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Career Development

Managing the (new) Admissions Cycle

Changes are afoot in university admissions. In 2017-2018 the number of unconditional offers made to applicants shot up seventeen-fold, or 40%, from a mere 2,985 students in 2013-2014, to last year’s record of 51,615 (see UCAS’s 2017 End of Cycle Report on Offer-Making). This increase has been the subject of debates in…>

Social Media in China

The internet and social media forever changed the way that students and teachers could interact. Today, groups can keep in touch via Facebook and Whatsapp, conferences can be live-tweeted to an entire campus and a host of university tools make access to niche information a breeze. If you’ve spent the last couple of years hooked to a smartphone to help with your studies, then prepare for a big shock.

The Lessons Western Universities Can Learn From China

When I moved to China in 2010, many university officials were eager to hear my thoughts on the areas that Chinese universities could improve and learn lessons from their western counterparts.  In many ways, the western education (especially the UK university system with its long history) is regarded by many…>

Examination Boards

Examination Boards in the UK are the official bodies that set and mark exams for qualifications such as GCSEs, A levels and BTEC vocational qualifications. Jobs with examination boards are well suited towards candidates with teaching or lecturing experience, as well as a degree or postgraduate qualifications. Careers with Exam…>

Impact and Your Research

If you’re an early-career researcher or lecturer the forthcoming Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) may be your first REF round, but it probably won’t be your last. The main way in which the REF will affect early-career academics is in its requirement for outputs (between two and four published outputs for…>

Making the Most of Research Leave

Research leave can be a blessing, but like other aspects of academic life, needs to be managed carefully in order to get the most out of it. Here are a few tips on how to make the best use of your time if you’re fortunate enough to be awarded leave…>

The Importance Of Social Media To Your Academic Visibility

As a tool of academic networking, social media has become an almost indispensable feature of academic life.  It is possible that its importance varies according to your standing within the profession.  For older and more established scholars, some remain reluctant to experiment with social media, believing that their status within…>

Publishing Articles, and the Debate Over ‘Open Access’ Publications

Academics, and those aspiring to enter into the academic profession, are most probably familiar with the phrase ‘publish or perish’.  The need for academics to publish is integral to applications for jobs, promotion to permanent positions and to obtain research funding.  Publishing peer-reviewed journal articles are a key part of…>

Getting Your First Book Contract

The publication of an academic book, especially a monograph, is still regarded as the ‘gold standard’ in British academia, especially in the humanities.