Margot Finn

‘Stackable’ courses planned across University of London Federation launches new online learning system to allow students to dip in and out of modules at their own pace

'Students from around the world will be able to start the self-guided modules whenever they wish at a cost of £495 each, taking assessments when they feel ready, with no application processes.'

Some might have questions re quality control.

'Only staff eligible for the Research Excellence Framework will remain employees of the university and retain their TPS pension. This reflects the need for staff to be direct employees of the university to be eligible for the REF.' 3/3

'In a move unions are calling an “assault” on employment conditions at the university, annual teaching hours are also being increased and automatic progression between grades replaced by a “promotion only” model.' 2/3

Sheffield Hallam restricts TPS access to REF academics only Teaching staff at post-92 institution to be employed by subsidiary firm and lose right to access expensive pensions scheme

'Teaching-only staff at Sheffield Hallam University are set to be moved into a subsidiary firm, leaving research intensive scholars the only academics still being employed directly by the institution.'

Utterly inequitable & betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the teaching/research nexus. 1/3

Heriot-Watt warned of 'reputational consequences' of plan to axe German The principal of Heriot-Watt University has been told pushing ahead with a plan to cut languages courses will have "reputational…

'The principal of Heriot-Watt University has been told pushing ahead with a plan to make cuts to languages courses will have "reputational consequences" for the institution.'

The biggest student debt revealed — one graduate owes £314,000 They would need to earn as much as £245,000 a year just to pay off the interest at the required rate, reports Mary Downer

Addressing the student loans trap without addressing the underlying university funding trap will be tempting, and also highly destructive for higher education, not only in England but across the UK.

Not that you'd know it from broadsheet coverage,

Sussex VC warns of ‘profound consequences’ from study visa ban - Research Professional News Sasha Roseneil appeals to parliamentarians over suspension of visas for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan

“Restricting access to UK universities for outstanding students from these countries risks undermining this legacy and diminishing the UK’s standing as a trusted partner in international development.” (Sasha Roseneil)

Hereditary peers to be removed from Lords as bill passes The bill abolishes the 92 seats reserved for peers who inherit their titles through their families.

Good-Bye To All That.

I should know better but if anyone at #aas2026 spots this on @uchicagopress.bsky.social stand could they snap me a picture? I'd be childishly pleased. Thanks so much.

Grammarly will keep using authors’ identities without permission unless they opt-out expertoptout@superhuman.com.

“Now, Grammarly has finally addressed the backlash — but not by apologizing, and not by walking the feature back. For now, it will graciously give us the chance to opt-out of something we didn’t know it was doing to begin with.”

Ancient feathers found in the Ychsma tomb in Pachacamac. Credit: George Olah

Live parrots were transported over the Andes for their feathers in ancient Peru, according to research in Nature Communications. Analysis of still-colourful feathers found in a Ychsma-era tomb suggests a complex and widespread economy that predates the Incan empire. go.nature.com/4umFAnh 🏺 🧪

Cambridge University Library, University Museum of Zoology and the University of Cambridge - Collections Connections Communities

Fully funded PhD studentship: ‘Recording nature and writing the self: time, entomology and the archive in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries’. Closes 3 May.

With Ruth Abbott, Staffan Müller-Wille, Ed Turner & me. @theul.bsky.social @zoologymuseum.bsky.social

www.ccc.cam.ac.uk/initiatives/...

Behind, ahead | Lincoln Mullen How agentic AI coding tools have changed the possibilities for digital history, making once-rare programming skills widely accessible, and with an argument that digital history should be judged by the quality of its ideas, not the difficulty of its implementation.

Lincoln asks, what if generative AI has reduced the technical barriers to doing digital history? Similarly I ask, with an example, what if vibing Just Works?

Creative industries hold upper hand in AI copyright fight Artists, musicians, writers and journalists are pushing back hard as Big Tech firms seek access to their work for training AI models

“In 2024 the UK’s creative industries contributed £145.8 billion to the economy while the entire AI sector contributed £11.8 billion.”

www.thetimes.com/article/8561...

‘I wish I could push ChatGPT off a cliff’: professors scramble to save critical thinking in an age of AI As AI has upended the way students learn, academics worry about the future of the humanities - and society at large

These discussions would be much enriched by recognising that the social sciences also exist & that 'critical thinking', while central to Humanities, is not their exclusive preserve. Also staggering is the lack of interest in undertaking systematic research on learning impacts across all subjects.

Unions ask for RPI plus three per cent It's New Jnches season again

'The other key request is for UCEA to work with unions on lobbying the government for higher education funding reform, a recognition that pay restraint may not entirely be based on the decisions of employers.'

'Employers said the claim would be “extremely challenging” but promised to engage in “productive and constructive negotiations on a meaningful pay uplift” for university staff.'

For context, the pay offer for most staff last year was 1.4%. 2/2

UK higher education unions demand almost 7 per cent pay rise Employers say claim would be ‘extremely challenging’ in time of financial hardship, as annual pay talks get under way

'staff bodies including the University and College Union (UCU) called for all points of the pay spine to increase 3 per cent plus the Retail Prices Index (RPI) of inflation, which currently stands at 3.8 per cent, or £3,000, depending on which is greater.' 1/2

'Overall, non-digital research infrastructure spending will fall from £1.060 billion this year to £775 million in 2028-29 – a 26 per cent decrease – before rising to £845 million in 2029-30, still 20 per cent lower than in 2026-27.' 2/2

Universities must ‘mend, not build’ as lab budgets fall With supercomputing and other AI-related spending prioritised, Research England has told institutions to focus on maintaining existing facilities instead of building new ones

'Universities have been told not use Research England infrastructure funding to build new laboratories as non-digital research capital budgets are set to fall by a quarter within two years.' 1/2

Research Capital Investment Fund (RCIF) allocations Circular letters to English higher education providers about Research Capital Investment Fund (RCIF) allocations for financial year (FY) 2026-2027 until FY 2029-2030.

'In a letter to vice-chancellors on 10 March, Research England executive chair Jessica Corner said that digital infrastructure would receive a budget of almost £2.4 billion...[over the SR] with the annual amount allocated increasing from £324 million in 2026-27 to £707m in 2029-30.' 2/2

'Reforms to how UK Research and Innovation allocates funding for research infrastructure will see two major cash streams cut as it prioritises investment in supercomputing and digital resources.'

The Research Capital Investment Fund and World Class Laboratories will both see reduced funding. 1/2

#earlymodern #skystorians

#WHM A different type of resource today & #ODNB ongoing programme to increase its coverage of women - the brilliant Lynne Walker has written many of these on women in/and architecture. See this for more on the programme of updates: www.oxforddnb.com/fileasset/AM...

Coal? Yesterday's answer to tomorrow's problems.

Who gets permission to enjoy their education? From GCSEs to university, expectations around “realism” vary by background. Hannah Rolley considers what this means for widening participation and students’ freedom to choose what they study From GCSE...

'Maintenance support tied to “priority courses” and proposals to withdraw funding from degrees deemed insufficiently lucrative, do more than shape university provision. They send a cultural message about which kinds of thinking are worth public investment — and for whom.'

We are delighted to announce the winner of the WHN Book Prize. The judges chose Female Servants in Early Modern England by @charmianmansell.bsky.social

The highly readable & engaging book, interrogates long-standing assumptions about the domesticity & constraints of women’s lives in service.

First New V-Level subjects announced from 2027 Ministers say

'The Sixth Form Colleges Association welcomed the announcement, as well as the government's decision to retain BTecs while V-levels were phased in.'

'Like other big publishers, it has been adding suites of journals to its catalogue in recent years, which has come alongside an increase in volume. Elsevier published 795,000 articles in 2025, compared with 720,000 the year before.' 2/2

'Elsevier made £1.04 billion in profit in 2025, according to its parent company’s latest annual report, up 7 per cent on 2024.' 1/2