ÌÇÐÄVlog

Michelle Donelan addresses criticisms of flagship policies at ÌÇÐÄVlog Policy Institute conference

Lifelong Learning Commission says proposals to exclude microcredentials from loan entitlement are a mistake

Following ministerial orders, England’s independent regulator will look at business and management courses, including online provision

Six in 10 firsts awarded in England last year would get lower classification under historic marking standards, claims Office for Students

Ombudsman says difficulties finding alternative remedies during pandemic partly to blame for £1.3 million bill

Focus on organisational hygiene and you get a nice place to work. Quality and high performance may or may not follow, says Grahame Dowling

Older and more prestigious institutions could be among the 10 to 15 being inspected next year

As Republicans pile up assaults on academic freedom, experienced out-of-state president suggests extensive costs to brand value

Government also demands English regulator mount 10-15 on-site inspections checking factors such as use of online teaching

Hundreds of academics refuse to take part in system as part of ongoing industrial action, prompting institutions to draw up contingency plans

Announcement comes amid growing criticism of extra regulatory load placed on universities by reforms 

Universities UK raises concern about ‘requires improvement’ TEF rating and overall administrative burden

Concern that ‘prioritisation’ process for investigations opens up risk of political interference

Latest stage of English plan to tackle ‘poor quality’ via absolute baselines for student outcomes brings threat of punishment for institutions that fall short

Representative body says institutions should consider contextual data on issues such as local and NHS employment, alongside metrics preferred by ministers

Robbert Dijkgraaf's appointment to the Netherlands’ new government has got academics very excited, says Michèle Wera

‘There will not be armies of OfS inspectors assessing teaching quality,’ says chief executive in annual report

Discounts, chatbots, money-back guarantees are tricks in contract cheating websites’ promotional armoury

Half of respondents to survey admit cheating overall, but only 21 per cent of students from Singapore own up

New Office for Students strategy also promises action on free speech, sexual harassment and ‘levelling up’

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland must follow English lead on outlawing essay mills

Court orders telecommunication companies to take ‘assignment help’ service offline

Institutions could face fines if they do not assess written English, sector regulator says

Amendment to skills bill would criminalise providing, arranging or advertising cheating services

Standardised appointment requirements and training under consideration in sector-wide drive to tackle grade inflation

English sector leaders fear cuts to London weighting and arts funding could be compounded by fee cut

Regulator proposes new conditions of registration that also include standard on grade inflation

It is not in the interests of institutions with high-quality provision to offer courses that fall short of the mark, says OfS chair Lord Wharton 

World Bank’s head of education calls for focus on creating ‘single ecosystem’ in tertiary education

Australian regulator allows Perth institution to address its problems behind closed doors

We should embrace the possibility of degrees made up of a pick-and-mix of modules from around the world – but comparability is crucial, says Nick Isles

Lord Storey says he would be happy for government to take over legislation ‘as issue is more important than the politics of it’

Normally static sector’s landscape sees uncharacteristically rapid change as new standards take effect

With a vast youth population but relatively low participation rates, higher education in the Asean region looks ripe for expansion. But can challenges over funding, quality and regional cooperation be overcome? Joyce Lau reports 

‘Patronising’ to expect lower standards from students from disadvantaged backgrounds, says OfS following newspaper report

Liverpool and Leicester plan to scale back moderation and external examining, and to use algorithms to generate grades

Former UK foreign policy adviser fears countries could lose ‘monopoly’ over accreditation for failing to inject critical thinking, curiosity, emotional intelligence and empathy into higher education

Peter Coaldrake also warns universities against ‘sleepwalking’ through Covid-induced risks to their business model

Government says it will give OfS powers to enforce ‘minimum expectations of quality’ before regulator responds to consultation on plan

Sally Mapstone tells QAA conference that lecture will continue to evolve, but will not disappear

Students who take promotional jobs could face massive fines and prison time, Australian regulator says

Clare College rejects recommendation to pay student compensation, in first-of-its-kind case

UK watchdog calls for universities to commit to tackling essay mills, after Australian agency warns of malware redirecting students to contract cheating sites

Director promises action as QAA says prestigious institution failing to meet sector standards and struggling to adapt to Covid-19

Complaints about essay mills peaked as online delivery concerns subsided, regulator’s report says

Graduate employment outcomes are obviously crucial. Yet we must be wary of judging courses and institutions on the basis of a few useful but misleading metrics

Demise of ACICS, favoured by for-profits, still leaves larger problem of venue shopping

Australian reviewer who proposed benchmarks before the crisis must now decide how and when to apply them

Degree outcome statements show some universities have clamped down on rising number of firsts

Forthcoming policies on ‘low-value courses’ and grade inflation must acknowledge how pandemic will hit graduate prospects and undergraduate preparedness for years to come, says QAA deputy chief executive Vicki Stott

Full impact of pandemic on Office of the Independent Adjudicator caseload may yet emerge

Campuses rated below par for three years in a row could be asked to suspend undergraduate recruitment

Office for Students proposal to measure student progress to ‘professional’ jobs without benchmarking could deter universities from recruiting disadvantaged learners, sector warns

More than 13,000 sign petition calling for blanket policy to protect students’ grades from impact of coronavirus pandemic

New minister’s old work on online education could be revived to encourage tertiary sector integration, experts say

Critics say draft benchmarks for assessment of scholarly activity are overprescriptive, exclusionary and onerous

Report finds that 40 out of 56 universities in country would not meet strict new standards proposed

Essay mills’ opportunism, preying on student anxiety about online assessment methods, strengthens the case for legislation, says Douglas Blackstock

Two decades of Bologna-driven programme accreditation has proved that universities can be trusted to assure their quality, says Michèle Wera 

English regulator to work with students and their unions to increase awareness of its powers