Higher Education
Open Eye: A united front to bridge the skills gap
Published: 05 December 2006
Open Eye: This year, give the gift of learning
Published: 05 December 2006
Open View: The Government must make part-time students a priority in its funding review
Published: 05 December 2006
In an increasingly sophisticated technological society the UK urgently needs to upgrade the skills profile of a very large proportion of its citizens; it has already shed most of its manufacturing jobs to low-cost economies and delivers more in the way of services. Part-time higher education provision has never been more critical in meeting the needs of Government and employers for a highly skilled workforce; soon there will be more part-time students in the UK than full-time and more students in the post 24-year-old age group than aged 18-24. And yet "part-time higher education provision is on a knife edge and requires immediate attention". So said Nigel Brown at a recent Universities UK (UUK) Conference when presenting the results of his survey into the issues faced by part-time providers.
Leading article: Money, please
Published: 30 November 2006
This week's report from Universities UK showing how well universities are doing in developing "business-focused" degrees is a shameless attempt to curry favour with the Treasury in advance of the comprehensive spending review. It is well known that Gordon Brown wants universities to run degrees that are funded and designed jointly with employers. Whether the Chancellor will suddenly decide that the universities should have a lot more money as a result is doubtful. The fact is that higher education needs more cash a) because the 18-year-old age cohort is growing b) investment is needed to maintain the 42 per cent participation rate and c) to meet the 50 per cent target.
Why British students are opting for American universities
Published: 30 November 2006
Dr Paul Irwing: 'There are twice as many men as women with an IQ of 120-plus'
Published: 30 November 2006
Dr Paul Irwing is a senior lecturer in organisational psychology at Manchester University. He claims that men are more intelligent than women.
Performing arts courses: All the world's a stage, so why not do drama?
Published: 23 November 2006
What lies ahead for higher education funding?
Published: 23 November 2006
Leading article: Funding friend
Published: 23 November 2006
Whether David Eastwood can restore the Higher Education Funding Council's role as a buffer between the Government and the universities remains to be seen. What matters really is that he should effectively represent the sector's interests in his dealings with politicians and the wider world.
Stephen Clark: 'We don't need to kill animals for meat'
Published: 23 November 2006
Stephen Clark is professor of philosophy at the University of Liverpool. He sat on the Animal Procedures Committee until earlier this year, which advises the Government on animal testing. He argues that animals have a right to life.
A new dawn for science?
Published: 16 November 2006
Boris Johnson: Student mechanics are eggheads too
Published: 16 November 2006
OK, then, all you smarty-pants who think it was a mistake to get rid of the polytechnics.
Ucas card: Want a discount at Topshop? Register here
Published: 16 November 2006
Leading article: Positive result
Published: 16 November 2006
It is a credit to London Metropolitan University that it had the foresight and courage, seven years ago, to invest in a new science centre at a time when other universities were wobbling about running some science subjects at all.
Dr Dylan Evans: 'Technology has made life easier, but not happier'
Published: 16 November 2006
This year Dr Dylan Evans quit as a lecturer in robotics at the University of the West of England to set up the Utopia experiment, an imagined post-apocalyptic commune. He believes a global collapse is near and we must be prepared.
January starts: A staggering way to attract more students
Published: 09 November 2006
The changing face of Scottish universities
Published: 09 November 2006
Leading article: Strategic funding
Published: 09 November 2006
Oxford University has opened up a new front in its battle for reform: the method for allocating money to colleges.
Anthony Grayling: Why 'Bomber' Harris was wrong in every way
Published: 09 November 2006
Anthony Grayling is Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. He believes that bombing is morally wrong and does not work.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari: Taking a reasoned approach
Published: 07 November 2006
Open View: The OpenLearn venture is a natural extension of our founding philosophy
Published: 07 November 2006
The Open University holds a particular place in British and higher education history by virtue of its special mission - to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. Open, in particular, to people who do not have the traditional entry qualifications to university. The launch of the OpenLearn website (see opposite), which makes freely available a selection of OU material and learning resources to all, signals the next important and ground-breaking phase of that very distinctive mission.
Open Eye: The Net benefits of open access for all
Published: 07 November 2006
Thirty years on: Steve McCormack returns to his Alma Mater
Published: 02 November 2006
Bahram Bekhradnia: Should humanities students work harder?
Published: 02 November 2006
Earlier this week, the Higher Education Policy Institute published ground-breaking research that, for the first time, shows what students actually do at university. We surveyed 15,000 students about their university life, including how many lessons (lectures, seminars and so on) they attend each week, how many hours of private study they undertake, how much paid work they do, and how satisfied they are with their experiences.
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