Dr Dave Hitchcock
@davehitchcock.bsky.social
Historian at CCCU: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8378-4968
Recovering Course Director (22-25). Research unit lead. RHS council; SHS; EHS.
Currently: "Dying Homeless, 1600-2013",
Soon: 'The Ends of Poverty in the British Atlantic'. He/him.
Recovering Course Director (22-25). Research unit lead. RHS council; SHS; EHS.
Currently: "Dying Homeless, 1600-2013",
Soon: 'The Ends of Poverty in the British Atlantic'. He/him.
Look I know this is a challenge that right-wing Christians will never overcome, their Matterhorn if you will, but for their own sakes if no one else's please stop making up large chunks of the settled, well-studied, we know all about it historical past!
There was no state. Who does she think crucified him, an anarchist collective?
November 28, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Look I know this is a challenge that right-wing Christians will never overcome, their Matterhorn if you will, but for their own sakes if no one else's please stop making up large chunks of the settled, well-studied, we know all about it historical past!
One of the things I really want to go back to and get right in the new version of our degree is rewarding students explicitly for 'skills' stuff like good historical notetaking. I want to be handing out firsts for good notes like its candy. Now I just need to figure out where we're allow to do that.
Really interesting to hear about the new HistoryUK resource, 'History in Practice', which is a space to collectively share, reflect, and collaborate on all things related to history teaching in universities 🗃️ #skystorians
www.history-uk.ac.uk/history-in-p...
www.history-uk.ac.uk/history-in-p...
History in Practice
‘Doing the Readings’ – Will Pooley ‘Escaping the Lecture: Using game-based learning to engage History students’ – Rebecca Andrew and Sam Chadwick ‘Using Fo…
www.history-uk.ac.uk
November 28, 2025 at 1:02 PM
One of the things I really want to go back to and get right in the new version of our degree is rewarding students explicitly for 'skills' stuff like good historical notetaking. I want to be handing out firsts for good notes like its candy. Now I just need to figure out where we're allow to do that.
Reposted by Dr Dave Hitchcock
this is growth in UCAS offers over past 5 years
November 28, 2025 at 10:02 AM
this is growth in UCAS offers over past 5 years
Reposted by Dr Dave Hitchcock
Lot of pressure from faculty for "successful" departments like ours to take incrementally more home UGs to cross-subsidise other depts.
Also if taught PGT doesn't hit numbers, there's pressure to be "as flexible as possible" on admissions standards
Also if taught PGT doesn't hit numbers, there's pressure to be "as flexible as possible" on admissions standards
November 28, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Lot of pressure from faculty for "successful" departments like ours to take incrementally more home UGs to cross-subsidise other depts.
Also if taught PGT doesn't hit numbers, there's pressure to be "as flexible as possible" on admissions standards
Also if taught PGT doesn't hit numbers, there's pressure to be "as flexible as possible" on admissions standards
Found the answer, it's like 15,000 new international students since 2013-4.
For me the number here that is super interesting is UCL. I'd be very interested to know the composition of that extra 20,000.
November 28, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Found the answer, it's like 15,000 new international students since 2013-4.
This is the graph that tells the story, from the study published by the VC and 'Chief of Staff' at East Anglia, in the Times Higher. Number crunching this stuff is very welcome, we need more of it.
www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/why-uk...
www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/why-uk...
November 28, 2025 at 8:59 AM
This is the graph that tells the story, from the study published by the VC and 'Chief of Staff' at East Anglia, in the Times Higher. Number crunching this stuff is very welcome, we need more of it.
www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/why-uk...
www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/why-uk...
I work at CCCU so I can add a bit of detail. The huge majority of these additional students for us are not on-site, typical full-fee paying, they are 'partnership' students where the actual degree they study is franchised or validated from CCCU, but taught elsewhere.
'11 universities expanded by more than 11,000 students over the past decade, while the three institutions with the biggest growth expanded by more than 20,000 students – BPP University (28,915 more students), Canterbury Christ Church University (22,410) and UCL (21,490).' 3/3
November 28, 2025 at 8:29 AM
I work at CCCU so I can add a bit of detail. The huge majority of these additional students for us are not on-site, typical full-fee paying, they are 'partnership' students where the actual degree they study is franchised or validated from CCCU, but taught elsewhere.
Reposted by Dr Dave Hitchcock
VP JD Vance stood before a crowd and tried to falsify history, claiming Christians ended widespread mass child-sacrifice practices among Native Americans
November 27, 2025 at 12:44 PM
VP JD Vance stood before a crowd and tried to falsify history, claiming Christians ended widespread mass child-sacrifice practices among Native Americans
Sam rather kindly calls the unemployment projection 'optimistic'. Below is the graph, it's visibly unreasonable, verging on out of touch with what's happening in the economy right now at both ends (young workers and old), it's in the 'growth in international students' bucket of not going to happen.
November 27, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Sam rather kindly calls the unemployment projection 'optimistic'. Below is the graph, it's visibly unreasonable, verging on out of touch with what's happening in the economy right now at both ends (young workers and old), it's in the 'growth in international students' bucket of not going to happen.
Reposted by Dr Dave Hitchcock
'Universities are communities of people and those within Scotland’s universities play a critical role in shaping our regions, our nation and our international reach and impact.'
Devolution dividend: staff matter too. A huge contrast to DfE/Jacqui Smith approach in Tuesday's testimony. 3/3
Devolution dividend: staff matter too. A huge contrast to DfE/Jacqui Smith approach in Tuesday's testimony. 3/3
November 27, 2025 at 8:00 AM
'Universities are communities of people and those within Scotland’s universities play a critical role in shaping our regions, our nation and our international reach and impact.'
Devolution dividend: staff matter too. A huge contrast to DfE/Jacqui Smith approach in Tuesday's testimony. 3/3
Devolution dividend: staff matter too. A huge contrast to DfE/Jacqui Smith approach in Tuesday's testimony. 3/3
Reposted by Dr Dave Hitchcock
That is the main objection to LLMs. It is the technological extension of James' theory on assholes: A technology of little use, that few people actually want, being pushed on them by people who get mad when you complain about it.
November 26, 2025 at 1:22 PM
That is the main objection to LLMs. It is the technological extension of James' theory on assholes: A technology of little use, that few people actually want, being pushed on them by people who get mad when you complain about it.
Reposted by Dr Dave Hitchcock
This is a massively dumb way to fund things. Just fund local government properly through fiscal devolution, council tax reform, and social care reform. Oh, wait, you ducked all of those again....
November 26, 2025 at 3:28 PM
This is a massively dumb way to fund things. Just fund local government properly through fiscal devolution, council tax reform, and social care reform. Oh, wait, you ducked all of those again....
It would be nice if HM treasury did not obviously p-hack their graphs of budget benefits/losses by income bracket by padding it out with "welfare spending" this way.
November 26, 2025 at 3:36 PM
It would be nice if HM treasury did not obviously p-hack their graphs of budget benefits/losses by income bracket by padding it out with "welfare spending" this way.
Reposted by Dr Dave Hitchcock
International student fee levy details confirmed in Budget document: flat fee charged on institutions "of £925 per student per year of study, starting in August 2028 academic year 2028-29".
No charge for first 220 students per year.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6926eb...
No charge for first 220 students per year.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6926eb...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
November 26, 2025 at 1:49 PM
International student fee levy details confirmed in Budget document: flat fee charged on institutions "of £925 per student per year of study, starting in August 2028 academic year 2028-29".
No charge for first 220 students per year.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6926eb...
No charge for first 220 students per year.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6926eb...
Nothing is so set in stone, nothing is inevitable. This is a strong performance and potentially a solid Budget to sell despite everything, now go sell it to the country.
November 26, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Nothing is so set in stone, nothing is inevitable. This is a strong performance and potentially a solid Budget to sell despite everything, now go sell it to the country.
Reposted by Dr Dave Hitchcock
Would love some in-depth numbers on what the majority of 20-30 somethings basically paying a 9% higher marginal tax rate has actually done to economic behaviour. Feels very under-discussed bsky.app/profile/igma...
Student loan repayment thresholds frozen for a further three years.
More debt burden falling on graduates.
And even more reason to cut university places by 20-30%.
More debt burden falling on graduates.
And even more reason to cut university places by 20-30%.
November 26, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Would love some in-depth numbers on what the majority of 20-30 somethings basically paying a 9% higher marginal tax rate has actually done to economic behaviour. Feels very under-discussed bsky.app/profile/igma...
My guess here is gilts sink a bit and the government's cost to service debt goes down today. Then they all wait to see if the government holds its nerve on all of this. None of it is going to fix the realities of productivity or brexit, but perhaps it all clears the decks to start doing so.
November 26, 2025 at 1:28 PM
My guess here is gilts sink a bit and the government's cost to service debt goes down today. Then they all wait to see if the government holds its nerve on all of this. None of it is going to fix the realities of productivity or brexit, but perhaps it all clears the decks to start doing so.
Heyy nice they are shivving the online gambling industry. Yes, YES (sickos.jpg)
November 26, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Heyy nice they are shivving the online gambling industry. Yes, YES (sickos.jpg)
I really hope the rich people council tax thing does not unwind, but WHY from 2028 only? That's serious cowardice, this should be implemented immediately to help stem the bleeding for council finances.
November 26, 2025 at 1:18 PM
I really hope the rich people council tax thing does not unwind, but WHY from 2028 only? That's serious cowardice, this should be implemented immediately to help stem the bleeding for council finances.
Reposted by Dr Dave Hitchcock
Whatever else this government do (and there's plenty of issues with this budget) ministers will always be able to point to this as an incredible important contribution to the country's future. Almost half a million kids taken out of poverty.
Scrapping the two-child limit in full is a monumental decision. Well done to all involved in the Child Poverty Strategy, and everyone who has made the case against the policy.
OBR says scrapping costs £3 billion in 2029-30 and will lift 450,000 out of poverty
OBR says scrapping costs £3 billion in 2029-30 and will lift 450,000 out of poverty
November 26, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Whatever else this government do (and there's plenty of issues with this budget) ministers will always be able to point to this as an incredible important contribution to the country's future. Almost half a million kids taken out of poverty.
Most of this budget seems pretty weird and silly, but the free apprenticeship thing for SMEs is probably very good actually, assuming businesses actually take this up.
November 26, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Most of this budget seems pretty weird and silly, but the free apprenticeship thing for SMEs is probably very good actually, assuming businesses actually take this up.
Reposted by Dr Dave Hitchcock
New blog from IHR Director @[email protected] reflecting on how historians can advocate for history through our practice, and defend the important historical work that goes on within universities as well as beyond them. blog.history.ac.uk/2025/11/advo...
Advocating for History by Doing History - On History
This blog was written by Claire Langhamer, Director of the IHR Historians are very good at crafting arguments and in recent times very many people have advanced very many arguments about why history…
blog.history.ac.uk
November 26, 2025 at 10:45 AM
New blog from IHR Director @[email protected] reflecting on how historians can advocate for history through our practice, and defend the important historical work that goes on within universities as well as beyond them. blog.history.ac.uk/2025/11/advo...
Reposted by Dr Dave Hitchcock
7 x 3000+ students + 17 smaller institutions must mean 30,000+ affected students. That’s about the same size as Sheffield uni, which employs 8000ish staff. Why is the government tolerating the impending collapse of up to 24 related employers and 8000+ more lost jobs? Where is the sense of crisis?
Chief exec of OfS 'said the OfS believes there are 24 institutions at risk of exiting the market in the next 12 months, seven of which are large providers with more than 3,000 students. There are another 25 or so institutions of various sizes at risk over a two- to three-year period, she added.'
Seven ‘large providers’ at risk of going under in the next year
Skills minister says no higher education institutions are at imminent risk of collapse this year but OfS confirms more than 20 providers are being closely monitored
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:57 AM
7 x 3000+ students + 17 smaller institutions must mean 30,000+ affected students. That’s about the same size as Sheffield uni, which employs 8000ish staff. Why is the government tolerating the impending collapse of up to 24 related employers and 8000+ more lost jobs? Where is the sense of crisis?
The @royalhistsoc.org is running a charitable donation campaign to fund the research of historians who lack support. The number of applications we're seeing is way up. I've been very lucky to have a career as a historian, I've donated, and I think this Christmas you should too. Pay it forward.
royalhistoricalsociety2.beaconforms.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:40 AM
The @royalhistsoc.org is running a charitable donation campaign to fund the research of historians who lack support. The number of applications we're seeing is way up. I've been very lucky to have a career as a historian, I've donated, and I think this Christmas you should too. Pay it forward.