Scientists in Germany publish more articles in leading journals than those in any other nation except the US and China. But unlike academics in most countries, Germany’s scientific community is significantly split between universities and independent research institutes. Under the country’s dual-pillar approach, universities are supposed to specialise in training new scientists; leading research is […] … learn more→

The new learning economy is creating opportunities for universities to move on from the current focus on cutting costs, downsizing and job losses. Many universities appear stuck in a downward spiral, but now may be the time to offset this with new initiatives. Growth in the need for ongoing learning creates these opportunities. Current education […] … learn more→

In late July, the academic Twitter community was rocked by the tragic death of an Arizona State University professor who went by the alias @sciencing_bi. She had reportedly died from Covid-19 after being forced to teach in-person well into spring. Only days later, it was revealed that @sciencing_bi – who had, over several years, posted […] … learn more→

In South Africa, university students who come from low-income households in rural areas are at a disadvantage. Having generally attended poorly resourced schools, they’re not well resourced or prepared to participate in the processes of making and sharing knowledge at tertiary education level. When they enter universities, they tend to have lower English language proficiency than […] … learn more→

Australian universities have been impacted by COVID-19 and the ensuing increased stress and anxiety has highlighted the importance of employee mental health and well-being. Prior to the pandemic there was clear evidence that universities were high pressure working environments with increasing demands for productivity coupled with resource constraints. Academics have cumulative metrics for teaching performance, […] … learn more→

Doing a doctorate later in life is more likely to be a part-time affair. In the UK, the majority of the part-time postgraduate research students are over the age of 30. Despite 27,000 people undertaking this mode of study in the UK alone, it is less commonly addressed in guides to success in doctoral research. In this […] … learn more→

As we all head back to school during a global pandemic, it’s a good time to ask whether students are learning the skills they need to keep themselves and their communities safe. Over the last decade, scholars, policy makers and citizens have been concerned about whether young people had the key skills they needed to […] … learn more→

Are the young classes of our “learning nation” condemned to come and bang their heads on the “chestnut tree” of evaluation? As for the Covid-19, it may seem essential to “test”. But as with Covid-19, the cardinal question is who to test, and when. What is at stake is the benefit expected from the test. Between September 14 […] … learn more→

Recent months have seen heated debates in Russia about the limits of faculty and students’ rights to undertake public speaking and engage in political activism. Lecturers at the prestigious Higher School of Economics (HSE), once considered Russia’s most liberal university, have spent the summer worrying that their criticisms of the political status quo might put an end to […] … learn more→

After a year of unprecedented disruptions and change, it is clear that, as the new semester approaches, students need better experiences, universities need better business models and staff need better workloads. I split my career between industry and academia, encountering the academic world at many levels and locations and learning pedagogy from scratch at 41. […] … learn more→