How is technology transforming education? What are the main challenges facing the world of ed tech? These were some of the questions discussed by global experts in education, innovation and ed tech at the ‘EnlightED: Reinventing education in a digital world’ conference in Madrid, Spain, on 3-5 October, which drew an international audience of around 1,000.

There is a crisis in academic publishing – too much pressure on top journals, too many books of marginal quality, the rise of predatory journals and publishers that publish low or marginal quality research and tremendous pressure on academics worldwide to publish, according to Philip Altbach and Hans de Wit. Their argument has triggered a continuing debate among higher education experts.

The British Council’s Going Global 2018 conference for leaders of international education was held in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia last week. The theme was ‘Global Connections, Local Impact’. University World News covers the event.

The Studyportals Academy 2018, held in Amsterdam in the Netherlands from 25-26 April, brought higher education stakeholders together to look at embracing change in higher education and international student recruitment. University World News covers the event.

The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Global Gathering, held every two years, is a unique international science forum with a strong focus on Africa. The forum connects science, society and policy in Africa and the rest of the world – with the goal to leverage science for human development. This year, the NEF Global Gathering was held in Kigali, Rwanda from 26-28 March under the theme “Connecting Science to Humanity”.

The turn towards authoritarian rule in Russia, China, Turkey and Eastern Europe, among other places, has led to attacks on academic freedom. The role of universities is to stand up for truth. It is vital at this moment in history that universities believe in this role and have the courage to defend it.

To celebrate our 500th edition, University World News asked its correspondents and commentators around the world to pick the most significant change or challenge facing their country or region in the 10 years since our first edition, or the one that will have the most impact in the 10 years ahead.

University World News – Africa was launched on 30 March 2008. In this Special Report, which marks our 10th anniversary, we look back at some of the key developments in the sector over the past 10 years, as well as some of the challenges that still lie ahead.

University World News covers the International Higher Education Forum 2018 organised by Universities UK International and held in Nottingham, United Kingdom, last week. The theme was ‘Thriving in a Shifting Global Environment’.