by Becca Bashford | Oct 16, 2020 | Academic freedom, Boris Johnson, Casual staff, CDBU Updates, Covid-19, Government, In the News, Marketisation, National Union of Students, News round-up, Opinion, Uncategorized, University governance
As Covid cases across the UK rise exponentially, universities have quickly become virus hotspots. Students forced into quarantine have reported feeling “abandoned” by their universities, raising concerns about the mental health crisis that might be...
by Becca Bashford | Sep 18, 2020 | Academic freedom, Casual staff, CDBU Updates, Covid-19, Free speech, Government, In the News, Marketisation, News round-up, Opinion, Scotland, Uncategorized, Universities UK
Once again, the return of staff and students to university campuses has dominated Higher Education news. UCU insist that the risks of spreading Covid-19 is still far too high, especially without proper Track and Trace and testing protocols in place. Meanwhile, the DfE...
by Becca Bashford | Aug 22, 2020 | A-levels, Admissions, Casual staff, Covid-19, Further education, Government, In the News, Marketisation, News round-up, Ofqual, Opinion, Uncategorized, Unconditional offers, Widening access
After thousands of A-level and BTEC students were downgraded on results day, Gavin Williams and Ofqual – in a highly predictable U-turn – scrapped the algorithm and allowed students to use Centre Assessed Grades (teachers’ predictions) instead,...
by Becca Bashford | Jul 28, 2020 | Casual staff, Covid-19, Government, In the News, Opinion, Teaching Excellence Framework, TEF, Uncategorized
This blog post was kindly contributed by Professor Dorothy Bishop. It was originally featured on her personal blog, which you can find here. An article in the Times Higher today considers the fate of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). I am a...
by Becca Bashford | Jul 24, 2020 | Academic freedom, Casual staff, CDBU Updates, Covid-19, Employability, Government, Humanities, In the News, Marketisation, News round-up, Office for Students, Opinion, Tuition fees, Uncategorized
The government recently published their ‘Restructuring Regime’ for universities facing financial collapse, causing many to question whether university autonomy is a thing of the past. The petitions committee announced that there will be no automatic...
by Becca Bashford | Jul 21, 2020 | Casual staff, Covid-19, In the News, Manifestos for Change, Marketisation, Uncategorized
This paper was kindly contributed by staff at the University of Leeds. It is the fifth in our series titled ‘Manifestos for Change’, in which we are seeking forward-thinking responses to the present Covid-19 crisis, and the crisis of marketisation more generally. If...
