David Foster
@david-foster.bsky.social
Associate Professor, UCL Laws. Legal History, Trusts & Property Law
Reposted by David Foster
Ghost turnip, Fintown, County Donegal, Ireland, c. 1900 (replica), National Museum of Ireland
October 15, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Ghost turnip, Fintown, County Donegal, Ireland, c. 1900 (replica), National Museum of Ireland
Reposted by David Foster
'While researchers typically publish in academic journals and books, the authors found, higher education managers are more likely to consult practice-oriented journals, newsletters, conference inputs and social media platforms such as LinkedIn.'
Physician, heal thyself.
Physician, heal thyself.
HE research ‘rarely informs administrators’ decisions’
Knowledge transfer should include the university itself, says thinktank after identifying disconnect between managers and those who study them
www.timeshighereducation.com
October 14, 2025 at 7:17 AM
'While researchers typically publish in academic journals and books, the authors found, higher education managers are more likely to consult practice-oriented journals, newsletters, conference inputs and social media platforms such as LinkedIn.'
Physician, heal thyself.
Physician, heal thyself.
September 30, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Reposted by David Foster
TIL that people actually did call each other 'varlet' in the past and also that 'loggerhead' was once an insult
September 30, 2025 at 10:01 AM
TIL that people actually did call each other 'varlet' in the past and also that 'loggerhead' was once an insult
Reposted by David Foster
👇🎯 These people will never stop trying to get rich by telling everyone they can learn & teach w/o doing the actual hard work of learning & teaching. They peddle fake alternatives to the hard daily grind of education because they're greedy & lazy. They're charlatans, & we should treat them as such.
Folks, the way to read the NYT article about OpenAI and higher education is to recognize that the person OpenAI hired to lead their effort came from Coursera. Remember when Coursera and MOOCs were going to cause the reinvention of higher education?
June 7, 2025 at 5:25 PM
👇🎯 These people will never stop trying to get rich by telling everyone they can learn & teach w/o doing the actual hard work of learning & teaching. They peddle fake alternatives to the hard daily grind of education because they're greedy & lazy. They're charlatans, & we should treat them as such.
Reposted by David Foster
It is vital that #historyteacher s continue to make the case that history is an evolving discipline - as we apply new lenses, reconsider (or even discover) source material to derive new interpretations.
👏Quotes from William Doyle and David Andreas in recent @histassoc.bsky.social HA news.
👏Quotes from William Doyle and David Andreas in recent @histassoc.bsky.social HA news.
September 16, 2025 at 9:13 AM
It is vital that #historyteacher s continue to make the case that history is an evolving discipline - as we apply new lenses, reconsider (or even discover) source material to derive new interpretations.
👏Quotes from William Doyle and David Andreas in recent @histassoc.bsky.social HA news.
👏Quotes from William Doyle and David Andreas in recent @histassoc.bsky.social HA news.
Reposted by David Foster
Interested in London trades in the 16th Century? Court of Requests proceedings in REQ 2 have you covered. One way to find a bunch of cases (over 500) is to search REQ 2 for "citizen and". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_a...
Search results: "citizen and" | The National Archives
The official archive of the UK government. Our vision is to lead and transform information management, guarantee the survival of today's information for tomorrow and bring history to life for everyone...
discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
September 14, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Interested in London trades in the 16th Century? Court of Requests proceedings in REQ 2 have you covered. One way to find a bunch of cases (over 500) is to search REQ 2 for "citizen and". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_a...
Reposted by David Foster
I found a cool Shakespeare document, but why was it missing in the first place? www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/s... [1/4]
Shakespeare family will found by historian - The National Archives
Red sealing wax seal and string on 1642 parchment will of Thomas Nash
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
August 23, 2025 at 9:28 AM
I found a cool Shakespeare document, but why was it missing in the first place? www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/s... [1/4]
Reposted by David Foster
Universtities forcing more and more dogs to dig up bones while the number of bones in the ground gets smaller each year.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
UKRI award rate halves in seven years as grant applications double - Research Professional News
Trends across research councils prompt warning that system is “overstretched or broken”
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
August 11, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Universtities forcing more and more dogs to dig up bones while the number of bones in the ground gets smaller each year.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Reposted by David Foster
ICYMI: AHRC project sheds light on the life of 17th century memoirist #AHRC #AcademicSky
AHRC project sheds light on the life of 17th century memoirist
Research into a manuscript discovered at Durham Cathedral has provided fresh insights on the life of writer and memoirist Alice Thornton thanks to AHRC funding.
www.ukri.org
August 7, 2025 at 8:27 AM
ICYMI: AHRC project sheds light on the life of 17th century memoirist #AHRC #AcademicSky
Reposted by David Foster
'Two of four autobiographical volumes were discovered by Cordelia Beattie, a history professor at the University of Edinburgh. One was handed by a descendant of Thornton to Beattie’s father in a pub in Ludlow, Shropshire, and the second was unearthed in the library of Durham Cathedral.'
Woman’s memoirs give fascinating insight into life in 17th-century northern England
Newly reunited manuscripts by Alice Thornton show how she navigated personal crises during tumultuous events such as the civil war
www.theguardian.com
August 4, 2025 at 6:12 AM
'Two of four autobiographical volumes were discovered by Cordelia Beattie, a history professor at the University of Edinburgh. One was handed by a descendant of Thornton to Beattie’s father in a pub in Ludlow, Shropshire, and the second was unearthed in the library of Durham Cathedral.'
Reposted by David Foster
The King has approved the appointment of six Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal. He has been pleased to approve the appointments of Mrs Justice Cockerill, Mr Justice Dove, Mr Justice Foxton, Mrs Justice May, Mr Justice Miles and Mrs Justice Yip. www.judiciary.uk/appointments...
Appointment of Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
Find out who the new appointees are and read their biographies
www.judiciary.uk
June 26, 2025 at 5:23 PM
The King has approved the appointment of six Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal. He has been pleased to approve the appointments of Mrs Justice Cockerill, Mr Justice Dove, Mr Justice Foxton, Mrs Justice May, Mr Justice Miles and Mrs Justice Yip. www.judiciary.uk/appointments...
Reposted by David Foster
We went through all of this during Brexit
European Union law is a species of international law agreed between member states. It can't conflict with German law, or Hungarian law. Anymore than they can conflict with one another. They're separate systems.
/1
European Union law is a species of international law agreed between member states. It can't conflict with German law, or Hungarian law. Anymore than they can conflict with one another. They're separate systems.
/1
Should EU law, or national law, take precedence in the event of a conflict?
Analysis by Dr Benedikt Riedl, in two parts
Part 1 - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/06/nati...
Part 2 - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/06/nati...
Analysis by Dr Benedikt Riedl, in two parts
Part 1 - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/06/nati...
Part 2 - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/06/nati...
National Limits, European Claims: The Ultra Vires Conflict in EU Constitutional Law (part 1)
Dr Benedikt Riedl , Mjur (Oxford), postdoctoral researcher and academic assistant at the Chair of Public Law and Legal Philosophy (Prof D...
eulawanalysis.blogspot.com
June 20, 2025 at 4:54 PM
We went through all of this during Brexit
European Union law is a species of international law agreed between member states. It can't conflict with German law, or Hungarian law. Anymore than they can conflict with one another. They're separate systems.
/1
European Union law is a species of international law agreed between member states. It can't conflict with German law, or Hungarian law. Anymore than they can conflict with one another. They're separate systems.
/1
Reposted by David Foster
That MIT study should be the death knell of every "pivot to AI" strategy in education.
That MIT study should land immediately on the desk of every administrator that imposed AI upon their institution.
Yes, I am talking about my employer, the California State University system.
That MIT study should land immediately on the desk of every administrator that imposed AI upon their institution.
Yes, I am talking about my employer, the California State University system.
June 19, 2025 at 9:55 AM
That MIT study should be the death knell of every "pivot to AI" strategy in education.
That MIT study should land immediately on the desk of every administrator that imposed AI upon their institution.
Yes, I am talking about my employer, the California State University system.
That MIT study should land immediately on the desk of every administrator that imposed AI upon their institution.
Yes, I am talking about my employer, the California State University system.
Reposted by David Foster
As a case in point, a certain crowd-funding publisher that went bust recently owed nearly £360k to HMRC in PAYE it had withheld from peoples' payslips but hadn't actually, you know, paid across to HMRC - there are a *lot* of SMEs and this adds up, even disregarding the umbrella scams going round.
June 20, 2025 at 8:54 AM
As a case in point, a certain crowd-funding publisher that went bust recently owed nearly £360k to HMRC in PAYE it had withheld from peoples' payslips but hadn't actually, you know, paid across to HMRC - there are a *lot* of SMEs and this adds up, even disregarding the umbrella scams going round.
Preliminary study on use of AI & its effects on critical thinking.
‘The group that wrote essays using ChatGPT all delivered extremely similar essays that lacked original thought, relying on the same expressions and ideas. Two English teachers who assessed the essays called them largely “soulless.”’
‘The group that wrote essays using ChatGPT all delivered extremely similar essays that lacked original thought, relying on the same expressions and ideas. Two English teachers who assessed the essays called them largely “soulless.”’
ChatGPT's Impact On Our Brains According to an MIT Study
The study, from MIT Lab scholars, measured the brain activity of subjects writing SAT essays with and without ChatGPT.
time.com
June 19, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Preliminary study on use of AI & its effects on critical thinking.
‘The group that wrote essays using ChatGPT all delivered extremely similar essays that lacked original thought, relying on the same expressions and ideas. Two English teachers who assessed the essays called them largely “soulless.”’
‘The group that wrote essays using ChatGPT all delivered extremely similar essays that lacked original thought, relying on the same expressions and ideas. Two English teachers who assessed the essays called them largely “soulless.”’
With the rise of Generative AI, a return to in-person assessment is the only way to protect the integrity of our degrees. Coursework still has a place, but only in conjunction with vivas/in person exams. Gen AI is a useful tool, but it's no substitute for learning how to think in the first place.
Revealed: Thousands of UK university students caught cheating using AI
Guardian investigation finds almost 7,000 proven cases of cheating – and experts says these are tip of the iceberg
www.theguardian.com
June 16, 2025 at 12:34 PM
With the rise of Generative AI, a return to in-person assessment is the only way to protect the integrity of our degrees. Coursework still has a place, but only in conjunction with vivas/in person exams. Gen AI is a useful tool, but it's no substitute for learning how to think in the first place.
Reposted by David Foster
Lord Reed's recent speech on judges in an age of populism includes this passage on the high quality of MPs and an accurate summary of Judge John Deed
June 16, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Lord Reed's recent speech on judges in an age of populism includes this passage on the high quality of MPs and an accurate summary of Judge John Deed
Reposted by David Foster
IHR Tudor & Stuart seminar news: it's time for our annual call for papers! If you'd like to speak to us in the coming academic year, full details below. Get in touch with any questions or if you would like to be on our mailing list. Please RT.
June 12, 2025 at 2:26 PM
IHR Tudor & Stuart seminar news: it's time for our annual call for papers! If you'd like to speak to us in the coming academic year, full details below. Get in touch with any questions or if you would like to be on our mailing list. Please RT.
Reposted by David Foster
Great new episode of The World Turned Upside Down on John Bradshaw, the judge who sentenced King Charles to death www.worldturnedupsidedown.co.uk/podcast/sent...
May 30, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Great new episode of The World Turned Upside Down on John Bradshaw, the judge who sentenced King Charles to death www.worldturnedupsidedown.co.uk/podcast/sent...
Reposted by David Foster
I saw someone criticizing a very funny poster for making jokes instead of posting about politics, and I am reminded of a favorite line from E. B. White: We should strive not for balanced books but balanced libraries
April 6, 2025 at 3:35 AM
I saw someone criticizing a very funny poster for making jokes instead of posting about politics, and I am reminded of a favorite line from E. B. White: We should strive not for balanced books but balanced libraries
Reposted by David Foster
Just catching up on the Penelope Keith nonsense, gang.
I'm sure plenty of people have already pointed out that Richard Briers -portrayer of history's greatest monster, Tom Good- was *obviously* the assassin, but did he rope Margo in? Second shooter? Because that's that selfish fucker's M.O.
I'm sure plenty of people have already pointed out that Richard Briers -portrayer of history's greatest monster, Tom Good- was *obviously* the assassin, but did he rope Margo in? Second shooter? Because that's that selfish fucker's M.O.
March 20, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Just catching up on the Penelope Keith nonsense, gang.
I'm sure plenty of people have already pointed out that Richard Briers -portrayer of history's greatest monster, Tom Good- was *obviously* the assassin, but did he rope Margo in? Second shooter? Because that's that selfish fucker's M.O.
I'm sure plenty of people have already pointed out that Richard Briers -portrayer of history's greatest monster, Tom Good- was *obviously* the assassin, but did he rope Margo in? Second shooter? Because that's that selfish fucker's M.O.
Reposted by David Foster
In AD410 emperor Honorius sent his letter to the Brittons telling them their cities had to look to their own defence: the notional end of Roman Britain. No doubt he assured everyone that this would help Make Rome Great Again.
March 19, 2025 at 1:42 PM
In AD410 emperor Honorius sent his letter to the Brittons telling them their cities had to look to their own defence: the notional end of Roman Britain. No doubt he assured everyone that this would help Make Rome Great Again.