Affect: knowledge, communication, creativity and emotion

Concerns about emotional well-being have recently become the focus of social policy, particularly in education settings. This is a sudden and unique development in placing new ideas about emotion and creativity and communication in curriculum content, pedagogy and assessment, but also in redefining fundamentally what it is to ‘know’. Our report charts the creation of what we call an ‘emotional epistemology’ that may undermine all previous ideas about epistemology, draws out implications for educational aspirations and purposes and evaluates potential implications for these aspirations and purposes if trends we identify here continue into the future.This document has been commissioned as part of the UK Department for Children, Schools and Families’ Beyond Current Horizons project, led by Futurelab. The views expressed do not represent the policy of any Government or organisation

How 'learning styles' undermine education

Why 'learning styles' are bogus and why we should not be using them.N/

After Brexit, snowflake professors need to grow up

'Stupid', 'racist' and 'uneducated' – many academics think that these three wordscharacterise the 17.4 million people who voted for Brexit. They are upset by the referendum and universities are so concerned with staff wellbeing that they are offering academics Brexit therapy!N/

Is it time to rethink the 'university'?

Jeremiads abound on the ‘end’ or the ‘death’ of modern universities. There are claims that they are been severely compromised by ‘neoliberalism’ and social changes and left behind by technological advances. An increasing number of writers believe the university has been transformed turned into ‘safe spaces’, an extended school environment, that infantilises students. Many people describe this ‘crisis’ in academia but few offer any visions of the future and fewer still try to propose alternatives. This is an essay based upon a 'Thinking on Sunday' lecture given to the Conway Hall Ethical Society at Conway Hall, London on Sunday 4 December 2016.N/

Academic freedom means free speech and no "buts"

In this short paper Dennis Hayes argues that academics have a responsibility to challenge conventional wisdom

The academics vs the bureaucracy

Why the Stern Review of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) could mean the end of the university as we know it

How trigger warnings shoot down free debate

The only thing we need ‘trigger warnings’ about on campus are trigger warnings. I expect British satirical website the Daily Mash will soon start selling t-shirts with the words ‘TRIGGER WARNING’ on them. If it does, every academic worthy of the name should buy one and proudly wear it on campus.N/