Now that the Covid-19 pandemic has radically altered the organisation of university life for the foreseeable future, ‘everyday ableism’ can be (unwittingly) perpetuated by virtual teaching methods. But we also have a potentially generative moment to change this narrative. Given that in that academic year 2018/19, a sixth of all home university students declared that they had […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
Online learning for all
The coronavirus can improve societal understanding of universities’ role
A few months ago, it would have been hard to believe that research-based knowledge at the forefront of science would soon become an everyday topic of conversation. Reproduction rate and theories of viral origin and spread are discussed at kitchen tables around the globe – but perhaps most urgently around the cabinet tables of national […] … learn more→
The online transition means high-quality HE for all is within our grasp
In a matter of weeks, universities have been forced to move their teaching from campuses to computer screens. While many are still struggling with this quantum leap, some have performed wonders and a more permanent shift at least to blended learning has been discussed. The question seems to be “not if but when” this will […] … learn more→
Universities must protect IP to ensure Covid-19 vaccine reaches vulnerable
As world leaders met for the annual World Health Assembly online on 18 May, more than 140 prominent figures, including current and former premiers, had signed an open letter calling on governments to unite behind a people’s vaccine against Covid-19. Among other things, this calls for any vaccine to be “patent-free”. A notable absentee from […] … learn more→
The pandemic has shown us the imperative for global engagement in higher education
There is a great deal of talk about the extent to which online education may transform the post-pandemic academy. But a preoccupation with the virtues or the perils of online education as the dominant pedagogical approach in tertiary education is in essence a concern with how higher education should be delivered. This obscures a more […] … learn more→
Antarctic ice shelves: research reveals a missing piece of the climate puzzle
Ice shelves, massive floating bodies of ice, are well-known for their buffering effect on land-based ice sheets as they slow their flow towards the sea. This buffering effect plays an important role in moderating global sea level rise. The Antarctic Peninsula has been experiencing high levels of change during the last 30 years due to atmospheric and […] … learn more→
Students should be masters of postgraduate offerings
The standard model of university education is to recruit students to pre-existing degree programmes, offered by a faculty that has been established over many years or decades. Even when there is the flexibility to create new programmes, these may take a long time to be approved and implemented. Hence, universities’ capacity to create knowledge and […] … learn more→
Five ways online university learning can be better than face-to-face teaching
The University of Cambridge has announced that all lectures will be offered online for the academic year beginning in October 2020. Other UK universities are expected to adopt similar policies, adopting a format which blends online learning with more traditional teaching. The announcement has disappointed and worried students, who are concerned about the potentially poor quality of their educational […] … learn more→
Five suggestions for universal PhD ‘after-care’
One of the things that has become obvious during lockdown is how much more we might do for PhDers contemplating their futures. If ever there was a time to start something better and more supportive for researchers in our care, now is it. There’s obviously a need for much better advice and support for making […] … learn more→
Higher education’s pseudo-market needs better management
A year ago, the then UK prime minister Theresa May welcomed a report into higher and further education in England from an independent panel that I chaired. She had asked us to look at both parts of tertiary education together, the first review since Robbins in 1963 to do so. It was a good question […] … learn more→
