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

Blog

The HEPI Blog aims to make brief, incisive contributions to the higher education policy landscape. It is circulated to our subscribers and published online. We welcome guest submissions, which should follow our Instructions for Blog Authors. Submissions should be sent to our Blog Editor, Josh Freeman, at [email protected].

  • Learning languages in isolation: A hindrance?

    12 February 2020 by Megan Bowler

    This blog was kindly contributed by Megan Bowler, author of HEPI Report 123 ‘A Languages Crisis’. Megan is in her third year at Oriel College, Oxford studying Classics. John Claughton offers invaluable reflections on languages declines in his recent HEPI blog, drawing on his experience of teaching languages in schools.…

  • Review of David Willetts’s updated ‘The Pinch’

    10 February 2020 by Edward Maxfield

    This book review was kindly contributed by Dr Edward Maxfield, CEO of a small charity, a Liberal Democrat councillor and co-author of 101 Ways to Win an Election. He has a lifetime interest in education policy and worked as a lobbyist for Universities UK from 2009 to 2011. It seems…

  • Big tech: what is in it for me?

    7 February 2020 by Lucy Haire and Tony Nneke

    This blog was kindly contributed by Lucy Haire, Oracle Higher Education, with contributions from Tony Nneke, Oracle Cultural Harmony Network Chair. As I visit university after university, many lament the gap between the quality of the technology they use as a consumer or researcher, and the systems that are used…

  • Disenfranchising the student vote and other absurd ideas

    5 February 2020 by Dean Machin

    This blog was kindly contributed by Dean Machin, Strategic Policy Adviser at the University of Portsmouth. As the Conservative Party turns to reflect on its problem with the student vote, and notes that university cities are increasingly non-blue, there is the risk of some very silly suggestions. In a largely…

  • Is this a ‘moment’ for addressing challenges faced by disabled students?

    3 February 2020 by Amy Low

    This blog was kindly contributed by Amy Low, Service Delivery Director at AbilityNet. AbilityNet is a technology and digital accessibility charity that supports disabled people to achieve their objectives at home, at work and in education. They provide a range of services for individuals and organisations including 1-1 support services,…

  • One year on from the Lambeth College and London South Bank University merger

    31 January 2020 by David Phoenix

    This blog was kindly contributed by Professor David Phoenix, Vice-Chancellor, London South Bank University One year ago today we received ministerial approval for the designation of a new subsidiary, South Bank Colleges (SBC), to deliver further education. That same day, Lambeth College in south London merged with SBC, becoming part…

  • Remembering Richard Garner

    28 January 2020 by Nick Hillman

    Today brought the very sad news that Richard Garner has died. He was once the UK’s longest serving education correspondent, having worked on the Birmingham Evening Mail, the Times Educational Supplement, the Mirror and the Independent between 1980 and 2016 and, afterwards, he continued to write a column for the Times Educational Supplement. His book, The Thirty…

  • 2020: the year of value?

    28 January 2020 by Rachel Hewitt

    While there are always plenty of topics to be grappling with in higher education, there tends to be one issue that dominates the discussion. For 2019 this was the Augar review, despite the fact the independent panel was originally due to report in 2018. Throughout the year those of us…