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• The concept of the public intellectual needs reframing. • This requires a recasting of academic scholarship in the digital era. • The digital public sphere requires a well-evidenced set of interventions from the academy. • The ideals of digital scholarship are tempered by the realities and politics of academia. • Public pedagogy needs to be directly aligned to the digital public sphere as a space of intellectual engagement. Intellectual life in countries such as the UK and elsewhere is currently framed by a seeming contradiction. On the one hand, notions of engagement and knowledge transfer have taken centre stage in higher education institutions in their desire to create impact with the general public and non-academic institutions. But on the other hand, these societies are witnessing an apparent decline in the role and importance of the public intellectual. Given this is the case, it is important to ask: what does the future hold for the public intellectual? And what is the role of the university when it comes to sustaining and enriching a broader intellectual culture in the public sphere? The aim of this paper is to explore these questions, particularly in the context of the spread of digital scholarship in the academy. This form of web-based academic scholarship, which valorises openness and public engagement, has the potential to change the shape and substance of public intellectualism. The paper explores this potential in detail, while at the same time outlining some of the challenges faced by the digital scholarship movement and its efforts to further 'publicise' intellectual life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many higher education institutions have started to develop academic curricula, research capacity and outreach activities related to circular economy. However, little is known yet on how to apply circular economy thinking to sustainable campus management. In an attempt to address this gap, this paper proposes a methodological framework and guidance to help universities develop a circular economy strategy aimed at improving resource efficiency and environmental sustainability of their campus operations. The approach is compatible with sustainability management frameworks as it follows the well-known iterative process of planning, doing, checking and improving. The framework involves three main steps: analysis of current situation with respect to circular economy within the organisation; stakeholder engagement to get a buy-in and inform the development of a circular economy strategy; and implementation of the strategy following the guidelines provided within the framework. Application of the framework is illustrated through a case of the University of Manchester, demonstrating how circular economy principles can be used to benchmark existing sustainability policies and action plans. The paper also shows how engaging key stakeholders can be used to identify challenges and opportunities for embedding circular economy thinking into the university's sustainability management systems. The proposed framework and the guidelines for implementation of circular economy thinking are generic and can be applied by any institution across the higher education sector. Image 1 • There is a lack of knowledge on how to implement circular economy in universities. • A simple but powerful framework is proposed to guide institutions in that process. • Application of the framework is illustrated through a real case of a large UK university. • Challenges and opportunities for CE are discussed based on stakeholder interviews. • Guidelines are provided for the development and implementation of a CE strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper asks what militarisation looks like when encountered in university settings, using the example of the UK university armed service units. It identifies a specific definition of militarisation, which is then used as a framework to explore the USUs. The USUs have been subject to critique as emblematic of militarisation, and thus problematic. The paper looks at practices where militarisation can be identified as evident on university campuses, such as in disciplinary engagements with military institutions and activities, as well as flows of funding and knowledge. We show how the military-university nexus problematizes the idea of separate and distinctive military and civilian spheres which pervades much of the discourse around military involvement at universities, and highlight the generative and creative capabilities of militarisation as co-constituted within the military-university nexus. The paper then examines in detail how the process of militarisation works in practice through the USUs. This confirms the importance of individual agency to a conceptualisation of militarisation. In conclusion, we argue for the continued utility of process-focussed understandings of militarisation which emphasise how such processes are generative of social relations. We emphasise the necessity of capturing the nuance and complexity through which processes work not least around the engagements of people as active agents with such processes. We also note the potential significance of scale to future conceptualisations of militarisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper interprets students’ perceptions of how they utilise technology for their learning and the link to sustainability and employability. A focus group approach is adopted with final year undergraduate hospitality students at three academic institutions in the UK, Switzerland and UAE. Diverse perceptions of the relationship between learning activities, eLearning tools, sustainability and employability are revealed. Comparisons are examined to better understand students’ perceptions of eLearning tools for sustainability. This paper highlights students’ awareness of the role of technology in sustainability and employability and calls on educators to promote a more integrated and multi-disciplinary approach to curriculum design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper maps the diverse experiences of six women early career researchers in the Education department of an English university. Within a case study approach, data were generated using methods originally developed in collective memory work. The paper analyzes the women's motivations and values, and the extent to which these render their research foci more or less malleable. It explores the women's expectations regarding rejection; their knowledge of the implicit rules of the productivity game; and their perceptions of reviewer feedback. It also discusses the kinds of help the women found most useful, namely, internal support from a departmental community of practice, and external support from academics at other institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper explores the changing role of the university developed and changed over time, and how this is likely to change further in the next 25 years. By drawing on scenarios for the future of the HE sector in the UK in 2035, the article argues that postgraduate research students will be the key factor that sustains the future of the Academy as universities focus more and more attention on the teaching of ever increasing numbers of undergraduate students. The paper highlights the danger of a divide occurring between the idea of the university and the notion of the Academy in the future, and the essential role that research students will play in ensuring this divide remains bridged. The article argues that it is imperative for universities to expand their postgraduate research degree provision if the Academy is to continue in the future as the foundation to knowledge creation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports on a study at a research intensive University in the North of the UK exploring academics'' perceptions of the potential of Web 2.0 for their teaching and any influences shaping those perceptions. It looks at the perceptions of academics ‘on the ground’ as well as those leading teaching and learning strategies at the University. The study identifies a range of perceptions among academics. These are influenced predominantly by academics'' beliefs of what constitutes good teaching in their contexts. The paper concludes with an exploration of ways in which the range of perceptions evidenced may inform discussion of Web 2.0, arguing that academics'' perceptions are crucial to context-based understandings of its potential. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper investigates students' perceptions of factors influencing their Willingness to Communicate (WTC), the inclination to engage in spoken discourse with others, and the type of classroom activities which prompt oral output. The present study applied activities to the classroom context and evaluated them through observation, reflective journal and stimulated recall sessions in an attempt to comprehend the extent to which certain dynamics impact on the oral output of a group of Chinese learners. As with other research, the topic, interlocutors, task focus, learners' proficiency and task complexity influenced WTC significantly. While the observations generally corroborated findings, it appears that participants' identity, transferred from the first language (L1), may have impacted on self-reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper updates a review of offshore enrolments of overseas students registered for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at British universities which was undertaken in the mid-1990s. Two main conclusions can be drawn from this review update. First, the future prospects for transnational higher education in the UK are quite uncertain. In particular, the growth of offshore overseas students has declined significantly during the last five years or so and overall enrolments could fall appreciably during the next five-ten years. And secondly, in the face of low financial returns to the bulk of offshore courses coupled with other non-financial factors, UK universities are increasingly rationalising/consolidating their offshore provision. In particular, among those universities which are in a position to do so, more emphasis is being given to higher-return collaborative courses with overseas partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Energy consumption in higher education institutions (HEIs) modelled. • For the first time, panel data used, with cross-sectional and time-series variations. • Over time and across HEIs, energy use increases as income and size increase. • Economies of scale as HEIs grow, but energy use still rising with sector growth. • Research universities more energy intensive. Abstract Among the various sustainability goals of higher education institutions (HEIs), reducing energy use and carbon emissions are particularly important. However, not much is known about energy demand from the higher education sector – especially since there is a lack of robust models of energy demand in this sector. This paper, the first to utilize a panel dataset and advanced panel econometric techniques in order to model energy use in higher education, investigates variations in energy use between HEIs (cross-sectional analysis), and also changes in energy use over time (temporal analysis), using the UK as a case study. We argue that panel dataset and methods are more useful for understanding growth (and reduction) in energy use within the HE sector than the methods used within previous cross-sectional studies. Results show that, over time and also across the sector, energy consumption in the HEIs increases with increases in income and floor space, but at a slower rate. As HEIs grow overall (in terms of income, floor space, student and staff number) over time, they become more 'energy efficient' (using less energy per unit of area, population or income), indicating economies of scale in the temporal dimension. Results also show that after controlling for income and size, research intensive HEIs consume more energy. We also find a small but statistically significant effect of energy prices on energy consumption, as might be expected. Simulation using the model parameters for an example scenario suggests that energy consumption will continue to increase unless there is a significant change in the policies driving income growth and spatial expansion in the HE sector in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The paper offers new, significant insights into the Church engagement experiences of Chinese international students in the UK. Based on a mixed-method research and focusing on a group of international Chinese students participating in local Christian churches, it explores the motivations (for), dynamics and types of connections students establish and maintain with the church communities, and the implications for stakeholders in facilitating intercultural engagement with the local community. The limited cross-cultural interactions alongside other structural and contextual factors often deprive meaningful engagement between international students and host nationals within the campus. According to the research participants, internationalised university is promising and promoting intercultural experiences but not delivering them. Chinese students of usually non-Christian background gravitate towards Christian churches as alternative places to gain desired intercultural experiences. The findings encourage universities to reflect on the quality of intercultural engagement for international students and draw from the reciprocal and respectful intercultural connections that some students discovered through engaging with Christian churches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In October 2009 Skills for Justice published the social research paper ‘Fit for purpose?: Research into the provision of Forensic Science degree programmes in UK Higher Education Institutions.’ The research engaged employers representing 95% of UK Forensic Science providers and 79% of UK universities offering Forensic Science or Crime Scene degree programmes. In addition to this, the research collected the views of 430 students studying these degrees. In 2008 there were approximately 9000 people working in the Forensic Science sector in the UK. The research found that the numbers of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees in the UK have more than doubled since 2002–03, from 2191 in to 5664 in 2007–08. Over the same period there were twice as many females as males studying for these degrees. The research concluded that Forensic Science degree programmes offered by UK universities were of a good quality and they provided the student with a positive learning experience but the content was not relevant for Forensic Science employers. This echoed similar research by the former Government Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on graduates from wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics degree programmes. The research also found that 75% of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees expected to have a career in the Forensic Science sector, meaning that ensuring these courses are relevant for employers is a key challenge for universities. This paper reflects on the original research and discusses the implications in light of recent government policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The concept of ‘university’ has been around for centuries and yet the majority of British Universities have yet to reach their 50th birthday. The higher education sector has been through extensive change over a relatively short period of time and this is likely to continue in the future. This paper presents the results of a futures study focussed on the Higher Education sector in the UK in 10 and 25 years time. Following an extensive, broad ranging literature review covering business, education, futures, and socio-political texts and studies, a series of scenarios were developed for the future of the sector as a whole. This study differs from other studies in its field as it is does not focus on individual institutions, but rather at the environmental factors that are going to impact on the sector, setting out a range of scenarios within which institutions will need to shape their individual futures. Five scenarios are presented in this paper with their underlying driving factors, and their implications for the academic workforce being employed in the sector. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Policy goals in UK higher education encourage the publicly funded universities to become more-specialised and larger in size without compromising output quality. Efficiency gains are expected to flow from this increased specialisation in accordance with universities’ comparative research and teaching strengths. Mergers to reap further gains from economies of scale are also being actively encouraged. Given this scenario, the paper investigates whether best-practice efficiency measurement based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) provides empirical support for the current policy goals. It also assesses whether such support is dependent on the specific type of efficiency measure used in the DEA modelling. This assessment finds that a selection of (nine) commonly used, variant efficiency measures generally support the current policy goals. The paper also uses the principal–agent framework to explore the issues involved in using computed DEA-based efficiency scores for policy evaluations and possible funding guidance in UK higher education. This highlights empirically how policy-makers and universities can have very different preferences about which efficiency measure is to be used for policy evaluations and possible funding guidance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Synopsis: This paper focuses on the experiences and perceptions of gender inequality by undergraduates at a British University with strong historical traditions. Contrary to a ‘post-feminist’ rhetoric stating that gender inequalities no longer exist in higher education in the UK, or at least not at an undergraduate level, results of a questionnaire and interviews show that gender inequality does still persist in this institutional setting. However, we also found reluctance among students, particularly female students, to recognise or articulate this as discrimination. Instead, there was a tendency to downplay or deny such inequalities, and resistance to such matters being raised. Drawing on existing literature in the field, we suggest this might be a ‘coping mechanism’, as well as indicative of the ‘post-feminist’ milieu. The paper then reflects on the implications of these findings, particularly for those seeking to address gender inequalities in such an institutional environment. Drawing on identity politics theory, as well as the authors'' own activist experiences, we argue that while recognising women as a discriminated group may promote gender differentiation, this may still go some way towards practically combating ‘androcentric norms’ [Fraser, Nancy (1995). From redistribution to recognition? Dilemmas of justice in a ‘post-socialist’ age, New Left Review, 212, 68–93.] and thus gender inequality in universities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This systematic review will establish how Fitness to Practise (FtP) processes are applied in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEI), in relation to both Health and Care Profession Council or Nursing and Midwifery Council approved programmes. Healthcare students are required to complete both practice and theory elements, in order to gain their degree and qualify as a healthcare practitioner such as a nurse. It is a requirement of UK HEIs which provide healthcare programmes, to provide evidence to the appropriate regulatory body that FtP policies and processes are in place, and that they review and manage any concerns in relation to a student's standard of practice. Regulatory bodies provide HEIs with strategic guidance on policy which can be interpreted and incorporated into existing policies; this means that there is no standard approach to the FtP process in HEI settings, allowing individual policies and procedures to exist. A systematic review, registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022291532 on the 21st January 2022). Peer reviewed studies published in ten databases were used which included: Medline, Cochrane Library, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Education Source, PsycInfo and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Complete. Citation searching also occurred. This systematic review utilised Preferred Reporting items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) techniques. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists were used to appraise the quality of the research. In total twenty-five articles were retrieved including five papers that were finally selected for review. A thematic analysis identified three themes: a lack of identification of what FtP expectations are; the importance of collaborative working between Higher Education Institutions and practice; the inconsistencies with Higher Education Institution processes in managing FtP concerns. A lack of understanding of what FtP expectations are for students was identified. Collaborative working between Higher Education Institutions and practice is necessary to ensure healthcare students meet FtP requirements consistently in order to protect the public. Although HEIs FtP processes contain similar principles, it has been identified that there are inconsistencies in this process across universities in the UK. These differences include: what initiates the FtP process, to the outcomes. This could have an impact on patient care and safety, the need for review of national guidance, and potential amendments being required to the policies and procedures of both NHS Trusts and private organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following literature review sets out the state-of-the-art research relating to smart building principles and smart energy systems in UK higher education university campuses. The paper begins by discussing the carbon impact of the sector and the concept of 'smart campuses' applied to the sector in the context of decarbonisation. Opportunities and challenges associated with integrating smart energy systems at the university campus from a policy and technical perspective are then discussed. This is followed by a review of building and campus-scale frameworks supporting a transition to smart energy campuses using the BPIE' Smart Buildings' framework. The paper finds that the complexity of achieving net-zero carbon emissions for new and existing higher education buildings and energy systems can be addressed with the adoption of 'smart building principles' and integrating 'smartness' into their energy systems. Several universities in the UK and worldwide are integrating smart services and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in their operations following the smart campus premise. At the building level, existing frameworks often create conceptual roadmaps for the smart building premise or propose technical implementation and assessment methods. At university campus scale, implementation typically comes through single-vector interventions, and only few examples exist that propose a multi-vector approach. Comparisons of the drivers and the decision-making process are made, with carbon and cost reduction being the most prominent from leveraging distributed energy generation. Therefore, this study identified the need for a comprehensive technical or policy framework to drive the uptake of the smart energy campus, aiming to bring together the holistic value of smart energy campuses. • Systematic literature review of smart energy systems at university campus-scale. • UK Policy and technical pathways to smart energy integration. • A critical review of the existing building and university campus-scale frameworks. • A holistic decision-making framework for the integration of multi-vector smart energy system at university campus scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on a three-year study of postgraduate women writers pursuing research degrees at a UK university to explore how they develop identities as academic researchers and writers. Using extracts from written texts, talk-and-text interview transcripts, and writing journals from four postgraduate students in a range of disciplines, I explore the material conditions under which postgraduate women write and the significance of such spaces for the re-invention of themselves as academic writers and researchers. Foregrounding the notion of place and space (Agnew, 2011), I present extracts from four ‘writing tales’ (after Lather, 1991) to explore academic writing at postgraduate level. The tales include ‘visible’ and ‘occluded’ (Swales, 1996) written genres in academia and document the ways in which these facilitate the enactment of postgraduate academic identity. The use of ‘tales’ as an analytical unit and as a form of representation provides a mechanism through which multiple data sources are drawn together to illuminate a highly contextualised, and potentially gendered, dimension of postgraduate academic writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Campus greening is often the first step universities take towards sustainability. In order to infer the current level of environmental performance and the progress being made it is imperative that universities measure and report their campus greening efforts. This paper shows that sustainability reporting can be a simple task and is of significant value for directing sustainable campus operations. To do this, Environmentally Extended Input Output Analysis was used to derive the carbon footprint for the University of Leeds. Being driven by financial data which is readily available to universities the assessment is easy to conduct and maintain through time. Environmentally Extended Input Output Analysis provides complete coverage of the campus system and thus accounts for the majority of emissions sources. Accordingly, it enables comparisons of environmental performance to be made between institutions. The reliability of comparisons falters when organisational boundaries vary between carbon footprints, and thus, in the interest of methodological consistency, a framework should be established that defines universal organisational boundaries which universities must adhere to. Interviews with university procurement staff showed that carbon footprints can provide a screening assessment which identifies emissions hotspots in supply chains. Such as assessment is currently lacking and provides evidence of win win situations where emissions and costs can be reduced simultaneously. Although carbon footprinting considers only the environmental dimension of the triple bottom line, it is recommended that universities intensify its application. For the institutions themselves the results will be of significant practical value for directing initiatives such as sustainable procurement and for enhancing stakeholder engagement with the sustainability agenda, whilst an increased application will help build much needed momentum for sustainability reporting overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a professional development project between a lecturer in a UK university and two EAP practitioners. The aim was to assess the extent to which EAP practitioners' knowledge of academic English and teaching strategies common to the EAP and ELT sectors could be harnessed to enhance the lectures of an L1 English lecturer for international students. The methodology included recording and reviewing sample lectures, conducting focus groups with students and a reflection discussion with the lecturer. It provided the lecturer with an opportunity to engage with practices drawn from the ELT and EAP sectors in order to develop her lecturing style for these students. The project explored ideas relating to lecturing skills, features of lecture language and discourse, and adopting EAP and ELT teaching techniques in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic Voting System (EVS) is a classroom technology that provides a means to increase students' engagement, attention and attendance. The purpose of this paper is to provide a deeper insight into students' views on the benefits and challenges of EVS in the context of a large-scale institutional deployment and across different subject areas in higher education. The data were collected from an online survey of 590 students across eleven academic schools at a UK university. The non-linear principal component analysis of 32 question items from the survey showed that learning benefits, classroom-related benefits, usability and student-centered challenges are four distinctive dimensions in student's perceptions of the use of EVS. The non-parametric group comparison tests suggested that there are significant differences in learning benefits and challenges across different subject groups. However, the disparity appears to be related more to the way the EVS was used and the experience of students with it, rather than resulting from disciplinary differences. Content analysis of open questions revealed that summative use and staff competencies are the main issues related to EVS use by students. Finally, despite the overwhelming perception of the ease of use, it was found that usability could be an issue for students when EVS was used for summative assessment. The implications of the study are: for practitioners, it underlines the importance of the focus on formative benefits of EVS as only then and regardless of disciplinary differences, can the promised rewards of the technology be gained; for institutions, it outlines some of the new challenges specific to the large-scale institutional implementation, judged through the lens of students' experience; for researchers, it provides an overview of the literature on large-scale deployment of EVS and it suggests some new areas for research on the use of EVS in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sound data intensive science depends upon effective research data and information management. Efficient and interoperable research information systems will be crucial for enabling and exploiting data intensive research however it is equally important that a research ecosystem is cultivated within research-intensive institutions that foster sustainable communication, cooperation and support of a diverse range of research-related staff. Researchers, librarians, administrators, ethics advisors, and IT professionals all have a vital contribution to make in ensuring that research data and related information is available, visible, understandable and usable over the mid to long term. This paper will provide a summary of several ongoing initiatives that the Jisc-funded Digital Curation Centre (DCC) are currently involved with in the UK and internationally to help staff within higher education institutions prepare to meet funding body mandates relating to research data management and sharing and to engage fully in the digital agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities are facing severe cuts in funding and a transformation of both the economic model underpinning higher education and the relationship between students, tutors and universities and the traditional forms of support for students’ learning may be eroded. At the same time, mobile communications, instant messaging and social networking are now widespread amongst students and offer possible opportunities for developing new models of support. This paper reports on the use of instant messaging amongst peers, as part of a study of digitally-mediated communication and collaborative activities, crossing formal and informal boundaries, amongst campus-based undergraduate students, at a large university in the UK. It is argued that instant messaging conversations offers a means of sustainable peer support for students by demonstrating how they emerge from everyday practices, drawing on existing relationships and shared histories and redrawing the boundaries between formal and informal settings and practices. The importance of time is highlighted, showing how longitudinal, dialogic conversations were important for both practical and empathetic support. The potential of the instant messaging conversations in supporting the co-creation of artefacts, meaning making, motivation and affective support are also demonstrated, drawing on detailed examples of authentic conversations. However, such peer support practices remain largely invisible and therefore need acknowledging, fostering and encouraging, working alongside students to understand and develop these ideas so that peer support in universities can build on the existing practices of students themselves. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper explores the determinants of the choice of UK universities by overseas undergraduate applicants. We use data on overseas applicants in Business Studies and Engineering from 2002 to 2007, to 97 UK universities. Estimating using a Hausman–Taylor model to control for the possible correlation between our explanatory variables and unobservable university-level effects, we find that the fees charged may influence the application decision of some students, but that any relationship between levels of fees and applications is non-linear. The quality of education provided is positively and significantly related to the number of applications. Proximity to London and the existing popularity of a university among home applicants, are also significant predictors of university applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This article is the result of a grounded theory investigation into the ways PhD topics are assigned by supervisors in engineering and selected by students in the social sciences/humanities in UK universities, broadly referred to as ‘topic arrangement’, which can be regarded as one aspect of academic socialisation into academic Discourse communities. Interview data was collected from thirteen Iranian PhD students studying in different UK universities and six of their supervisors during 2000–2001. One further interview was conducted with a professor of sociology. The interviews were transcribed, thematically coded, and analysed using NUD.IST. The results show that PhD students themselves often select PhD topics in the social sciences/humanities, whereas PhD topics are often assigned to PhD students by engineering supervisors. The reason for this difference in practice between these two fields seems to stem from different ideologies on what constitutes a PhD across disciplines, as well as funded projects, which are more likely to be available to engineering supervisors and students. Throughout the paper, a modest attempt has been made to draw the attention of EAP practitioners to a redefinition of the concept of Discourse with a big ‘D’, which includes linguistic and non-linguistic aspects of advanced academic literacy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As the number of non-native speakers of English studying at universities in the United Kingdom (UK) has grown, so has the need to provide pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. One of the challenges facing the organisers of such courses is deciding how to determine whether students have completed them successfully and whether they are ready to enter their academic departments. This paper reviews research into assessment on pre-sessional and other EAP support courses, and summarises the results of a survey of practice in a number of universities in the UK and other countries. It describes how assessment on pre-sessional courses has evolved at one British institution (Lancaster University), and outlines some of the problems that have led to changes in recent years. Explanations will be given of the methods used to pilot and refine a new assessment procedure and of the attempts that have been made to investigate its validity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper discusses the impact of the introduction of a virtual learning environment (VLE) on teaching practices within a new university in the UK, and explores the factors that have encouraged or, conversely, discouraged, the adoption of the VLE by teaching staff, from the latter''s perspective. It is based on findings from the analysis of qualitative interviews with 23 members of academic staff from across four subject areas at Kingston University (KU), conducted as part of a broader research project on the use of VLEs in teaching and learning at KU (2002–2005). It reports on the areas of teaching that have been most affected by the VLE; details the specific ways in which practice has been transformed by the VLE and describes the nature of the adjustments that staff have had to make; and specifies the factors that have encouraged the adoption of a technology such as a VLE as part of teaching on undergraduate courses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper investigates differences across UK universities in 1993 life sciences students'' degree performance using individual-level data from the Universities'' Statistical Record (USR). Differences across universities are analysed by specifying and estimating a subject-specific educational production function. Even after including a wide range of controls for the quality of students, significant differences emerge across universities in students'' degree performance. We apply a two-stage estimation procedure and find evidence that a large part of ‘university effects’ cannot be explained by the kind of institutional inputs commonly used in the literature on school quality. Finally, we compare the unadjusted ranking of universities based on the proportion of ‘good’ (first and upper second class honours) degrees awarded with that based on the estimated probability of a ‘good’ degree obtained from the microeconometric model and find significant differences between the two indicators of universities'' performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]