216 pieces
Newest first, since February 2011 · page 11 of 11
· Comment
Let’s talk about university readiness, not just widening participation
Richard Eyre of the Brilliant Club argues that the UK should start talking about ‘university readiness’.
· Comment
The cost of everything and the value of nothing
Brian Hipkin questions what we lose when we’re counting beans.
· Analysis
Malia Bouattia’s tactics will define her leadership of NUS
Last week’s election of Malia Bouattia as the next President of the National Union of Students has split the commentariat. Debbie McVitty looks to the year ahead for the student movement and what Bouattia’s presidency mi
· People
Women wonks: why it’s time to get writing
Women are in a minority of contributors to Wonkhe – Debbie McVitty looks at why that might be what barriers might hinder having the HE debate truly representative of the talent and leadership of women in the sector.
· Comment
Women wonks: make blogging your New Year’s Resolution
There is clearly no shortage of talented and opinionated women working in or engaged with higher education. But with women in the minority of contributors to Wonkhe, Debbie McVitty looks at why that might be, the barrier
· Analysis
Planning for an uncapped future
In December 2013 the Chancellor of the Exchequer blindsided sector pundits with the announcement that the cap on student numbers would be lifted from 2015. Aside from the flurry of press releases and formal responses, an
· Analysis
Access debate still stuck in the mud
More evidence out this week confirms what, in the main, we already know. Access to the most selective universities for working class young people is not only incredibly unequal, but apparently in decline, according to th
· People
Survey motivation
This week I have decided to have a pop at the practice of asking students about their motivations for study in student experience surveys. It is not a particularly topical issue – but then, if we waited for some aspects
· People
Dispatches from a wonk’s nightmare
Imagine, fellow wonks, if you will, your vice chancellor or chief executive coming to you one day to be briefed on the latest impenetrable funding council communiqué. Deciding what your institution’s or organisation’s op
· Blog
What is Collini for?
Stefan Collini’s much-anticipated book, What are Universities For? (Penguin, 2012) has not been received with universal approbation. The several positive reviews are in danger of being overshadowed by the rather bad-fait
· Analysis
Widening participation for postgraduates?
I’m not quite sure when or how it happened, but suddenly we are all madly concerned about widening access to postgraduate study. Before Christmas I wrote about the postgraduate policy vacuum – that the government seemed
· Comment
Application with results: is fairness the issue?
Last Friday, the UCAS Admissions Process Review consultation came to an end and now we must wait to see whether the proposals to shift to an ‘application with results’ (formerly known as PQA) system has legs. In short, U
· Analysis
The postgraduate policy vacuum
During the festive season it is traditional to turn our minds to those less fortunate than ourselves, and so it is appropriate that we take a minute to reflect on those poor neglected postgraduate students. It is incredi
· Analysis
Why ‘students as customers’ is bad for policymaking
Are students becoming more like customers? Do they consider themselves consumers? In the abstract, it is a philosophical question, except that it is so emotive in the higher education context that it is rarely approached
· Comment
What are universities for?
Today the Guardian asks the question, what are universities for? In the course of the article we see the usual dichotomy emerge between the traditional view of ‘learning for learning’s sake’ in which universities are pos
· Comment
UKBA’s student immigration proposals have no intellectual coherence
The immigration minister Damian Green gave a speech yesterday to the think tank Reform explaining the proposals set out by the UK Border Agency in its consultation on student visas. The legal firm Pennington’s, who are e