University rankings and their subsequent league tables presuppose higher education institutions exist in a linear hierarchical structure and that presenting information in this way is useful to prospective students. Deploying a comparable methodology t…
Category: Higher Education
How to design teaching and learning through an AI-centred course
Drawing on their experience of designing higher education courses centred on AI tools, Bert Verhoeven and Vishal Rana discuss how, rather than being a threat, AI can be used in ways that are compatible with traditional teaching methodologies and offer …
Academic precarity undermines the Race Equality Charter
Drawing on an analysis of academic contracts and the numbers of ethnic minority staff in the UK, Roxana-Diana Baltaru argues the value gained from strategic commitments to race equality in UK universities is limited by precarious and unequal job prospe…
Sensationalist messaging around “low-value degrees” ignores the reality of economic inequality
Analysing the recent government messaging on the value of university education, Zoe Hope Bulaitis, argues this rhetoric drastically simplifies how and where higher education adds value to society. In a predictable manner, the calculation of the economi…
From fragility to respect – A reflection on managing contentious issues in the classroom
Classrooms have become a focal point for a range of ‘culture war issues’. Daniel Beaudoin reflects on his own teaching practice and offers 8 pointers for maintaining a constructive learning environment in the classroom. If you are white (I am), male (I…
Generative AI should mark the end of a failed war on student academic misconduct
Higher education institutions have long been locked in a Sisyphean struggle with students prepared to cheat on tests and assignments. Considering how generative AI reveals the limitations of current assessment regimes, Utkarsh Leo argues educators and …
Does anyone learn anything new at conferences? Measuring serendipity and knowledge diffusion at academic conferences
The rise of digital networking and conference platforms in recent years has led many to question the value of conferences on environmental and accessibility grounds. Yet, one frequently cited example of their value is the opportunity for serendipitous …
A fairer way to finance tertiary education
Nicholas Barr dispels some of the commonly held myths around higher education funding and outlines the core elements of a financing system guided by principles of fairness and efficiency. This post originally appeared on the LSE British Politics and Po…
“[It’s] as if it didn’t exist”: Is cyberbullying of university professors taken seriously?
As teaching and learning in higher education increasingly becomes an online activity opportunities for and instances of cyberbullying have become more common. Drawing on a recent study of Canadian academics in Quebec, Jérémie Bisaillon and Stéphane Vil…
Knowledge work and the role of higher education in an AI era
As AI becomes increasingly entangled into different forms of knowledge work, Bert Verhoeven and Vishal Rana discuss how higher education can adapt to meet the needs of a changing labour market. Pointing to the limits of traditional forms of testing in …