New article on teacher working time in Spain published in IJCE

📢 New article in volume 49 of the Irish Journal of Education   We are excited to feature a new article by John Pierce, Mary Beades, and Andrew S. from Munster Technological University. Their #article explores the Embedding Content Across Academic Programmes Toolkit, a practical model for mapping and tracking embedded content across modules, semesters, and years within higher education programmes.   Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/eENQvByB   📝 We welcome submissions for future volumes. Submission guidelines and templates are available here: https://lnkd.in/eFYnNgi4   📧 For any queries about the Irish Journal of Education, please contact us at: ije@erc.ie   Thank you for supporting the Irish Journal of Education!   #ECAAPT #HigherEducation #EducationalResearch #Ireland #IJE

The Virtual Librarian Service offers American online and hybrid colleges/universities with librarians and managed curated resource content. Thus, the virtual library staff pay a great deal of attention to accreditation standards, guidelines and quality requirements across the U.S. since we write the reports. A possible change is coming at NECHE for 2026 that CAO and IE staff should be aware of. 2025 DRAFT of NECHE new Standards  for 2026 https://lnkd.in/gc9CrmTv Libraries have been dropped from the NECHE Standards where the librarian was once a standalone section/mention in Standard 7. With the reduction of the current Standards from 34 pages to 11 pages in the Draft, the library requirements are rolled into the Draft Standard 3 with the one word "information". Draft Standard 3: Page 9 of 11 3.9 Institutions must ensure their physical, information, and technological resources are sufficient to support student learning.

Today, I'm reading "Re-centering the importance of service in academia: A collective responsibility." This was a report from the Association for the Study of Higher Education presidential commission on service. Thanks to Margaret Sallee, Dr. Katherine S. Cho, M. Yvonne Taylor, Ph.D., LaShawn Faith Washington, Ph.D, Timothy Cain, Dave Nguyen, Tamara Bertrand Jones, Ph.D., and Hannah L. Reyes, Ph.D. for their work. This is a helpful synthesis of the research on faculty service and some of the contemporary challenges we face, namely inequities in who performs service and undervaluing of service in our rewards systems. The report includes recommendations, several of which I'll highlight here as ones I'm working on: 1. Rethinking the language we use around service - I practice one recommendation, which is to call some service roles as faculty leadership. Because that's what they are. 2. Recognizing and rewarding service - One of the most consistent drums I beat is that we could simply give out more awards. Do we think faculty innovating with curriculum is important? We should recognize it! 3. Service equity audits - I haven't done this yet, but it remains a goal. KerryAnn O'Meara and colleagues have developed some excellent resources with ACE to help better understand who is doing what service and promote more transparency and equity. https://lnkd.in/eKVksxfT

New blog post: What does academic excellence really look like across disciplines? In this thought-provoking blog, Prof. Annabel Watson explores how the Exeter Skills Framework is challenging educators to balance disciplinary depth with transferable skills – equipping students for both academic success and an unpredictable future. 👉 Read it here: Embedding Skills – A Disciplinary Challenge: https://lnkd.in/e8a4Ftks

This latest blog from the wonderful Annabel illustrates how our work on the Exeter Skills Framework builds on existing excellent practice at the University of Exeter, with implications for practice as we transition towards more skills-focused learning and teaching.

Reimagining teachers’ work and teacher education for our futures: Global perspectives at the intersection of change, hope and crisis The Special Issue/ @InternationalJournalDevelopmentEducation &GlobalLearning uses as departure the UNESCO International Commission on the Futures of Education report (‘Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education’, 2021). The proposed thematic special issue/series call aims to open up space for researchers to share their work with a focus on teaching and learning about global issues. For more details check with the editors of the Special Series: Arto Kallioniemi Hannele Niemi Marianna Vivitsou Some important days include: For publication from June 2026. Expressions of interest accepted: End of October 2025 Expressions of interest in the form of an abstract of 300-500 words, up to six references, and a 50-word biographical statement for each author should be sent by email to the editors:

📄 🌿 New #TESTEd publication in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education „Teaching for tomorrow: a qualitative exploration of ESD in initial teacher education across five European universitites” (main authors: Briony Supple (PhD), Nico Lorenzutti, Kim McCullough and Rosa María Coronel Ortiz)   🪴 The integration of ESD into the university curriculum is an essential prerequisite for adequately preparing future teachers for the sustainability challenges facing the students of tomorrow. However, the #TESTEd joined research study shows that Europe is lagging behind in the area of ESD in initial teacher training. 🔍 The research integrated a review of national ESD policies with semi-structured expert interviews across five European universities. 💡The results are sobering, but insightful: •   ESD is mostly taught implicitly or as optional modules. •   Overcrowded curricula and rigid ECTS systems block integration. •   Teacher educators feel inadequately prepared to teach ESD. •   There is a discrepancy between political goals and practice. ✨Nevertheless, the article also identifies promising pathways for the future: Challenge-based approaches, increased student participation, real-world pedagogies, and fostering of pan-European cooperation to transfer good practices between universities. 📖 Interested to find out more? Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gCXGQwPp #Sustainability #ESD #TeacherTraining #Research #Europe #HigherEducation TESTEd is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.

New Leading House Working Paper by Maria Alejandra Cattaneo, Christian Gschwendt, and Stefan Wolter «The Value of a Degree» Using a discrete-choice experiment, the paper investigates how much individuals are willing to pay for a university degree when expected earnings, protection against technological change, and social mobility are held constant. 👉 On average, people show no additional intrinsic willingness to pay for a university degree compared to vocational education. 👉 Many are willing to give up an amount of income comparable to the full cost of obtaining a degree. However, there are significant differences: those with tertiary qualifications and men place a higher value on higher education, and the willingness to pay is higher for university of applied sciences degrees than for academic universities. 🔗 Read more in Leading House Working Paper No. 247: https://lnkd.in/efwV_Brq

I am often asked, by people who know nothing about it, why I teach on Access to Science and not A-level. "You have a PhD in Chemistry, you should be teaching A-level," is the ignorant and IMO bigoted comment I get, often from people who really should know better. There are many reasons I am so passionate about Access to HE and here are just a few. 1. Access is a course that transforms lives. I've seen it myself and I guarantee, so has everyone involved in Access to HE. 2. The students are wonderful. It's a totally different relationship between student and teacher and I love it. I've been told that my 'educational superpower' is understanding what makes Access students tick. It's true, I've always got on well with Access students and been able to build a strong rapport very quickly. 3. The flexibility. We are able to tailor the course to suit the most popular progression routes, and we can adapt the course in response to student feedback. For example this year, we have changed the sequencing of our maths units as a direct result of feedback from last year's students. 4. Range of assessment methods. It doesn't all hinge on exams! IMO the assessment model is a positive one where we are basically saying to our students, "show us what you can do!" 5. My passion for Access is summed up in something I tell my students every year. "I get to teach you to be scientists, not to pass exams." In practice this means that I scaffold absolutely everything around practical work. I don't think there is a science teacher in the country that would deny that practical work inspires our students and scaffolds their understanding; but other L3 courses simply don't have the time or flexibility to fit much in beyond required practicals. Today my Access students carried out a practical investigation into the effect of temperature on lipase activity which they planned themselves. This is in week 3 of the course and they are already becoming extremely confident in the lab and demonstrating a lot of higher order thinking and investigative skills. It's Week 3 and I already feel like I am in a room full of fellow scientists - exciting stuff! I am waiting for the first Nobel Prize winner to be someone who's come up through the Access route, it's going to happen and I hope I get to see it!

📢 New Blog Post Alert! In my latest piece for the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) Blog, I reflect on a deeply human moment during an academic misconduct case — one that challenged my assumptions and highlighted the urgent need for systemic reform. 🎓 As universities confront the rise of AI-assisted assignments, we must ask: What drives students to cross the line? This article explores how economic hardship, immigration pressures, and structural inequalities intersect with academic integrity — and why a compassionate, preventative approach is essential. 🔍 I propose three key reforms: Rethinking assessment design Providing targeted academic and wellbeing support Fostering a culture of shared responsibility 💬 I invite educators, policymakers, and students to read and reflect. Let’s move beyond punishment and toward understanding. 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/g7nX9s78