Digital masters? Reflecting on the readiness of students and staff for digital learning

Covid-19, education and educational research

If we assume that necessity really is the mother of invention, then the problems of delivery that arose when the Covid-19 virus crisis hit UK higher education represented a golden opportunity for...

What we can learn from degree apprenticeships and work-integrated learning

The British government’s introduction of degree apprenticeships (DAs) in 2015 marked a turning point in the delivery of both higher and vocational education in England. When announcing the...

Unpacking students’ situated knowledge and reflections in large lectures

In large lectures, it is quite hard to involve and engage students, and if the teacher poses questions during the lecture, many students will refrain from raising their hands out of fear of being...

Pay and conditions in universities: BERA’s solidarity with academics

In the 21st century, working in a university is a demanding and complex job. The expectations of academic staff are numerous. We are required to publish world-leading research outputs, and our...

Playing quiz-games on their phones: A winning combination?

With increasing attention on blended and mobile learning alongside an ever-increasing attempt to measure engagement means that we are constantly looking for ways or tools to help students achieve....

Evaluating the increased importance of the impact component in the UK’s research excellence framework

The research excellence framework (REF) evaluates the quality of the research produced by the higher education institutes (HEIs) in the UK in three areas: quality of research outputs, the impact...

You don’t understand us!

'You don’t understand us or the subject!’ This is a frequent cry heard by me, as a university research ethics chair, from educational researchers trying to get ethics approval for research...

Exploring learning entanglement

Learning spaces are changing. Classrooms, once filled with uniform furnishings and distinct ‘teacher’ and ‘student’ territories, are being reimagined to provide learning spaces that...

Having a secure and safe place to conduct the fieldwork: Further anecdotal tales in pursuit of the elusive doctorate

In this blog we consider the more logistical aspects of completing a PhD – namely, ensuring that you have a secure and safe place in which to conduct the fieldwork. We both feel strongly about...