51³Ô¹Ï

The latest edition discussed by the 51³Ô¹Ï editorial team

Phil Ashworth and John Lewin explain why the Environment Agency should be submitted to the REF

We need to wake up and defend this vital practice, not sleepwalk to an unhappy ending, says Lars Fischer

Not even today¡¯s box-ticking managerialists can stamp out our innate desire to know, says Joe Moran

Another review of the exercise is a chance to revise details of the costs, says Jonathan Grant

As Canadian scientists look forward to a better deal under a new regime, respect for their findings is as vital as fair funding

It is always interesting when people take ideas to their logical conclusion, says Matthew Reisz

Our bloggers and social media followers gaze into their crystal balls and predict what the year in HE might look like

Using the language of sport to sell metrics-based performance management ignores what sport can really teach academia, argues linguistics scholar Liz Morrish

Jenny McDonald examines the response to calls for academics who are not highly productive researchers to be given more recognition 

The decision to republish Mein Kampf is a reminder that we can learn from hateful words, says Marion Wynne-Davis

Should the University of Massachusetts Lowell be opening its doors to the controversial US presidential hopeful? John Kaag consulted his students

How the government is proposing to use NSS data to assess teaching excellence is nonsense, says Dorothy Bishop

Nicholas Morton is trying to make up his mind about lecture capture

If more women are to benefit from the gender equality that society prizes, it is time for the world of work to change, says Victoria Bateman

The education system has replaced wonder with tick-box excellence, and mystery with an impact case study, says Paul Kleiman

Only a Brexit can deliver the pro-higher education regime UK universities need, argues Jamie Martin

Emma Rees tackles work, the ultimate seasonal fun spoiler, and finalises her list of new year¡¯s resolutions

Shahidha Bari examines the ritual of exchanging Christmas presents as she mulls the best gift that academics can share

With 2016 just ahead, we ponder the state of campuses past, present and future

Glen Wright reveals what Yuletide has to do with amphetamines and OCD

The former Guardian editor-in-chief sits in on the Oxford admissions process

Headlines from the latest 51³Ô¹Ï discussed by the editorial team

From writing papers to urinating on other people¡¯s work, cats have a rich history of scholarly work, finds Glen Wright

Successful reform of higher education to reward good teaching 'may be an impossibility', says Paul Blackmore

New approach to provision of specialist support is threat to students¡¯ effective participation, warns Harriet Cameron

Felipe Fern¨¢ndez-Armesto¡¯s students, shocked by racist outrages at the University of Missouri, mull over the content and context of their curriculum

Letting students co-design their own curriculum is pedagogically sound and delivers real satisfaction, say advocates

Big data, Google Books and the Ngram database are wonderful aids to today¡¯s intellectual problems, argues Frank Furedi

Universities aren¡¯t developing the skills young people need to succeed in work, says Roxanne Stockwell

Philosophers Stephen Mumford and Rani Lill Anjum speak up for the benefits of writing collaboratively

Dorothy Bishop takes a close look at the universities and science minister¡¯s NSS claims

Can effective outreach programmes help institutions to reach the hard-to-reach? asks Chris Parr

Vice-chancellors must do much more to prepare students to tackle climate change, argues Joy Carter

The National Union of Students has released a selection of Christmas songs inspired by higher education. All together now ¨C one, two, three, four...

Employability skills remain a significant differentiator in the region, says Zahir Irani

Conservative MP Neil Carmichael, chair of the Education Select Committee, on the risks to the higher education sector of exiting the EU

Donald Braben looks at the implications of Sir Paul Nurse¡¯s review of research councils

On the eve of her viva, Vivi Lachs muses on the untimely death of an eminent historian ¨C and her unstintingly generous mentor

Too many senior scholars abuse their power when it comes to assigning credit, argues Bruce Macfarlane

To measure this key graduate outcome, we must better understand what it is, what it is not and what it could be, argues Johnny Rich

The powerful message that maintenance grants send to students will be lost in the shift to loans, says Carina Buckley

Employability matters, but it is poorly defined. Only by spelling out what the term means can the concept be put to work

Freeze on tuition fee increases does nothing to counter inequality, writes Martin Hall

Jennifer McCoy looks at how a ¡®political earthquake¡¯ in Venezuela might affect the country¡¯s universities

Vice-chancellor of OP Jindal 51³Ô¹Ï University on Indian higher education

University of Tennessee¡¯s advice on holiday parties sets off major political debate, writes Scott Jaschik

University educators have a responsibility to debunk the myth that intelligence is fixed, says Claire Taylor

Round-up of tweets from 51³Ô¹Ï¡¯s summit in Delhi

I had assumed stories about campus political correctness might be overblown. But the experience of my friend is an example of how deeply it permeates universities

Catherine O¡¯Connell responds to a recent study that identified four ¡®tiers¡¯ of universities in the UK

The eminent scholar¡¯s views are controversial, says v-c Colin Riordan, but providing a forum for debate is core to universities¡¯ mission

David Price, Graeme Reid and Andrew Clark applaud the wisdom of creating Research UK

The impact on one Roma man of Rainer Schulze¡¯s research was worth far more than any amount of academic praise

It is time to consider more structured support for academics who undertake the vital task of improving public engagement

David Matthews blogs from the 51³Ô¹Ï BRICS summit in Delhi

The rankings results, plus highlights from this week's magazine, discussed by the editorial team

The BRICS and Emerging Economies rankings show the diversity of global HE, says Chris Parr

David Lloyd, vice-chancellor of the University of South Australia, on an erratic period of change for universities

Giving evidence to a BIS committee inquiry on assessing the quality of higher education provoked questions about how teaching might be measured, writes John Gill