As Co-chair and members of the UK Committee on Research Integrity, we are here to support research integrity in the UK. Our role includes the articulation of views about areas where there are good reasons to focus on research integrity. One such area is research assessment, for which plans for…
As 13 nations across the Commonwealth head to the ballot box this year, and families, parents and citizens consider their priorities for the ensuing decade, attention turns towards the global effort to tackle world challenges, outlined in the UN sustainable development goals and slated for achievement by 2030 and beyond.…
Businesses are hungry for AI-powered growth, students eagerly adopt new tools, and the ethical compass risks getting lost in the scramble. But in the midst of an artificial intelligence gold rush, can universities ensure everyone plays fair? AI is no longer a buzzword in lectures. Nearly 80% of students surveyed…
Incoming Vice Chancellors (VCs)- who are also Chief Executive Officers in the UK – face a chorus of voices jockeying for position, stakes and interest. It is sometimes also the case that the university has run into difficulty, for example with student outcomes, research, or financial metrics and these may…
Since the first hint last year of proposed changes to key parts of the next Research Excellence Framework (REF2029), many in the sector have been eagerly awaiting further details. Working in a small, specialist institution, I welcome the proposed shift in REF2029 away from the existing Environment Statement narrative and…
The London Book Fair 2024 shed light on numerous critical issues currently impacting the publishing industry. On March 14th, I had the privilege of participating in a panel discussion addressing one of the most recent and swiftly evolving changes—generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). By harnessing the power of AI responsibly: researchers,…
Asking an established professor how they arrived at that position can be like asking a centipede to explain how it walks. Those of us who got here were often too busy doing the kind of work that got us here to keep note of the steps and strategies. In fact,…
Has regulation of higher education gone too far? Those in Government would say certainly not and most likely point at the National Audit Office’s recent report on student loan fraud at franchised providers or explain that – given higher interest rates have increased the cost of funding the student loans…
In their recent study “The gainers and losers from the United Kingdom’s university-related migration: A subregional analysis of Graduate Outcomes Survey data”, Professor Tony Champion, Professor Anne Green, and Dr Kostas Kollydas offer an insightful analysis of higher education-related migration within the UK, utilising Graduate Outcomes Survey data from the…
Our universities face a funding crisis. Fees of £9,250 are not sufficient to cover the costs of delivering higher education to the typical student. But many people, including many policymakers, do not believe this. They think it looks like quite a lot of money for modest contact hours and limited…