Saturday 7 November 2026
Debbie McVitty

Team Wonkhe

Debbie McVitty

Editor

221 pieces

Newest first, since February 2011 · page 4 of 12

  1. · Comment

    Higher education could do more to capture and promote the global value of a UK degree

    Getting to sustainable international recruitment means understanding international student experience and outcomes, say Rachel MacSween and Debbie McVitty

    With Rachel MacSween

  2. · Policy Watch

    A bluffer’s guide to the Universities UK blueprint for HE policy under Labour

    Debbie McVitty assesses Opportunity, Growth and Partnership, the Universities UK blueprint for the Labour government’s HE policy agenda

  3. · Comment

    How to fail, with Universities UK

    Reflecting on positive noises from government towards the sector at Universities UK annual conference, Debbie McVitty argues for assessment of past failures to make the most of future opportunities

  4. · Research

    Trust is paramount when leading strategic change in challenging times

    Alison Johns and Debbie McVitty introduce new insight from Advance HE and Wonkhe about what it takes to lead change in higher education when the environment is tough

    With Alison Johns

  5. · Research

    What academics want from academic support

    Personal tutoring is an aspect of academic practice. Debbie McVitty and Rachel Maxwell asked academics how they view it

    With Rachel Maxwell

  6. · Research

    Once you can describe an academic support system, you can begin to evaluate it

    It is tricky to infer direct causation from academic support to student success, but it can be done. Debbie McVitty and Rachel Maxwell called in the experts

    With Rachel Maxwell

  7. · Comment

    Higher education in general election manifestos – the 2010s

    Debbie McVitty gallops through the final decade of our manifestos series with the reflection that even when it’s been uncomfortable for HE, the political endorsement of the value of universities has been more consistentl

  8. · Comment

    Labour’s tertiary approach to higher education quality could take lessons from Scotland

    Labour’s manifesto puts teaching quality in the context of a post-16 education review. Debbie McVitty looks over the border to learn what a tertiary quality system could mean

  9. · Comment

    How an incoming government could act immediately to stabilise universities at risk of financial collapse

    The new government needs to walk the line between allowing universities to collapse and pledging to protect them indefinitely. Sarah Seed, Matthew Howling and Debbie McVitty think they have found a way of doing that

    With Sarah Seed and Matthew Howling

  10. · Comment

    Higher education in general election manifestos – the 1990s

    By the end of the eighties the architecture of HE as we know it was in place – but not the funding. Debbie McVitty hunts for solutions in the manifestos of Major, Kinnock, Blair, and Ashdown

  11. · Comment

    Higher education in general election manifestos – the 1970s

    The seventies saw galloping inflation, strikes, and the polarisation of politics. But Debbie McVitty also finds in General Election manifestos of the time the arrival of students as a political force to be reckoned with

  12. · Wonk Corner

    The British Academy’s manifesto for the social sciences, humanities, and arts

    Right now, lots and lots of universities are reviewing their course portfolios to identify what mix of subject offerings will ensure their ongoing financial sustainability.

  13. · Comment

    What are a future Labour government’s options to secure the future of higher education?

    After the election, there will be thinking to be done about the sustainability of the higher education sector. Debbie McVitty parses out the options

  14. · Comment

    What does the General Election mean for higher education?

    There will be a General Election on Thursday 4 July. Debbie McVitty thinks through how the campaign might unfold

  15. · Comment

    The Secret Lecturer’s view of university life is almost wholly grim

    A new book promises to lift the lid on the unvarnished realities of academic life. Debbie McVitty wonders if it really is as bad as all that

  16. · Policy Watch

    OfS assessment of university finances warns of need for structural change to stave off risks of provider collapse

    The regulator for England’s higher education providers is expecting some extreme measures if all institutions are to avoid insolvency. Debbie McVitty has the lowdown

  17. · Wonk Corner

    How to improve higher education learning and teaching – a user’s guide

    A new independent report by higher education expert Dilly Fung for the Office for Students fillets the latest TEF submissions of 31 providers that improved their rating since the last exercise to see what can be learned

  18. · Comment

    A first look at UCAS’ new grades on entry tool

    UCAS has a new tool showing successful students’ actual grades on entry to their courses. Debbie McVitty got a sneak preview

  19. · Comment

    Higher education in general election manifestos – the 1940s and 50s

    Debbie McVitty finds the seeds of an emerging consensus around the value of higher education expansion in party manifestos of the post-war years

  20. · Policy Watch

    A bluffer’s guide to the Australian Universities Accord

    There’s been a major review of higher education in Australia – with much to digest for the UK sector. Team Wonkhe walks you through the proposals

    With David Kernohan, Michael Salmon, Livia Scott and James Coe