Opinion

Two summers, on the beaches of Greece and in the libraries of New York, define what the “long vac” meant to John Sutherland

The sweatshop conditions in which sessional academics work in Australia mirror the treatment of schoolteachers in Victorian times, say Hannah Forsyth and Jedidiah Evans 

Few in academia will have celebrated Brexit’s first anniversary but the unpredictable year since the vote has shown the power of a united voice

The 'simplistic metric-driven ranking' runs the real risk of stifling the growth it seeks to stimulate, says Gavin Schwartz-Leeper

Headteacher Chris Ramsey is in favour of a teaching excellence framework – but not necessarily the one we have got

Stephen Hutchings and Yaron Matras call for the modern languages community to be proactive in what are difficult times for the discipline

The political changes of 2017 will benefit China, and influence the future of international student mobility, says Marguerite Dennis

Looking for a surefire way to alleviate the boredom of an exam board meeting? Bingo

Emilie Murphy calls on those who challenged the teaching excellence framework methodology in the past to stop sharing their university ratings with pride

On International Women in Engineering Day, Alice Larkin decries the slow progress on improving gender balance in her discipline

The TEF will do ‘more than any single step in history’ to change the landscape of teaching in British universities, argues Anthony Seldon

Key figures from the world of higher education respond to the publication of the TEF results. This page will be updated regularly – please refresh the page for latest response 

The teaching excellence framework shines a light on teaching provision, raises its profile, flags up areas for improvement and gives prospective students more information, says Chris Husbands

Demand-driven funding in higher education but not vocational education will distort both provision and student choice, says Peter Noonan

Don't dismiss the meditation technique as a fad: its well documented benefits for those in demanding careers make a strong case for teaching it at university, says Craig Hassed

The TEF results will not halt universities’ unease about the exercise, the prospect of gaming the system or anxiety about long-term consequences

Phil Baty reflects on the Times Higher Education World Reputation Forum, which took place in Harvard Square this month

Some vice-chancellors will decry the results of the teaching excellence framework, but should recognise areas of poor teaching it exposes, says Edward Peck

As student loan debt in the UK passes £100 billion, Sir Keith Burnett says it’s time we faced up to the real cost of tuition fees and debt

Research suggests that most brands are instantly forgettable – but what can universities do to stay memorable? Max du Bois takes a look

The wild variations in the proportions of top grades awarded by different departments and universities must be addressed, says Bernard Rivers

Sara Ladrón de Guevara and Anthony Monaco on why institutions should collaborate with their neighbours to develop ideas and solve local problems

Academics can acquire cult-like followings, but our goal should not be self-aggrandisement but the advancement of others, says Shahidha Bari

Lots of money is spent on medical education in England – but very little of it goes towards teaching, says Philip Chan 

The wide appeal of Labour’s fees pledge means free higher education is back on the agenda, amid a shift in the political landscape

His experiences on a panel reviewing Canadian grant allocation has convinced Jonathan Grant that the evidence base for current practice needs serious reinforcement

Harvard faculty, students and alumni illuminate what the university does and shape its reputation like no other communications tool, says Paul Andrew

Susannah Baker and Anna Myers say that creating a distinctive university profile requires a clear idea of who you are and what strengths you offer

Complaints about university PR units often stem from inflated expectations and bad practice. Mark Ferguson offers tips on how to master media

Sir Keith Burnett on the reaction of scholars and students in America as the US president pulls out of the Paris Agreement

Steven Franklin lays bare the questions and doubts that go through his mind as he sits down to work on his thesis

Victoria Leonard on bringing equality to the world's largest reference tool

Martin Kurzweil and Wendell Pritchett cast their eye over the possible future direction of quality assurance under Trump

For the good of the country, ministers must now look at their stance on international students and tuition fees, writes Pam Tatlow

Duncan Ross looks back at Times Higher Education’s predictions of how students could swing the general election

Since the Labour leadership contests, students have been building their political influence, says Tom Cutterham 

Nick Hillman looks at the implications of the election result for the university sector, and finds a small slither of silver lining

News and analysis as Conservative Party fails to win an overall majority in the general election

UK universities could curry much more political favour if they adopted a more constructive and pragmatic tone, says Sir David Bell

Greater outreach by scientists could ramp up demand for politicians with better scientific training, says David Berman

The fashionable idea that reading novels could improve students’ fellow feeling bears little scrutiny, says Seán Williams

And, if so, does it matter where they studied and what subject they specialised in?

New leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, promises research grant cuts to universities that offer safe spaces or speaker bans, says Creso Sá

The maths just does not add up when you look at the impact of cuts on tuition fee prices, says Andrew Gillen

There are now so many regulations to abide by in higher education, it's a wonder there is any academic freedom left, says Steve Wheeler

Alex Holmes was surprised by the reaction of some of his colleagues when he took shared parental leave

Nick Hillman looks at the tricky TEF questions that a new higher education minister could face on their first day

Glen Wright on the lighter side of scholarly collaboration

To tackle the challenge of implementing evidence-based policy, change is also needed in the university sector, says Gavin Costigan

Four experts offer their advice on getting the most out of social media as an academic

Lisa Mckenzie finds a new lesson in Orwell's classic every time she reads it – and this year, it concerns some of her fellow scholars

A student funding system in Ontario that brings together sources of financial help will be watched closely by other provinces seeking to increase access, says Glen Jones

Purdue University’s controversial acquisition of Kaplan University reflects the failure of for-profit education. But, under Trump, it may have an unwelcome resurgence, warns Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Higher education could learn a lot from the arts sector about recruiting senior women. Part-time roles and job-shares could be game-changers, says Joanna Read

Terrible tales attest that some see this activity as a nuisance or worse, rather than as something that can benefit supervisor as much as student, says John Gill

Unadvertised positions and favouritism 'commonplaces in Swedish academic hiring'

There is no evidence that mandatory retirement achieves its aims, argues Paul Ewart 

The liberal arts approach can lead to business being done more thoughtfully, more creatively, and more sustainably, says Jeffrey Nesteruk

Ahead of the general election, Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru shadow education secretary, writes on his party's higher education vision

Universities should develop an ‘elevator pitch’ to promote their graduates, says Simon Ofield-Kerr