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Open online courses’ cohort much less massive at finish line

Undergraduate-led learning environment is eroding academics’ authority, Jack Grove writes

Humanities scholars must use dash and pluck to win research cash

These striking posters are part of the personal material donated by playwright Willy Russell to Liverpool John Moores University’s Special Collections and Archives

David Willetts and Vince Cable appear to prefer visiting Russell Group to post-92s, writes John Morgan

Research reveals conservative fears of left-wing influence are unfounded

Asia breaks into the Universitas top 10 rankings

Obama defends discipline from Republican attacks

Entrepreneurial and academic excellence are pursued side by side, and the dividends are clear to see

Universities UK has moved to head off any prospect that the new immigration bill, announced today in the Queen’s Speech, might herald a crackdown on the use of public services by overseas university students.

One of the largest US massive open online course providers has announced a deal with publishers that will allow students free access to relevant excerpts from text books for the duration of their studies.

University College London is seeking a new site for its £1 billion Stratford campus after abandoning contoversial plans to redevelop a housing estate in East London.

The University of Salford has accepted more than 200 students on to courses that it is considering closing within weeks and may face a “significant backlash” as a result, an internal document suggests.

A grant of $500,000 (£320,000) from the Carnegie Corporation of New York has enabled Yale University to join forces with a wide range of international institutions to develop a global network of scholars devoted to the study of Asian topics.

Planned reforms of higher education in Ireland have come under fire in a speech by the outgoing president of the sector’s main union.

From Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Edward Cullen in the Twilight series, vampire characters have long had the ability to capture the public’s imagination.

Details have been released about proposals to allow universities in England to win more undergraduate places if they can show they are recruiting strongly.

A “big data” health research centre at the University of Oxford has been announced as the latest to benefit from the government’s UK Research Partnership Investment Fund.

College leaders have voted to scrap the University of London Union after backing a review which said the student union’s federal structure was outdated and offered poor value for money.

Four more universities have announced plans to offer massive open online courses via the UK-based Futurelearn platform, taking the total number of higher education institutions involved to 21.

Two-minute blasts from students’ own music collections to allow dancing in lectures every 20 minutes is one of the techniques being employed by a university to encourage less sedentary behaviour while learning.

Blog posts reveal a lack of ‘socio-academic’ confidence among doctoral students paying their own way

Rather than the academy relaxing its ethical standards, perhaps areas of the media need to raise their game, argues Keith Richards

Overseas students beat UK peers’ tariff scores on many courses, analysis suggests

The director returns to his roots in the screwball sex comedy I’m So Excited. By Lucy Bolton

If creativity can’t be taught, the invaluable craft of writing can, says novelist and Bath Spa professor

Cut on cards as union looks to live within its means

Education academics must demonstrate their practical relevance if they wish to save their discipline, argues John Furlong

Critic says Nature Materials is breaking its own rules

Glass ceiling remains in place for female academics. Jack Grove reports

Chinese student at Bath convicted on bribery, firearms charges

Germany ensures degrees of highly skilled migrants are recognised. Frances Mechan-Schmidt reports

Students from ethnic minorities are less likely to be offered a place at a leading research-intensive university than white pupils with the same A-level grades, the UK’s admissions service has confirmed

Research and publication is by far the most important factor in career advancement, according to a survey of academics

Leader sought to guide Hefce through period of upheaval

Survey finds median wages and employment rates are holding steady

University of London college targets graduate employability and research cash

Fossil Free urges universities to dump holdings in fuel companies

Growth in university enterprise societies marks a change

UK settlement not on agenda for most, poll shows

Victorian ‘penny dreadfuls’ offer priceless insights into social history

Essex scholar raises fears over peer review integrity

All across the US, colleges and universities are sending out their letters of acceptance and rejection. There will be tears

Nicola Dandridge says mixed messages on immigration aid competitor nations’ university sectors

John Elmes investigates the growth in university-sponsored academies

Proposed rules on designation call for ‘robust’ quality and finance checks

The latest round of job cuts at the University of Salford could see up to 87 professional service staff made redundant, with the institution blaming a fall in student numbers under the new system.

Universities are to benefit from a reduced administrative burden in supplying information about their costs, but government pressure to give more of such data to students has met with a cool response.

The University of Manchester has equalled the record for University Challenge wins after beating University College London in last night’s final

The first pan-European massive open online course initiative has been launched by the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities.

Elizabeth Redden, for Inside Higher Ed

A celebration of the life and influence of legendary historian Eric Hobsbawm, who died last October at the age of 95, brought out family, friends and fellow scholars in force at Birkbeck, University of London this week.

Fewer than ten graduates each from Black Caribbean and Bangladeshi minority groups make the transition to a research degree each academic year, a study has found.