Dr Nicola Clark
@nikkiclark86.bsky.social
Writer, occasional talking head, Senior Lecturer in Medieval and Early Modern History at the University of Chichester. Autistic. Views own, etc. She/her.
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
Managers cite concern for students in everything they do, but never actually prioritise student opinion or voices in any of their decision making. They do irreparable harm to student courses and turn around to staff and ask: ‘right: how can we improve student satisfaction and recruitment?’
We've had 2 massive mergers in 2 years. In both cases, QMUL refused to hear students (staff was told not to talk about it with students for fear of repercussions), and *after* both of them, management said 'our bad, we'll talk to students next time'.
#UKHE managers don't prioritise students.
#UKHE managers don't prioritise students.
Did @uniofnottingham.bsky.social consult any students before announcing the proposed course closures? @uonucu.bsky.social
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
November 10, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Managers cite concern for students in everything they do, but never actually prioritise student opinion or voices in any of their decision making. They do irreparable harm to student courses and turn around to staff and ask: ‘right: how can we improve student satisfaction and recruitment?’
Anyone happen to have a cool source on medieval prostitution to hand? I had meant to do some proper searching this week and then I had a flu-bug instead and now I'm playing catch-up with everything 🙃
November 10, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Anyone happen to have a cool source on medieval prostitution to hand? I had meant to do some proper searching this week and then I had a flu-bug instead and now I'm playing catch-up with everything 🙃
Woke up at 5am and the room was going in *circles* which was more exciting than I was down for. This is an evil plague.
November 8, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Woke up at 5am and the room was going in *circles* which was more exciting than I was down for. This is an evil plague.
Ugh. Horrible cold. Can't sing in concert. Life cancelled this weekend. I crash.
November 7, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Ugh. Horrible cold. Can't sing in concert. Life cancelled this weekend. I crash.
November 6, 2025 at 6:37 PM
I have got wildly professorial hair today
November 3, 2025 at 12:35 PM
I have got wildly professorial hair today
I want to listen to Lily Allen's new album but also I am very pre-menstrual and it might be unwise
November 2, 2025 at 10:01 PM
I want to listen to Lily Allen's new album but also I am very pre-menstrual and it might be unwise
It has been a WEEK, friends, in both good and bad but generally overwhelming ways!
But here is most of a cardigan, temporarily off the needles before sleeves 😊
But here is most of a cardigan, temporarily off the needles before sleeves 😊
November 2, 2025 at 11:28 AM
It has been a WEEK, friends, in both good and bad but generally overwhelming ways!
But here is most of a cardigan, temporarily off the needles before sleeves 😊
But here is most of a cardigan, temporarily off the needles before sleeves 😊
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
Autistic woman sending a work email: “Hi, so sorry to bother you! How are you? Yes I’d LOVE to do the highly inconvenient thing you’re asking me to do! Thanks SO much for thinking of me! No worries if you change your mind, have a GREAT weekend!”
Autistic man sending a work email: “👍”
Autistic man sending a work email: “👍”
October 31, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Autistic woman sending a work email: “Hi, so sorry to bother you! How are you? Yes I’d LOVE to do the highly inconvenient thing you’re asking me to do! Thanks SO much for thinking of me! No worries if you change your mind, have a GREAT weekend!”
Autistic man sending a work email: “👍”
Autistic man sending a work email: “👍”
Ugh that thing where you're aware you're catching a cold but it hasn't fully landed yet, and you sort of wish it would just hurry up and get it over
October 31, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Ugh that thing where you're aware you're catching a cold but it hasn't fully landed yet, and you sort of wish it would just hurry up and get it over
Oh now every millennial knows that one
October 30, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Oh now every millennial knows that one
Eeeeeee I got some gooooooooood professional news yesterday and there are many exciting things going on in life generally and I am happy about all of them!!!
October 28, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Eeeeeee I got some gooooooooood professional news yesterday and there are many exciting things going on in life generally and I am happy about all of them!!!
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
oh stop the Tough Guy posturing. You're the *regulator* of the sector. If there's no sector there's no you.
You're still a massive failure, as per parliament. It's your fault that you incentivised nonsensical projections & cover-up-by-shutting-up-actual-staff-voices.
on.ft.com/4nryIjR
You're still a massive failure, as per parliament. It's your fault that you incentivised nonsensical projections & cover-up-by-shutting-up-actual-staff-voices.
on.ft.com/4nryIjR
October 27, 2025 at 7:58 PM
oh stop the Tough Guy posturing. You're the *regulator* of the sector. If there's no sector there's no you.
You're still a massive failure, as per parliament. It's your fault that you incentivised nonsensical projections & cover-up-by-shutting-up-actual-staff-voices.
on.ft.com/4nryIjR
You're still a massive failure, as per parliament. It's your fault that you incentivised nonsensical projections & cover-up-by-shutting-up-actual-staff-voices.
on.ft.com/4nryIjR
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
Management went from 'student choice is king' to 'students don't like choice' almost overnight. It felt then like we were being gaslit.
Some academics thought the buzzwords of "student choice" and "research led teaching" were vacuous back in the day, but now we're in the realms of "generic module 101" and "anyone can teach it".
I’m old enough to remember when everybody agreed that higher education was a “market” and offering “choice” was how the universities were meant to grow
on.ft.com/3WTwBue
on.ft.com/3WTwBue
October 27, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Management went from 'student choice is king' to 'students don't like choice' almost overnight. It felt then like we were being gaslit.
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
"The faculty meeting, 2025"
October 26, 2025 at 7:56 PM
"The faculty meeting, 2025"
A new week, and it's reading week! I have a couple of 'new' lectures to prep this week, one on queenship at Henry VIII's court (splitting that off from ladies-in-waiting because time) and one on medieval women and war.
October 27, 2025 at 9:34 AM
A new week, and it's reading week! I have a couple of 'new' lectures to prep this week, one on queenship at Henry VIII's court (splitting that off from ladies-in-waiting because time) and one on medieval women and war.
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
What was a bear worth in Elizabethan England? Well, thanks to a deed held at The National Archives [TNA C 146/8581], we at least know a few specifics, like Nan, the old she bear, valued at 30s in 1590. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-...
List of animals held in the ‘Bear Garden’ in Elizabethan Southwark
This deed reveals some of the animals kept to perform on the Tudor stage or in arenas, and how they were valued. It includes an ‘old she bear called Nan’, several bulls, a horse and an ape.
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
October 24, 2025 at 7:20 AM
What was a bear worth in Elizabethan England? Well, thanks to a deed held at The National Archives [TNA C 146/8581], we at least know a few specifics, like Nan, the old she bear, valued at 30s in 1590. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-...
Oh come ON that's a word
October 25, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Oh come ON that's a word
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
monk no. 1: how is the illumination coming? did you include the lion of the tribe of judah?
monk no. 2: yes, he hates mondays
monk no. 1: ...k. what's he holding
monk. no. 2: a frozen lasagna
monk no. 2: yes, he hates mondays
monk no. 1: ...k. what's he holding
monk. no. 2: a frozen lasagna
October 20, 2025 at 8:20 AM
monk no. 1: how is the illumination coming? did you include the lion of the tribe of judah?
monk no. 2: yes, he hates mondays
monk no. 1: ...k. what's he holding
monk. no. 2: a frozen lasagna
monk no. 2: yes, he hates mondays
monk no. 1: ...k. what's he holding
monk. no. 2: a frozen lasagna
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
Free Palestine.
Migrants are great.
Trans people are wonderful.
If you don’t believe in these things then go ahead and unfollow.
Migrants are great.
Trans people are wonderful.
If you don’t believe in these things then go ahead and unfollow.
October 22, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Free Palestine.
Migrants are great.
Trans people are wonderful.
If you don’t believe in these things then go ahead and unfollow.
Migrants are great.
Trans people are wonderful.
If you don’t believe in these things then go ahead and unfollow.
What a weird day. Not a *bad* day. But a surreal one.
October 22, 2025 at 6:30 PM
What a weird day. Not a *bad* day. But a surreal one.
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
A curious approach from people who don't like the concept of immigration
October 22, 2025 at 11:02 AM
A curious approach from people who don't like the concept of immigration
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
The government plans to link university fees to institutional "quality". This is a nonsense because there are no metrics that actually measure teaching quality. There is no Ofsted, rather a handful of largely irrelevant statistics to actual quality. The NSS measure satisfaction, not quality.
October 20, 2025 at 5:05 PM
The government plans to link university fees to institutional "quality". This is a nonsense because there are no metrics that actually measure teaching quality. There is no Ofsted, rather a handful of largely irrelevant statistics to actual quality. The NSS measure satisfaction, not quality.