- Is higher education facing its 鈥淣apster moment鈥? The Financial Times鈥 Michael Skapinker thinks not. Writing on 14 March, the columnist argued that traditional universities are unlikely to be upended by massive open online courses in the way that the music business has been hit by 鈥渄isruptive innovation鈥. Leading universities such as Harvard or Oxford would still prosper because 鈥渨hat students learn is less important than where they learnt鈥, while former polytechnics could bank on their ability to make students more employable by 鈥済etting them to work on real company projects early on鈥. Another flaw of Moocs is that people cannot concentrate for longer than five minutes on an online lecture, he said, adding: 鈥淪ome online lecture sites boast impressive numbers of hits. But how long are people watching before they flip to Facebook?鈥
- Staff at New York University鈥檚 largest faculty have passed a motion of no confidence in the institution鈥檚 president, The New York Times reported on 15 March. An electronic ballot in the College of Arts and Science last week approved the motion against John Sexton鈥檚 leadership by 298 votes to 224. While the vote has no binding effect, the paper said it was an 鈥渆mbarrassing setback鈥 for Dr Sexton鈥檚 plans to expand NYU at home and abroad. His critics said staff were dissatisfied with his emphasis on growth, a top-down management style and salary rises for senior employees. NYU鈥檚 board of trustees released a statement after the vote saying it 鈥渦nanimously and strongly supports President John Sexton and his strategic direction鈥.
- An academic who helped one of his students to run a multi-million-pound tax scam is facing a lengthy spell in jail. In an unusual spin on 鈥渟tudent mentoring鈥, Tariq Hassan, a lecturer in finance at the University of East London, helped Bashar Al-Issa to run several fake companies as part of an elaborate plot to pocket 拢2.8 million in VAT and film tax credits, the Irish Mail on Sunday reported on 17 March. Al-Issa, 35, a bankrupt Iraqi businessman, falsely claimed he was making a 拢20 million Hollywood blockbuster, the paper said. But British authorities became suspicious after paying out 拢1 million, so a low-budget gangster thriller - appropriately called A Landscape of Lies - was hastily made to convince the authorities the tax claims were real. Ironically, the film won a Silver Ace at last year鈥檚 Las Vegas Film Festival. Hassan, 52, from Essex (who left UEL in 2011), Al-Issa and two other co-conspirators were found guilty at Southwark Crown Court earlier this month of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue, while Irish actor/producer Aoife Madden admitted two similar charges.
- Humans are 鈥渘aturally attuned鈥 to detecting how their pets are feeling, psychologists at Walden University in Minneapolis claim. They say their research shows that dogs and people can 鈥渃onnect鈥 via 鈥渆motional communication鈥, the Daily Mail reported on 18 March. But the results themselves raise doubt about the supposedly proven understanding between man and mutt. When shown a picture of a snarling police dog, 70 per cent of participants were unsurprisingly able to identify that the dog was angry. But only 37 per cent could spot if the dog was sad, while the canine expressions showing surprise and disgust proved even more difficult to identify. Nevertheless, Dogs Today editor Beverley Cuddy said that canine lovers would feel vindicated by the research, adding: 鈥淪cience has finally accepted what we knew all along - dog and owner communicate perfectly well without words.鈥
- Director of fair access Les Ebdon scrupulously avoided the words 鈥渘uclear option鈥 as he returned for the first time to the scene where he uttered the infamous phrase. Appearing before the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee on 19 March, Professor Ebdon trod carefully as he answered MPs鈥 questions - unlike a year ago, when his threat to stop universities charging higher fees if they failed on access incurred the wrath of the right-wing press before he had even taken office. This time, he said he did not expect to use 鈥渟anctions鈥, adding that last year鈥檚 access agreements had set some tough targets and he 鈥渨as not seeking to enhance [their] ambition鈥 this year. 糖心Vlog, for one, misses the Ebdon of old.
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