Mary Curnock Cook
@marycurnockcook.bsky.social
Chair Pearson Education; Chair Dyson Inst; Council Uni of Leicester; NED London Interdisciplinary School, Student Room, Education Cubed. Trustee River Learning Trust, HEPI. Advisory in edtech. Ex CEO UCAS
This is a timely reminder that course withdrawals can create extra stress for applicants as well as existing students. The impact of the financial crisis in universities reverberates more widely than sometimes realised. via @hepi-news.bsky.social bit.ly/44Ju3UE
Advising in a time of uncertainty - HEPI
Financial instability in higher education is creating major challenges for students and advisers navigating university choices and applications.
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Great blog, and thanks to @marycurnockcook.bsky.social for sharing. My new podcast - on Skills England - touches on this same issue: if we can't agree what the end goal is, it's pretty hard to agree on the right way forward! www.buzzsprout.com/1874905/epis...
Does Skills England have the skills that England needs? - Inside Your Ed
No-one is surprised when a newly elected government decides to create new initiatives and new organisations to signify a change in direction and a break from the past.Skills England, a new agency with...
buzzsprout.com
"in order to make progress, it really is important to know which part of the question one is addressing, rather than lump everything together in one large basket of headaches labelled ‘skills’." Spot on Athene! (and good to see you at one of those roundtables mentioned)
Athene Donald@athenedonald.bsky.social · last yr.What do you think skills means - seems to mean different things to different people. My weekend post occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...
When in doubt, read @smitajamdar.bsky.social - here providing a highly informed perspective on the @officestudents judgement on the University of Sussex bit.ly/3QR2e4E
OfS judgment on University of Sussex opens a can of worms - Research Professional News
Huge fine for breaching regulatory obligations will make for a nervy sector, says Smita Jamdar
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I always enjoy @nickhillman.bsky.social book reviews and this one is great in thinking about AI @hepi-news.bsky.social bit.ly/3FRghVu
‘How can I know what I think till I see what I say?’: How AI is changing education and writing - HEPI
‘ChatGPT cannot write.’ It’s a bold statement but one near the start of the new book More Than Words: How to Think about Writing in the Age of AI that explains what comes in the following 300 pages. T...
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A privilege, as always, to talk to Nic Mitchell for @uniworldnews.bsky.social for this troubling piece – with great insights from @chrishusbands.bsky.social, Janice Kay, @marycurnockcook.bsky.social and others www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?sto...
Universities struggle to adapt to changing student cohorts
University leaders in the United Kingdom are struggling to keep up with the changing size, make-up and expectations of international and domestic stud...
universityworldnews.com
Are your HE assessments AI-integrated, AI-supported or AI-integrated? Some great learnings from a webinar I chaired and wrote up with Bess Brannan from Cadmus @hepi-news.bsky.social bit.ly/41oFQoi
AI for everyone – but not everything - HEPI
Students seek clarity on AI use in assessments, urging universities to provide consistent policies and transparent engagement to reduce anxiety.
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More engineering applications don't make for more engineers says @johnnyrich.com wonkhe.com/blogs/more-e...
More engineering applications don't make for more engineers
Johnny Rich won't be celebrating a 14 per cent increase in engineering applications in the latest UCAS data - because sector capacity hasn't risen to match
wonkhe.com
Wonderful to be at the University of Leicester today to witness the unveiling of this portrait of former chancellor of the university, David Willetts - with his book A University Education, of course! (The artist is Vladimir Presnyakov)
"If government is not the solution, if the private sector is not the solution, if the status quo is not sustainable, the answer must be imaginative and engaged leadership which is not simply about ‘my institution’ but also about ‘our future’." @chrishusbands.bsky.social bit.ly/3CHmQZy
WEEKEND READING: Change is our ally by Professor Sir Chris Husbands - HEPI
This blog has been kindly written for HEPI by Professor Sir Chris Husbands, who was Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University between 2016 and 2023, and is now a Director of Higher Futures, work...
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Great stuff from @hepi-news.bsky.social. A key reflections I have is how students’ unions were key in trying to create thoughtful, considered dialogue with protestors, institutions & local community. Often SU’s are labeled as part of a free speech problem, there are examples to the contrary here.
Mary Curnock Cook@marycurnockcook.bsky.social · 2y agoThis is a fantastic report from @josh-freeman.bsky.social @hepi-news.bsky.social telling the story of the encampments and the toll on protestors, SUs, university leaders and students not involved in the protests. Many learnings. www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/01/30/n...
This is a fantastic report from @josh-freeman.bsky.social @hepi-news.bsky.social telling the story of the encampments and the toll on protestors, SUs, university leaders and students not involved in the protests. Many learnings. www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/01/30/n...
New HEPI report tells the inside story of the pro-Palestine encampments on UK campuses - HEPI
The HEPI report provides an in-depth analysis of the 2024 student encampments protesting for Palestine, highlighting their motivations, challenges, and institutional responses.
hepi.ac.uk
Excellent @hepi-news.bsky.social blog post this morning by Prof Amanda Broderick on the need to support international students' #employability better. www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/01/27/e... 1/6
Exporting Degrees, Importing Responsibility: Rethinking Careers Support for International Graduates - HEPI
Universities must support international graduates beyond campus life, empowering them to thrive globally and transform industries and communities.
hepi.ac.uk
"Yet rather than a disability, neurodiversity will come to be appreciated as one of our greatest assets in the 21st century," says Alice Thomson in @thetimes.com bit.ly/4jARgx9
Neurodiversity is a power we must tap into
UK has been slow to embrace the innovative thinking often associated with conditions such as autism and ADHD
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Former Universities minister and architect of HERA, JoJohnson, is pained "to see the OfS give up on supporting start-ups and with such an embarrassingly weak justification for doing so." @hepi-news.bsky.social bit.ly/4heCeeY
The Office for Students needs to walk and chew gum – by Jo Johnson - HEPI
This blog is by Jo Johnson, Executive Chairman of FutureLearn, a Member of the Council of the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology and a Visiting Professor of King’s College London. He served...
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Depressing reading from US in terms of demand for higher education - our demographic dip in the UK is due in a few years' time.... n.pr/409W3Nt
A looming 'demographic cliff': Fewer college students and ultimately fewer graduates
The long-predicted downturn in the number of 18-year-olds is almost here. And it isn't just a problem for higher education. It's a looming crisis for the economy.
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Interesting additional wrinkle in the proposed Lifelong Learning Entitlement arrangements uncovered here by Ian Blenkharn of @uniofbath.bsky.social - what about 5-year integrated master's with a placement year? @hepi-news.bsky.social bit.ly/4gMt49w
The LLE and Five-year Integrated Masters Degrees - HEPI
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement raises crucial questions about affordability, social mobility, and clarity for universities and prospective students.
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💡New research from Pearson and Cebr outlines how investing in digital transformation in UK state-funded schools will benefit students, teachers, and contribute up to £8.7 billion for the UK economy in 10 years. Read more: bit.ly/3PN7ztr
I'd forgotten that @hepi-news.bsky.social Boys to Men Report in 2016 caused a ruckus - and glad to read that HEPI will be revisiting this issue in 2025 @nickhillman.bsky.social bit.ly/4gD1qM7
Looking back at HEPI’s most controversial reports – including an unexpected one from 2024 - HEPI
HEPI Director, Nick Hillman, starts 2025 by looking back at some HEPI controversies from the last decade. New Year’s Day marked the first day of my twelfth year at HEPI. Over that time, I’ve had a han...
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"In truth, the problems we had at the start of the year are the problems we have at the end of the year. Too many children are not in school, disadvantaged children do a lot worse, and secondary teachers are too hard to hire," says @timleunig.bsky.social @schoolsweek.bsky.social bit.ly/3OXFr6f
2024 in review: Same as 2023 in review and probably 2025 too
Plus ça change, as the French saying goes. If only we had the MFL teachers to translate it
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Good to see this analysis and insights from Pearson on the use of AI in US higher ed, including seeing better student engagement from students using AI. bit.ly/3ZPvJsJ
"Going after the toxic misogynists of the “manosphere” only gets us so far. To properly tackle the crisis of teenage boys we should ban them from having smartphones," says Tomiwa Owalade @thetimes.com bit.ly/3ZH2fNR
You can’t just pin boys’ struggles on Andrew Tate
Toxic misogynists are able to exploit the ‘manosphere’ only because of teens’ unfettered access
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Interesting take on awarding gap data here @wonkhe.bsky.social . We need to look at representation ratios as well as awarding gaps wonkhe.com/blogs/we-nee...
We need to look at representation ratios as well as awarding gaps
Alex Bradley and Martyn Quigley argue that using representation ratios can reveal new nuance when considering disparities in degree attainment Alex Bradley and Martyn Quigley argue that using represen...
wonkhe.com
Important piece from colleagues at Uni of Leicester about the risk of universities which fall outside of MCAs being sidelined for funding and research @NCanagarajah @HEPI_news www.hepi.ac.uk/2024/12/06/b...
Bridging the innovation gap: how universities outside Mayoral Combined Authorities can bridge the innovation gap and make the case for investment based on need - HEPI
This HEPI blog was kindly authored by Paul Angrave, Director of Public Affairs and Engagement and William Wells, Deputy Director of Research & Enterprise at the University of Leicester. This blog is p...
hepi.ac.uk
The first recommendations report from NFER's Skills Imperative 2035 project (I chair the strategic advisory board) offers 10 steps that government, employers & education providers can take to help those in ‘high risk’ roles. 🟣 More info: bit.ly/4fPyL5R 🟣 Report: bit.ly/4fLGWAr #Skills2035
Experts outline 10 steps to help workers in ‘high-risk’ roles transition to growing occupations and supply the country with the skills it needs
The first recommendations from NFER's Skills Imperative 2035 provide 10 steps to help workers in ‘high-risk’ roles transition to growing occupations.
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Me and my son Rory doing a Santa Fun Run 5k for Katharine House Hospice 🎅🏼🎅🏼😂😂
Lovely at Hook Norton Brewery (with my son Rory) 😊
Beautiful but intensely sad piece from Afghan Chevening Scholar Naimat Zafary via @hepi-news.bsky.social bit.ly/3OvaWEx
Dreams Drowned in Dust — from a white coat to a red bridal gown - HEPI
Living between two worlds, Naimat Zafary sheds light on the erased dreams and enduring resilience of Afghan women under Taliban rule.
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This is a brilliant compendium of key trends in international student recruitment from ApplyBoard bit.ly/4ic4ksr
Navigating Global Student Mobility: Top Trends in International Education for 2025 and Beyond
The international education landscape is transforming faster than ever. ApplyBoard's 2025 Trends Report reveals how policy changes and emerging markets are reshaping global student mobility. This is a...
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