Universities and Web 2.0 – everywhere but Swansea?

Swansea University doing things the good old fashioned way: But not every student recruiter is buying into the hype. Some warn that dabbling in new media can prove expensive and time-consuming. It can create more work for admissions staff without eliminating any of their old tasks, like answering enquiries and sending out prospectuses. "I feel …

Are league tables undermining academic standards?

Or, put another way, is it likely that universities will seek to award more firsts to boost league table rankings? Geoffrey Alderman thinks so: The more firsts and upper seconds a university awards, the higher its ranking is likely to be. So each university looks closely at the grading criteria used by its league-table near …

More virtual universities needed

There seem to be some rather mixed messages here: In a speech to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) on Wednesday, Education Secretary Alan Johnson said the country needed its world class higher education system more than ever. "England's universities have always played a vital role in shaping our country's role in the …

Uni Reality TV: no dumbing down here!

Excellent news in the ever competitive international student recruitment market (according to BBC News): TV show offers university places Thousands of Indian students are set to compete for scholarships at some of Britain's top universities in a TV reality show. The top 400 candidates will be whittled down to a shortlist of 20 who will …