����Vlog

Artificial intelligence is already having a huge impact on research, and the technology is advancing so quickly that some suggest it could soon be capable of directing its own research programmes. But will human input ever become truly obsolete, Jack Grove asks several Nobel laureates

Adelaide University is South Australia’s second biggest employer and the country’s second biggest undergraduate recruiter. As such, its inaugural v-c is determined to steer the merged behemoth through its teething issues and Canberra’s turn against overseas recruitment. John Ross reports

The government has announced that it will consult in the autumn over whether there should be a ‘minimum English language requirement’ to access student loans to ensure those who do so ‘are equipped to succeed in their studies’. Would that be a good idea? Seven observers have their say

The rush to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in scholarly inquiry looks like a defence of intellectual craft. In reality, it’s an act of institutional self-preservation, says Ian Richardson

Huge amounts of money are being pumped into breakthrough research endeavours that blur the line between philanthropy and investment, such as the Arc Institute, Episteme and the Ellison Institute of Technology. Should traditional institutions be excited or afraid? Jack Grove reports

Amid mission drift and falling public support, we must reject the assumption that teaching is primarily a window into how great minds think and reconnect with its value as a practical, trainable vocation – from which even research is a potentially expendable distraction, says Arjun Appadurai 

Last month’s presidential decree demanding the closure of Istanbul’s liberal Bilgi University seemed to mirror the academic purges that followed 2016’s failed coup. But then it was cancelled. What happened&�Բ�����;– and what does it say about the current state of academic freedom in Turkey? Seher Asaf reports

Given AI’s ubiquity in the workplace, some believe that students should now be assessed on their aptitude in working with it. But others insist employers are still more interested in innate ability – and rampant undeclared AI use demands the revival of traditional ways of testing it. Juliette Rowsell reports

Labour’s post-16 agency is often tasked by ministers with detailed analysis. But nearly two years on from the fanfare around its announcement, universities remain unclear why they should engage with a body that has no clear role in forming or implementing policy. Helen Packer reports  

Last year’s 1 per cent decline in overall sector income may look insignificant, but it is the tip of an iceberg that could ultimately sink significant swathes of a structurally unbalanced and precarious sector. Fadime Sahin runs through the numbers

By neglecting to adequately fund university teaching, the UK government is undermining its own growth ambitions for the creative sector, say Goldsmiths’ interim vice-chancellor David Oswell and, separately, Creative Industries Skills Audits co-author Heather Carey

A series of new initiatives to punish researchers for retractions and AI hallucinations has led to fierce disagreements about whether such draconian methods are merited by the nature and scale of malpractice. Jack Grove considers the arguments

The manufacturing powerhouses of Guangdong sit just across the border from Hong Kong, but the region has traditionally lacked the academic prowess that the former British colony has in abundance. A series of cross-border collaborations are seeking to change that. John Ross reports from Shenzhen

High-level declarations pledging not to misuse metrics in research assessment are important, but they are far from enough. Senior academics, in particular, must use their influence to ensure institutions, funders and publishers translate pledges into concrete action, say six senior academics  

With the NHS desperate for more capacity, increasing the number of doctors entering the system seems an obvious remedy. But with the system lacking the resources to boost training places or offer permanent jobs, insiders say that the flow of extra medical graduates must be staunched. Helen Packer reports

In the four years since its commercial launch, generative artificial intelligence has had a profound impact on personal and professional life. But are academics enthusiasts or sceptics? Five scholars explain how the technology has affected their own practice – for good and bad

New rules mandating higher tuition fees for non-EU students have sparked debate on whether France’s universities have abandoned their egalitarian principles and may soon charge far heftier fees for all, writes Seher Asaf

����Vlog’s recent survey of UK university staff revealed widespread scepticism about whether the state of sector finances truly justifies the scale of job cuts being made, or the perceived rises in vice-chancellors’ pay. But what do the numbers say? Patrick Jack reports 

With visa restrictions in the traditional ‘Big Four’ host nations, and source countries seeking to build their domestic capacity in an uncertain world, transnational education is regarded by many as having come of age. But are universities pursuing it for the right reasons? Four writers have their say

Many in UK higher education feared that Brexit would drive away EU academics. But, a decade on from the era-defining referendum, analysis of academic staff data reveals that while internationalisation has diversified, European numbers have largely held firm, writes Fadime Sahin

Modern research infrastructure runs on specialist expertise, but Australia’s job classification framework hasn’t caught up. The result is a major injustice&�Բ�����;– and a threat to recruitment and retention, say Pat Metharom and Sach Jayasinghe

The European Research Council’s swiftly withdrawn proposal to limit resubmissions was decried as an own goal for the ‘Champions League’ of research. But how else can the pressure be eased on referees? And is excellence still tenable as the sole criterion of selections? Jack Grove reports 

The second part of ����Vlog’s UK University Redundancy Survey examines the impact that the waves of layoffs have had on those left behind&�Բ�����;– and reveals a sector riven by rock-bottom morale, chronic overwork and deep mistrust. Paul Jump reports

The idea of shortening the duration of degrees has always run into concerns about loss of intellectual depth or infringements on academics’ research time. But amid concerns about universities’ finances and students’ debt levels, has the idea’s time finally come? Juliette Rowsell reports

The Oxford professor’s latest monograph, like her latest novel, focuses on the globe’s culturally neglected southern extremes. An ‘exploration of the condition of being secondary’, it is the realisation of a 40-year ambition, in a literary career with its own two very different poles. Matthew Reisz reports

The results of ����Vlog’s UK University Redundancy Survey vividly illustrate the deep human impact of the redundancy crisis on those who have lost their jobs. But respondents are torn about whether they want to remain in a sector widely described as ‘toxic’. Paul Jump reports

The LLE is seen as a key part of maintaining employability in rapidly changing employment sectors. Yet with less than six months to go before applications open for the stand-alone modules central to the vision, interest among learners and providers alike appears lukewarm at best. Helen Packer reports

While populists are known for their simplistic narratives, academics are assumed to embrace complexity. Yet a startling number of books claim to have found the key to understanding the movement’s rise in a single idea or study. In the week that Viktor Orbán’s fall has fuelled suggestions that history’s tide has turned again, Matthew Reisz leafs through various forthcoming tomes 

The former education secretary’s throwaway line arguably fired the starting gun for a new era in which scholarly expertise could be dismissed and social media sages exalted. Ten years after the notorious putdown, Patrick Jack caught up with Michael Gove and his critics on the legitimacy and legacy of his infamous barb

With polls predicting defeat for Viktor Orbán in Sunday’s elections there are hopes that controversial governance reforms&�Բ�����;– copied by Donald Trump and other populist politicians – will be abolished. Yet not all scholars are convinced that reversing a decade of contested legislation criticised for restricting academic freedom would be straightforward, says Seher Asaf

The brief launch of an app promising to attend students’ lectures as well as write their assignments caused some academics to despair at a dystopian near-future in which learning becomes a pointless sham. But others believe the abyss can be bypassed. Juliette Rowsell reports

A wave of dismay about student loans has flooded the UK media recently, with graduates complaining that ever-rising debt levels are threatening to capsize their personal finances. How could or should the government bail them out? We ask the experts: Philip Augar, Kate Ogden and Nicholas Barr

Concerns abound that authors who publish on a weekly basis are cutting corners, corrupting authorship norms and overburdening the peer review system&�Բ�����;– with AI likely to make matters worse. But if incentives are misaligned, what can be done? And is the moral panic exaggerated? Jack Grove reports  

In principle, permanent positions are awarded to the most deserving – but perceptions remain that, in reality, many universities value connections over merit. Phillip Haubrock describes his struggles to find a permanent position in Germany, while João Conde recounts how he finally secured one in Portugal

The headcount has expanded significantly over the past decade, but the growth has been concentrated in teaching-only roles and part-time positions with lower pay bands and fewer pathways to seniority for these roles. Fadime Sahin analyses the data

A slew of proposed changes and interim measures around university entry is making student numbers and university incomes difficult to predict. As the legislation paving the way for the new regulator trundles through parliament, many administrators don’t know which way to turn. John Ross reports

Amid backlash from higher-caste groups, the Indian Supreme Court has stayed new rules intended to toughen up universities’ anti-discrimination procedures. But is the move the beginning of a US-style pushback against positive discrimination&�Բ�����;– or just a tidying up of ‘vague’ drafting? Tash Mosheim reports

The Trump administration’s proposals to eviscerate the NIH and NSF have been overturned in Congress after a year of cancelled programmes and legal wrangling. Yet as funding continues only to dribble out of downsized and politicised agencies, few believe that US science is out of the woods yet

Complaints from authors abound about interminable delays, long silences, unfair rejections and shoddy copy-editing. But are standards really slipping? And, if so, where does the blame lie? Matthew Reisz reports

As the geopolitical order shifts, the case for greater collaboration among like-minded nations on research and innovation seems obvious. But will a greater European focus on its own industrial competitiveness dissuade the likes of Canada, Australia and Japan from signing up? Seher Asaf reports

Academics’ concerns are mounting as news drips out of the research councils about cuts and freezes ahead of a major funding restructuring intended to promote interdisciplinarity and transparency. But does the buckets approach even hold water? Jack Grove reports

Authoritarian regimes from the US to China and India perceive many humanities and social sciences as both useless and dangerous. But while their truths might be inconvenient, they are vital to preventing technological developments from tearing already frayed social fabrics, says Saikat Majumdar 

Debates around graduate debt have exploded in recent weeks amid concern about balances that continue to inflate even as graduates seek to pay them down. Has the system become a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ that politicians will rush to slay? Juliette Rowsell reports

Cass Sunstein’s new book – his 87th&�Բ�����;– deliberately prizes long-term currency over short-term appeal. But at a moment when some fear that American liberalism is under threat, is the Obama-era official right not to address the elephant in the room? Matthew Reisz reports

Three years after the launch of the UK’s big-money agency for ‘high-risk, high-reward research’, political expectations around the impact of public science funding are higher than ever. As UKRI funding streams are curtailed and redirected, how can Aria prove its worth, asks Jack Grove

Yes, the political climate is extremely difficult, but all the evidence on applications, enrolments and completions suggests that Americans still value what universities have to offer, says Eileen Strempel

Argentina’s emboldened president Javier Milei declared in Davos that ‘the rebirth of the ideas of liberty’ in the Americas was spreading globally. With Chilean voters taking a similarly hard-right turn and Brazilians threatening to do likewise, how bad might it get for universities? Helen Packer reports

King’s vice-chancellor Shitij Kapur made waves last month when he said that a degree is no longer a passport to professional success. But was it ever? Could it ever be? And what does it mean for universities if it is not? Patrick Jack reports

Formal complaints have shot up in recent years, albeit from a low base. But where some see the inevitable effects of redundancies, hybrid working and an overdue crackdown on poor conduct, others perceive the abuse of the system by managers to force out awkward characters. Jack Grove reports

The territory has recently raised its cap on non-local students twice, with it set to reach 50 per cent next year. But amid geopolitical tensions and Western concerns about freedom, is it realistic for Hong Kong to loosen its international cohort’s domination by students from the mainland? Tash Mosheim reports 

Critics allege that Australian universities have developed a bad habit of secrecy around severance agreements even when it serves no reasonable purpose&�Բ�����;– or, worse, prevents an important wider issue from being highlighted. But is there more to the issue than meets the eye? John Ross reports  

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was partly justified with reference to the urgency of improving women’s rights. But as the US winds up its reconstruction efforts and the restored Taliban blocks the internet and bans female-authored books, all hope for women’s education is being extinguished

Speakers’ bureaux are largely designed to promote celebrity after-dinner entertainers, but they are also being adopted by some academic publishers as a way to boost their authors’ long-term profiles. Matthew Reisz asks whether others should be grabbing the microphone 

The £2 million recently awarded to a whistleblower by a US court is a rare reward for the volunteers who trawl the scientific literature for error and fraud. Yet their numbers continue to grow. So what drives them? And can their efforts ever cleanse more than a drop in a troubled ocean? Jack Grove reports 

Many of the business schools that prop up universities, in both China and the West, are bankrolled by Chinese families’ ambition. But amid economic slowdown and a growing recognition of the limits of Western practices, the return on investment is now being questioned, as three academics explain

Students’ recent firebombing of Nelson Mandela’s alma mater has raised more questions about whether the country’s universities can break out of a cycle of corruption, underfunding and violent protest. They can – but only with strong leadership and political will, hears Juliette Rowsell 

The UK government’s recent skills White Paper announced a review of ‘the merits of the sector continuing to use the external examining system for ensuring rigorous standards in assessments’. Four academics offer their views on whether it passes or fails that test

Last month’s deadly car bombing at Delhi’s Red Fort, allegedly planned and perpetrated by academics and doctors, has left observers asking what such an outrage says about the nature, quality and future of the country’s universities, writes Saikat Majumdar

����Vlog journalists name the change-makers at the heart of the sector’s biggest debates over the past 12 months

Cardiff’s January announcement of plans to cut 400 academic jobs and close several departments prompted a media firestorm that heaped opprobrium on its vice-chancellor. But she also received lots of quiet support for her efforts to put the university back on an even financial keel, she tells Chris Havergal