Opinion

To aid non-traditional students, David Burns built a ‘Spoc’, a digital course where an academic is always on call

With targeted help from the government, the country’s universities have reasserted their quality and regained their global standing

How can it be that experienced, full-time lecturers teaching huge classes at Canadian universities can be on such low salaries that they officially qualify as “poor”?, asks Andrew W. Robinson

Discrimination and university expulsions continue to blight the lives of this religious minority, writes Shabnam Moinipour

Mark Shucksmith considers whether better knowledge exchange between academics and the third sector could serve as a mechanism for social change

Planning, personal connections and relentless self-promotion could just unlock the largesse of the masses, says Glen Wright

Richard Budd mulls the logic of giving money to your alma mater

Some of the factors that turn your alumni into marketing assets are not as obvious as you might think, says Holger Bollmann

Is the National Union of Students too concerned with discrimination and political correctness or is it right to ignore its critics, asks Jack Grove

Matthew Reisz considers why we are still talking obsessively about the playwright 400 years after he shuffled off this mortal coil

Rima Amin considers the challenges for students’ union officers in the light of the NUS vote to boycott the National Student Survey

David Lloyd finds that a journey into the Australian outback proves instructive

Producing ‘real’ books builds academics’ collective public presence, and it is also the most irresistible scholarly challenge, says Ödül Bozkurt

Many Italians have refused to take part in the country’s research assessment exercise. Alberto Baccini and Giuseppe De Nicolao consider the protest’s impact

China’s motives, like the West’s, are mixed, but it clearly has a role to play in building capacity in African higher education

Investing in the education of millions of young people can help defuse a security time bomb, argue Faisal Abbas and Abdur Rehman Cheema

 The latest edition of Times Higher Education discussed by our editorial team

An idea formed in a Dublin bar could help Oxford in its ambition to act with greater ‘agility and generosity’, says principal of Lady Margaret Hall

John Morgan looks at potential embarrassment for BIS on TEF and private provider plans

Rima Amin asks whether linking the questionnaire to the teaching excellence framework will turn undergraduates decisively against it

The responses of 10,323 scholars give THE the largest and most statistically sound reputation ranking, says Phil Baty

Most research isn't rocket science, so just do your best, says Beth McMillan

University boards need the right skills if they are to ask the right questions, says Gill Evans

Tim Softley, Peter Schiffer and Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela explain the benefits of a transatlantic partnership

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam considers the implications of ‘Emiratisation’ policies for higher education in the Middle East

Kristen Burton had achieved her goals, yet had to grasp how profound the transition out of grad school could be

University games are worth standing up for, say Vince Mayne and Ian Diamond

The latest edition of Times Higher Education discussed by our editorial team

Matthew Reisz welcomes an academics’ list of vital texts for those entering higher education

As women claim more space in Shakespeare, why aren’t universities casting against type and dealing with the gender pay gap? asks Liz Schafer

The REF-induced movement of male ‘research stars’ may be one factor contributing to earnings inequities, says Keith Cuthbertson

The impulse to make things relevant is not always facile, says Shahidha Bari

The book is far from obsolete. Our feature recommends key texts for students, and one v-c looks to Machiavelli for advice

Alan Ruby remembers a pioneer of Asian American studies

John Morgan looks at the policy implications from long-awaited research into graduate earnings

Not getting credit is a small price to pay for ensuring that social science has a voice, say Jane Elliott and Phil Sooben

Hefce's new standards regime will enable universities to focus on what matters to students, says Susan Lapworth

Just because students' exam results have always been publicly released doesn't make it right, says Priscilla Mensah

Students without family support should be prioritised in the drive to reduce dropout rates, says Becca Bland

Technology can help to educate people fleeing from conflict, but the conservatism of universities must be overcome also, says Martin Hall

Universities should use online platforms for conversations, not broadcasting, says Max du Bois

Take it as a compliment if other people are doing similar studies to you, says Sam Schwarzkopf

As the latest film about academia is released, Matthew Reisz considers the portrayal of mathematicians and other scholars in popular culture

Reviewing allows us to put collective knowledge ahead of individualised contributions, says David Beer

The latest edition of Times Higher Education discussed by our editorial team

To eradicate the problem, we need everyone to examine their consciences and recognise their biases, says Kalwant Bhopal

We know too little about the impact of a research council that funds work with big policy implications, says David Walker

Control, surveillance and thought manipulation: there is an undercurrent of 1984 in today’s academy, doublethinks Eric Blair

The academy’s focus on prestige makes sense, but odd-couple pairings can be as valuable as luxury ‘brands’

The Times Higher Education team discuss the results of the latest ranking of the best universities under the age of 50

Ingrid Curl shares simple rules for keeping your work clear and jargon-free

Teaching excellence is nothing without student engagement, says Claire Taylor

Paul Blackmore explains the challenges posed by his Leadership Foundation report

As society is transformed, focusing on graduate employment will no longer be sufficient, says Graeme Atherton

Higher education institutions should listen to those who are less powerful when planning expansion, says Clare Melhuish

Chris Havergal rounds up some of the funniest university pranks

BERA vice-president Ian Menter examines a confusing reference to his work in the government's teacher training proposals

The latest edition of Times Higher Education discussed by our editorial team

Katherine Firth on why you should approach texts less like a Victorian maiden and more like a pirate hero

The leading geographer talks to Karen Shook about how to learn from your audience and help build a better politics too