In recent years, HEPI has produced around 20 reports a year. They are all available free of charge here on our website and are generally also available in hard copy from the HEPI office. (The version on the website should be regarded as the version of record.)
Open access (OA), under which research is freely available without paywalls, is one of the main discussion points of the twenty-first century research environment. The benefits of OA are clear, from making research outcomes more impactful in terms of increased citations to enabling their wider availability within and outside academia.…
The Higher Education Policy Institute polled 1,105 students via the National Union of Students (NUS) for their views on careers services and employment. The results have been published as How can you help me?: Students’ perspectives on careers services and employment (HEPI Policy Note 40), produced in conjunction with Handshake. The results…
Since 2020, learning in higher education has been transformed by digitisation. Digital learning is not a new phenomenon, but its adoption by higher education institutions was accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift towards digitisation and online learning offers significant advantages. Making content available online and throughout the day can make learning more…
The UCAS personal statement is a 4,000 character and 47-line essay that each applicant submits when applying for UK undergraduate programmes. This paper begins by looking at the limited existing literature on UCAS personal statements before presenting some new analysis of applicants’ draft personal statements. The authors conclude that, in…
Student belonging and the wider context by Dr Richard Vytniorgu, uses structured interviews with students to explore the sense of belonging among students.
In this HEPI report, Alison Wheaton presents new research into English university governance. The report sets out key findings with regard to how English university governors perceive their roles, the influences on those perceptions and the opportunities created to enhance university self-governance. Examples of good practice arising from the research…
Research leadership is not a common topic of discussion. It should be. Research leadership matters. It drives, sustains, supports, protects and inspires people. It is connective and catalysing. This matters because without it, increasing public investment in research and development is unlikely to fulfil its potential in terms of both…
This report analyses the state of debate on UK university campuses, with particular reference to student debating societies. It finds existing problems include a lot of ‘quiet’ no-platforming, meaning students are put off from inviting external speakers by the hassle, cost and risk of controversy. While rejecting the idea that…
In Horizon Europe and Plan B research funding: Turning adversity into opportunity (HEPI Policy Note 38), Marco Cavallaro of the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Switzerland argues full association with Horizon Europe remains preferable but provides a checklist for making Plan B work, including: incentivising the participation of less well-resourced UK universities in European research…