Academia has an ambivalent relationship with rankings. On the one hand, academics constantly complain about them; on the other, they always look for ways to “fix” them. A similar observation could be made about scholars researching higher education. I argue that this ambivalence contributes to the further entrenchment of rankings as a practice in higher education and I call for a heightened appreciation of reflexivity in the research on the subject.
English (higher) education: a system that divides students and disconnects them from social reality
One of the most surprising aspects of the English educational system—speaking as a non-English who does research on higher education (HE)—is how imbalanced it is for almost every student involved. Let me explain what I mean by this.
Why I have a problem with the “top” discourse
It’s usually once a day that I browse through Twitter or other social media sites and see the word “top” connected to academia somehow. Most of the time, this word drives me completely mad. I stopped to think for a moment why that is.
Welcome to Germany—The country where most academic careers expire soon after they start
Germany’s academic system is admired all over the world. It is almost entirely publicly funded, while studying at most of its higher education institutions is free of charge. However, the working conditions enjoyed by a vast majority of German academic staff do not seem to live up to the stellar reputation German science has internationally.
The Making of Early Career Higher Education Researchers: An open-ended experiment in community building
A a narrative reflection on the past, present, and future of the Early Career Higher Education Researchers (ECHER) network. Given its independent, informal, loosely structured, and voluntary character, we conceptualise it as an open-ended experiment in community building. We discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges which accompany the said experiment.
Falling in and out of love with academia: the story of my academic aspirations
What comes to your mind when you think about academia? Is it the excitement of working with knowledge and of contributing to the world? Or is it a job prospect filled with insecurities and competition? You may come up with different answers, depending on the country where you live in, your personal situation, and your academic aspiration. For me, the second scenario is on the top of my head.
“Western concepts don’t always apply everywhere”: Interview with Yaşar Kondakçı, Editor of “Higher Education Governance and Policy”
In this interview, we talk to Yaşar Kondakçı, Editor of the new journal Higher Education Governance and Policy. The journal has an international perspective towards higher education policies and management practices and aims to inform an international audience.
Early-career researchers pursuing an academic career in Ireland: mind the training gap
In many national contexts, Irish one included, if an early-career researcher wants to have an academic career, especially in teaching-focused programmes, pedagogical, technological and content expertise are usually required. However […]
Transferring research to practice: Exploring post-publication possibilities
After multiple rewrites, responding to reviewers’ comments and the final copyediting, you have reached the much anticipated finish-line, a published academic article. Feeling both relieved that this task is completed and proud of your accomplishment, you go about adding your article to your bibliography, perhaps sending it around to a few colleagues, and then…
What happens if you put academics from different disciplines in the same room and ask them to talk to each other?
Anyone who is trying to facilitate change in higher education settings knows that it’s a challenging thing to do. As the famous analogy goes, “changing a university is like moving a graveyard— you don’t get much help from the people inside”. […]