Teaching in Higher Education: Critical Conversations

In this first episode of a new series of podcasts, Ibrar Bhatt sits down with some of the journal's Editors to go behind the scenes to explore what TiHE is really about, and giving prospective authors an honest and grounded sense of what the publication journey actually looks like.Guests:Aneta Hayes (Chief Editor)Karen Gravett (Executive Editor)Greg Misiaszek (Executive Editor)

In this episode, I talk with Kevin Kester about the special issue on 'Conflict, Peace & Teaching in Higher Education' which he guest edited with Greg William Misiaszek.You can read Kester and Misiaszek's editorial and the whole special issue here:https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cthe20/31/3

In this episode, Ibrar Bhatt talks with Jiahui (Jess) Luo about her article ‘How does GenAI affect trust in teacher-student relationships? Insights from students’ assessment experiences’.And you can read Jess’s article here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2024.2341005?src=

In this episode, Ibrar Bhatt talks with Gene Flenady about his article ‘Cut the bullshit: why GenAI systems are neither collaborators nor tutors’ (co-authored by Robert Sparrow)You can read their article here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2497263

In this episode, Ibrar Bhatt talks with Daniel Plate about his article ‘The intellectual bankruptcy of anti-AI academic alarmism: a rebuttal’ (co-authored by James Hutson)You can read their article here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2562594

In this episode Ibrar Bhatt talks to Claire Timperley (Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand) about her article 'Assessment as pedagogy'. Claire advocates an alternative approach to assessment where authenticity signifies meaningful learning outside the confines of the classroom.You can read Claire's article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2024.2367662

In this episode, Ibrar Bhatt talks with Shuchen Xiang about her article ‘Problematizing the critique of culture: an alternative Chinese hermeneutics for teaching the humanities’. Xiang argues that in the humanities, there is a pervasive tendency to view criticality in terms of the deconstruction of normative socio-cultural relationships, especially in traditional, non-western cultures. In contrast, she describes an alternative hermeneutics based in classical Chinese philosophical concepts.You can read Shuchen's article here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2487765

In this episode Ibrar Bhatt speaks to Alison MacKenzie about her article titled 'Gaza: an indictment of critical philosophy'.You can read Alison's article here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2502382?src=exp-la

In this episode Ibrar Bhatt speaks to Carla Briffett-Aktaş about the role of student silence for criticality.You can read Carla's article here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2449650

In this episode Ibrar Bhatt speaks to Yulong Li about the role of Greco-Roman philosophies in mediating the thought processes necessary for criticality.You can read Yulong’s article here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2449640

In this episode Ibrar Bhatt speaks to Jialei Jiang about how Qi onto-epistemology, rooted in Chinese philosophical and aesthetic traditions, can decolonise critique in higher education by challenging Eurocentric conceptions of rational, self-sufficient subjects. You can read Jialei's article here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2465999

In this episode, Ibrar Bhatt talks with Irfan Ahmad about his article ‘Habermas as an ethnic thinker Par Excellence: on critique, Palestine and the role of intellectuals’. While Habermas is often regarded as a philosopher of universalism and critical rationality, Irfan challenges this view, arguing that Habermas is, in fact, an ethnic thinker. His approach to critique and universalism operates unidirectionally—emphasising ‘to all’ rather than ‘from all’—which ultimately reflects an asymmetry in the intellectual traditions he engages with. This perspective offers important insights for teaching in higher education.You can read Irfan Ahmad's article here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2466001

In the episode, Ibrar Bhatt talks with Joseph Lumbard about Eurocentric intellectual dominance within the academic study of Islam in higher education. Such imbalance, both in the West and in Muslim communities, discourages critical heuristic engagement with the rich intellectual heritage of Islam. This is a missed opportunity, as Islamic intellectual traditions, particularly in metaphysics and theology, can be employed to offer vital perspectives for teaching in higher education. You can read Joseph Lumbard's article here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2468974

In this episode, Ibrar Bhatt talks to Canglong Wang about critique as a means of 'jiaohua', or 'cultivation', in the Chinese philosophical tradition. Critique in Confucianism is not merely a challenge directed at external individuals or society; rather, it is viewed as a personal moral and social responsibility. Canglong draws on fieldwork conducted in Confucian schools to demonstrate how critique is a corrective tool in educational practice. Implications for teaching in higher education are discussed. You can read Canglong's article here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2468971?src=exp-la

In this podcast, Ibrar Bhatt speaks to Karen Gravett about her article ‘A critical practice for contemporary times’. Karen suggests that there is a need to re-examine critical theorising in contemporary higher education, where critique is at risk of becoming stale, meaningless, even harmful. She proposes a move towards critical practice. Rather than critique being a cognitive individualised process. Her article is available in Teaching in Higher Education at this link:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2449643

In the episode, Ibrar Bhatt talks with Greg Misiaszek about criticality for environmentalism and ecopedagogy.His article in the journal is available here:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13562517.2025.2465997