Student engagement predicts final performance ‘within weeks’ Students who up their engagement later on struggle to catch the early starters, says study By Simon Baker 14 October
UK government was warned campus Covid outbreaks ‘very likely’ Sage document from last month says closing universities would have reduced transmission rates By John Morgan 13 October
Union slams ministers for ignoring advice to move teaching online Documents reveal Sage advised UK government in September that halting in-person teaching would help prevent spread of Covid-19 By Anna McKie 13 October
Lockdown led to ‘more polarised’ working hours for UK researchers Many early career researchers saw their working hours fall, but one in nine scientists worked 60 hours a week, says Vitae study By Jack Grove 13 October
UCU threatens wider industrial action in bid to force move online Unrest over return of face-to-face teaching on UK campuses pushes staff-management relations to breaking point By Anna McKie 13 October
Don’t go to UK for bachelor’s degree, ambassador tells Romanians Andrew Noble says students should study locally at undergraduate level and then travel to Britain for postgraduate courses By David Matthews 13 October
Universities’ Soviet-style bullshit is not an antidote to Covid’s grim reality Living in a parallel universe of perfect systems and obedient citizens could blow up in vice-chancellors’ faces like Chernobyl, warns Craig Brandist By Craig Brandist 13 October
Covid-19: UK confirms 9,000 student cases in past week Universities minister Michelle Donelan says outbreaks confirmed on 68 campuses By Chris Havergal 12 October
Call to protect academic freedom in overseas partnerships New code of conduct says universities should adopt procedures for confidential reporting of threats to freedom and safety as a result of international collaboration By Ellie Bothwell 12 October
Doubts remain on UK overseas recruitment despite ‘positive’ signs Students have been arriving from key markets such as China and India, but flexible start dates mean final numbers are a long way from certain By Simon Baker 12 October
Fresh crop of Nobelists opens door to plate-glass generation The profiles of this year’s Nobelists suggest scientists from newer, innovative institutions may soon overshadow those from more historic universities By Jack Grove 12 October
Germany is sad about Brexit – but not blind to the opportunity it presents The country’s deep belief in cooperation coexists with a quiet opportunism about recruitment and funding, say Tim Seidenschnur and Georg Krücken By Tim Seidenschnur 12 October
