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The UK's only independent think tank devoted to higher education.

Month: November 2021

  • Who owns online lecture recordings

    30 November 2021 by Dr Alexis Brown

    As universities gear up for a new round of strikes, taking place from 1 December to 3 December 2021, they may wish to reuse online teaching materials recorded during the pandemic to limit the impact on students.  But a new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute reveals confusion over who…

  • University strikes reveal uncertainty over who owns online lectures 

    30 November 2021 by Dr Alexis Brown

    As universities gear up for a new round of strikes, taking place from 1 December to 3 December 2021, they may wish to reuse online teaching materials recorded during the pandemic to limit the impact on students.  But a new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) reveals confusion over…

  • All I want for Christmas is a consultation paper (or two) – by Nick Hillman

    29 November 2021 by Nick Hillman

    As we enter Advent, the higher education sector is gearing up for expected new consultations from the Department for Education. Here HEPI Director, Nick Hillman, takes stock of current policy debates, the impending industrial action and the continuing impact of COVID. The calm before the storm It may seem extraordinary,…

  • Hidden Voices – Graduates’ Perspectives on the Student Loan System in England

    25 November 2021 by Professor Claire Callender and Dr Ariane de Gayardon

    England’s higher education funding system has been reformed many times, leading to a system based on high fees and loans. Undergraduate tuition fees for full-time students were introduced in 1998 and rose to £3,000 a year in 2006, increasing further to £9,000 in 2021. Through a series of in-depth interviews,…

  • An open letter to the new Director for Fair Access and Participation

    24 November 2021 by Nick Hillman

    Dear John, Congratulations on your new appointment! We don’t know each other well but I have long admired your career from afar. You clearly care passionately about learners and ensuring they meet their potential. It is a huge and brilliant job that you are taking on, in fact one of…

  • Who controls higher education policy?: A review of the biography of Jeremy Heywood

    23 November 2021 by Nick Hillman

    HEPI Director Nick Hillman delves into the biography of the most important UK civil servant of modern times, Jeremy Heywood, to search out lessons on how higher education policy is set at the centre of Whitehall. During a recent period of COVID-induced isolation, I finally got around to reading What Does…

  • Bringing universities into the 21 Century: supporting onsite teaching with virtual learning

    22 November 2021 by David Latchman

    This blog was contributed by Professor David Latchman, Vice-Chancellor at Birkbeck, University of London. After 18-months of enforced online learning, it is not surprising that most students were keen to return to onsite teaching and the unique opportunities that in-person university life presents. There are good reasons why the in-person model…