12 February 2023  Issue No: 726

The idea of creating in the Amazon a global university dedicated to saving the most consequential ecosystem of the planet seems like an unavoidable call to action. The question is not whether we should embrace the idea, but how we can make it work.

Universities around the world are urgently seeking to support the earthquake response effort in Türkiye and Syria by offering technical expertise and resources and launching appeals for donations. They are also promoting healing and resilience for their own students, staff and employees affected.

China’s Education Ministry announced that students will return to universities ‘as normal’ after they were sent home last year in the wake of widespread anti-Zero-COVID protests. But in a situation that is far from normal, they will likely face increased censorship and surveillance.

Evidence suggests that some international students are returning to study after the COVID pandemic with unresolved mental health issues that may affect their ability to study and their overall well-being. It is time for higher education to revisit its duty of care to these students.

Helping university instructors to become more aware of the metacognitive biases of first-year students when it comes to students’ evaluation of their own academic performance is crucial to the effective implementation of suitable systematic pedagogical approaches that may lower first-year dropout rates.

The first global ranking instrument placing values, ethics and sustainability as central principles of higher education institutions worldwide aims to capture student and academic views on the student learning experience, inspiring leadership in higher education and commitment to sustainability and integrity. But is it a ranking?

The German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD is launching a programme to boost international research collaboration on green hydrogen which accompanies the European Research Area pilot project addressing this field. It will offer grants for study or research stays and establish working groups on cross-cutting issues.

The first University Partnership Initiative Summit, hosted by the University of Pretoria in South Africa, has yielded insights into how the United States-South Africa Higher Education Network has built productive cross-continental partnerships and is navigating some of the difficulties that are inherent in such collaborations.

China has suddenly reversed its temporary rules in place for over two years during the COVID-19 pandemic allowing online courses from foreign universities to be delivered to students within China, which is being justified in China as a crackdown on substandard online degree courses.