Blog submissions
Explore blog submissions that have provided expert opinion on issues within the higher education sector.
Recent submissions
Foster allyship to support marginalised groups in higher education
Reflections and learnings on how to initiate change, create safe spaces for difficult conversations, and nurture a culture of allyship in your department.
- Author: Reuel Blair and Tizzy Gill, October 2025
- Platform: THE Campus
Creating a theory of change is like writing a pop banger
Reflections on how to use TASO’s Mapping Outcomes and Activities Tool (MOAT) to create a theory of change.
- Author: Pete Crowson - September 2025
- Platform: TASO
Successful outreach requires an agile approach
This article emphasises the importance of adopting agile, responsive strategies to university outreach programs to effectively engage and support underrepresented students, ensuring inclusivity and adaptability in higher education initiatives.
- Authors: Laura Bates - April 2025
- Platform: Times Higher Education, Campus
Social capital and the degree awarding gap: spaces, places and relationships
This report explores how social capital, belonging, and culturally affirming spaces influence the degree awarding gap between Black and White students in UK higher education institutions.
- Authors: Amira Asantew, Reuel Blair - April 2025
- Platform: HEPI
Previous submissions
Levelling Up: How not to let the opportunity pass – an APP case study
This blog submission explores the opportunity Levelling Up continues to present to universities and the need to do something different, such as Systems Thinking and Collective Impact approaches to drive change. Read the blog submission.
- Authors: David Woolley - 2024
- Platform: HEPI
Students transfer through, not just to university
The traditional, one-size-fits-all model of transition into university is never going to work for the diverse student body of the mid-21st century. This blog submission explores what can be done about it. Read the blog submission.
- Authors: David Woolley and Jon Down - 2024
- Platform: Wonkhe
Busting myths on low aspirations; it's not them it's us
The myth that low aspirations hinder achievement in disadvantaged communities is persistent. Yet, evidence shows systemic issues are the true barriers. Read the blog submission.
- Authors: David Woolley - 2023
- Platform: HE Professional
Personal tutors can't solve the crisis of student engagement alone
This blog submission examines the role that data and technology can play in supporting student engagement. Read the blog submission.
- Author: Ed Foster - 2023
- Platform: Wonkhe
Entry tariffs don't tell us the whole story
To address gaps in graduate outcomes, institutions need to dig deeper into data; factors like gender, ethnicity, qualifications, and socio-economic background need to be considered before implementing targeted interventions. Read the blog submission.
- Author: Mike Kerrigan - 2022
- Platform: Wonkhe
Students who lead and serve other students have better outcomes
The blog discusses why students who engage in leadership roles or serve others have improved academic and personal outcomes. Read the blog submission.
- Authors: Mike Kerrigan and Laura Guiver - 2022
- Platform: Wonkhe
To address the gaps in outcomes, we need to interrogate the data
Institutions must move beyond assumptions and analyse nuanced data, including intersectional factors, to design interventions that close achievement gaps and promote equality in education. Read the blog submission.
- Authors: Mike Kerrigan - 2022
- Platform: Wonkhe
Are we really all back on campus?
This blog submission explores the gap between universities' attempts to resume on-campus activity and the reality that many students still engage with learning remotely, raising concerns about social isolation and limited on-campus space. Read the blog submission.
- Authors: Mike Kerrigan and Ed Foster - 2021
- Platform: Wonkhe