Essays in Education

LSE Higher Education Blog Challenge

Are you a scholar or student in higher education? Is there a higher ed issue that has been nagging at you? Do you have an interesting perspective to share? Here’s your chance to blog about it. Enter the LSE HE Blog’s Essays in Education Blog Challenge.

The close of another academic year presents an opportune moment to reflect on teaching and learning. To inspire such reflection and interrogation, we invite submissions to the LSE Higher Education Blog’s Essays in Education Blog Challenge. This is an exciting opportunity for academics and students who are interested in drawing attention to important issues in higher education from diverse perspectives. The blog challenge is open to scholars from across the world including academics, students, university staff, and independent scholars. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winning entries which will also be published in the LSE HE Blog.

There are two submission categories: open – academics, PhD students, university staff, independent scholars; and student – students enrolled on undergraduate and Master’s degree programmes.

The submission deadline is Monday, 18 July 2022, 1159 BST.

Themes

All submissions should be grounded in the higher education and teaching and learning context. While blog posts are expected to respond to one (or multiple) themes, the themes, themselves, are intended as guidance rather than prescription. We encourage bloggers to interpret the themes broadly, agreeing or disagreeing with them, and interrogating them from diverse viewpoints.

Open submissions, specifically, should respond to one (or more) of the following themes:

• The new normal in teaching and learning– plus ça change
• Does politics have a place in the classroom?
• The role of objectivity in teaching quantitative subjects
• Social media in teaching – jumping on the bandwagon
• Questioning interdisciplinarity
• To quit or not to quit academia

Student submissions, specifically, should respond to one (or more) of the following themes:

• Internships – key to access and success
• Being an international student – looking in from the outside?
• Life as a student in 2022 – new pressures, different challenges
• (Re)defining social consciousness and political engagement in student life
• The value of a university degree

Prizes

All winning entries will be published exclusively on the LSE HE Blog. In addition, they will also receive cash awards.

Open category

• Overall winner: £500
• Runners-up (x4): £250 each

Student category

• Overall winner: £300
• Runners-up (x2): £150 each

There will also be three Honourable Mentions in each category, and the corresponding blog posts will be published on the HE Blog. We will aim to prioritise coverage of themes in this selection.

The submissions will be judged by the LSE HE Blog editorial team.

Submission requirements

A submission to the Essays in Education blog challenge comprises:

• A blog post

Blog posts should be 1000– 1500 words long.

They should respond to one or multiple themes from the appropriate category (open or student).

• A brief commentary explaining how the blog post relates to one of the (or multiple) themes
• A brief blogger profile (including key institutional affiliations) no longer than 150 words
• A declaration authorising us to run your blog post through Turnitin
• Students only: a photocopy of university identification (eg. ID card)

Guidance

• Given the challenge’s and the LSE HE Blog’s focus on higher education and teaching and learning, please ensure that your blog post speaks to a global audience of academics, educators, and students.
• While blog posts will be held to a high standard of academic rigour in argument, analysis, and evidence; the tone of the blog post can be more informal and collegial. Take a steer from existing posts on the LSE HE Blog
• When referencing, please use hyperlinks and aim to cite open access pieces wherever possible.
• If there are any pictures, images, or tables you would like to include along with the text, please attach them and provide captions and credits.

Please submit original content only to the challenge. If your piece has been submitted elsewhere or has appeared elsewhere, we are unfortunately unable to accept it. We reserve the right to run all blog posts through Turnitin.

Please submit your contributions to lseheblog@lse.ac.uk by Monday, 18 July 2022 1159 BST. If you have any questions, please contact Lee-Ann Sequeira or Lili Schwoerer.

Note: This version was amended on 30th of June 2022 to reflect increased cash awards.