There is a need for greater joy in HE. The pursuit of joy – systemically and ongoing – will reap benefits which better deliver against the missions of HE institutions for education, research and engagement. But we need to make joy tangible to avoid it being a vacuous platitude. Collaborative and human-centred approaches are needed to ensure that joy is achieved authentically in ways which make a genuine positive difference to the lives of staff and students. Joy is unevenly distributed, and we need to understand how joy is a privilege which should be extended to everyone. This approach will support a positive impact for the wider communities served by HE institutions driving benefits beyond traditional measures of output. Given the challenges facing institutions, and the wider world, this has to be worth a try.

Higher education providers face the threat of substitution by tech companies which can provide quicker, cheaper or more accurate assessment of capability. Institutions should act to see this future and play their part in it rather than get left behind.

What’s the future for academic standards? The great external examiner resignation raises questions about what else can be done to assure standards.

What is the place of joy in modern academia? Exploring the vocation of the academic profession and the connection to pay and conditions.

The Minister for Higher and Further Education wants to place more emphasis on students’ outcomes than widening participation targets. Nice idea, but what if it’s more complicated than that?

Universities are incentivised to recruit and retain students. What if we provided a financial incentive for their graduates getting jobs?