BrainCan - higher education network

to break class barriers, students must end up in...

Universities pay lip service to equality,yet the system functions as a enormous social filter. Real...

lets stop tinkering round the edges - university...

The government is changing student loan conditions yet again,but it’s lost the point: uncertainty...

they called my university a phd factory - now i...

Senior academics warned that my university cared more approximately cheap labour than launching...

all together now: how to build a social campus

Awkward,disconnected, chilly spaces keep conversations to a minimum. A well-designed university...

lets shine a light on the dark art of...

Machiavellian moves are made in all sectors,but higher education needs to start a discussion about...

i have a disability. when do i tell a prospective...

My disability is invisible. If I disclose it early,I don’t bag an interview. If I attain it at the...

universities got off lightly, but will poorest...

The spending review was lenient to higher education. Beware though,Mr Osborne, debt-burdened...

why scientists should learn to love reddit

You’ll find communities thirsty for your findings – and a space to demonstrate measurable...

academics: dump the corduroy and flaunt your...

Why should fashion be seen as anti-mental? Our clothes express our originality and uniqueness –...

was i selfish to study for my phd?

My research has taken a enormous toll on my relationship with my children and my partner. I just...

i am not lmao at ridiculous emails from my...

Convoluted excuses and drunken declarations of admire can be amusing,but I’m genuinely concerned...

will they switch off game of thrones for this? the...

You’re up against Twitter,text messages and diminishing attention spans, so make it snappy (and...

open plan offices at universities noisy...

Do universities need to break down their dividing walls or give people private space to assume? A...

managing an anxiety disorder in academia is a full...

The thought of speaking at conferences fills me with panic and the lack of job security is a...

how social media made the archers cool

On the eve of an academic conference committed to Ambridge and its residents,a cultural studies...

academics, you need to be managed. its time to...

whether we query approximately their research,academics accuse us of ‘neo-liberalised...

its foolish to argue that we dont need so many...

While a pessimistic report has claimed there aren’t enough jobs,business leaders stress the need...

my phd gives a voice to women abused by their...

Trapped in violent marriages,many Scottish women were then let down by hostile and uncaring...

south africas student protests have lessons for...

The rebellion has specific roots in apartheid and colonialism. But issues of race,identity, fees and...

only the rich can afford to work at oxford and...

Poor pay,exorbitant rent and no hope of owning a house – is the prestige of the Oxbridge brand...

jo johnson wont fix teaching, hell just make life...

Early career researchers acquire it tough enough. Proposed reforms add insult to injury,says this...

open university cuts will hurt vulnerable students...

Closures are supposedly approximately ‘putting students first’,but they will shut out those the...

universities take baby steps towards diversity

Getting a wider range of people on to university boards is the key to diversity among...

snobbery is outdated - universities have to train...

Young people expect their degrees to boost their prospects. It is up to universities to provide a...

casual contracts are ruining universities for...

I’ve just been offered yet another casual job. But it’s not just people like me who suffer:...

campus security: we heard a scream and saw him...

Universities face a fixed battle to support students secure – from bike thieves,burglars and heavy...

how social media can help universities in times of...

Many institutions shy absent from online forums in a crisis. But social media can prevent confusion...

our obsession with metrics turns academics into...

Universities’ growing addiction to tracking progress will destroy the very things we are supposed...

lets stay together: why universities should...

The Eurosceptics say universities would be unaffected,or even improved, by a Brexit. They are...

it must be love: what makes university...

Research shows that collaborations between higher education institutions are less about fact and...

a league of their own: india ranks its...

The government hopes new league tables will boost the prestige of higher education in the...

my phd could save an endangered species with time...

I’m a bug person in a bird person’s world,but my work might just solve the mystery of the...

how much does your university do for racial...

The Equality Challenge Unit’s new constitution asks the sector to prove its commitment to black...

bad phd supervisors can ruin research. so why...

A demoralising and sarcastic professor left me wondering if I should be doing a PhD at all – and...

teaching at a university means constant pressure ...

I care approximately my students,but poor pay, discrimination and unrealistic workloads are making...

universities are reaching out but some...

whether widening participation efforts are to pay off,universities must do more to find the young...

flashy university buildings: do they live up to...

Universities love a flagship building that sets them apart from the rest. But are they being...

what would a jeremy corbyn win mean for uk...

He has promised to scrap tuition fees and bring back grants – but academics are divided over...

uk universities stronger in arts than sciences,...

More UK universities top the QS subject rankings than final year - but they are overwhelmingly...

international projects category: award winner and...

A University of Glasgow research team has developed a system that allows health and veterinary...

whats wrong with studying the kardashians?

I was criticised for hosting a symposium on the reality television superstars,but pop culture should...

why arent there more university graduates on...

As a resident of Weatherfield,you are considerably more likely to die a grisly death than total a...

dont let social mobility fade out in the noise of...

The green paper has a lot to say about supporting disadvantaged students - we need to hold the...

how to approach the teaching excellence framework...

There is no magic bullet for teaching excellence,but there are some things you can enact to polish...

four reasons a brexit would be bad news for uk...

The referendum is drawing nearer,but would an end to EU membership really matter to higher...

podcasting is perfect for people with big ideas....

Surprisingly few academics own learned how to podcast – but it’s a much way to reach a wider...

philosophers and distractinglysexy scientists: top...

We put Rene Descartes through the Research Excellence Framework,destroyed the five-moment rule and...

will video kill the lecturing star?

No. But ‘flipping’ your classroom gives students the chance to apply ideas rather than simply...

academic job applications: five mistakes to avoid

Impress employers with your positivity and attention to detail,says our Cambridge expert on research...

while quantity of research is the name of the...

As long as men can score points for producing mountains of output,women will never accumulate a fair...

has the way universities teach economics changed...

Universities came under attack for failing to predict the 2008 financial crisis,and students...

how should we cope with sexism? thats the wrong...

We should be thinking approximately why senior academic staff deem nothing of making crass advances...

how can universities do better for care leavers?

Few young people who have reach through the care system build it to higher education. We must...

how to break back into academia when youve had a...

A career gap can leave you missing contacts and confidence. Three academics inform us about a...

university reform is coming - get ready for...

The government’s green paper is finally set to see the light of day. But what is it trying to...

academics: you are going to fail, so learn how to...

Unsuccessful endeavours are a crucial piece of academia – expend these five tips to turn them to...

want to save the economy? start by saving part...

The government wants to prick welfare and increase wages. Fine,says a new report, but boosting...

why peer review needs a good going over

The process is vital to academia but many are unhappy with how it works. unusual research sets out...

my laboratory would fall apart if britain left the...

My team is drawn from all over Europe and beyond – the researchers bring in talent,income and...

top pay in universities is rising - but most staff...

University staff salaries acquire fallen by 16% since 2009,and now pensions are being slashed. We...

employers and universities already work together ...

I welcome the government’s focus on apprenticeships,but we should not overlook the already...

fundraising brings universities more than just...

Fundraising was some of the most demanding work I ever undertook. But talking to donors helped to...

guardian university awards 2016: how you saw it

Canapes,selfies, champagne - and a Chaser. Here’s what you loved most about the eveningSee the...

remind me, mr cameron: what am i trying to...

Anti-terrorism laws are making reluctant great Brothers of us all,but radical thought is a...

my phd takes me to one of the last truly wild...

I thought a PhD wouldn’t suit me or I’d find the lab work tedious. But it’s actually been a...

were about to assess teaching in universities -...

There are well-established regimes for rating schools and healthcare providers. Those that work best...

cameron wants diversity in universities? sort out...

The move absent from creative subjects in schools makes a mockery of the prime minister’s plans to...

academics! youve got to fight for your right to...

Universities want to sell themselves as booming businesses,but the rise of zero-hours contracts is a...

dont let the market dominate the debate on...

We applaud the government’s device to bring in a Teaching Excellence Framework,but the language of...

i was worried that i wouldn t fit in - how can...

University staff and students share their advice – from flexible timetables to meet-up...

how to get published in an academic journal: top...

Journal editors share their advice on how to structure a paper, write a cover letter - and deal with...

why are students faking attendance? they feel...

My university is digitally tracking who turns up to class,but students are failing to exhibit and...

my university allowed a lecturer to date students...

A colleague took advantage of vague guidelines on staff-student relationships. We must finish this...

performance driven culture is ruining science |...

I was told impact metrics could make or shatter careers. Instead,they broke my faith in scientific...

how to help autistic students succeed at...

Campus life can be particularly challenging for those with autism,but there are simple steps...

student mental health: a new model for...

nearly 80% of students have had mental health problems in the past year. So how can campuses take a...

ive finally admitted that i am a dyslexic academic...

After 23 years of struggling to manage in private,Ive just told HR that I have dyslexia. But it’s...

my phd busts the old stereotypes about selfish,...

In analysing 100 years of verbal histories and autobiographies,I get to challenge long-held...

my phd takes me into a world of space molecules...

I spend long hours in front of computers in a drowsy German town,learning the dark arts of quantum...

how to be a brilliant conference chair

When you’re in the hot seat,don’t yawn or shoehorn in your own research. And for goodness sake,...

dont be a conference troll: a guide to asking good...

Presenting a paper is scary enough for most academics – there’s no need to manufacture things...

new academics: make your mark by being a jobs guru

It’s tough to get noticed as an early-career academic – but universities are desperate for...

are publishers really hoodwinking academics?

Our anonymous academic says researchers are being tricked by doubtful publishing practices but the...

leaving the eu would drive away talented foreign...

A Brexit would put the UK’s academic success at risk as European research stars fade elsewhere...

working in a uk university is starting to feel...

When I moved from a European university I was shocked to discover a rule-bound system that devalues...

will the teaching excellence framework be sexist?

The Tef plans to use student evaluation as a key metric in measuring teaching quality. But studies...

forget equality and diversity, my university only...

Efforts to improve inclusivity are no more than box-ticking exercises - reputation and league tables...

the closure of university nurseries is a crying...

Campus childcare is falling victim to cost-cutting – but what message does this send out to...

at soas, we will act to stop sexual violence on...

We aim to wipe out harassment so all our students have a kindly university experience,writes the...

be bold, mr osborne, and embrace international...

The chancellor has do a cautious figure on the numbers he wishes to recruit. meanwhile our...

dinosaurs are getting younger (and six other...

Keeping abreast of trends and technologies was one of the toughest challenges I faced,writes an...

whats next for the quangos of higher education?

With cuts on the horizon,we stare at how things might change for the bodies that control quality,...

why womens workspaces are a feminist issue

A visitor told me it was unprofessional to pin up family photos at work,so I started researching how...

doing a phd is as tough as training for a marathon...

I used to wake up full of doubts approximately being a student again,but running has taught me to...

why i rejected cruise holidays to spend my...

My friends discouraged me from starting a PhD in art history in my late sixties. But I appreciate...

student protests: are young people too sensitive...

Safe spaces and no-platform policies have near in for media ridicule. But a more nuanced debate is...

us and them: life at the bottom of the campus heap

We security guards are regarded as the plebbiest of plebs. But it’s not academics who rule the...

i wont stop offering a platform to so called hate...

David Cameron has named and shamed Kingston University for our choice of guests,but it’s our job...

could liberal arts colleges become americas finest...

Tiny and community-spirited,American liberal arts colleges are a peculiar breed in higher education....

i m a black academic - that doesnt mean i want to...

BAME researchers are often expected to focus on race and ethnicity,but we shouldnt be afraid of...

a lost baby taught me how little academia really...

Towering medical bills forced me to catch a paying job – looking back,I am so happy I escaped an...

us universities top world rankings in three...

The US and the UK dominate the latest QS subject league tables – with Harvard,MIT, Oxford and...

studying 18th century criminals makes me look at...

I can empathise with the rogues of the 1700s,and their stories give me a original perspective on...

bomb threats, breakdowns and bongs: the life of a...

This week’s anonymous writer works in campus security,worlds apart from the academics on ‘Planet...

we private providers open doors to students...

UK universities take a blinkered approach to widening participation - they need to follow our lead...

reform could force universities to choose between...

The Tef is call to action for leaders,but it could unite or divide – and exacerbate existing...

we want to be part of the solution: universities...

Several UK universities hold announced scholarships,jobs and the hope of a new life for those...

four ways for women to kickstart their academic...

Statistics paint a gloomy picture of female progression in universities,but there are programmes to...

on board: how universities are leading the way for...

Higher education is moving in the legal direction on gender equality,with more than a third of board...

why do academics drink so much?

A glass of wine in a seminar,two or three after a conference – what’s the problem? We are...

what makes a good bad guy? ask a philosopher

The Vatican says the unique Star Wars baddies are not bad enough. But philosophers bear long argued...

my students have paid £9,000 and now they think...

The government has turned students into customers who absorb no respect for academics and refuse to...

live q a: how to stand out in the scramble for...

Join us on Wednesday,9 December, from 12-2pm BST for expert advice on creating successful grant...

the cosmologist who makes beautiful university...

When Carlos Frenk moved to the UK,the state of academic buildings shocked him. So he decided to...

is scotlands university shake up meddling or...

The SNP is calling for new regulation in university leadership – we hear the pros and cons of the...

female scientists prettycurious about campaign...

A unique drive is encouraging girls to study science. But is its name,Pretty Curious, sly marketing...

i am not employed - but please recognise that i am...

When a chronic illness left me housebound,I never thought I’d be doing research and writing papers...

follow the leaders: the best social media accounts...

Irreverent,funny and informative – higher education does the internet really well. Here are our...

what we know so far about university reform

Will the Tef be rushed? Will Hefce fade down swinging? Is the Office for Students nothing more than...

five ways to improve leadership in universities

Troubled times call for strong leaders – so with tough challenges ahead,higher education needs to...

jo johnsons university reforms: reactions from the...

While a new focus on students is welcomed,higher education leaders are concerned approximately...

how china plans to become a global force in higher...

Our expert looks at China’s drive to attract foreign students and create a web of international...

why must freshers week mean drowning in a sea of...

A new intake of students is exciting,but businesses’ desperate attempts to collect their cash are...

the budget cutters are coming and research has...

Ringfencing has protected research and science from waves of cuts,but the current spending review...

researching cuban independence has taught me what...

I worship my PhD,not because it will further my academic career, but because it has brought me close...

how to increase your impact with academic social...

Want to bag your ideas out to a wider audience? bag involved in the busy,brilliant world of...

racism in universities: there is a sense your face...

New research shines a light on the insidious racism that blights higher education in the UKCovert...

universities should benefit the public, not just...

In shifting towards viewing students as customers,we are losing sight of higher education’s...

hand it over, higher ed: why colleges deserve...

Further education has been the ‘neglected middle child’ for too long – it’s time for...

why students should have a place on university...

Ben Smith initially struggled to gain the respect of fellow board members,but he treasures the...

a professor writes: i look like an lgbt engineer

accomplish gay people shun engineering – or are they keeping their sexuality secret? Either...

fighting terrorism on campus through the medium...

Threats come from a motley crew: Bradley the Spanish email bomber,Sammy the eight-legged alarm...

universities vie for the metric that cannot be...

Employers and parents value it more highly than any other quality. But how does a university set...

live chat round up: how can universities fight...

We assembled a top panel for a conversation with our readers about the pay gap,unconscious bias and...

the joy of invented languages, from nadsat to...

NuqneH to Klingon speakers! (Hello, to everyone else.) What drives people to construct fresh...

dont let politicians drive a wedge between...

The Teaching Excellence Framework has prompted talk of a university ‘apartheid’,but it’s a...

academics are being hoodwinked into writing books...

An editor called me up to request me if I’d like to write a book. I smelled a rat,but I played...

the scientists dilemma: can you be a parent, a...

The Royal Society’s recent campaign highlights the importance of life outside the...

phd vivas are unfair and i am paying the price

Defending your PhD thesis to just two academics means the outcome can be subjective. We need to find...

its our job to help students, whether theyre self...

Young people in universities face a wide variety of issues,but campus security is always standing by...

academics: forget about public engagement, stay in...

Researchers are urged to make their work accessible,but simplifying complex ideas doesn’t support...

share your ideas: how to write for the higher...

Here are our tips on how to pitch a strong idea and write a successful piece for the Higher...

has hefce had its chips?

Higher education’s biggest quango is feeling the heat – could it be gobbled up just as the...

university buildings that break the mould in...

These days,every university wants an iconic building to give their image a boost. So they draft in...

i was a terrible phd supervisor. dont make the...

I tried to beget my students independent but they ended up burnt-out and depressed. A more positive...

five years of hard graft in a pub kitchen fired up...

Working long hours (and making a full English breakfast in eight minutes) has proved invaluable to...

did theresa may duck the issue of tougher tests...

There are signs the balance of power may be shifting in the Conservative party,giving universities...

englands universities are losing steam on climate...

The majority of universities in England are set to miss climate change goals in 2020 – but say...

japans humanities chop sends shivers down academic...

Japanese universities are cutting humanities and social sciences in favour of ‘practical’...

the key to better lecturing? trust your students

You and your students fill the same objectives. Let them help you achieve themChemistry professor...

why are brits so obsessed with getting a...

With only 47% of graduates finding professional jobs six months after graduating, we are setting up...

business partnership category: winner and runners...

Coventry University’s ‘Faculty on the Factory Floor’ gives students hands-on work experience...

live q a: how far have we come on gender equality...

Join our live chat on International Women’s Day,Tuesday 8 March, to discuss how well the sector is...

eight smart ways to use social media in...

It’s easy to dismiss apps such as Snapchat and Instagram as mere distractions,but they can work...

its time to stand up to greedy academic publishers

The UK’s higher education institutions spend more than £180m on journal subscriptions every year....

buildings that inspire category: award winner and...

The University of Huddersfield’s archive engages the public and provides a unique teaching and...

one hundred years of soas in pictures

As the School of Oriental and African Studies celebrates its 100th year,we recognize back at a...

university awards 2016: sponsors and supporters

Find out approximately the University Awards’ partnersIELTS is the worlds most accepted English...

how the government wants you to implement prevent

Anti-terrorism requirements needn’t cause alarm,says Hefce, the body tasked with monitoring how...

q: what did universities learn from the financial...

Most finance education is morally bankrupt. We must stop peddling perilous lies to our students The...

university awards 2016: faqs

Find out all you need to know approximately entering and how the judging process is runWho can...

research impact category: award winner and runners...

The pioneering work of academics at Newcastle University offers hope to families who risk passing...

live q a: what will the universities of the future...

Join us on Thursday 28th January from 12-2pm GMT for a chat with experts in design, architecture and...

advancing staff equality category: award winner...

A project at Swansea University redesigned job profiles to relieve tackle the gender gap and create...

social and community impact category: award winner...

A joint venture between Nottingham Trent academics and senior prison staff is providing...

paws for a moment and vote for your favourite...

We conduct a purr review of the entries in this year’s Academics with Cats competition Cast your...

marketing and comms campaign category: award...

An edible bug challenge helped Harper Adams University increase its engagement with the public and...

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