Seher Asaf

Europe reporter covering higher education @timeshighered. Ex-BBC journalist & SCMP editor in Hong Kong. Got a news tip? [email protected]

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

A rare decision to revoke the doctorate of one of France’s most famous science communicators after an investigation found evidence of plagiarism has fuelled calls for greater transparency in how universities investigate research misconduct and communicate their findings, reports @sehra852 #highered #plagiarism
https://t.co/cGTTmqsH7Y

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Proposed cuts to the next European Union budget which would see funding for Horizon Europe slashed by €7 billion will damage Europe’s competitiveness and innovation ambitions, leading university groups have warned. @sehra852 reports #HorizonEurope #fundingcuts
https://t.co/BhiX7Gt51u

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Governance structures and lack of funding blamed as estates built quickly to accommodate 1960s boom in student population become unusable
https://t.co/xSbz51KRus

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Success of new legislation aimed at curbing poor-quality education will depend on whether French institutions lose access to public funds, experts say
https://t.co/5IRYLTgTqb

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Long read: In the four years since its commercial launch, generative artificial intelligence has had a profound impact on personal and professional life. But are academics enthusiasts or sceptics? Five scholars explain how the technology has affected their own practice – for good and bad #highered #AI
https://t.co/Hd8h5QyvwY

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Ursula Von Der Leyen and Peter Magyar hail ‘great progress’ as leaders meet to unlock EU funds after Orbán defeat
https://t.co/gSQuOSvjV5

[Seher Asaf @sehra852]

For years, an international student could enrol at a French university for €180 (£150), but most will soon have to pay fees in the thousands. The government insists the policy is long overdue. Universities are highly dependent on state budgets and most are operating at a deficit

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Long read: New rules mandating higher tuition fees for non-EU students have sparked debate on whether France’s universities have abandoned their egalitarian principles and may soon charge far heftier fees for all, writes @sehra852 #highered #tuitionfees
https://t.co/y10o3qGrl5

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Leopoldo López reflects on how academic writing helped him while in prison, the impact of political interference on his country’s universities and what it will take to rebuild civil society
https://t.co/N6qOQMkmBD

[Seher Asaf @sehra852]

I spoke to several academics who cited concerns over data privacy, their opposition to travel bans and the general political climate under the #Trump administration #AOM

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

European academics are opting to miss an annual US gathering for business scholars over visa fears and opposition to president’s research policies, prompting @AOMConnect to move event in future years. @sehra852 reports
https://t.co/7guflu0hm2

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Young scholars should not have to move institutions or countries to advance their job prospects, according to proposed “minimum standards” for research careers that also recommend harmonising salaries across Europe
https://t.co/EiPDHbJG55

[Seher Asaf @sehra852]

José Manuel Barroso (the former European Commission president): Horizon shift needed in ‘difficult’ times https://t.co/OiPNX93Do2 via @timeshighered

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Walter Isaacson, famed journalist, biographer and Tulane professor, says technology can help scholars think creatively but all writing must be done by human hand. @jgro_the reports #AI #journalism #highered
https://t.co/2KqTVQ5myb

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Universities’ reputations ‘no longer built on research alone’, reports @sehra852 from #THEeurope
https://t.co/4e05snRCBd

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Falling public trust in research is making academic careers less appealing to the brightest candidates, it has been warned, with universities urged to do more to address the issue by emphasising their social value. @sehra852 reports from #THEeurope
https://t.co/CH9RrsgfOm

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Informal applications of #AI, such as academics using tools to grade student work, could potentially fall foul of wide-ranging EU legislation, policy expert warns. @sehra852 reports
https://t.co/I5YBrH6fVg

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Long read: With polls predicting defeat for Viktor Orbán in Sunday’s elections there are hopes that controversial governance reforms – copied by Donald Trump and other populist politicians – will be abolished. Yet not all scholars are convinced that reversing a decade of contested legislation criticised for restricting academic freedom would be straightforward, says @sehra852
https://t.co/bPyll8OBLQ

[Seher Asaf @sehra852]

There are also concerns around aggressive recruitment and opaque tactics, such as not giving students enough information about the programme content and fees. Private equity-backed education groups have also become more involved in the for-profit education sector

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

A boom in for-profit higher education institutions in France has taken place with “little to no oversight”, according to a researcher behind a recent study, which estimates that there are 450,000 students enrolled in the sector – but no one quite knows for sure. @sehra852 reports
https://t.co/kSp2FzNLCk

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Staff and students protest after controversial scholar Nathan Cofnas moves to Ghent following free speech row at Cambridge
https://t.co/ISMboKHpTn

[Seher Asaf @sehra852]

Users could paste their work into Grammarly and get AI-generated feedback from well-known authors like @neiltyson and @StephenKing (it appears without their consent). CEO Shishir Mehrotra told me the feature had “missed the mark" but legal claims are "without merit".

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Grammarly has pulled a controversial tool that used artificial intelligence to simulate written feedback “inspired” by academics and public intellectuals – both dead and alive – without their consent as it faces a class action lawsuit, reports @sehra852
https://t.co/QqrdmAUZLl

[Times Higher Education @timeshighered]

Long read: As the geopolitical order shifts, the case for greater collaboration among like-minded nations on research and innovation seems obvious. But will a greater European focus on its own industrial competitiveness dissuade the likes of Canada, Australia and Japan from signing up? @sehra852 reports
https://t.co/XdXNJaFmlw