Jan McArthur
@janmcarthur.bsky.social
Head of Department and Professor in Higher Education and Social Justice, Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University, UK. Passionate about education and social justice - plus cats, chickens and gardens.
I have three out of four of these on the bird feeder outside my kitchen window. Anyone guess which one isn't there?
Good Morning
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BirdButts, birds showing their Butts, the Alt theme is #Green, any bird with Green showing.
Here's a Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Nuthatch #BirdButts and a Tufted Duck #Green.
#birds #EastCoastKin #CanonR5mkii #ukbirding #ButtLife @rspb.bsky.social
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BirdButts, birds showing their Butts, the Alt theme is #Green, any bird with Green showing.
Here's a Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Nuthatch #BirdButts and a Tufted Duck #Green.
#birds #EastCoastKin #CanonR5mkii #ukbirding #ButtLife @rspb.bsky.social
February 15, 2026 at 10:20 AM
I have three out of four of these on the bird feeder outside my kitchen window. Anyone guess which one isn't there?
Thoughtful and provocative as ever, @paulashwin.bsky.social has a new blog (below) about our new book: Realising the Educational Potential of Mass Higher Education.
I have written @hepi-news.bsky.social blog that attempts to outline the central argument of our new book "Realising the Educational Potential of Mass Higher Education": www.hepi.ac.uk/2026/02/13/r...
Realising the educational potential of mass higher education - HEPI
This blog was kindly authored by Paul Ashwin, Lancaster University. It is based on a new Open Access book Realising the Educational Potential of Mass Higher Education which was written by an internati...
www.hepi.ac.uk
February 13, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Thoughtful and provocative as ever, @paulashwin.bsky.social has a new blog (below) about our new book: Realising the Educational Potential of Mass Higher Education.
Reposted by Jan McArthur
The number of trans youth suicides in the UK quadrupled in 2021 following significant restrictions in access to care. The NHS tried to cover this up with a fake report that tried to hide the truth.
goodlawproject.org/new-data-sho...
goodlawproject.org/new-data-sho...
New data shows surge in trans kids’ suicides following healthcare rollbacks | Good Law Project
A freedom of information request by Good Law Project has found that deaths by suicide of trans young people under 18 surged following the withdrawal of gender-affirming healthcare
goodlawproject.org
February 7, 2026 at 2:01 PM
The number of trans youth suicides in the UK quadrupled in 2021 following significant restrictions in access to care. The NHS tried to cover this up with a fake report that tried to hide the truth.
goodlawproject.org/new-data-sho...
goodlawproject.org/new-data-sho...
So proud to have been part of this amazing project leading to this important book. Open access!
📘 Realising the Educational Potential of Mass Higher Education is out now - based on a 7-year international study tracking chemistry & chemical engineering students in England, South Africa, and the US into early careers.
➡️ Read more: shorturl.at/mN5fN
➡️ Read more: shorturl.at/mN5fN
February 6, 2026 at 11:58 AM
So proud to have been part of this amazing project leading to this important book. Open access!
Reposted by Jan McArthur
Delighted my article 'The definition of educational quality in a quasi-marketised HE system: stumbling towards a knowledge crisis' is now published open access www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... & even happier it's part of a brilliant special issue edited by @jo-annebaird.bsky.social & Gemma Moss
The definition of educational quality in a quasi-marketised higher education system: stumbling towards a knowledge crisis
In this article, I examine the definition of educational quality in the English higher education system. I examine three phases in the measurement of educational quality, each prompted by the repor...
www.tandfonline.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Delighted my article 'The definition of educational quality in a quasi-marketised HE system: stumbling towards a knowledge crisis' is now published open access www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... & even happier it's part of a brilliant special issue edited by @jo-annebaird.bsky.social & Gemma Moss
Reposted by Jan McArthur
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Reposted by Jan McArthur
Reposted by Jan McArthur
the post I needed today! both my cats are purrosauruses :-)
In my ongoing attempts to give you a break from *gestures widely* THE HORRORS:
Let's talk about the utterly bizarre science of cats' purring.
Here's a weird starting point:
There are NO cats (Felidae) that can BOTH roar AND purr.
Cats that roar = genus Panthera
Cats that purr = genus Felis
Let's talk about the utterly bizarre science of cats' purring.
Here's a weird starting point:
There are NO cats (Felidae) that can BOTH roar AND purr.
Cats that roar = genus Panthera
Cats that purr = genus Felis
January 26, 2026 at 5:26 PM
the post I needed today! both my cats are purrosauruses :-)
Reposted by Jan McArthur
The killings in Minneapolis didn’t come out of nowhere.
Funding, legal cover, weakened oversight, and dehumanising rhetoric ramping up over a year. This started on 20 Jan 2025 with Trump's executive orders on immigration.
I lay it out in my latest post.
christinapagel.substack.com/p/the-ice-st...
Funding, legal cover, weakened oversight, and dehumanising rhetoric ramping up over a year. This started on 20 Jan 2025 with Trump's executive orders on immigration.
I lay it out in my latest post.
christinapagel.substack.com/p/the-ice-st...
The ICE Storm: a year-long escalation
Funding, law, rhetoric, violence. How each has fed the other to lead here
christinapagel.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:39 AM
The killings in Minneapolis didn’t come out of nowhere.
Funding, legal cover, weakened oversight, and dehumanising rhetoric ramping up over a year. This started on 20 Jan 2025 with Trump's executive orders on immigration.
I lay it out in my latest post.
christinapagel.substack.com/p/the-ice-st...
Funding, legal cover, weakened oversight, and dehumanising rhetoric ramping up over a year. This started on 20 Jan 2025 with Trump's executive orders on immigration.
I lay it out in my latest post.
christinapagel.substack.com/p/the-ice-st...
Reposted by Jan McArthur
Now, hear me out. I'm not *entirely* convinced this is a good idea.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok will join Google's generative AI engine in operating inside the Pentagon network, as part of a broader push to feed as much of the military's data as possible into the developing technology. n.pr/4jE0qJW
Pentagon is embracing Musk's Grok AI chatbot as it draws global outcry
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok will join Google's generative AI engine in operating inside the Pentagon network, as part of a broader push to feed as much of the military's data as possible into the developing technology.
n.pr
January 13, 2026 at 9:59 AM
Now, hear me out. I'm not *entirely* convinced this is a good idea.
Thinking of doing a PhD about higher education? Learn more about our world-leading programme.
Interested in studying a fully online, part-time PhD in higher education? I will be hosting an applicant webinar for our HEREE programme from 13:00-14:00 (UK time) on Monday 26th January: www.lancaster.ac.uk/social-scien...
PhD HEREE Applicant Webinar - 26th January 2026 Higher Education: Research Evaluation and Enhancement, Monday 26 January, 1:00pm - Lancaster University
Interested in applying for our fully online PhD Higher Education: Research Evaluation and Enhancement in October 2026? Join one of our monthly online webinars. You will have the opportunity to hear mo...
www.lancaster.ac.uk
January 12, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Thinking of doing a PhD about higher education? Learn more about our world-leading programme.
Great to hear this conference has gone so well. Congrats to @edreslancaster.bsky.social colleagues @katyjordan.bsky.social and @kathymchandler.bsky.social for bringing it to @lancasteruni.bsky.social .
It was great to see you at #SocMedHE25 today @oliviakellyou.bsky.social
On my way home from another wonderful #SocMedHE25 conference. Lovely to chat with people I've met before as well as some new people. Well done to @kathymchandler.bsky.social & @katyjordan.bsky.social. I always come away from this conference buzzing with ideas and inspiration - I highly recommend it!
December 16, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Great to hear this conference has gone so well. Congrats to @edreslancaster.bsky.social colleagues @katyjordan.bsky.social and @kathymchandler.bsky.social for bringing it to @lancasteruni.bsky.social .
Today I am giving a keynote on Assessment for Social Justice in Theory and Practice for scholars in Chile committed to more inclusive higher education.
eduinclusiva.cl?p=14220
eduinclusiva.cl?p=14220
EduInclusiva inaugurará su 3ª Escuela de Primavera 2025 con foco en evaluación inclusiva en contextos universitarios – Educación Inclusiva
“Hacia una evaluación inclusiva: Diversificación y Equidad en la Formación Docente” se titula la 3ª versión de la Escuela de Primavera, actividad organizada por el Centro de Investigación para la Educación Inclusiva y la Escuela de Pedagogía (EPE) de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV), instancia que contará con reconocidos expositores nacionales e internacionales, especialistas en evaluación en educación, quienes ofrecerán conferencias y presentaciones que abordarán estos temas desde perspectivas teóricas, prácticas y de investigación aplicada.
eduinclusiva.cl
December 16, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Today I am giving a keynote on Assessment for Social Justice in Theory and Practice for scholars in Chile committed to more inclusive higher education.
eduinclusiva.cl?p=14220
eduinclusiva.cl?p=14220
A very important piece to read about high stakes assessment and the fear of failure.
👇 a piece that @mvanhoutte.bsky.social and I wrote for @theconversation.com. It's based on our analysis of PISA data from England & Flanders, published in @berj-2025.bsky.social. Below we've connected our work to the Curriculum & Assessment Review led by @beckyfrancis.bsky.social.
shorturl.at/7pHms
shorturl.at/7pHms
High-stakes tests are common in England’s schools – and they’re linked to a fear of failure
In England, where high-stakes testing is common, students’ fear of failure is higher.
theconversation.com
December 3, 2025 at 11:51 AM
A very important piece to read about high stakes assessment and the fear of failure.
Learn more about our world-leading PhD programme about higher education research evaluation and enhancement. Sign up below!
Interested in studying a fully online, part-time PhD in higher education? I will be hosting an applicant webinar for our HEREE programme from 9:00am to 10:00am (UK time) on Tuesday 16 December 2025 www.lancaster.ac.uk/social-scien...
PhD Higher Education: Research Evaluation and Enhancement Applicant Webinar - 16th December 2025, Tuesday 16 December, 9:00am - Lancaster University
Interested in applying for our fully online PhD Higher Education: Research Evaluation and Enhancement in October 2026? Join one of our monthly online webinars. You will have the opportunity to hear mo...
www.lancaster.ac.uk
December 1, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Learn more about our world-leading PhD programme about higher education research evaluation and enhancement. Sign up below!
I am so pleased to have again contributed to the third edition of this important volume, with great co-authors and all led by the extraordinary @paulashwin.bsky.social
I am delighted that the third edition of Reflective Teaching in Higher Education has now been published. It's a privilege to work with such a brilliant international team of co-authors. www.bloomsbury.com/uk/reflectiv...
November 27, 2025 at 1:09 PM
I am so pleased to have again contributed to the third edition of this important volume, with great co-authors and all led by the extraordinary @paulashwin.bsky.social
Please take part if you can. Very important research.
Are you studying for a doctorate at a UK university via a programme that is wholly or mostly online? If so, please take part in an anonymous, 10 min survey about the impacts of online doctoral study on wellbeing and share the link lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_....
Online doctoral researchers' wellbeing survey
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.
lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Please take part if you can. Very important research.
Great event. Coming soon.
Session abstracts are now available online - do take a look to find out more about the range of topics we'll be discussing on Dec 16th :-) There is still time to register if you would like to join us in Lancaster - closes 5th Dec. See website at: socmedhe25.wordpress.com/2025/07/16/p...
Programme
Please note that the programme is provisional and may be subject to minor changes before the conference. Below is an overview of the programme for the day; a copy of the provisional programme inclu…
socmedhe25.wordpress.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Great event. Coming soon.
Reposted by Jan McArthur
🚨This‼️ While talking about bureaucracy & waste/fraud/abuse, current government is wasting resources to make false claims about vaccines. This is a perfect example of WFA.
“Since 1998, independent researchers have conducted more than 40 high-quality studies involving over 5.6 million people. The conclusion is clear and unambiguous: There’s no link between vaccines and autism." -Dr. Susan Kressly, AAP President on recent changes to the CDC's website
November 20, 2025 at 7:38 PM
🚨This‼️ While talking about bureaucracy & waste/fraud/abuse, current government is wasting resources to make false claims about vaccines. This is a perfect example of WFA.
Great one day conference - the sessions will be really helpful for navigating ht many challenges we face today thinking about social media and learning. Sign up while you can!
We're very happy to share the conference programme - you can view the range of exciting topics we'll be discussing here: socmedhe25.wordpress.com/2025/07/16/p...
If you would like to join us on Dec 16th in Lancaster, registration is open - *closes 5th Dec*: socmedhe25.wordpress.com/2025/10/03/r...
If you would like to join us on Dec 16th in Lancaster, registration is open - *closes 5th Dec*: socmedhe25.wordpress.com/2025/10/03/r...
#SocMedHE25
Video made with Biteable. The World's Simplest Video Maker
biteable.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Great one day conference - the sessions will be really helpful for navigating ht many challenges we face today thinking about social media and learning. Sign up while you can!
Really looking forward to giving the keynote at this important seminar at Trinity College, Dublin next week: The Inclusive University in Theory and Practice.
www.tcd.ie/trinitylongr...
www.tcd.ie/trinitylongr...
INHEF Seminar #3: The Inclusive University in Theory and Practice
A seminar with Prof Jan McArthur (Lancaster University) organised by the School of Education.
www.tcd.ie
November 15, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Really looking forward to giving the keynote at this important seminar at Trinity College, Dublin next week: The Inclusive University in Theory and Practice.
www.tcd.ie/trinitylongr...
www.tcd.ie/trinitylongr...
Latest in the Red Admiral series: Red Admiral on shoulder.
September 7, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Latest in the Red Admiral series: Red Admiral on shoulder.
Reposted by Jan McArthur
“We reject the far right’s racist lies about ‘protecting’ women and girls. They are not defenders of women – they exploit violence against women to fuel hate and division,”
AMEN
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
AMEN
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Prominent UK women tell rightwingers: stop linking immigration to sexual abuse
Exclusive: Open letter says politicians are exploiting violence against women ‘to fuel hate and division’
www.theguardian.com
September 2, 2025 at 8:52 AM
“We reject the far right’s racist lies about ‘protecting’ women and girls. They are not defenders of women – they exploit violence against women to fuel hate and division,”
AMEN
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
AMEN
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
I should think not!
August 30, 2025 at 7:51 AM
I should think not!
Reposted by Jan McArthur
Use little windows of time to progress your academic writing patthomson.net/2025/08/30/f...
Five steps towards writing in fragments
The myth of ideal academic writing time persists. We all long to be in a quiet office, surrounded by books, with hours of uninterrupted time to craft elegant arguments. But the reality is very diff…
patthomson.net
August 30, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Use little windows of time to progress your academic writing patthomson.net/2025/08/30/f...