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  1. How the Innocence Project London law clinic is redefining clinical legal education

    February 20, 2024

    Hands-on experience is a defining feature of teaching and learning at Alliance universities. In our latest instalment of the Innovators blog series, University of Greenwich’s Dr. Louise Hewitt writes about how the Innocence Project London provides vital experience and a critical perspective of the criminal justice system for her students. Deconstructing claims of innocence from convicted individuals is not a routine feature of degree programmes i…

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  2. Unpacking the TEF narratives: what does teaching excellence at an Alliance university look like?

    December 18, 2023

    The 2023 TEF submissions have been published but, as Jim Dickinson and David Kernohan observed on WonkHE, “there’s no way any human is going to read all of them”. I have however read the institutional narratives from the 14 English members of University Alliance (16 of the UK’s leading professional and technical universities) and have drawn out the key themes which characterise a TEF submission from an Alliance university. Considering Alliance un…

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  3. ‘What now?’: how adaptations to assessment during COVID-19 can improve inclusivity

    December 6, 2023

    Pandemic learnings   As the public Covid-19 inquiry grinds painfully on, it is appropriate for us in the Higher Education sector to conduct a little reflection of our own.   There is much about lockdown life we all want to forget: the grim headlines, the concern for our loved ones and ourselves, the questionable Netflix binges and loo roll shortages. But despite the countless negative impacts of lockdown, something interesting happened in our uni…

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  4. How Anglia Ruskin University’s Live Brief modules are enhancing graduate employability

    October 26, 2023

    Employability is an individual matter. It requires each student to embrace their professional development and to access the support and opportunities our universities provide. Unfortunately, many students leave it too late, assuming employability is a set of skills they can acquire at some point before they graduate. However, academics and other staff responsible for employability know that its development requires steady, deeper, and ongoing eng…

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  5. Digital transformation is key to boosting student experience

    September 26, 2023

    Universities are faced with rising costs and shrinking margins, and the challenges are many. Student attraction and retention remains a priority, amid an everchanging mix of domestic and international students. There is no doubt the competition for international and other highly sought-after students has been heightened by COVID, and the ability to manage profitability through this change is important. Cybersecurity remains one of the biggest thr…

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  6. Lifelong Loan Entitlement: opportunities for learners, choices for universities?

    June 6, 2023

    Since the government consultation response to the new Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) was published in March this year, the higher education sector has had a chance to let the news sink in. Now it’s time to reflect on what the next steps might be. The introduction of the LLE has been long anticipated and was originally proposed as one of the outcomes of the ‘Post 18 review of education and funding: independent panel report’ chaired by Philip Augu…

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  7. Lifelong Learning – is it worth the hard yards?

    May 16, 2023

    The introduction of a workable approach to lifelong learning has been anticipated by the sector for many years. So, should the sector be rejoicing in the wake of a new bill that promises to increase access and participation for all learners, meet the skills needs of the future, and get people into good jobs? Or should we approach with extreme caution? A marathon not a sprint When something is difficult to understand or translate, then we tend to …

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  8. Harnessing the power of university-sponsored Multi Academy Trust partnerships

    August 18, 2021

    This blog was written by: Professor Debra Humphris, Chair of University Alliance and Vice-Chancellor, University of Brighton; Dr John Smith, Chief Executive of Brighton Academies Trust; Ian Dunn, Provost, Coventry University; and Uly Lyons, Chief Executive of the Better Futures Multi Academy Trust. This article first appeared in HEPI. In a speech to the school sector in April 2021, Gavin Williamson, the Secretary of State for Education, communica…

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  9. ‘A solution can always be found and we are on your side’ – Kingston University Clearing student turned hotline operator says

    August 10, 2021

    When Veronica Oprisan decided to change paths from musical theatre to business psychology, she felt nervous about having to reapply for university. But after securing a place at Kingston University through Clearing she is at peace with her choice and, one year later is now working as a hotline operator where she hopes to reassure others with a similar dilemma on A-level results day. The international student left a degree in musical theatre at an…

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  10. High tech facilities at Alliance universities are helping to power the NHS

    July 16, 2021

    University Alliance institutions are at the forefront of training the UK’s future health and social care workforce, training 25% of all nursing and midwifery students and 18% of all social work students. This is due in large part to the superb learning and training provision afforded by our universities’ high tech facilities. Allowing students to train in an immersive environment, using equipment and techniques that they would encounter once they…

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