iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

'The Westminster government’s contribution to funding domestic undergraduates studying in England fell in real terms from £8.9 billion in 2012-13 to just £3.3bn in 2024-25, a drop of more than 60 per cent, an analysis has found.'

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Chris Millard @chrismillard83.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

“Universities have managed staff costs significantly below inflation,[between 2016-17 and 2023-24] increasing only 14% compared to the 41.2% increase in RPIX [measure of inflation]” Substantial real terms pay cut, which continues a trend existing years before that…

gov.uk

Cost of undergraduate provision and qualifications in England

A study of the full economic cost of providing undergraduate-level higher education and other qualifications in England.

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Katrina Navickas @katrinanavickas.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Really interesting to hear a whole panel on teaching practice. Clare Hickman on Newcadtle's environmental history module.

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Dr Susan Greaney @suegreaney.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

💪💪 Solidarity with Edinburgh Uni staff who are trying to prevent compulsory redundancies:

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Caitríona Beaumont @caitbeaumont.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

A 🍐 tree outside the workshop window is an appropriate image to share from great event here at Oxford on #environmentalhistory. Am leaning a lot & the company is lovely. Thanks to @maxlong.bsky.social & @andrewseaton.bsky.social who have organised this fab event & am excited to embrace a new field.

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Andrew Seaton @andrewseaton.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Excited for discussing some brilliant papers at 'Modern British History and the "Environmental Turn"' over the next two days. Thanks so much to @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social, @bshsnews.bsky.social, Lincoln College, and University of Manchester's Hallsworth Fund for making it possible

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Katrina Navickas @katrinanavickas.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Great first day at the Environmental History workshop in Oxford. So much new and exciting research.

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Caitríona Beaumont @caitbeaumont.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

All set now for workshop organised by @andrewseaton.bsky.social & @maxlong.bsky.social in Oxford over next two days. Reading shared position papers now & looking forward to no doubt stimulating discussions with fellow participants. #environmentalhistory #womensgrassrootsactivsm

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Daniel C. Blight @danielcblight.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

***URGENT PLEASE SHARE*** University of Brighton management have announced today that they ‘give notice of termination of all collective agreements’. This is a fundamental erasure of workers' rights. Management have announced the termination of all contractual documents, which includes:

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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

We're going to have a better understanding of the 19th century than of the 21st century. I don't think people are fully appreciating this.

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Cambridge Collections Connections Communities @camglamresearch.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Come work with us! We're hiring three colleagues: Research Associate, Collections and Participation: www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/collect... Research Associate, Collections and Participation – Digital: www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/collect... Natural History Engagement Coordinator: www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/natural...

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Alex Zalben @azalben.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Dolly Parton, among a thousand other amazing things she did in her life, gifted over 330 million books to kids through her Imagination Library program. Her passing is a tremendous loss to the world, but you can support the program today to keep it going imaginationlibrary.com

imaginationlibrary.com

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library | USA, UK, IE, CA, AU

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth until they begin school in participating areas.

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Sadiah Qureshi 🦈 @sadiahqureshi.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Feeling blue? A very brief thread of some blue ways of being that might bring some solace and joy in these awful times. Starting with a blue lobster! So rare that the odds of catching one are said to be one in 2 million. www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/60...

bbc.co.uk

Blue lobsters: What is the rare type of crustacean?

Blue lobsters are believed to be so rare that the chances of catching one is estimated to be about one-in-two-million!

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Max Long @maxlong.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

“If £3bn is cheap, what does an expensive missile programme retail for?”

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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Believing in animal rights is not at all incompatible with racism or fascist. This does not mean we shouldn't care about animal rights, but that we need to advocate for them from an antiracist, antifascist position.

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🌈 Dr Ross Brooks @rossbrooks.co.uk · 19/08/2026

QUEER ORIGINS is starting to arrive in UK bookshops! It's all round to The Book and Bottle in Hertford, where they've made it look very yummy indeed . . . 🌈📚🍷 linktr.ee/thebookandbo... #books #booksky #bookshop #newreads #readingcommunity @yalebooks.bsky.social @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social

Screenshot of recent Instagram post by The Book and Bottle bookshop (Hertford). It features a photo of DARWIN AND THE QUEER ORIGINS OF LIFE with a bottle of red wine with and floral design on the label. The original post reads 'NEWBIES to the shelves!!'

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Max Long @maxlong.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Presumably they will also monetise the whole process: we do the watermarking, and then you pay us to check if it it's watermarked

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Max Long @maxlong.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Bit late to this, but on balance I think watermarking could have a bigger impact than some people think. OpenAI had the technology available at least 2 years ago but didn't roll it out because they thought people would use ChatGPT less! www.theverge.com/2024/8/4/242...

theverge.com

OpenAI won’t watermark ChatGPT text because its users could get caught

But not doing it could make it look irresponsible.

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Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

This btw, is also why AI companies are trying to colonise education at all levels: its not that they care about students. But devastating education, driving academic labor entirely. out of work, and producing students who cannot function without their product, now that is their goal.

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Julia Serano @juliaserano.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

I recently RT'd posts that share links to these reports for those interested. just wanted to add: everyone involved in the new HP series should be asked nonstop about not only JKR's anti-trans views, but about her threatening to *sue Amnesty International* & her actively *censoring* these reports!

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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

ten years ago, we were being told it was fine to give these views megaphones precisely because of how fringe they supposedly were. then they won two elections and started rewriting laws and closing university departments and kidnapping and killing people

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Lynton Lees @lyntonlees.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

As the govt pushes forward with plans for technical education routes for even younger pupils, the 'record high' numbers of students taking T levels at post-16 is still just... 1.4% of overall entries? Not exactly conclusive proof of massive employer and learner demand, is it

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Natasha Simonova @philistella.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

While this was all happening, friends and I were literally listing off senior white men who were still in post despite not being able to work with students because they're actual sex offenders.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 14/08/2026

We've updated our A-Z listing of UK history societies - now with links to c.140 societies and organisations that bring historians together and provide support: bit.ly/4wodFDb. Also of value for making connections, @balhnews.bsky.social's guide to local history groups bit.ly/4gaHYHA #Skystorians

Page from RHS website listing 'History societies, organisations and networks', with image of the Uk and text: The Royal Historical Society works closely with a number of other UK and Irish societies dedicated to the study, communication and promotion of historical knowledge and understanding.

Once a year, the Society hosts a half-day meeting of heads of UK history societies to discuss subjects of shared interest, such as publishing, membership and advocacy for the discipline. The Society also holds regular online meetings with its equivalent national organisations worldwide.

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John Springford @johnspringford.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

@jburnmurdoch.ft.com is spot on here. Britain needs to take economic policy more seriously (and not just how much government taxes and spends) www.ft.com/content/1c4a...

ft.com

To fix education, fix the economy first

Weak educational outcomes often owe more to economic performance than education policy

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

So it's farewell to the History subject area at the University of Hertfordshire, not the first nor the last to go. One of the best departments in the country, just extinguished like a snap of the fingers. Think of the waste. (1/2)

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Skionar @skionar.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Orchids revived, the corpse ambulant and a poetic ruined abbey. These are the news stories I want to read.

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Charlotte Weatherill @ckweatherill.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Full of despair today. Massive lay offs in social sciences and humanities across the country, Burnham puts out a video saying 'AI can write an essay', and my university is busy integrating co-pilot into all staff and student computers. We are being told we're defunct and there's no resistance.

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New-Cleckit Dominie @ncdominie.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

This is just to say I have OCRed the text thet was in tne arch:ve and whicb yov were prabaldy seamhing for "breahtast" Fargme ms fheg mem debo:w5 sb ?mccf mmb 5c oc1b

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Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

How about we make education about the fundamentals of being able to navigate the world and democratic citizenship, and leave workplace training until the actual workplace. Local business needs aren't one thing, and they change quickly (and even more quickly). www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.com

Burnham to tell schools in England to adapt teaching to local business needs

PM wants curriculums for students aged 14 and above to be more responsive to local jobs market

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Will Tullett @willtullett.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

‘It would, Burnham said, mean the country could “value the hard hat every bit as much as the graduation cap”.’ www.theguardian.com/politics/202... this felt pretty sad to read. Another nail in the coffin for the idea that education is not merely about access to employment…

theguardian.com

Burnham to tell schools in England to adapt teaching to local business needs

PM wants curriculums for students aged 14 and above to be more responsive to local jobs market

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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

It's noticeable, too, that there wasn't a single question on the climate, at a time when Europe is experiencing catastrophic wild-fires & record-breaking heat. It's astonishing how low down the political agenda this remains in Britain, when all the environmental indicators are signalling disaster.

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Will Tullett @willtullett.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

God that ‘value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap’ line has really annoyed me. It seems to be laced with so many pejorative assumptions, so completely a piece of soundbite nonsense. It‘s also not new but represents a rhetoric that has been around for at least a decade in Con and Lab circles

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Alan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

2/2 The once respected magazine has destroyed its reputation in recent years, especially since far right propagandist Paul Marshall took ownership & appointed Michael Gove editor: alanlester.co.uk/blog/teachin...

alanlester.co.uk

Teaching the British Empire: Experts Versus The Spectator

Alan Lester The Spectator’s owner Paul Marshall and its editor Michael Gove are afraid of William Dalrymple. His sequence of books on colonial India that have sold millions, his Empire podcast with…

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Hivemind! Can anyone help me out? If you like the content on this stream and you agree with me about Higher Ed, is anyone going to be at the UK National Archives now or soon who could photograph a single file for me? I will be eternally grateful/ can pay back in coffee, beer etc.! ☕🍺

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 22/07/2026

'The Historian's Craft & Practice: new writing on history teaching and historical research' bit.ly/45l8I2M Selected recent articles from the Society's journal, 'Transactions', on the practice of pedagogy and research. All content available Open Access. New article submissions invited #Skystorians

bit.ly

The Historian's Craft and Practice: new writing on history teaching and historical research - RHS

The Society's academic journal, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, publishes a wide range of content from historians of all disciplinary backgrounds and career stages, worldwide. This inclu...

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Katrina Navickas @katrinanavickas.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Just a reminder to everyone: join a trade union. And if you're already a member, please be active. Vote, volunteer, become a rep or an officer. You are the union. The larger the union membership the more strength and agency we have.

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Mark Williams @mrfw17thc.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

I have a 'History Department in UKHE' joke but it's been reduced from 250 characters to 50 and is now merged with jokes from across ten other largely-unrelated disciplines while still being expected to be Just As Funny.

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Max Long @maxlong.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

🔔 UNTIL SUNDAY! 🔔 You can pre-order my first book for £16.50! Less than the price of a train from London to Reading

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Alex White @alexjwhite.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

One of the pleasures of working at History Workshop is getting to work on times and places far outside your original field. I'd never considered the history of the arrest before, so it was fascinating to help edit this piece!

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Max Long @maxlong.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

⏰ LIMITED OFFER: If you're based outside of North America, you can purchase it with a 50% discount using the code 27SUMMER at checkout - just £16.50! Only available until 19th July: www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10....

liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk

A Science for Everyday Life | Home

Mass Media, Natural History, and the Environment in Britain, 1900-1945

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Max Long @maxlong.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

🚨📘 Book Alert! 📘🚨 My first monograph, 'A Science for Everyday Life' is now available for pre-order! Published by @upittpress.bsky.social & released mid-December 2026. US/North America: upittpress.org/books/978082... UK/Europe: www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10....

Book cover for 'A Science for Everyday Life: Mass media, natural history and the environment in Britain, 1900-1945'. Image on the cover shows a class of children watching a film about a frog.

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Wesley Morgan @wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Another historical inaccuracy from Nolan—IMAX had not yet been invented in the Mycenaean period, so this is not the aspect ratio that people saw in! Smh

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

'Early career opportunities have rapidly declined in the fields of arts and humanities amid UK job cuts, with teaching-only roles increasingly the only positions available for those just starting out, an analysis by the British Academy has found.' 1/3

timeshighereducation.com

Humanities hardest hit as early career opportunities disappear

Analysis of staff data finds skew to teaching-only roles in entry-level positions, with scale of cuts not reflected at more senior levels

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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

For my Film and Science course. Last time I taught this, I organized according to discipline, but I think I'd do it differently next time. boxd.it/VH1K0

boxd.it

Film and Science Syllabus

Many of these are not on Letterboxd, but here's a screening list for my Film and Science course. I will update as a repeat the class.

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