Today's news

University cuts lectures to avoid 'over-teaching'
Bristol University, which is raising tuition fees to £3,000 a year, has decided that its first-year politics students are being "over-taught". From October, the number of lectures they receive is to be cut from three a week to one. Anthony Forster, professor of politics, said that "strengthening student-centred learning" in the first year would be better preparation for "independent study" in the second and third years.
The Daily Telegraph

Student debt rises to £13bn
The amount of student debt outstanding in 2003-04 was more than £13 billion, a sevenfold increase in nine years. The Student Loans Company figure, for publicly owned debt, shows an increase from £1.859 billion in 1995-96. The Education minister Bill Rammell quoted the statistics in a Commons written reply. The average level of student debt has risen to £8,430 this year from £3,530 in 1999-2000.
The Independent, The Times, The Scotsman

Exam results dominate student complaints to watchdog
Students made 120 formal complaints about questionable exam marks, shoddy halls of residence and accusations of plagiarism to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator in the nine months since it opened, it was revealed today. The annual report of the new watchdog, which students can call on to settle disputes with their universities, reveals that almost half of the complaints related to academic matters such as students contesting their results.
The Guardian

Cheats hit Russian colleges
The heads of some of Russia's most prestigious educational establishments yesterday admitted that students use surrogates to pass examinations for the most sought-after places. Students are using increasingly ingenious methods to gain entry to top institutes, whose qualifications are a passport to lucrative jobs. The surrogate students are only the latest symptom of an epidemic of corruption that has gripped the Russian higher education system. A report published this week by the Ministry of Education and Moscow's Higher School of Economics showed that more than $300 million (£165 million) was paid in bribes to enter the country's educational establishments last year.
The Guardian

Britain faces competition for foreign students
International students are an important source of income to many British educational institution, contributing about £10.2 billion a year to the national economy. But a recent hike in visa costs, the strength of sterling, high fees and increasing overseas competition are deterring some foreign students from studying in Britain. Students from outside the EU were recently hit with a 136 per cent increase in the cost of a visa. The price rose from £36 to £85, with extensions costing £250 via post (up from £155) or £500 (up from £250) for the "premium" in-person service.
The Daily Telegraph

Today is happiest day of the year, says Cardiff psychologist
Fine weather and the prospect of some time off will help make today the happiest day of the year, a psychologist said. Dr Cliff Arnall, specialist in seasonal disorders at the University of Cardiff, devised a formula to work out when Britain would hit a national high point. He used the equation: O + (N x S) + Cpm divided by T + He which takes six different variables into account. Increased outdoor activity, high energy levels, and more sunlight combined to create today's good mood, Dr Arnall found. He used a similar formula to work out that January 24 was the most depressing day of the year.
The Evening Standard

Is being Scottish bad for your health?
Having Celtic genes or even just living in Scotland could put people at far greater risk of heart disease, scientists claimed yesterday. Researchers at Edinburgh University revealed that an unknown "X-factor" - not linked to the usual suspects of poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise and poverty - appears to be responsible for those living in Scotland having a 50 per cent higher chance of getting the potentially fatal condition than people south of the Border.
The Scotsman, The Daily Mail