Teaching and learning

Switching to a six-point scale in surveys eliminates perceived gap in teaching performance, study finds

Teachers must guide science students in how to ‘tell a story’ in their reports, write Anna Sajina and Sergei Sazhin

Narratives of decline fail to take account of the recent revival of the liberal arts in India, says Saikat Majumdar

The case of Phillip Adamo, an academic at Augsburg University, provokes debate about the taboos of discussing literature

Far from being hotbeds of intellectual debate, universities enforce ideological conformity, follow rigid procedures and offer little that enthusiasts could not teach themselves. It is time for radical reform, says Lincoln Allison

Six scholars learn the career and life lessons of their greatest academic missteps

Joe Biden’s first presidential run was derailed by a scandal over a college law paper. Should he be allowed a second chance, asks Ararat Osipian

Star Trek-style headset combines electroencephalography sensors with a video camera

England’s loan system and high fees have fuelled students’ sense of entitlement but not of responsibility, says Beth Guilding 

Universities may feel held to unachievable standards, but removing barriers for all manner of talented people will make institutions better and stronger

The paradoxical resurgence of prudishness could get even Gregory Peck into hot water, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Putting universities in ‘special measures’ or even abolishing degree classifications altogether should be on the table, says Geoffrey Alderman

Types of assessment viewed as least susceptible to contract cheating are those least likely to be set by academics, Australian study finds

Robots and drones should be part of teaching and learning, says report looking into teaching trends in 2019

In Germany, Brazil and Hungary, students are being encouraged to film ‘biased’ professors, mirroring far-right tactics in US

Office for Students pursues collation of data on contact hours and class sizes outside teaching excellence framework

Australian government is underestimating the challenge, analysts say

The residential experience has its attractions for school-leavers, but most US students value low cost and flexibility above all, says Paul LeBlanc

The jury is out on the educational value of recording, but universities prize its ability to project them as accessible and inclusive, says Simon Fokt

Study raises doubts over value of ‘character education’ in universities

Equity ‘synonymous’ with excellence, creating the pre-conditions for multi-dimensional learning, conference hears

Hepi study also suggests number of classes requiring peak-time travel might have to be minimised

It is inexcusable that some people graduate from UK universities without a basic command of mathematics or grammar, says John Warren

‘Proactive’ female recruitment drive closes staff gender gap, but fails to keep pace with enrolments

Increased statistical evaluation will pinpoint the educational ‘treatments’ that work, says Yidan prizewinner

Australia is latest country to consider legislation against essay mills

Academic who has advocated new band of top degree marks now being considered by sector says system still needs ‘fundamental’ reform

Maintaining a breadth of curricular offerings is crucial if subjects outside the sciences are to retain their attraction in the digital age, says Dean Forbes

What single change to university practice would have the most positive and far-reaching consequences? Eight academics and thinkers give us their views

Annual NSSE survey of 400,000 US students finds gap between high confidence in job preparation and weaker assessment of skills

PhDs are becoming more programmatic in many countries, but the German one-on-one model retains considerable influence, says Glen Jones

Take-up of research by business is difficult to catalyse and record. Far better to focus on the impact central to universities’ missions, say Vince Mitchell and William Harvey

Data analysis by THE looks at three disciplines where the rise in firsts has been particularly high

Round-the-clock demands from students can take a toll on lecturers. With a THE survey highlighting rising expectations, Anna McKie asks where the line should be drawn between professional and private life

Drafting of learning expectations clears way for Calohee project to set student tests, but it may face resistance from prestigious universities

Dutch figures show just how little time professors get for their own research. It may be easier to pursue your intellectual interests outside the university system, says THE reporter David Matthews

Academics say that online recordings must be emphasised as a supplementary resource, not an alternative to lectures, or some students lose out

Degrees focused on specific careers need be no less rigorous or innovative than other graduate qualifications, say Sandro Galea and Lisa Sullivan

Trump administration plans to allow universities to attract federal funding for students based not on the amount of time they spend studying but on measurements of their ability

Half of continental institutions are developing online learning programmes, survey says

Joseph Aoun says campuses in North America and Europe are heeding his call for curriculum change

US medical training has embraced wider perspectives, but progress might be slower elsewhere, scholars say

A new teaching year has just begun in the northern hemisphere. Eight academics reflect on their experience of lecturing, and offer their tips on opening students’ eyes – and keeping them open

Justifications of suicide may risk promoting it, but censoring one side of an ancient argument would shortchange students, says David Baumeister

Don’t let immediate employability focus undermine ‘blue sky teaching’, chancellor tells counterparts

Only students with the deepest pockets can afford to pay hundreds of pounds for ghostwritten work, says Anthony Smith

Researchers clash with former minister on potential application of ‘distance travelled’ measures

The digital tide will not wash away campus-based learning, believe most respondents to THE’s University Leaders Survey. David Matthews reports on what they see ahead for study options, scholarly conferences, scientific progress and more

Forty-six sector heads sign letter calling on government to act against contract cheating

Conservative forces forget that canons and canonical understandings always evolved as science and society have progressed, says Gurminder Bhambra

Western universities must do much more to meet high-fee-paying Chinese students’ expectations, say Lena Langosch and Wilfred Dolfsma

Leaders have increasingly been acknowledging that the cultural pressure put on the country’s children to spend their hours studying has left them too one-dimensional

Humboldtian tradition at risk of unravelling in shift to use of teaching-only staff, Nobel prizewinning v-c says

Leaders of top universities say students must be pushed to ‘breaking point’ and allowed to fail

As students increasingly turn to essay mills to do their work, Anna McKie explores what drives this global trend and how universities are fighting it

The political craving for simple measures of learning gain is neither pedagogically informed nor sufficiently nuanced. Four academics argue that only by changing focus will the concept become useful

Early closure of pilot project is latest in string of global failures

The ease with which essays can be bought and the difficulty of grading them fairly means they should no longer be used for assessment, says Phil Race

Author of Academically Adrift says university haters have ‘grossly distorted’ his seminal study

Students claim that ‘asking questions is not appreciated by most local teachers’