The German university system has never had an equivalent to Oxbridge, Russell Group or the Ivy League. This is partially down to the way students are admitted – there are no (or very low) tuition fees and by law each university is obliged to offer all students with a German “Abitur” (A-level/IB equivalent) a placeContinueContinue reading “Germany: Universities of Excellence – excellent universities?”
Author Archives: Gold Leaf
Learning from Libraries – Stress-busting Steven
Universities are now much more aware of the need to support students who are feeling stressed by work pressures and exams. Librarians, of course, tend to see more of the anguish than academics, who only encounter students occasionally during the examination period. One of the more imaginative and empathetic ways that has been developed toContinueContinue reading “Learning from Libraries – Stress-busting Steven”
NSS results 2019 and Learning Resources
On Wednesday, the Office for Students published the results of this year’s National Student Survey. Each year, the NSS results spark discussions about their usefulness and whether or not they actually reflect the performance of a university overall. And every year, universities and service providers keenly await their results and national media celebrates their “winners”.ContinueContinue reading “NSS results 2019 and Learning Resources”
Finding the truth: Fake News and Academic Publishing
“Fake News” was the “word of the year” in 2017 (according to Collins Dictionaries). It was a buzz-phrase that sprang up the information sector in 2016, when the US presidential election acted as a catalyst. Its importance is increasing in a world where the extent of democracy and true freedom of speech varies hugely acrossContinueContinue reading “Finding the truth: Fake News and Academic Publishing”
The ABT Conference 2019 – Student Workshop
(Picture of the ABT Conference Student Panel, (c) Alan Staton, Booksellers Association) Six international students took part in the student workshops at the ABT Conference 2019. They were respectively from Mexico, The Netherlands, Italy, Iran, South Korea and Indonesia. The workshop was run twice, so that all delegates could attend once (it ran back-to-back withContinueContinue reading “The ABT Conference 2019 – Student Workshop”
Gold Leaf 