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.
Author: Jelena Brankovic
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.
What does it mean to be an early-career higher education researcher? And why we should all care
If you are reading these lines, there is a good chance you are thinking of yourself as a higher education researcher. You may have started your academic career as […]
“It is our duty as editors and reviewers to help advance higher education scholarship”: Interview with Manja Klemenčič, Editor of “European Journal of Higher Education”
This year, the European Journal of Higher Education celebrates its 10-year anniversary. Although a relatively young scholarly outlet, the journal occupies an important space, not only in European […]
“We need more discussion on contributions to our field”: Interview with Jeroen Huisman, Editor of “Higher Education Policy”
In this interview, we are talking with Jeroen Huisman, the editor of Higher Education Policy. Jeroen is Professor of Higher Education at the Department of Sociology, Ghent University and the director of its Centre for Higher Education Governance Ghent (CHEGG). […]
“Changing a university is like moving a graveyard”: a history of an analogy
If you are not entirely new to higher education research, policy, or practice, chances are you have come across the quote from the title, possibly more than once. But where does it come from?
Research on higher education research: a bibliography
What is higher education research? Is it a (scattered) field, a discipline, a tribe, a territory, a (a‐theoretical) community of practice, a cluster of silos, or an archipelago whose watery divides need bridging? […]
Article-based PhD thesis or a monograph?
Even before we start our PhD journey, many of us are presented with the dilemma: should I hand in a so-called cumulative dissertation, made of articles (or article manuscripts), or should I go for the good old book or monograph? […]
ECHER Blog turns One!
Today is exactly one year since we launched this lovely blog we are so very proud of! Which makes it a good the occasion to look back at the things which we have done over this year – both related to the blog and to the community. […]