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Paul Ashwin

@paulashwin.bsky.social

1.2K followers 270 following 49 posts

I teach and research about higher education

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Paul Ashwin @paulashwin.bsky.social · May 27

Delighted that this Open Access article, with Ashish Agrawal, Mags Blackie, @janmcarthur.bsky.social, Nicole Pitterson and Renee Smit, on students' accounts of chemical engineering is now out. It's from our @cghe.bsky.social project. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Students’ changing accounts of chemical engineering: a longitudinal study in three countries

In this article we examine how students’ accounts of chemical engineering change during their undergraduate degrees and whether these changes were related to the educational intentions of their deg...

www.tandfonline.com

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Reposted by Paul Ashwin

Social Media for Learning in Higher Education Conference @socmedhe.bsky.social · 2d

Registration for #SocMedHE25 is now open! The early bird rate is £95, available until 31st October, before the standard rate of £105. We hope to see you in Lancaster! Start your registration here: socmedhe25.wordpress.com/2025/10/03/r...

Registration

Booking to attend the conference is now open! The delegate rate to attend the conference is £95 early bird (until 31st October), or £105 standard rate after that. Please use the following link to r…

socmedhe25.wordpress.com

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Reposted by Paul Ashwin

Social Media for Learning in Higher Education Conference @socmedhe.bsky.social · 15d

This year, #socmedhe25 will be coming to Lancaster University, on 16th December! The call for papers/session proposals is now open at socmedhe25.wordpress.com/2025/07/16/c... - please submit abstracts by *24th October*
Hope you can join us - see you in December!

Call for session proposals

This year, we are delighted to host the 11th international Social Media for Learning in Higher Education conference at Lancaster University, co-chaired by Dr Katy Jordan and Dr Kathy Chandler. The …

socmedhe25.wordpress.com

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Chris Havergal @chrishavergal.bsky.social · 19d

TEF is “a completely inadequate measure of teaching excellence as it is, so the idea that [it] could now be used for some other purpose is seriously concerning”. Views from @tom-richmond.com @paulashwin.bsky.social et al www.timeshighereducation.com/news/tef-cha... via @julietterowsell.bsky.social

TEF changes could lead to ‘more university mergers or closures’

Warnings revised TEF rules could damage universities with a widening participation agenda and fail to weed out bad actors

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Paul Ashwin @paulashwin.bsky.social · 29d

A @wonkhe.bsky.social blog on the OfS idea to link tuition fees to TEF results. It's unworkable as it was when it was first muted 10 years ago. It suggests that the OfS doesn't understand how the TEF works or the impact on the sector of making such ill-founded suggestions wonkhe.com/blogs/back-t...

Back to the future for the TEF? Back to school for OfS?

OfS is again flirting with the idea of linking tuition fees to TEF outcomes – a proposal that, as Paul Ashwin argues, is as unworkable now as it was a decade ago. OfS is again flirting with the idea o...

wonkhe.com

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Benthe van Wanrooij @benthevanwanrooij.bsky.social · Sep 2

Interesting start to the academic year (okay, actually day 2!) with a lecture from @paulashwin.bsky.social on the role of theories in educational research. Food for thought!

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Richard Budd @ddubdrahcir.bsky.social · Sep 3

I was asked by the editor of The Geographer, the @royalscotgeosoc.bsky.social magazine, to comment on the discussion around imposing domestic student fees in Scotland.

This is an online accessible version of my piece.
ddubdrahcir.wordpress.com/2025/09/03/f...
#academicsky #studentfees #highered

Fees for Scotland? Best not to

This piece appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s “The Geographer”, and is replicated here with their kind permission. The spectre of fees for domestic stu…

ddubdrahcir.wordpress.com

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Rights of Women @rightsofwomen.bsky.social · Aug 19

🚨Vital conversations about violence against women are being hijacked by an anti-migrant agenda.

We've joined 200 organisations to urge the Government to address this dangerous weaponisation of VAWG.

Read more: mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

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Rights of Women @rightsofwomen.bsky.social · Mar 7

This International Women's Day, Rights of Women is celebrating its 50th anniversary

Find out more about how we are reflecting on progress to #AccelerateAction since 1975 and how you can join our ongoing work to increase women's access to justice

www.rightsofwomen.org.uk/about-us/rig...

#IWD2025

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Richard Budd @ddubdrahcir.bsky.social · Aug 27

I've written a blog on the entirely expected (and predicted) crisis that (UK) HE is in and where it's going, with three broad predictions:
- Increasing Elitism
- Soaring Precarity
- Poorer Student Experiences

Do you agree? What have I missed?
#academicsky
ddubdrahcir.wordpress.com/2025/08/27/l...

Life Beyond the Long Grass – Where HE is Heading

We’ve arrived in the long grass. (Description, a view of heathland and long grass with mountains in the distance.) I’ve not blogged in ages, I’ve not had the head space for a whil…

ddubdrahcir.wordpress.com

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Paul Ashwin @paulashwin.bsky.social · Aug 20

I am delighted and honoured to be giving a speech at the Opening of the Academic Year at the University of Amsterdam on 1st September about 'What is special about a university education?'
student.uva.nl/en/events/20...

Opening of the Academic Year 2025 2026

You are cordially invited to the Opening of the Academic Year 2025-2026 on Monday, 1 September in the UvA's Aula.

student.uva.nl

Paul Ashwin @paulashwin.bsky.social · Jul 30

Thanks Richard, so glad you managed to find such a flattering angle for my chins.

Reposted by Paul Ashwin

Richard Budd @ddubdrahcir.bsky.social · Jul 30

Fascinating insights on connecting policy and research with @paulashwin.bsky.social and Charles Clarke as part of our @edreslancaster.bsky.social summer school.

Researchers must be clear and concise, representing their bodies of knowledge, providing concrete steps that policy makers can take.

Charles Clarke and Paul Ashwin stitting at a table, talking towards a room of people.

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Richard Budd @ddubdrahcir.bsky.social · Jul 30

Hugely insightful walk behind the curtain of the review and journal editing process from @profjayneosgood.bsky.social as part of our @edreslancaster.bsky.social Summer School. Particularly taken with the explicit approach of a feminist ethic of care in writing reviews - no room for Reviewer 2!!!

Jayne Osgood talking to a room of people in rows.

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Paul Ashwin @paulashwin.bsky.social · Jul 21

Delighted this open access article with Laura Cordes Felby is now out.

Teaching in Higher Education @teachinginhe.bsky.social · Jul 15

New publication alert! 🚨

Reimagining the first year experience in higher education through a focus on knowledge engagement

By Laura Cordes Felby and Paul Ashwin

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

#HigherEducation #FirstYear

A screenshot of the first page of the article from the journal Teaching in Higher Education: Critical Perspectives titled: Reimagining the first year experience in higher education through a focus on knowledge engagement by Laura Cordes Felby and Paul Ashwin. The screenshot includes the abstract of the article (available via the link).

A screenshot of the cover of the journal Teaching in Higher Education: Critical Perspectives. The cover is red with a black band on the edge.

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Educational Research@Lancaster Uni @edreslancaster.bsky.social · Jul 11

@brettbligh.bsky.social, the Programme Director, will be hosting a webinar re our mainly online, part-time PhD in TEL between 5pm-6pm on 29/7 via Zoom.

If you'd like to take this opportunity to find out more about our programme, please register to join, the link is below.

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Paul Ashwin @paulashwin.bsky.social · Jul 11

If you're interested in studying a fully online, part-time PhD in Higher Education, why don't you join me next Tuesday morning (UK time) for a chat? 👇 👇 👇 👇 👇

Educational Research@Lancaster Uni @edreslancaster.bsky.social · Jul 11

@paulashwin.bsky.social, the Programme Director, will be hosting the final webinar re our fully online, part-time PhD in HEREE between 9am-10am on Tues 29th July via Zoom. If you'd like to take this opportunity to find out more about our programme, please register to join, the link is below.

Paul Ashwin @paulashwin.bsky.social · Jun 23

Thanks Liz, I enjoyed reading it.

Reposted by Paul Ashwin

Liz Morrish @lizmorrish.bsky.social · Jun 23

I agree with you about content-less HE, so here's my response to Peck et al's HEPI paper. @paulashwin.bsky.social
academicirregularities.wordpress.com/2025/06/22/p...

Pecking away at UK universities

Is there a problem of relevance in UK universities? Liz Morrish considers the idea that acquiring a body of knowledge is redundant in the age of AI. Maybe universities should just concentrate on te…

academicirregularities.wordpress.com

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Paul Ashwin @paulashwin.bsky.social · Jun 20

Excited to have received copies of the Chinese translation of ‘Transforming University Education: A Manifesto’

Photo of the Chinese translation of the book

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Paul Ashwin @paulashwin.bsky.social · Jun 16

New @hepi-news.bsky.social blog on how higher education should respond to calls to be relevant: www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/06/16/h...

How should higher education respond to calls to be relevant? - HEPI

Higher education’s true value lies not in skills or facts, but in transformative access to structured bodies of knowledge.

www.hepi.ac.uk

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Educational Research@Lancaster Uni @edreslancaster.bsky.social · Jun 10

Many congratulations to James Chircop who successfully defended his thesis on 29/4. He completed a #PhDinHEREE and was supervised by @janmcarthur.bsky.social. Many thanks to the Examiners @paulashwin.bsky.social and @profmattoleary.bsky.social‬. @centreforhere.bsky.social

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Paul Ashwin @paulashwin.bsky.social · Jun 10

If your interested in studying for a part-time, fully online, PhD in Higher Education, then why don't you join me to find out more about our Doctoral Programme in Higher Education Research, Evaluation and Enhancement? 👇👇👇👇👇

Educational Research@Lancaster Uni @edreslancaster.bsky.social · Jun 10

@paulashwin.bsky.social, the Programme Director, will be hosting the penultimate webinar re our fully online, part-time PhD in HEREE between 2pm-3pm on Weds 24th June via Zoom. If you'd like to take this opportunity to find out more about our programme, please register to join, the link is below.

Reposted by Paul Ashwin

Educational Research@Lancaster Uni @edreslancaster.bsky.social · Jun 9

@brettbligh.bsky.social, the Programme Director, will be hosting a webinar re our mainly online, part-time PhD in TEL between 9am-10am on 23/6 via Zoom.

If you'd like to take this opportunity to find out more about our programme, please register to join, the link is below.

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Reposted by Paul Ashwin

Educational Research@Lancaster Uni @edreslancaster.bsky.social · Jun 5

Our final online #EdResSeminar of this academic year will take place at 12.30pm(BST) on 11/6, and will be presented by Funda Karapehlivan. Her seminar is entitled "Academic Resistance and Solidarity: Imagining Alternative Futures for Higher Education in Turkey". www.lancaster.ac.uk/educational-...

Academic Resistance and Solidarity: Imagining Alternative Futures for Higher Education in Turkey, Wednesday 11 June, 12:30pm - Lancaster University

Academic freedom has been severely restricted, and higher education has undergone significant restructuring in recent years under authoritarian regimes.

www.lancaster.ac.uk

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Paul Ashwin @paulashwin.bsky.social · Jun 5

That’s kind Danielle.