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Guide to using Twitter in university research, teaching, and impact activities
Podcasts on measuring your impact, the REF, and academic communication
Maximizing the impacts of your research: A handbook for social scientists
THE News
Category Archives: Government
May 20 2013
Investing in higher education, including the social sciences, would promote growth in Britain
5 CommentsPaul Whiteley points out that there is no evidence that supports the argument that STEM subjects provide an additional boost to growth on top of investments in universities in general. Despite higher than average enrolment in sciences, for instance, Britain has lower … Continue reading
Posted by: May 20, 2013
Tagged with: OECD, research investment
May 3 2013
It is time to stand up for collective forms of higher education and contest the enclosure and commodification of the university
5 CommentsHigher education is finding itself increasingly defined by modes of competition, marketisation and privatisation. Richard Hall disentangles the web of social relations in which the university exists and asks what alternatives to the neoliberal model are possible? He finds that academics … Continue reading
Posted by: May 3, 2013
Apr 28 2013
Book Review: The Clash of Economic Ideas: The Great Policy Debates and Experiments of the Last Hundred Years
Comments OffThe Clash of Economic Ideas interweaves the economic history of the last hundred years with the history of economic doctrines to understand how contrasting economic ideas have originated and developed over time to take their present forms. It aims to trace … Continue reading
Posted by: April 28, 2013
Apr 25 2013
The opaque review process of the National Curriculum has failed to engage experts and evidence
1 CommentFrom its inception in 1991, the National Curriculum has been subject to many government reviews, conducted through largely clear and open frameworks, inclusive to the diverse range of expert voices. Ben Walsh charts the progression of the current review under … Continue reading
Posted by: April 25, 2013
Tagged with: Michael Gove, national curriculum
Apr 22 2013
Academics and universities must continue to develop open access alternatives to break the monopoly of large publishers
2 CommentsAcademic publishing and open access alternatives to the subscription-based system were discussed last week in front of the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Parliamentary Select Committee. Ann McKechin MP shares her thoughts on the discussion. At best, large publishers like Elsevier are not … Continue reading
Posted by: April 22, 2013
Apr 18 2013
Social policy academics must stop excluding themselves from national debates on the welfare state
2 CommentsThe around-the-clock public debate on welfare has been steadfast, yet social policy academics have been noticeably absent from these debates. Daniel Sage argues that while the media bear some responsibility for this, there are numerous ways in which academics exclude themselves. The … Continue reading
Posted by: April 18, 2013
Tagged with: welfare reform
Apr 12 2013
The REF’s narrow definition of impact ignores historical role of teaching in relation to the social impact of the university
8 CommentsPeter Wade explores the relationship between the university and the state. Historically the state has recognised universities as key institutions in the reproduction of societies through research and teaching. More recently, university research has been subjected to greater regulation as it holds … Continue reading
Posted by: April 12, 2013
Tagged with: Research Excellence Framework, teaching
Apr 11 2013
The current enthusiasm for evidenced-based policy needs to be met with a greater degree of methodological caution
1 CommentMichael Bassey encourages the government’s foray into evidence-based policy-making, yet with a note of methodological caution: good research only provides an indication of what may work, rather than a definitive solution. Instead of expecting policy to be evidence-based, it should be seen as evidence-informed. … Continue reading
Posted by: April 11, 2013
Tagged with: what works
Apr 4 2013
Reform is needed to achieve an appropriate balance between public good and private benefit of Higher Education
2 CommentsThe Coalition government’s policy changes to fees and funding systems in Higher Education are already having a marked effect on access and institutional behaviour. Amidst growing calls for reform, Martin Hall argues that most pressing is policy responsive to the combination of public goods … Continue reading
Posted by: April 4, 2013
Tagged with: fees, funding, loans
Mar 28 2013
Just a letter from 100 academics – some thoughts on ‘impact’ and ‘public engagement’
4 CommentsEducation Secretary Michael Gove’s recent condemnation of the ‘Marxist academics’ who expressed concern over the revised national curriculum exposed the complex relationship between academia and policy-making. Pat Thomson raises concerns over what this means for impact assessment and academic freedom when research … Continue reading
Posted by: March 28, 2013
