Teaching and learning

Jenny McDonald examines the response to calls for academics who are not highly productive researchers to be given more recognition 

How the government is proposing to use NSS data to assess teaching excellence is nonsense, says Dorothy Bishop

Survey finds one in five heads of IT and library services facing a budget cut this year

Country’s standardised test shows improvements in undergraduates’ general and subject knowledge

Scholar says academics who move to international outposts do ‘hardly any research’

The most popular higher education articles of the year, based on website traffic

Role of lecturers who play a key part in teaching and administration should get more recognition, according to study

New approach to provision of specialist support is threat to students’ effective participation, warns Harriet Cameron

As undergraduates join lecturers in rethinking reading lists and course content, Chris Havergal examines their role in pedagogical decisions

As fans await the release of The Force Awakens, could Star Wars help teach psychoanalytic concepts in university?

Bahram Bekhradnia says teaching excellence framework could be welcome ‘counterweight’ to research imperative

OECD head of education insists emulating Pisa school tests will improve teaching and lower fees

Protest sparked by suspension of highly respected architecture professor who refused to support relocation of the school

On the eve of her viva, Vivi Lachs muses on the untimely death of an eminent historian – and her unstintingly generous mentor

Architecture lecturer Stephen Games feels ‘vindicated’ after agreement

Responses of more than 24,000 undergraduates indicate limited development in areas such as creativity and citizenship over course of degree

Black, Chinese and Asian undergraduates report highest level of skill development

Alison James has five reasons why we should stop saying ‘in the real world’

Life sciences PhD candidates believe they are owed money for teaching undergraduates as a condition of funding

Better training will help communities to prevent and deal with consequences of procedure, says vice-chancellor

University educators have a responsibility to debunk the myth that intelligence is fixed, says Claire Taylor

Juggling multiple departmental roles on top of teaching and research can leave new lecturers feeling ‘punch-drunk’, explains new appointee Richard Budd

There is ‘often ill-informed reverence for the US system’, claims the director of the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education 

Street mime artist-turned-professor Gilberto Scaramuzzo explains to Jack Grove how the wordless theatre form can enrich university teaching

OECD’s head of education calls for international system to measure graduate learning outcomes in Hepi lecture

Giving evidence to a BIS committee inquiry on assessing the quality of higher education provoked questions about how teaching might be measured, writes John Gill

Birmingham v-c among those warning BIS select committee against Green Paper proposals

An aggregated university score would be designed to serve government bean counters, not students, says Athene Donald

Durham pro vice-chancellor warns that institutions would be forced to challenge a worse-than-expected judgement

Clearly describing the inefficient and damaging situation might point the way to better alternatives, says Eric Silverman

Preparing to launch its multidisciplinary degree, institution bids others across Europe to follow suit

Higher levels of stress among senior women revealed by Leadership Foundation report

Study suggests students taught by academics with teaching qualifications are more likely to pass, but less likely to get first-class scores

Stanford University to assist in development of programmes to be introduced in January

It is wrong for universities to ignore learning, says Anthony Seldon

Study argues that, while Oxford and Cambridge stand apart, rest of mission group does not live up to ‘elite’ tag

Simon Gaskell says Queen Mary University of London would be ‘crucified’ on graduate salary score because of diverse intake

Rector Wim de Villiers faces potential opposition from South African university’s council, despite student campaign

US economists talk about attempts to liven up teaching of their subject with lyrics from popular music

It’s a question with no easy answer, finds James Derounian

New vice-chancellor Hugh Brady hopes innovation programmes will spur graduates to become social and business entrepreneurs

QAA study also suggests that academics see the NSS as a poor measure of teaching quality

It’s time for literature teaching and research to address how to distinguish quality writing, argues Richard Bradford

Alexis Weedon unveils a computer game for the post-Green Paper era

Panelists call on government to avoid making TEF a ‘bureaucratic exercise’

However, success of Indian academics in the UK may be under threat as a result of universities’ focus on teaching excellence

Some of the key points to take away from the government’s consultation on the future of universities

Most institutions likely to be able to increase fees in 2017-18, with subsequent awards to allow for further rises

Hefce and Office for Fair Access would be merged into new body under government proposals, while Green Paper also suggests ministers could set fee caps

Universities and other sector bodies have given a cautious welcome to proposals contained in a new Green Paper on higher education

University of Cambridge’s examinations arm finds independent school-leavers at Russell Group institutions are a third less likely to get a good degree than state school students with similar A-level results

University of East Anglia centre hosts two master’s courses in space with writable walls and adaptable furniture

Machiavellian tactics used by university leaders and their minions are often viewed as malevolent, but they are vital to running an organisation, says new study

‘Transposition error’ meant funding council wrongly stated that state school leavers were more likely than private peers to get a good degree

Institutions are not developing the key skills employers look for, says David Reed

Funding, staffing and alternative providers among issues to be considered as part of £5 million initiative

Universal challenges demand cross-disciplinary focus, argues Dame Julia King, and a thematic approach to university teaching will be essential

Leading Renaissance scholar hailed as polymath and iconoclast following her death

It was 150 years ago that the University of London teamed up with a college on an island in the Indian ocean. Sir Adrian Smith reflects on the significance of this partnership

Gina Wisker offers some practical advice on cross-cultural supervision