News - Association of Commonwealth Universities

Theme: International collaboration Global challenges

ACU Summer School 2021: Student Q&A

Published on 19 August 2021 This year’s Summer School convened students online to explore themes linked to urban disasters. Here we have Tevita Mikaele Rakula sharing his experience of ACU Summer School 2021. Read this article

Theme: Global challenges International collaboration Supporting research Access and inclusion

University Students Work On A Robotic Model Together

Can – and should – universities influence the role of technology in society?

Published on 03 August 2021 As technology increasingly infiltrates our lives, universities need to question whether they can - and should - influence the role it plays in society. Read this article

Theme: Global challenges Tagged with: Higher Education and the SDGs Network

Coloured cards rest on wooden surface displaying Social Development Goals

Exploring universities’ local contributions to the SDGs

Published on 30 July 2021 Earlier this year, Newcastle University organised an event for members of the ACU Higher Education and the SDGs Network to explore local contributions that universities are making to the SDGs. Read this article

Theme: Access and inclusion Global challenges Strengthening universities

Blended learning: a new normal for higher education?

Published on 20 July 2021 In the post-pandemic university campus, it's likely that some form of blended learning is here to stay. What will this mean for students and staff? Read this article

Theme: Access and inclusion Global challenges Strengthening universities

Aerial View Of Students Sat On Red Sofas Working On Laptops

How can we use digital technology to address inequalities in higher education?

Published on 13 July 2021 While digital technology can enhance access to higher education, intersecting inequalities mean that this reality is still out of reach for many. How can we use technology to address inequalities? Read this article

Theme: Global challenges International collaboration Supporting research

The Climate Research Cohort and its research-to-action projects

Published on 08 July 2021 The Climate Research Cohort's research-to-action facilitator Dr Haseeb Irfanullah reflects on the vital role researchers must play in informing and influencing current climate policies and practices. Read this article

Theme: Access and inclusion Strengthening universities International collaboration Global challenges

Woman Surrounded By Drawings Creates Illustration On Tablet

What skills do students and staff need for the digital future?

Published on 06 July 2021 The success of any digital transformation will depend on how well students and staff are supported. But what does that really mean, and how could it work in practice? Read this article

Theme: Global challenges International collaboration Access and inclusion Strengthening universities

Student Watching An Online Lecture And Taking Notes In A University Library

Digital transformation in higher education: past and present

Published on 29 June 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on higher education around the world. What challenges and opportunities will higher education face in our digital future? Read this article

Theme: Global challenges Tagged with: Commonwealth Climate Resilience Network Climate and the environment

Climate Resilience Challenge Grants: advancing climate action in the Commonwealth

Published on 08 June 2021 The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is delighted to announce the first five recipients of our new Commonwealth Climate Resilience Challenge Grants. Read this article

Theme: Global challenges International collaboration Supporting research Tagged with: Global challenges Climate and the environment International collaboration Commonwealth Futures

On the road to COP26: a research partnership to accelerate climate action

Published on 14 March 2021 The ACU has partnered with the British Council to establish the Commonwealth Futures Climate Research Cohort, convening 26 talented researchers for COP26. Read this article

Theme: Global challenges Tagged with: SDGs Climate and the environment

Launch of the Call to Action for Sustainable Urbanisation

Published on 02 February 2021 Today we launch our Call to Action on Sustainable Urbanisation across the Commonwealth in partnership with the CAA, CAP and CLGF. Read this article

Theme: Global challenges International collaboration Supporting research

A new partnership for a blue economy

Published on 19 January 2021 The ACU is partnering with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and the University of the West Indies (UWI) to support the development of a Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy Read this article

Theme: Global challenges International collaboration Access and inclusion Supporting research Strengthening universities

A group of higher education progressions wave at the camera while standing in front of an old building

International collaboration – a fairer future?

Published on 09 December 2020 How can international collaborations be fair, and enable universities in low and middle income countries (LMICs) to have a more equal footing? Read this article

Theme: Global challenges International collaboration Access and inclusion Strengthening universities

University Of Cape Town campus buildings

Name and face – living with the past in the present

Published on 03 December 2020 Universities across the world are reflecting on what the the statues and the building names on their campuses mean in today’s world. Read this article

Theme: Global challenges International collaboration Access and inclusion Strengthening universities Supporting research

Two aboriginal men sit in in front of a white building at the top of steps painted with a yellow circle on red

What’s the place for reparations at universities?

Published on 26 November 2020 Some may question why universities need to be involved in reparations at all, but universities played a role in providing a cloak of respectability and legitimacy for the colonial project. Read this article

Theme: Access and inclusion Strengthening universities Global challenges

Illustration of people from many ethnicities

Belonging at university – an equal future?

Published on 12 November 2020 In recent decades, more students from indigenous and minority backgrounds have entered higher education. But what is their experience of being at university like? Read this article

Theme: Global challenges Strengthening universities International collaboration Access and inclusion

How can the curriculum be authentic to where it's taught?

Published on 04 November 2020 Curricula tend to be modelled on templates of learning that have usually originated in the so-called West. However, there are growing calls to make the curriculum more authentic to where it's taught. Read this article

Theme: Global challenges Tagged with: Climate and the environment Commonwealth Climate Resilience Network CIRCLE

Commonwealth staff and students gather around a sapling

Transforming universities for a changing climate

Published on 02 November 2020 The ACU is pleased to be a partner in the Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate (Climate U) project. Read this article

Theme: Global challenges International collaboration Access and inclusion Strengthening universities

A large crowd of protesters raise their fists in the air

Does decolonising higher education matter?

Published on 29 October 2020 Protests against racial injustice and demands to address historical wrongs are often accompanied by calls for decolonisation. But what does decolonisation mean for higher education? Read this article

Theme: Global challenges International collaboration

Antigua and Barbuda to establish Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy

Published on 16 October 2020 The Government of Antigua and Barbuda is supporting the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus Read this article