Take your time A doctorate is for life not just for Christmas, so avoid making rash commitments in the heat of the moment. Don’t rush into it, but if you’ve been thinking about it for some time there is probably more to it than just the desire to be called doctor. The idea of doing […] … learn more→

The news that students at City, University of London have voted to ban The Sun, Daily Mail and Express newspapers from its campus – a ban which could be extended to other media organisations – is just the latest example of how free speech is under threat at universities across the globe. The university’s student […] … learn more→

The results of the recent US presidential election and the Brexit vote have revealed a populist shift towards insular, national protectionism with an underlying fear and suspicion of difference. Universities have a duty to work together across the world to demonstrate the positive power of internationalisation, rather than isolationism and distrust. It is only by […] … learn more→

In 2011 Clayton Christensen wrote The Innovative University, detailing the reasons why big disruptions would soon be coming to higher education both in the US and around the world. Globalisation, changing student enrolment profiles, emerging student markets and outdated business models were among the factors driving the need for change. Three years ago, massive open […] … learn more→

Already, working in higher education is a Mcjob for many, as most professors are adjuncts, paid less than minimum wage with no benefits. A new trend is just barely on the horizon, a trend that will make not just the educators, but education itself, no different than what you might find at your typical fast […] … learn more→

Sino-African relations have garnered a great deal of public interest in recent decades. Commentary tends to focus on trade, economic investment and aid and is often negative in tone. Based on interviews I conducted in Benin in early 2015, culture is perceived as the most positive aspect of the relationship. Cultural exchange is a crucial […] … learn more→

It was the 10th or 11th week of semester, a time when I’d gotten to know my students – or at least their names and faces – fairly well. I knew what most of them thought about the topics we’d covered, I knew the sounds of their voices. I knew some of their opinions on […] … learn more→

This week is the British Council’s International Education Week, which promotes the benefits of international learning and cultural exchange. The UK is a global hub for international students with more than 400,000 studying here last year. Yet British students travelling outside the UK to study is relatively rare, and this is a problem. Just 1.3 per […] … learn more→

In the wake of Donald Trump’s unexpected victory, many questions have been raised about Facebook’s role in the promotion of inaccurate and highly partisan information during the presidential race and whether this fake news influenced the election’s outcome. A few have downplayed Facebook’s impact, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who said that it is “extremely unlikely” […] … learn more→

In the real world, it’s completely understood that everyone has a bias, and that applies to news sites. So, to get some idea of the big picture, I went to alternative sites to hear the worst about Hillary (some of it might even be true), and I went to “mainstream” sites to hear the worst […] … learn more→