The Wonkhe Show

This week on the final podcast of the season we review campus reopening guidance from across the UK. What happens when the balance between freedom and safety becomes universities’ problem? Plus the skills bill gets read for a second time in the Commons, there’s new UCAS figures to take a look at, and Michelle Donelan has been writing letters about non-disclosure agreements.With Smita Jamdar, Partner and Head of Education at Shakespeare Martineau, Richard Brabner, Director of the UPP Foundation, Debbie McVitty, Editor of Wonkhe, Mike Ratcliffe, Academic Registrar at Nottingham Trent University, David Kernohan, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor in Chief at Wonkhe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast we consider the state of the sector’s finances. Did the dire predictions of a sector in financial crisis come close to happening? There’s also new research on students’ digital skills, some careers confidence stats, plus we catch up with SU evidence into the Student Futures Commission and our Black Lives Matter event. With Diana Beech, Chief Exec at London Higher, and Ben Villiamy, Chief Exec at the University of York Students’ Union and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor.Link to shownotes on Wonkhe.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast the results of this year’s HEPI/Advance HE Student Academic Experience Survey are out. Did students think that this year represented “value for money” and how can universities with their mental health? Plus there’s a new government science office, a report on postgraduate widening participation and that ongoing controversy over white working class children.With Marian Hilditch, Deputy Academic Registrar at the University of Bradford and Chair of SROC, Jonathan Grant, Professor of Public Policy at the Policy Institute King’s College London and Director of Different Angles, David Kernohan, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, Mike Ratcliffe, Academic Registrar at Nottingham Trent University, and presented by Mark Leach, Editor in Chief at Wonkhe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast we catch up with the Skills Bill and its second reading in the Lords - and sense big debates to come over fees, funding and creative subjects. We’re also finding out more about last year’s examnishambles and there's the delayed roadmap to freedom - what does that mean for HE? With Mary Curnock Cook, Chair of the UPP Foundation Student Futures Commission, Mark Essex, Director of Skills at KPMG, Mike Ratcliffe, Academic Registrar at Nottingham Trent University, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast we’ve got a clutch of highlights from Wonkfest. We consider how universities can build back higher, bridge the digital divide and inject care in the university community. We also think about the university of the high street and consider how we might create a stronger sense of belonging on campus.With Mark Leach, Editor in Chief at Wonkhe, Smita Jamdar, Partner and Head of Education at Shakespeare Martineau, and Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe. Plus contributions from Mike Ratcliffe, Academic Registrar at Nottingham Trent University, Simone Buitendijk, Vice Chancellor of the University of Leeds, Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, vice president for higher education at NUS, Steven Spier, Vice Chancellor of Kingston University, Janice Kay, Provost at the University of Exeter, Kate Tapper, leadership coach, Becky Thomson, President at Christ Church Students Union, Joe Cooper, Deputy Director for HR at Imperial College, and Sunday Blake, President of University of Exeter Students’ Guild. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast we discuss student loans - should the interest rate go up or come down, and where’s the balance between politics and progressivity? There’s also a new dataset from OfS to crunch, a spate of misconduct cases at Drama schools that may have sector-wide implications, lessons to learn from successfully containing Covid at Cambridge and the launch of a new Black women's professors’ network.With Aaron Porter, Associate Director (Governance) Advance HE and Chair of BPP University, Steph Lomas, UCLan SU VP Education, Mike Ratcliffe, Academic Registrar at Nottingham Trent University, Debbie McVitty, Wonkhe’s Editor, Alice Chilver, CEO of WHEN and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast we try to make sense of ongoing speculation about fees and funding in England as we move towards an Autumn response to the Augar review. There’s also a new report out on academic credit that may be more important than first meets the eye, news from the UPP Foundation Student Futures Commission and polling on what students have missed out on this year, and UCAS has a new report out on apprenticeships. Plus Hidden History looks at higher level learning.With Helen O'Sullivan, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Chester, Johnny Rich, Chief Executive at the Engineering Professors Council, Mike Ratcliffe, Academic Registrar at Nottingham Trent University and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast Gavin Williamson has been offering up his views on “dead-end courses” and OfS has published a measure that might tell us how to find one. There’s also a skills bill to digest, some data issues to dive into, a couple of free speech cases to learn from and September is coming - but what are universities saying will be delivered? With Vivienne Stern, Director of Universities UK International, Gary Hughes, Chief Exec of Durham Students’ Union, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast the government has introduced a new Higher Education Bill into parliament - but do its proposals on academic freedom and freedom of speech stack up? There’s also a range of other measures in the Queen’s speech to consider, and as the deadline for the government’s admissions review looms, we take the temperature of responses from across the sector.With Claire Taylor, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Wrexham Glyndwr University, Chris Shelley. Director of Student and Academic Services, University of Greenwich, Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor in Chief at Wonkhe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast the Commons Education Committee raises antisemitism with Michelle Donelan and BBC3 airs a documentary on racism in the sector. Is real progress being made? Plus there’s new findings out on students and sex and drugs, and the long-awaited Jornal of Controversial Ideas has its first edition out - but is it as edgy as it thinks?With Eunice Simmons, VC at the University of Chester, Ben Ward, CEO at the University of Manchester SU, Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe and Mark Leach, Editor in Chief at Wonkhe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.