Alex Spiers
@alexspiers.bsky.social
E-Learning Content Development Manager at King’s College London | FHEA | CATE2022 | #creativeHE |#MELSIG | #SocMedHE25 …Music nerd. Bellshill born. Glasgow raised. Liverpool resident
I wrote this the other day arguing AI means the humanities become even more important in an age where AI can solve questions that are defined and data rich, leaving the wicked issues where we can’t even agree on the nature of the problem… www.ft.com/content/fbde...
When the story of why humanity didn't stop climate change is written, it will feature front pages like this. Even as the skies blacken with climate change-induced wildfires, right wing media continue their relentless crusade against measures to tackle it.
Master of shadows: Caravaggio, influential Italian Baroque artist, died #OTD 1610; used chiaroscuro to heighten dramatic tension in his Supper at Emmaus, painted in 1601. National Gallery London
Automatic transcription can be much faster than manual transcription, but it's not as accurate. Humans can catch errors that software may miss because of background noise or poor audio quality. Always review and edit transcripts before publishing.
Scan your local news today. How many stories are about something climate change is making worse...without saying so? I counted 8 of those in my feed today, vs just 1 that named climate change directly. Why does this matter? Research shows that making this connection changes how people see it.
A crypto investor just donated £9 million to the Reform Party. Right now, billionaires can pour unlimited money into our elections, effectively buying our democracy. Think that's wrong? Add your name to call for a cap on donations today: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ta...
Take Big Money Out of Our Politics
British politics is awash with money from super rich donors. In 2023, two-thirds of all private donations came from just 19 people. These so-called ‘mega donors’ enjoy privileged access to political p...
you.38degrees.org.uk
#AcademicSky · #AI Chat, are we cooked? “You may have heard about AI data centres guzzling insane amounts of energy, and that using ChatGPT to write an email is equivalent to emptying out a bottle of water. “But is that true? And how worried should we be about GenAI’s environmental impact?”
Helen Gittos@helengittos.bsky.social · 4w ago'Emerging research suggests data centres raise temperatures in their immediate surroundings by between 2-9°C.' I cannot comprehend how university leaders, politicians, & casual users of AI justify it to themselves. europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/chat-ar...
Hey Meta… No amount of supermodels or prime time World Cup ad slots will make us view them as anything but predator glasses.
This is just so unbelievably stupid ““I can’t crack the code of working with [my boss], because it’s just his AI and my AI going back and forth.'” futurism.com/artificial-i...
Workplaces Have Gotten So Bizarre That People Are Just Sending AI Slop Back and Forth at Each Other
Employees are "socially offloading" with AI tools, relying on them to handle interactions with their bosses and colleagues.
futurism.com
#AcademicSky · #EduSky · #HigherEd · #JobCuts “Academics fear they are being ‘set up to fail’ after several institutions finished the academic year by announcing fresh job cuts, casting doubt over who will return after the summer break.” 🖋️ @julietterowsell.bsky.social ‣ @timeshighered.bsky.social
Summer of ‘chaos’ predicted as mass job cuts close academic year
‘Impossible to plan’ for research and teaching, say staff, as threat of redundancy looms large over summer breaks
timeshighereducation.com
'Learning without edges', a great theme for this year's #ALTC @altuk.bsky.social "... explore how digital learning and learning technology can support continuous, connected and equitable learning throughout life." alt.ac.uk/index.php/al... Get your thinking caps on. 🔥
ALTC26: Learning Without Edges | Association for Learning Technology
We are delighted to announce the theme, streams and Co‑Chairs for ALTC26, taking place 20–21 October 2026 in Cardiff. This year’s conference invites our community to explore how digital learning and l...
alt.ac.uk
Student loan promotion in England and Wales amounted to mis-selling, MPs say
Student loan promotion in England and Wales amounted to mis-selling, MPs say
Treasury select committee also says ministers have moral obligation to reverse last year’s repayment threshold freeze Slideshows that compared student loan repayments with the cost of a mobile phone contract, and YouTube videos that did not mention the fact that loan terms could change amounted to mis-selling by the government, MPs have said. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, caused a furore last year when she announced that the repayment threshold on plan 2 student loans would be frozen at £29,385 for three years from April 2027. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
“After it ended, the Belgian team’s social media account had a message to the U.S. on Twitter: “Overturn this.” Perfect. #WellPlayed #Belgium
Belgium beats, then trolls, U.S. team on Monday night
Even though it was tied, 1-1, after Malik Tillman scored another goal on a free kick just outside the penalty area, it never felt close.
nbcsports.com
NEW on Wonkhe: John Blake argues that the student loan book – a £300bn accounting fiction – is the single greatest obstacle to reforming how England funds its universities buff.ly/SgLTXKl
Reverse student loan threshold freeze and scrap RPI, MPs urge: inquiry finds loans were mis-sold to students and tells government it cannot continue to ignore ‘broken’ system https://ow.ly/Y75950ZkF0U
· #AcademicSky · #Redundancies · “Planned cuts to the University of Exeter’s prized humanities department show no job is safe in the UK’s current wave of redundancies, […] decisions are being made based on undergraduate students’ choices rather than research strength,” ✍️ @julietterowsell.bsky.social
‘I thought we were safe’: shock at Exeter’s humanities ‘gamble’
Leading department being in the firing line shows how changing student preferences are fundamentally reshaping universities
timeshighereducation.com
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Higher tax and lower earnings erode financial return for UK graduates
Higher tax and lower earnings erode financial return for UK graduates
Institute for Fiscal Studies says lifetime gains from degree will be third lower than it estimated in 2020
giftarticle.ft.com
From bendy bananas to £350m for the NHS – how many Brexit promises actually came true?
From bendy bananas to £350m for the NHS – how many Brexit promises actually came true?
Leaving the EU was supposed to solve Britain’s border issues, slash bureaucracy, revitalise the health service, even supercharge vacuum cleaners. How much control did we really take back?
theguardian.com
Constructing the professional identity of Digital Education Specialists in UK higher education: perceptions, networks, and the value of CPD Join us on Bluesky for #LTHEchat on Wednesday 24th June at 8pm BST with guest Abbi Shaw (@abbis.bsky.social) to discuss professional identity, recognition,…
Constructing the professional identity of Digital Education Specialists in UK higher education: perceptions, networks, and the value of CPD
Join us on Bluesky for #LTHEchat on Wednesday 24th June at 8pm BST with guest Abbi Shaw (@abbis.bsky.social) to discuss professional identity, recognition, and collaboration in higher education. Together, we will explore how Digital Education Specialists understand and communicate their contribution, the role of professional development and networks in shaping professional identity, and how colleagues across academic and professional services roles perceive and work alongside digital education professionals in supporting the student experience.
lthechat.com
'Across China, a marked rise in people driving electric vehicles has led to a drop in air pollution in many cities. As a result, fewer people are dying from pollution-related diseases.'
Electric vehicles cut pollution in China – and prevent 260,000 premature deaths
Having fewer fossil-fuel powered cars on the road is reducing some pollutants, but not others.
nature.com
DfE pupil data is out today and shows that the number of private school pupils has dropped 5.6% since VAT was introduced. Not 25% like the independent schools council predicted. Or the 50% we saw in some right-wing papers. 5.6%.
From Moodle template redesigns to making digital baselines actionable, AI provision mapping, and single‑source publishing — the M25 Spring meeting was packed with practical ideas and shared expertise from across London HE. Dive into the highlights in the group's latest #altc blog: buff.ly/7EFAlVO
M25 LTG – Spring meeting
The Spring Meeting of the M25 Learning Technology Group took place on Thursday 26 March at the University of Roehampton. Lucy Bamwo (Imperial College) and Eliot H…
buff.ly
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Several UK universities nearly ran out of cash last year, says report
Several UK universities nearly ran out of cash last year, says report
Almost a quarter of higher education institutions were left with less than 70 days of cash to cover costs
giftarticle.ft.com
And equal proportion (42%) of people think that the English student finance is fair as think it is unfair: yougov.com/en-gb/tracke... - meanwhile 56% think it is not good value for money (yougov.com/en-gb/tracke...).
Shrinking graduate premium sours views on value of a university education, UK poll shows
Shrinking graduate premium sours views on value of a university education, UK poll shows
Worries over AI and loan debt mean 34% of people think degrees are usually not worth the time and money There was a time when going to university seemed a no-brainer. Better qualifications opened doors to better jobs with greater earning potential. But with the graduate premium shrinking, mounting anger about spiralling student debt and growing fears about AI eating into the graduate jobs market, it is not surprising that attitudes are shifting. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Reform UK wants to shut this down. If it did so, it would throw a million people out of work. Why? because it is beholden to the fossil fuel industry. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
UK’s growing green economy worth more than £100bn a year, research finds
Net zero industry accounts for more than a million jobs and benefits whole country, according to CBI Economics
theguardian.com
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Confidence in the value of a degree hits record low in England
Confidence in the value of a degree hits record low in England
BSA survey results come as the student loan system faces growing scrutiny
giftarticle.ft.com
Read and share our investigation into Reform UK's Rob Kenyon: hopenothate.org.uk/2026/05/21/r...
Objectifying women, peddling conspiracy theories and calling for violence: Makerfield Reform candidate’s SECOND deleted account exposed – HOPE not hate
By Paul Kershaw and Sarah Hadley On a deleted social media account, Reform UK’s candidate in the upcoming Makerfield parliamentary by-election, Rob Kenyon, made creepy...
hopenothate.org.uk
