Plug is pulled on e-university
The government's flagship e-university, hailed by ministers as the Open University for the 21st century, is to be dismantled after embarrassing performance failures, writes Phil Baty. The UKeU,...
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Union is set to vote for a single pay spine
The Association of University Teachers was expected to formally sign up for the biggest shake-up of academic careers for 40 years as The Times Higher went to press this week. As a three-week ballot...
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Old sea chart is so current
Satellite imaging has revealed the deep understanding of ocean currents possessed by medieval cartographers. Comparison of a pioneering 16th-century chart of the North Atlantic with the latest...
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'Curb Offa or we don't back bill'
Vice-chancellors have threatened to withdraw their support for the higher education bill if the government does not formally restrict the powers of the planned Office for Fair Access. Baroness...
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Hefce staff-borrowing plan 'absurd'
Government plans for an independent university access regulator were branded absurd this week after it was revealed that the body would have to borrow staff as well as offices from England's higher...
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Dignified game of cat and mouse
Steve Farrar was surprised to find that the fur did not fly at last week's Times Higher debate on animal research. There was no heckling, no shouting down. No one walked out, no one cried, no one...
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Bristol overseas ventures under fire
Quality watchdogs have criticised one of Britain's most prestigious universities, Bristol, for failing to exercise proper control over standards on courses run in collaboration with overseas partners...
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Court refuses to reopen Oxford race case
The Court of Appeal has rejected an attempt to reopen a failed race discrimination claim against Oxford University. Lawyers acting for former Oxford postgraduate Nadeem Ahmed said that he risked...
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Merge two-track finance system, says DFES report
Steps should be taken towards creating a single funding system for further and higher education in England, an advisory group reporting to the government has concluded. Such a move is needed to...
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Scots split over role of funding council
Speculation is growing that the Scottish Executive could give a merged further and higher education funding council the power to tell universities and colleges what to teach. Draft legislation to...
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Bradford arms forces with peacekeeping expertise
Bradford University academics have signed up to help British armed services personnel keep the peace in conflict zones such as Iraq. The university has won a Ministry of Defence contract to provide...
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Post top-up failures can't bank on subsidy
Unpopular universities and subjects cannot rely on being bailed out by taxpayers' money, funding chiefs warned last week. The squeeze is expected to affect the middle of the market - including old...
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Trainee medics are top of 'posh' league
Students from the middle classes still dominate higher education. Alison Goddard looks at how some subjects are working to break down social barriers. Students from the top social groups dominate...
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Mouldbreaker 1: Posh maths
Hannah Woods, 28, is about to enter the second year of a degree in maths and computing at Wolverhampton University. She left school aged 18 and worked as an au pair before deciding that she wanted to...
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Mouldbreaker 2: The working-class medical student
Adrienne Slater, 22, is a fourth-year medical student at Nottingham University. She went to a state school and is coordinator of the widening access to medical school scheme at Nottingham Medical...