Could Distributed Peer Review Better Decide Grant Funding?
The landscape of academic grant funding is notoriously competitive and plagued by lengthy, bureaucratic processes, exacerbated by difficulties in finding willing reviewers. Distributed […]
The New Realism in Academic Life
As some of the ferment that marked university life for an earlier generation seems to dissipate, has a new realism crept in among subsequent generations of academics to accept what they feel they cannot change?
UK Universities and the Clash of (Organizational) Cultures
The organization of British universities in changing, affecting not only the education provided but the circumstances of of those who labor there. Adapting to this required dialogue, says Daniel Nehring, and not invective.
The Tyranny of Excellence is Hurting Research
Nick Butler and Sverre Spoelstra argue that the game-playing that accompanies Britain’s Research Excellence Framework to achieve better appearances is harming the intent of the exercise.
U.S. Presidents Have Long Touted the Joys of Junior Colleges
While critics of President Obama’s call for universal community college for Americans imply federal intrusion into the local institutions was unprecedented, there’s actually a long line of feds who have seen the benefits of the two-year schools.
What Role Should Overseas Students Play in British Society?
The rich and diverse ways in which students and scholars of diverse national and cultural origins collaborate at British universities, argues Daniel Nehring, belie the economic reductionism currently fashionable in public debates about higher education.
MOOCs + Meetups = Better Learning
The man behind the ‘Beyond Silicon Valley’ MOOC is very enthusiastic about these massive online courses, but he sees adding a dash of the human touch as making the resulting learning experience even better.
Studying Economics: Of the Elites by the Elites
UK universities have had to become much more responsive to changes in the pattern of demand and compete with one another for different revenue streams. New universities have retreated from offering economics programs even as student numbers have risen substantially.
Playing the Game of REF
A very strong overall REF performance signifies a large concentration of outstanding work. It is an unambiguous plus. All the same, precise league table positions in the REF, indicator by indicator, should be taken with a grain of salt.
