stefan Collini's accusations of reductionist consumerism

It takes all sorts

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities must embrace diversity to better serve the needs of the nation and local communities, argues Eric Thomas

Taking the plunge

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Uclan's new overseas campuses are a bold but carefully planned part of its expansion, maintains Malcolm McVicar

Playing to win at Latin tag

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Felipe Fernández-Armesto is only fleetingly charmed by traditional shout-lines

From where I sit - Culture shock

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Sciences Po, the Paris-based social sciences institute, is an anomaly in French higher education because it selects its undergraduates on entry - unlike public universities, which take all comers. To win a place, French candidates must sit...

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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REF's effort to make knowledge visible may have cloudy results

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Impact assessments will shape behaviours - but not necessarily in desired directions, argue Katherine Smith and Nasar Meer

Preliminary to reading

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Students often struggle to access material on reading lists. To avoid that, lecturers should talk to librarians first, says Nick Bevan

A radical antithesis

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities are training grounds for engaged citizens, not terrorists, says Louise Richardson

Time is the essence

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Malcolm Gillies argues that to succeed, universities must be of the moment

From where I sit - P.S. Ich liebe dich

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The German media have found themselves irresistibly attracted to a student who wants to turn flirting into a subject for academic analysis by introducing his own seminar on "live flirting training" and exposing the spurious theorising of...

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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Leader: Something has got to give

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The government has told students to expect more, while it has given universities less. This could be unpleasant for all

Will chasing the market really result in an increase in quality?

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

V-cs say that their institutions need to be 'fast on their feet', but simply expanding popular courses will not work, says Graham Gibbs

Room for a profitable view

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

High-quality private provision widens choice, maintains standards and has a vital role to play, argues Carl Lygo

Occupy publishing

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Timothy Gowers is boycotting Elsevier and hopes to spark reform that will replace expensive journals with a more rational system

Combination acts

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Collaboration should not be a dirty word in the arts, says Stephen Mumford

From where I sit - Scholarly yen for free space

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Should academics be charged to use university space for scholarly purposes?

THE Scholarly Web

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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