Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Claire Field

Jeff Greene @jeffgreene.bsky.social · 3h

Imagine spotting struggling students before the midterm just by reading their digital patterns. That’s the promise of validated learning analytics. 🚀

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Reposted by Claire Field

Matthew Doran @matthewdoran1.bsky.social · 7h

In August we reported on the story of 12 year old Huda, suffering extreme malnutrition. Her hair was falling out, and she didn't have enough energy to get out of bed.

We're hearing reports that Huda died in recent days.

Here's our story from August:
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

Malnourished Huda needs treatment outside of Gaza — but she can't leave

Hospitals in Gaza are having to divert resources to treating surging cases of malnutrition as starvation takes hold across the strip. Meanwhile, children who need treatment are waiting to be evacuated...

www.abc.net.au

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Reposted by Claire Field

Associate Professor Mark A. Bassett @drmarkbassett.bsky.social · 10h

The preprint of 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣, 𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚: 𝘼𝙄 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 is now available on EdArXiv.

The paper presents a definitive academic critique of AI detectors.

doi.org/10.35542/osf...

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Reposted by Claire Field

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 5d

International student arrivals to the US dropped 19% this year, the biggest drop on record aside from the 2020 pandemic low.

The Upshot @upshot.nytimes.com · 5d

The decline is occurring as the Trump administration has delayed visa processing, instituted travel bans or restrictions for 19 countries, threatened to deport international students for pro-Palestinian speech, and heightened the vetting of student visa applicants.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Nearly 20 Percent Fewer International Students Traveled to the U.S. in August

The data shows the steepest decline in August international student arrivals since the pandemic.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Claire Field

The Cathy Wilcox @cathywilcox.bsky.social · 2d

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

When you first heard me speak against this genocide, you heard my words as betrayal. But they were meant as love | Sarah Schwartz

Not speaking would go against everything I was taught to honour: the righteous among the nations – those who refused to be bystanders to injustice

www.theguardian.com

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Claire Field @clairefield.bsky.social · 2d

“UK higher education sometimes feels as though it’s trying to work out how to make horses go faster, rather than exploring more counterintuitive, behaviourally informed research methods to improve and innovate the experience.” A very interesting read

Neil Mosley @neilmosley.bsky.social · 2d

"There is a certain orthodoxy in how the sector builds a case for doing something new or different, and it tends to be overly reliant on user (student) research focused on asking people what they want."

Is it time for the UK to develop split-mode undergraduate degrees? — Neil Mosley Consulting

A look at why online undergraduate education has developed so differently in the US and UK, and whether it’s time for UK universities to explore split-mode degrees.

www.neilmosley.com

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Reposted by Claire Field

Neil Mosley @neilmosley.bsky.social · 2d

"There is a certain orthodoxy in how the sector builds a case for doing something new or different, and it tends to be overly reliant on user (student) research focused on asking people what they want."

Is it time for the UK to develop split-mode undergraduate degrees? — Neil Mosley Consulting

A look at why online undergraduate education has developed so differently in the US and UK, and whether it’s time for UK universities to explore split-mode degrees.

www.neilmosley.com

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Reposted by Claire Field

Tony Tassell @tonytassell.bsky.social · 2d

Japan has an ‘enshortification’ problem - @urbandirt.bsky.social here on the country's shortages of practitioners with some examples here www.ft.com/content/de6a...

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Reposted by Claire Field

The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 3d

Paul Brereton’s ongoing conflict of interest woes threaten public trust in the National Anti-Corruption Commission. He urgently needs to change tack.

Australia’s anti-corruption commissioner has a trust problem. He needs to change course to fix it

theconversation.com

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Reposted by Claire Field

Yung En Chee @yungenchee.bsky.social · 5d

Meanwhile in Australia, the so-called National Press Club cancels decorated journalist, Chris Hedges, who was to speak on the "amplification of Israeli lies in the press, which most reporters know are lies, betraying Palestinian colleagues who are slandered, targeted and killed by Israel"

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Claire Field @clairefield.bsky.social · 12d

Congrats @squigglyrick.bsky.social - deserved recognition for your forensic and compassionate writing on this deeply shameful and terribly harmful scheme 👏👏👏

www.smh.com.au/culture/book...

How robo-debt turned this prize-winning author into a ‘vengeful god’

Rick Morton has won a Prime Minister’s Literary Award for his non-fiction book Mean Streak. He’d trade it all for justice for the victims.

www.smh.com.au

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Reposted by Claire Field

ABC News Bot (unofficial) @abcnewsbot.bsky.social · 15d

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network releases its first national register report to examine "the climate of fear, censorship, intimidation and punishment" experienced by students, teachers and members of the school community.

'Widespread' anti-Palestinian racism in Australian schools, report finds

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network releases its first national register report to examine "the climate of fear, censorship, intimidation and punishment" experienced by students, teachers and members of the school community.

www.abc.net.au

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Claire Field @clairefield.bsky.social · 16d

My latest guest on the podcast is Shae McGregor from TAFE Gippsland where they are piloting new education programs designed with the student voice at their heart - making really meaningful differences to students facing multiple disadvantage.

Out now or listen online: whatnowwhatnext.buzzsprout.com

What now? What next? Insights into Australia's tertiary education sector

Claire Field talks with leaders and experts from within the Australian tertiary education sector and across the global ed-tech sector

whatnowwhatnext.buzzsprout.com

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Claire Field @clairefield.bsky.social · 20d

This recent article in @theguardian.com reinforces some of the arguments advanced by Ellis and Curtis. The article in turn previews an upcoming film "The Shadow Scholars" on the contract cheating 'industry' and those working in it www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Inside the world of Kenya’s ‘shadow scholars’ paid to write essays for UK students

Highly educated Kenyans working for essay mills ghostwrite academic work that students pass off as their own

www.theguardian.com

Claire Field @clairefield.bsky.social · 20d

A truly excellent piece of work by @guycurtis10.bsky.social and @cathellis13.bsky.social

A must read for everyone in higher ed and VET - including ASQA after their first attempt to cancel a provider for not identifying contract cheating by students was thrown out by the Admin Review Tribunal

Guy Curtis @guycurtis10.bsky.social · 21d

New Chapter with
@cathellis13.bsky.social
: Degrees of deniability: contract cheating and the value chain of corruption in higher education—experiences from Australia
www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap-o...
The new Handbook on Corruption in Higher Education is open access...go take a look.

www.elgaronline.com

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Reposted by Claire Field

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 20d

The 400 richest Americans are now worth a record $6.6 trillion.

The entire bottom 50% of America is worth just $4.2 trillion.

Our problem isn't a lack of resources.

Our problem is ever-expanding inequality.

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Reposted by Claire Field

ABC News Bot (unofficial) @abcnewsbot.bsky.social · 21d

When Amina Al-Mufti left the home her family was sheltering in, her parents expected she would quickly return with a bucket full of water. But she never came back.

10yo Amina was fetching water when a missile strike killed her

When Amina Al-Mufti left the home her family was sheltering in, her parents expected she would quickly return with a bucket full of water. But she never came back.

www.abc.net.au

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Claire Field @clairefield.bsky.social · 21d

FYI - the link goes to ‘page not found’ Guy

Reposted by Claire Field

Chris Wallace @chriswallace.bsky.social · 21d

More top #highered reporting ⁦‪from Julie Hare AFR.

www.afr.com/policy/healt...

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Reposted by Claire Field

Prof. Amanda Wise @amandawise.bsky.social · 21d

There is no financial crisis. This is Macquarie uni balance sheet

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Reposted by Claire Field

Prof. Amanda Wise @amandawise.bsky.social · 21d

7/ Specialist teaching is replaced with generic faculty wide units with 1000 + students, mostly online and no F2F tutorials. Macquarie wants to introduce a 'common first year' to the BA - so discipline content will be confined to 2nd and 3rd year - six units in total. No electives/option sets.

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Reposted by Claire Field

Prof. Amanda Wise @amandawise.bsky.social · 21d

3/ My own discipline of sociology is losing 11 of 14 academics yet we have had a 65% increase in student enrolments this year and have more students than areas not being cut. Same story for other areas being hit with staff cuts.

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Reposted by Claire Field

Prof. Amanda Wise @amandawise.bsky.social · 21d

1/At Macquarie Uni we are losing 50% of our units in my faculty. This is on top of cuts in 2020. We estimate by next year my faculty will be teaching 80% fewer subjects than pre Covid. Disciplines being cut do not have declining enrolments. @jennaprice.bsky.social @michaelwestbiz.bsky.social

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Reposted by Claire Field

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 22d

I wanted to get a video of this ghost crab but every time I got close to their hole they scuttled back in, so I tried getting clever with it. I made a little sandcastle and shoved my phone into it, hit record, and walked away. Crab was VERY suspicious of this addition to their environment.

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Claire Field @clairefield.bsky.social · 22d

3 pages of sensible recommendations in the just released Interim Report of the Senate inquiry into university governance

www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...

Recommendation 1
5.91 The committee recommends that universities improve the transparency and
accountability of their governing bodies, including by:
 publishing all minutes of council meetings in their entirety, on university
websites, while ensuring that personal or legally protected information is
appropriately withheld;
 publicly disclosing details of all spending on consultants, including the
purpose of each consultancy and the extent to which the capacity exists to
perform that function within the institution;
 maintaining a publicly disclosed conflict-of-interest register for
university council members and senior university executives. Where
senior executives receive remuneration for external roles, mitigation
actions to manage any perceived or real conflicts-of-interest (which could
include the offsetting of salaries) should be both agreed and disclosed on
the public register;
 publishing annual remuneration reports in-line with requirements for
public companies including role-specific salaries of senior university
executives; and
 publicly reporting on the composition of governing bodies, including the
proportion of elected members and those with public and higher
education sector experience, and that there be transparency over the
appointment process for non-elected positions.
Recommendation 2
5.92 The committee recommends that the Tertiary Education Quality and
Standards Agency's (TEQSA) regulatory mechanisms to enforce these
transparency and accountability practices are considered alongside the
current process to modernise and strengthen TEQSA's powers.
Recommendation 3
5.93 The committee recommends that universities adopt best-practice and
meaningful consultation for major change proposals, including involvement
from staff and students prior to decisions being made.

Recommendation 4
5.102 The committee recommends that the Australian Government work with the
Remuneration Tribunal and states and territories to devise a mechanism or
framework of classification structures and remuneration ranges to determine
vice-chancellors' and senior executives' remuneration. University councils
would retain responsibility for setting the vice-chancellors' and senior
executives' remuneration, within the appropriate classification and
remuneration range.
Recommendation 5
5.109 The committee recommends that universities set and implement a minimum
proportion of members with public administration and higher education
expertise on university governing bodies.
Recommendation 6
5.110 The committee recommends that universities set and implement a minimum
proportion of elected representatives (staff, undergraduate and postgraduate
students) on governing bodies.
Recommendation 7
5.111 The committee recommends that universities ensure equal and respectful
treatment of elected staff and students on governing bodies. While university
governing bodies need to retain responsibility for engaging and consulting
with members of their community, including students and staff, they should
support elected representatives to consult with their communities as needed.
Recommendation 8
5.112 The committee recommends that universities adopt a best-practice model for
the induction and continuous professional development of nominated and
elected council members, and facilitate governance training for these
members where appropriate.
Recommendation 9
5.121 The committee recommends that the Australian Government, following the
current consultation process being undertaken by the Department of
Education, introduce legislation to provide the Tertiary Education Quality
and Standards Agency with the necessary suite of powers to investigate
potential breaches of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold
Standards) 2021 and enforce its compliance directions.

Recommendation 10
5.123 The committee recommends that the Tertiary Education Quality and
Standards Agency take steps to improve governance reporting requirements
to enable it to identify and mitigate risk across the university sector, including
public reporting on the results of its compliance processes.
Recommendation 11
5.124 The committee recommends that the Tertiary Education Quality and
Standards Agency work with other regulatory bodies, Commonwealth and
State, to identify common data requests relating to university governance, and
to work across jurisdictions to avoid duplicative reporting requirements,
where possible.
Recommendation 12
5.129 The committee recommends that universities examine and enhance their
complaints processes to ensure they are effective and accessible to all
members of the university community.

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