Skip to content
The UK's only independent think tank devoted to higher education.

Blog

The HEPI Blog aims to make brief, incisive contributions to the higher education policy landscape. It is circulated to our subscribers and published online. We welcome guest submissions, which should follow our Instructions for Blog Authors. Submissions should be sent to our Blog Editor, Josh Freeman, at [email protected].

  • Seven (very) early thoughts on today’s TEF results

    28 September 2023 by Nick Hillman

    England’s Office for Students has, this morning, published the latest Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) results for higher education institutions. Here, the HEPI Director, Nick Hillman, provides some very early thoughts on their importance.

  • TEF results: the challenges of evidencing Educational Gain

    28 September 2023 by Emily Pollinger

    Up and down the land in 2022, Word documents were opened, “Educational Gain” typed at the top, then the authors paused for a careful think. How to distil the purpose and value of higher education into this definition? How to differentiate our definition so that what makes our educational offering…

  • A toolkit for higher education

    27 September 2023 by Sarah Knight

    Today Jisc launches its digital transformation guide and toolkit which will support universities in assessing their digital maturity, planning their approach for and delivering digital transformation. For a more in-depth read on what has gone into producing this toolkit and what its aims are, Jisc’s Managing Director for HE and…

  • Taking a holistic, people-centred approach to digital transformation 

    25 September 2023 by Liam Earney

    Universities are at a critical time of change, balancing the need to innovate with the many challenges they face to delivering the world-class education for which our sector is known; tight budgets, staff juggling multiple responsibilities and students needing more support. At Jisc, we believe that digital innovation isn’t yet…

  • Not a CEO

    22 September 2023 by Gill Evans

    New Vice-Chancellors have taken office in Oxford and Cambridge since the beginning of 2023, Oxford’s in January and Cambridge’s on 5 July.  The Committee of University Chairs’ Code of Governance requires a governing body ‘to appoint the Head of Institution as Chief Executive’. Oxford and Cambridge do not belong to…

  • Is bigger really better? GuildHE launch new report on the impact of knowledge exchange at smaller and specialist institutions

    21 September 2023 by Dana Gamble

    Smaller and specialist universities miss out on vital flexible and sustainable funding to forge and nurture partnerships with local and global businesses, communities, councils, charities and the general public. Today, GuildHE has launched a new report, Expertise in Action: the real-world impact of knowledge exchange funding at smaller and specialist…

  • Promoting the benefits, and ease, of employing international students

    19 September 2023

    International students make a huge contribution to the UK and bring with them a range of skills and experiences, drawn directly from their studies and from their lived experience in their home country. In 2022, the UK hosted over 600,000 international students from all over the world.  Many are studying…