̽����Ƶ

Metrics have become prevalent – and problematic – throughout universities, but they can be effective tools if used correctly

But chancellor’s move to change student loan repayment rules presents risks

You might not think it, but students in the 14th and 15th century could teach today’s cohort a thing or two about tearing up the town, writes Matthew Reisz

Pension relief, salary sacrifice schemes and higher education budgets could be targeted by George Osborne, says Jack Grove

Why are certain employers hotbeds for the creation of higher education leaders, asks John Gill

Using employability data to assess a university’s teaching is ‘deeply problematic’, says Graham Gibbs

Academic and former finance minister succeeded by Euclid Tsakalotos as Greece debt crisis continues, writes deputy news editor John Morgan

This week's issue discussed by the ̽����Ƶ team

From translating health and safety advice to tongue-twisters, there’s always something new to do, says Kate Macdonald

Is it fair to laugh at students’ mistakes? Anger at THE’s annual exam howlers competition has generated a wave of self-published mistakes

Haldane unbound would be as dangerous as unchecked utilitarianism, argues the astronomer royal

David Willetts is wrong: the sector is put at risk by the student loans system’s structural flaws, warns Andrew McGettigan

Heels are instruments both of torture and feminism, says Sally Feldman

It’s a long way to the top if you want to make it as a PI, but there are many positives on the path to that big break

Deputy news editor John Morgan braves the hottest day of the year to take in the new minister's inaugural higher education address

Does your academic CV stand up to scrutiny? Chris Parr blogs about the case of Connie St Louis

Disagreement among social scientists means that policies to tackle climate change remain contentious, write Mark Freeman and Ben Groom

In this blog, news editor Simon Baker considers whether we’ve seen it all before with Hefce’s proposals

Nobel prizewinners tell Phil Baty about their tips for success

Appointment of first black female university leader is watershed moment

That is the promise of a sector-wide consultation about the regulatory future, argues Madeleine Atkins

This week's issue discussed by the ̽����Ƶ team

Early issues of the journal Studies in Higher Education show how greatly academics’ view of what they do has changed, says Bruce Macfarlane

Some practices thought to be long established are anything but, while others considered novel have lengthy histories

Does power corrupt? THE’s Twitter followers put the proposition to the test

Bringing Belarus into the fold has required behind the scenes manoeuvring, but has left the organisation stronger as a result, says Anne Corbett

Popular action can still make a difference, as the U-turn on the fate of a university politics department shows, says John Holford

Christopher Bigsby on the markers and measures of a journey’s end

Unexpectedly in charge of a room of students fretting over the colour of answer booklets, Emma Rees ponders the potential price in dog lives

A lack of clarity on how to report incidents in UK universities is problematic, says Susuana Antubam

This week's issue discussed by the ̽����Ƶ team

THE reporter Chris Parr in conversation with the principal of Writtle College

Nicole Westmarland shares what she learned about creating a new way of working in academia after losing her spouse

A babel of voices are drowning out the many real threats to intellectual freedom, warns Alan Ryan

Sir Tim Hunt’s comments about ‘girls’ in science provoke online storm

A note left by a postgrad who killed himself because he felt ill-treated by his supervisor highlights a worrying trend, says Hong Bing

Undergraduates are ready to be inspired by the right call, says Alex Valente

This mendacious metric is dangerous for individuals and the sector, and bad news for the taxpayer, argues Philip Moriarty

Senior figures worry that the UK is lagging behind the innovators and entrepreneurs pushing the frontiers of higher education

Sir Tim Hunt complains of “trouble with girls” in labs, but male egos can be far more obstructive to science, says Ottoline Leyser

This week's issue discussed by the ̽����Ƶ team

Hourly paid lecturers at Reading find further confirmation of teaching assistants’ unpaid overtime, and call for dialogue on procedures and expectations

Mike Gow laments Britain’s pursuit of revenues over development of cultural understanding

Giving universities oversight of postgraduate training will greatly improve its quality, argues Alastair Buchan

The Quality Assurance Agency carries out work of national importance. G. R. Evans questions the wisdom behind outsourcing its duties

He never lost his loathing of school, but becoming a university chancellor made the leader an ally of higher learning, writes David Cannadine

To write well, knowledge of other languages is crucial, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Given the run of campus, some academics would target what they see as cult practices that raise stress and cut productivity

The ̽����Ƶ team discusses the results of this year's Asia University Rankings

This week's issue discussed by the ̽����Ƶ team

The headmaster of the independent college reflects on his move to the helm of a private university

Researchers face pressure to hype and report selectively, says Dorothy Bishop

Learning to read foreign literature and communicate in a practical sense can be mutually reinforcing, says Brian Bloch

Nicola Dandridge on the measures announced in the Queen’s Speech and their impact on the sector

From senior appointments to student surveys, pedagogy is again centre stage – and waiting in the wings is a teaching REF

When Patty Ramirez became pregnant during her PhD she assumed she could ‘have it all’. The reality was far more stressful

Reflecting on the Irish vote and social change, a vice-chancellor lauds universities’ role in providing a forum for debate

Not everyone is a fan of a campaign to highlight ‘the historical myths that surround the EU'

Restructures and rebrandings of public universities are taking a toll on mascots and more, says Robert Lee Maril

Academics have a duty to explain why they hold their political beliefs, says Shahidha Bari