Given the UK’s future prosperity relies on the skills and ingenuity of our people, no industry has a bigger part to play in supporting economic and social growth than our world-leading higher education sector. Yet the environment in which universities operate is changing rapidly. The world of work is undergoing big shifts and, whilst it […]
Have you noticed, over the last 20 years or so, how landscape gardeners are much more willing than they were to let some quarters of London’s parks grow wild? I used to have an office overlooking St James’s Park and loved it in every season. Now, more than a decade later, much of what was […]
University Alliance today publishes a new collection of essays on teaching excellence, outlining bold new thinking from leaders in higher education. Exploring the themes of innovation and excellence in the context of Alliance universities’ distinctive model of professional and technical education, external contributors to the collection include: Office for Students Chair Sir Michael Barber, in one […]
The diversity of Britain’s higher education system is its greatest strength, with institutions not only offering students a wide choice of high-quality courses but also a range of learning environments and approaches. For some students, the large civic university is the most exciting and suitable option. Others may prefer a small or specialist institution. While […]
The UA Teaching Excellence Alliance staged a landmark event with our Sandpit on 12 and 13 September 2017. With over 60 people from across our member universities, we drew on a depth of experience and expertise to push the boundaries of programme design. We also discussed how the Teaching Excellence Alliance should develop. So what did we […]
On a recent #LTHE Tweetchat with the Teaching Excellence Alliance (TEA) leaders Sam Grogan and Graham Holden, people were reluctant to define excellence and not only because they only had 140 characters available. A recurring theme was that it is subjective and that excellence varies for different students according to their context. In developing our […]
Cutting-edge learning and teaching environments are an important characteristic of UK universities. But inspiring spaces do not happen by accident. Our publication Technical and Professional Excellence: Perspectives on learning and teaching, includes an essay by Mike Clark, Director of Estates and Facilities Management and Stan Stanier, Assistant Director of Information Services, both from the University of […]
Some sectors set aside the tortoise approach to design a long time ago. In fast fashion and in computer software, for example, businesses and consumers have been reaping the benefits of fast cycle design for many years. The IT industry lives and breathes ‘fast’ at all levels. Most undergraduates joining us this year can scarcely […]
Sir Ciarán Devane’s essay on ‘Global Graduates’ has featured in Times Higher Education. Sir Sir Ciarán, Chief Executive of the British Council, wrote the essay for our publication, Technical and Professional Excellence: Perspectives on Learning and Teaching.
Wonkhe has featured a blog from Sir Michael Barber, Chair of the Office for Students, which was adapted from our publication “Technical and Professional Excellence: Perspectives on Learning and Teaching. You can read Sir Michael’s full contribution to the publication here.