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The way in which more efficient application processes are leading to students being better matched to degree courses and are more qualified for their courses rather than just filling up vacant seats is presented.

A Briton's experience of teaching in Japan makes him wonder why British universities do not provide support for the foreign students who find the U.K.'s education system and culture puzzling as well as for the teachers who often know very little about the backgrounds of the students they teach.

The modest success achieved by universitiesE efforts to prevent student dropouts is discussed.

The Government warning to universities to provide degree-level qualifications in compliance with the Leitch report target or allow further education (FE) colleges to do so is presented.

The inclusion of Islam in higher education in the universities in Britain supports the studies of theological and civilizational aspects of Islam.

The industrial collaboration of universities leads to more research based on company priorities and less fundamental research. The freedom to generate their own new ideas is demanded by the universities.

The concept of excellence in teaching and learning in higher education is analyzed based on its relevance in the democratic society.

The higher education institutes in U.K. are at financial risk. The recovery plans are being developed with the help of The Higher Education Funding Council for England.

The contract prepared by the Association of heads of University Administration (AHUA) is condemned to control the students' rights to seek legal action against the university malfunctions like closure of courses, change of courses and not keeping the promises in the prospectuses.

The article stresses on the importance of explaining to students the way the assessment system in colleges work and that the more hours they put in learning, the better marks they would achieve.

The article examines the new organization named, The Association for Learning Development in Higher Education, which was started on April 1st, 2007. According to the chairperson of the organization, the focus is mainly on the 'study skills' required for higher education in universities.

The article describes the priorities announced by the French President concerning university reforms in France. The reforms include freedom of control of funds, staff recruitment and campus development.

The article describes the reforms for higher education introduced by U.K.'s new Secretary of State for the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), Mr. John Denham.

The article discusses the announcement made by the U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown to segregate the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in the U.K. to make it a world-class base of learning.

The article discusses the move accelerated by the Prime Minister of U.K., Mr. Gordon Brown, to open a new Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), to improve higher education in the U.K.

The article discusses the position of higher education in universities in the U.K. U.K considers its higher education to be world class.

The massacre of students at Virginia Tech in 2007 is giving rise to speculation that university creative-writing courses could attract mentally disturbed individuals. Several academics refute the idea that creative-writing allows disturbed minds free rein.

U.K. universities are seeing a dramatic increase in forensic science courses thanks to television dramas and investigative novels. However, while some academics see the student demand as a boon, others are unconvinced of the quality of the courses.

The controversy over a psychic being hired by a university for conducting a staff wellbeing workshop is presented.

The Leeds University has decided to cancel subject of anti-Semitism in Islam. The author opines that if the subject is not discussed openly, the meaning of the same would not be comprehended by the general public.

A-level psychology has emerged as a subject to be taught at the British universities. The British Psychological Society has confirmed A-level psychology as a science and has ordered it to be taught to students.

Union leaders are critical of a redundancy list drafted by the University of Wales, Newport, as part of a suspect job-cutting process adopted in haste to rush through closures of courses. The list of redundant staff drawn up much earlier than any consultation began over proposals to close programs is questionable, since any institution is legally expected to consult with the University and College Union about who should be made redundant.

Universities are adopting the controversial practice of 'mystery shopping' similar to those in retail and catering industries, by allowing consultants to pose as potential students and parents in order to test the customer care skills of academics. Although training courses are planned to ensure that staff provide excellent customer service, critics believe that the student-to-staff ratios should be reduced in universities for enabling better care of students, rather than modifying the role of academics.

The rise of terrorism studies into an independent subject that includes several disciplines is discussed. The research is ably aided by several funding schemes.

Higher education institutions in the U.K. can compete for a Pounds Sterling 5 billion market in employer spending on training and development. However, this competition could involve some radical, cultural and structural changes.

The Crichton University Campus in Dumfries is praised as a catalyst for the regeneration of the underprivileged southwest of Scotland, which helps to stop the exodus of young people and makes opportunities for mature students. However, the project, which merges Glasgow and Paisley universities and Bell College, is threatened in 2007 by Glasgow University's plan to cut its undergraduate intake and withdraw from the site.

The government wants early notice of university plans to cut 'strategically important' subjects as it emerged that almost one quarter of the country's physics departments are vulnerable. Alan Johnson, Education Secreteray, has written to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) requesting early notification of any universities planning closures in subjects such as chemistry, physics and mathematics.

Universities in European countries are offering an increasing number of courses conducted in English and this could seriously impact recruitment of students to UK institutions. Germany, France and the Netherlands all offer courses conducted in English and this could be attractive to UK students, thereby also reducing the number of domestic students at UK universities.

Brunel University has appointed the first professor of video games in the UK, Tanya Krzywinska, who will lead the university's new MA in digital games: theory and design. Tanya Krzywinska also lectures on the university's new MA in cult film and TV.

The first students are set to graduate from the fine art course at Sharjah's College of Fine Arts and these students will provide qualified staff for the growing number of museums and galleries in Sharjah. The college forms an integral element in the process of promoting art and culture.

The Royal Society and 66 other national science academies have called on teachers and parents to provide children with the facts on evolution as creationists make inroads in the UK. Lewis Wolpert, professor of anatomy at University College London, is worried that there are academics in science departments who are creationists.

Creationism is starting to make inroads into the science curricula, with Leeds University planning to incorporate one or two compulsory creationism and intelligent design lectures into its second-year course for genetics and zoology undergraduates. Leicester University academics already include creationism and intelligent design for third-year genetics undergraduates.

Two-year degree courses could be a way to encourage more students from poorer backgrounds to university, Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell has told university heads. Mr Rammell said universities need to take a more diverse approach to provision of higher education in the future.

Institutions such as universities and museums are feeling pressure from the Department for Culture, media and Sport or market forces to reflect Britain's fast-changing demographic make-up. Forces from above and below say heritage must get blacker, but there is no British Asian national museum or archive.

Roehampton University will start rolling out a major experiment in September 2006, initially with 400 to 500 first-year students from a range of subject areas, whereby students will do a module in citizenship and social justice. The project is run by the Crucible, a GBP4.5 million Centre of Excellence in Human Rights and Social Justice which was set up by the university with money from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Booklists form the academic core of a relationship between lecturer and student but with the digital revolution this is changing. Students ex[ect booklists online with up-to-date changes as new texts are published. searching for texts online could soon become the norm following much activity in digital publishing in 2005, including Google Print for Libraries' decision to scan content of university libraries and Amazon's announcement that it would enable digital chapters and whole books to be purchased online.

Few students are enrolling in mathematics programs at Britisih universities and officials are seeking ways to increase enrollment. Poor mathematics instruction at lower levels of education are blamed, but lowering university mathematics standards is not the answer. Instead, mathematics education at primary and secondary schools needs to be increased and improved.

Academic degrees that focus on a vocation may be sneered at by some academics, but they are popular with students and graduates with vocational degrees are more desirable to employers. Related articles on information technology and medical degrees are also included.

This article discusses the history of ethnomusicology studies. Topics include anthropology, cultural diaspora, and globalization.

More universities are adding courses in popular music to meet the demand from students entranced by the success of contestants on shows like pop star. The courses not only teach music theory and popular culture, but also cover the business aspects of music production.

Irish studies programs in British Universities are seen as critical to the peace process but they are struggling for funding. Government funding is almost nonexistent and private funding goes to Ireland rather than England were it is needed. The Irish Studies program at Liverpool University is hoping for funding for a chairmanship in Irish studies.

The Academy for Irish Cultural Heritages was founded to study Irish cultures and history and find the root of the differences that now divide Northern Ireland. By learning the reason behind differences and finding the common roots of differing cultures, the Academy hopes to find grounds for peace.

One view of sports science in UK universities is that the subject is doing well and prospering. Others have another view, however, and believe that the curriculum needs to be larger and take on more international issues.

The demand for academics to present television programmes and popularise difficult subjects is discussed. Examples of academics achieving celebrity status through media exposure and interest in their field are listed.

A discussion on how the content of higher education courses differs is presented. A study looking into the curricula of courses offered by universities in the UK focused on how the courses had been changed.

A discussion on the value and role of creative writing courses at British universities is presented. In the US some well-known writers are involved in teaching young writers.

Despite being criticised universities which have offered vocational courses find they seem to be popular with students and employers.

Some British universities are tackling the lack of interest in modern language courses by offering a number of different types of courses. They have also found an increasing number of students wishing to learn Spanish.

Engineering and science students often find practical projects undertaken in their third year of university are much more stimulating and a good source of learning than the two previous years of practical work. Some universities have tried to tackle the problem by giving their students more interesting project work earlier in their courses. Lancaster and Liverpool universities, England, have both devised new types of projects for their second year students where they work independently in teams but with the support of their tutors.

Some British universities have been trying to cater for the need to train graduates for the video-game industry. New job opportunities in the industry are expected to reach around 6,000 during the year 2000. There is also an increasing demand from young people for courses in video-games. The status of video-games is rising, with greater public recognition of the creative skills which go into designing a new games. Universities putting on the courses stress the degrees do have a strong element of academic study.