A good day for research
The government has just published its long-awaited response to the Commons’ Justice Committee report on the Freedom of Information Act. The response, accepts the argument that we need a new exemption...
View ArticleAre we witnessing higher education’s “digital moment”?
There has been much written about the rise of Massive Open Online Courses [MOOCs] in recent months and whether this represents higher education’s “digital moment”. Today the Open University announced...
View ArticleSpending Round 2013: There is pain, but it could have been much worse
Times are strange when you can view a 6% cut for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as a good outcome for universities. But it is. Before yesterday’s Spending Round we would have been...
View ArticleWhere student fees go
In 2012, the cap on English university fees for full-time undergraduates from the UK and EU was increased to £9,000 a year. Government loans mean that students don’t have to pay up-front and the...
View ArticleTeacher training in universities at risk unless government acts
This week university leaders met in Leicester for Universities UK’s annual conference. One of the hottest topics was teacher training. Government reforms aim to increase the number of teachers trained...
View ArticleConservative party conference: New funds for teaching infrastructure and...
Universities Minister David Willetts made two announcements in his speech to the Conservative party conference yesterday. 1) A £200 million fund for teaching infrastructure, focused on science and...
View ArticleTerm is over and students are assessing what they’re getting for their...
The autumn term is over and students will be enjoying the Christmas break, and maybe putting off thinking about the inevitable essay writing and revision that will need to be tackled after the turkey...
View ArticleUniversities are good value for money, but there is still more to do, says...
The government’s grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) this week stressed the importance of institutions demonstrating value for money. It also announced that I’ve...
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University provision at risk
Year after year, universities play a fundamental – but perhaps overlooked – part in ensuring there is an adequate supply of high-quality teachers entering schools across England. The higher education...
View ArticleBig announcements for universities in the Budget
Although today’s Budget was in addition to the Spring Budget, there were certainly plenty of big announcements for the higher education sector – and some controversial ones. Maintenance grants to loans...
View ArticleTeaching excellence in universities – can it be defined and measured?
Following his speech today at the Universities UK Members’ Annual Conference, the Universities Minister Jo Johnson MP raised once more the issue of teaching quality in universities. It has led many to...
View ArticleThe Schools White Paper: what does it mean for university ITT providers?
Last week was quite a big week for England’s school system, politically speaking. Not only did the Chancellor announce that all schools are to become academies by 2022 in the Budget, the government...
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