The Wonkhe Show

This week on the podcast we're in Reykjavik as the Office for Students (OfS) opens a consultation on a whole new approach to student protection – but with students already struggling to understand or use their rights, will a new regulatory condition actually change anything on the ground?
Plus more than twenty thousand weekend students have been told to pay back maintenance loans they were given in error, and what can UK higher education learn from a week in Iceland?
With Lisa Margaret Gunnarsdóttir, President of the National Union of Icelandic Students, Gary Hughes, Chief Executive at Durham Students' Union, Mack Marshall, Community and Policy Officer at Wonkhe and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.
Treating students fairly, on an ongoing basis
The weekend delivery scandal
SUs study tour to Iceland

This week on the podcast an Australian politician has called on universities to scrap group assignments entirely, arguing they're unfair and cheapen degrees – but is the real problem the concept itself, or is it poorly designed groupwork that's giving collaboration a bad name?
Plus the government axes popular management apprenticeships, and UKVI's draft proposals for rating international student sponsors go further than many expected.
With Mark Peace, Professor of Innovation in Education at King's College London, Hugh Jones, independent consultant, and Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.
Group essays? Pull the other one
A blanket removal of funding for level 7 apprenticeships will damage government plans to boost infrastructure
Amber isn’t a buffer zone in the new international RAG system – it’s a ledge

This week on the podcast recorded live at The Secret Life of Students, new Wonkhe research has found that nearly half of students worry their grades don't reflect what they actually know – so what does that tell us about how students are making decisions around AI use, and what does it mean for assessment in higher education?
Plus highlights from sessions across the conference, and a tuition fees row that threatens to derail the government's Brexit reset – with the EU pushing for home fee rates for students arriving under a new youth mobility deal.
With Helen King, Director of Learning Innovation, Development and Skills at Bath Spa University, Rosie Birch, Communities Officer at Brighton Students' Union and John Blake, Director at The Post-18 Project, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.
An accountability moment is what makes AI work for learning
A tuition fees row could sink the UK’s Brexit reset

This week on the podcast the Home Office has announced an "emergency brake" on student visas from four countries, suspending all grants to applicants from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. What does it mean for affected students, and what happens to Chevening scholars caught in the middle?
Plus the government's new social cohesion strategy and what it means for universities, and Research England's plans for research capital investment funding.
With Lisa Roberts, President and Vice Chancellor at the University of Exeter, Jess Lister, Director of Education at Public First, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor in Chief at Wonkhe.
What the government’s Social Cohesion Action Plan means for universities and students
Research Capital Investment Fund cuts ahead
The “visa brake” details
Student visa restrictions for four countries

This week on the podcast students are still struggling with the cost and quality of renting – so will the new Renters' Rights Act actually make things better, or could it leave fewer properties available?
Plus, is transnational education a genuine strategic opportunity or just a quick fix? And the Office for Students announces a new statement of expectations on disability support.
With Chris Husbands, Director at Higher Futures, Helena Vine, Lead Policy Officer for England at the Quality Assurance Agency, Livia Scott, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.
Students are worried about finding somewhere to live
TNE can be successful when it’s taken on as a strategic agenda, not a quick fix
TNE presents a quality challenge. Here’s how we solve it
International recruitment and TNE are not a straight swap
The international education strategy should promote quality in its TNE objectives as well as export earnings
When TNE goes wrong, it’s students that suffer
TNE on Wonkhe
Preparing for disability regulation shouldn’t mean waiting for disability regulation
Building public connection with research is about more than good communication
OfS announces a set of expectations on disability adjustments and support