Letters to THE

Flawed Trac delivers only garbage

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills patently believes its own business-derived propaganda ("FEC scrutinised as deficit lingers", 12 November).

Emperor's new impact 1

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It is something of a relief that an academic as eminent as Vernon Bogdanor is willing to question the link between good universities and economic growth ("Misguided philistines in a relationship that is doomed to failure", 12 November)....

Emperor's new impact 2

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I propose a simple measure of attitude to "impact" in the form of a questionnaire. The research excellence framework rating corresponding to each answer shall be referred to as the "L-index" of the respondent. The ratings are given in brackets,...

Aussie battlers

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Although Steve Smith, the president of Universities UK, may be right that "countries such as China will continue to invest heavily in their higher education systems" ("UK boosts standing but Asian countries 'snap at our heels'?", 8 October),...

Beyond the headlines

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Michael MacNeil's description of Keith Burnett "attacking the unions in the press" (Letters, 12 November) is unfair and short-sighted, with eyes only for the article's headline ("Hanging tough", 29 October). Those who read the piece in its...

Fully supported

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I would like to clarify a number of inaccuracies in your article "PR lecturer resigns in protest over lack of staff" (5 November). In anticipation of the departure of Paul Simpson, an acting course co-ordinator for our BA in public relations...

Targeted fees

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When Lord Browne and his colleagues are considering the appropriate level for student fees in the future, I hope they will take careful account of where the money goes ("Review 'will keep hike in fees off the agenda until after general election'?",...

Openly flexible

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Whatever the merits of open-access journals ("Put all the results out in the open", 12 November), the current system is by no means inflexible. Some colleagues and I have a paper featured in the latest issue of Current Biology. It concludes...

Virtual insanity

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The popularity of video games among young people has been growing for years, and although Generation Y's "successors" have contributed to this, it is doubtful that they have acquired skills making them more suited to the "new economic reality"...

An indecent proposition?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Alan McKee asks if a social scientist can say "titwank" ("When it comes to pornography, vulgar humanities are happy to talk turkey", 12 November). As a humanities scholar, I can't really answer, but it is a shame that McKee works in Australia,...

Impact is created in immeasurable ways 1

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How ironic that the "senior sector figures" should be protected by Chatham House rules, when the powerful rulers single me out as a powerless ordinary academic ("Managers and scholars divided as resistance grows to impact agenda", 5 November).

Impact is created in immeasurable ways 2

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In their open letter to Research Councils UK, Donald Braben and his co-signatories urge peer reviewers to stage a "modest revolt" by declining to "assess" potential economic impact. It is worth being clear about what RCUK is asking applicants...

Impact is created in immeasurable ways 3

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In an attempt to make opposition to the "impact agenda" seem foolish, a panellist is quoted as inviting academics to raise their hand if they would want their work to have no impact whatsoever: "I have yet to see a hand," the speaker is...

Named and/or shamed?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The article on citation counting ("A measure of humanities?", 5 November) mentions two reasons why this method is ill-suited to assessing the quality of work produced in the arts and humanities: disregard for non-English publications, and...

Unequal treatment

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Keith Burnett's appointment as the new chair of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association comes at a critical time for the sector. We had hoped that a new face at the helm would usher in a new approach to industrial relations....

Giving them space 1

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

With reference to Kevin Sharpe's opinion piece "Quiet, please" (5 November), we'd like to make a number of points.

Giving them space 2

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Have librarians gone too far trying to shrug off their "Shhh!" image? As Kevin Sharpe acknowledges, the traditional library needed to change. Many readers now prefer to consult our resources online in their studies, labs and halls.

As simple as ABC ..

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Michael Worton finds a lack of a "clear and compelling identity for modern foreign languages" ("Speak up to keep languages alive, review says", 22 October). He also notes a recent change of identity, with the traditional focus on ancient...

Visas and scholarships

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I thought that Melanie Newman's article "A funny sort of welcome" (29 October) did an excellent job of highlighting many issues around the new visa system. "A parent's story" particularly rang true since I have seen the same issue with a...

Philosophical hurdles

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I look forward to reading Socrates in the Boardroom ("Captains of the academic enterprise", 15 October) although its title puzzles me just a little. If we follow Pierre Hadot's argument in What Is Ancient Philosophy?, it...

Only scholarly freedom delivers real 'impact' 2

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We the undersigned members of the research assessment exercise 2008 philosophy sub-panel wish to register our deep concerns about certain aspects of the research excellence framework consultation document, which we will be bringing to the...

Not all evidence applies

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Both medicine and the Government are wrong about the classification of cannabis. Physical harm is only part of the issue. The effects of drug classification on the individual and society are matters for the behavioural and social sciences,...

No to navel-gazing

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I recognised the story of social scientists' tendency to "address their peers rather than distressed mankind" ("Whither art: vanity is killing social sciences and the humanities", 29 October). Such navel-gazing could be the death of the...

Only scholarly freedom delivers real 'impact' 1

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

An open letter to Research Councils UK

Only scholarly freedom delivers real 'impact' 3

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In the article "Ministers first, academics second" (News, 22 October), it was claimed that "academics have reacted angrily to an internal research council document that says that the Government - not the academic community or the public...

Postal performance

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Michael Thorne's article "Do the market research before you try to make the business case" (29 October) and the recent C.P. Snow lecture in Cambridge are timely reminders of the persisting crudeness of thinking about the relationship between...

It's a set-up

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It is just under a year since you reported that more than 80 per cent of students rate the teaching they receive as good or excellent - satisfaction figures that would be the envy of most businesses and all politicians ("Encouraging survey...

New kids dance better

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Michael Arthur's call for greater concentration of research funding overlooks the fact that his vision of about 30 universities taking the lion's share is already here ("V-c: focus research cash or 'mediocrity' awaits", 22 October).

Protectionism of the 'old school tie' variety 1

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I am a great believer in elitism, much to the annoyance of many colleagues who say that what I actually believe in is excellence ("V-c: focus research cash or 'mediocrity' awaits", 22 October).

Protectionism of the 'old school tie' variety 2

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

"Russell Group head says 25-30 institutions should receive 90 per cent of funding." Well, he would, wouldn't he? What distinguishes Russell Group members from their less illustrious peers is the vast sums of cash they have invested in their...

Protectionism of the 'old school tie' variety 3

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What refreshing honesty from the head of the Russell Group. The UK's elite universities are unable to compete on a level playing field with devoted but poorly funded researchers at former polytechnics, so they need to be protected from the...

Curiouser and curiouser 1

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Tara Brabazon provides an excellent guide to the provision of institutional support for research students ("Doctoring the system", 22 October), but there is an often-neglected issue that requires attention: which students should be taken...

Curiouser and curiouser 2

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In his letter commenting on Times Higher Education's "defence of the importance of university research being independent of political or economic goals" (8 October), Adam Corner argues that the purpose of research should be "the advancement...

We're the heretics now

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Peter Williams' comment comparing the language and tone of the recent Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee report Students and Universities with the "Spanish Inquisition" was regrettable ("QAA head's parting shot at MPs'...

Sociology is worth saving

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We were dismayed to read your brief report about the possible closure of the University of Birmingham's department of sociology ("Entire department may close", 24 September). Although the outcome of the university's departmental review has...

Raise a glass to health

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How daft for Ann Widdecombe to suggest a link between a free drink for students attending sexual health clinics and binge drinking (The week in higher education, 15 October). As an undergraduate 45 years ago, I attended my first blood-donor...

Distorted picture

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Your article "UCU has 'duty to confront' lackadaisical academics" (22 October) provided a platform for Maurice Glasman to peddle specious views about the University and College Union's responsibilities that misconstrue the role of unions...

Have you got news for me?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I was very interested to read your report about the impact of private schooling in higher education ("Four in ten top scholars educated privately", 8 October). However, I'm puzzled why it ran in the News section.

Nick...

Objectors to impact are not few, but many

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

David Delpy, chief executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, argues that there is "a risk that those outside the academy would believe that all academics (are) opposed to the idea of economic impact because of...

Creative ways out of slump

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

If the gross domestic product figures due next week show no sign of recovery, it will be the first time the UK has had six successive quarters without growth.

Teaching needs support, too

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mary Malcolm's opinion piece "Nurturing critical minds" (15 October) made me laugh aloud. Just one sentence of her article focused on the workers meant to deliver her vague aims - "Of course, this imposes considerable demands on lecturers."...

Beyond the practical

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In illustrating courses that have "an obvious pay-off in employment terms" and thus merit support, Alan Ryan ("Practical implications", 8 October) instances a six-month paralegal training course. He then further marginalises vocationally...

Final preparations

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Having watched BBC Four's The Art of Dying, in which Dan Cruickshank worked at encountering his own mortality, Gary Day asks "what is there to say except that we are all going to kick the bucket?" ("Bored to death", 8 October). Accompanying...

Where hardship abounds

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The anguished response of the president of the National Union of Students to my article on student finances ("The life of Riley? Hardly", 15 October) leads me to recall the words of Mandy Rice-Davies: "He would say that, wouldn't he?"

Art and suffering

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What A.C. Grayling says about the concept of "art" ("Art: whether you love it or hate it, the purpose is to elicit a response", 8 October) cannot be an adequate definition of this concept unless he is prepared to argue that torture is art,...

Historians, take a lesson 1

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Your historians ("Past mistakes", 15 October) seem to be as guilty as the politicians they criticise. Historians have been criticising the misuse of history by policymakers for centuries. Politicians have been selectively quoting from history...

Historians, take a lesson 2

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The greatest number of people studying history in Britain are aged between five and 14. If research historians and policymakers wish to be more "directly useful", they might consider giving more than the occasional passing nod to the values,...

Flawed Hefce report skirts some key issues

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

An open letter to Colin Riordan, vice-chancellor of the University of Essex, regarding his report to the Higher Education Funding Council for England's sub-committee for Teaching, Quality and the Student Experience ("'Radical change'...

Misplaced puritanism 1

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Claire Fox appears to suggest that the pursuit of relevance in terms of social and economic issues leads inevitably to the "dumbing down" of higher education ("Academy strikes back: the fight for 'useless' knowledge starts here", 1 October).

Misplaced puritanism 2

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Claire Fox argues in typically bellicose manner for battle to commence in the university sector. She ponders why there has been no backlash against projects such as Beacons for Public Engagement in defence of disinterested, curiosity-driven...

Misplaced puritanism 3

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Those who argue that university research will have to become more practical or goal-oriented may find it interesting to look at figures such as those in The Statesman's Yearbook concerning the penetration rate of recent consumer-goods innovations.

Taking...

The life of Riley? Hardly

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I was astonished to read Kevin Sharpe's article suggesting that students are leaving university with debts in excess of £20,000 because of a "luxurious lifestyle" ("A champagne generation", 8 October). Our latest student-experience survey...

A sin of omission

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In the contributions to the feature on the "seven deadly sins of the academy" (17 September), one sin was plainly visible throughout but never named - sexism. Seven sins, seven male authors.

Chalk up a success

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The article "'Our fate was in our hands'" (1 October) failed to stress an important point - that theorists used to communicate with each other while standing in front of a blackboard.

'Reprofiling' is not growth

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The news that Bournemouth University is bucking the trend of shedding staff ("What downturn? We're growing", 1 October) will come as something of a surprise to dozens of staff who have been "encouraged" to take voluntary severance under...

Academic knowledge must be socially useful 1

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Last week, Times Higher Education made a spirited defence of the importance of university research being independent of political or economic goals. The University of Warwick's Steve Fuller supported comedian David Mitchell's suggestion...

Academic knowledge must be socially useful 2

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Once again, Times Higher Education privileges the self-proclaimed Institute of Ideas, but "it is a bit rich", as Claire Fox puts it in her fight for "useless knowledge", to "whinge on" about its sanctity while ignoring how knowledge can...

Academic knowledge must be socially useful 3

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The article on David Mitchell reminded me of the parallel Arthur Koestler drew between scientific creativity and the way laughter emerges when incongruous situations are brought together, a process he called "bisociation": the distinction...

Workers' dilemma 1

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The University and College Union's rejection of the 1.5 per cent pay offer for further education augurs ill for the consultation on the 0.5 per cent offer for higher education ("UCU FE members reject pay offer", 1 October).

This...

Workers' dilemma 2

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In his recent opinion article, Bill Wakeham urges employees and students to "understand the financial predicaments of their institutions" ("A united front for the future", 24 September). UCU has been asking for just this understanding from...

Ripe for reassessment

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In his article "Objectionable content" (17 September), Gerald L. Houseman makes some telling points regarding Ayn Rand's Objectivist project. Citing her major novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, one might be persuaded that she was...

Long-distance relationship

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Royal Holloway, University of London, and St George's, University of London, recently called off their year-long engagement, which promised the higher education marriage (and divorce) from hell ("Finance worries kill off medical school merger",...

Night of the long spoons

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It was interesting to note G.R. Evans' swift disowning of the term "partnership" when describing Oxbridge's relationship with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology ("'Partner' is not the word", Letters, 1 October).

Treason of the intellectuals

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It is sad and disappointing when vice-chancellors of distinguished universities choose to endorse league tables ("'Table of tables' offers sector clearer picture", 24 September).

Let's be realistic

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Of course industry and the academy should work together to encourage the transition of suitably skilled students from study to employment ("Sector split by CBI's vision of higher fees and less aid", 24 September). However, too many employers...

We are not amused

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Opening your recent article on the research excellence framework ("It's evolution, not revolution for REF", 24 September), I was struck by Times Higher Education's determination not to let metrics go.

Deep mine of imagery

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Your item about the struggle between "a small group of British physicists" and Cern was revealing ("The week in higher education", 1 October). The report states that the Brits are building a machine "in a mine tunnel", and that their "attempt...

First principles define the 'good' academic

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Having seen the recent correspondence regarding the administration costs attributed to academic independence, I felt compelled to respond ("Running battles on the governance front line", Letters, 17 September).

Dangerous experiment

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The least we're entitled to expect from an exercise that claims to assess research excellence is that it embodies research principles ("It's evolution, not revolution for REF", 24 September). When it comes to "impact", the Higher Education...

Against the odds

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

You characterise Thomson Reuters' success rate for predicting Nobel prizewinners "at about 15 per cent, with seven of its 45 predictions made between 2002 and 2008 proving to be accurate" ("Brits tipped for Nobel glory", 24 September). You...

'Partner' is not the word

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Your article on the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) ("Saudi Arabia begins putting minds to challenges of future", 24 September) states that the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford are among its...

Anarchism never left

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Alex Prichard celebrates the return of anarchism as an academic subject ("More than mayhem", 24 September), but one might ask if it ever went away. As the convenor of the socialist history seminar at the Institute of Historical Research...

A latte with your alienation?

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When I was a postgraduate at the University of Birmingham a few years ago, my office overlooked the Muirhead Tower (Original Features, 24 September). It was generally regarded as the ugliest building on campus - so ugly that I'm told it...

Quantum of solace

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Having recently been awarded a doctorate, I would like to thank George Steiner, the literary critic, for inspiring me on my quest to resubmit my thesis.

On the origin of calumnies

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

An open letter to Lord Drayson from Charles Darwin

Reputation is everything 1

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In response to the recent article by the vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham ("The seven deadly sins of the academy", 17 September), I don't care to enter into the debate on the relationship between academics and students, or...

Reputation is everything 2

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There are two lessons we can learn from Terence Kealey's remarks that young female students are a "perk" for male lecturers who should "look but not touch".

Scholars are failing the integrity test 1

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Two recent pieces in Times Higher Education struck me as shocking and pathetic. Richard Austen-Baker's determination to blame school teachers and educationists for the weaknesses of teaching in UK universities is disturbing, but easily brushed...

Scholars are failing the integrity test 2

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Once again we have an extraordinary letter that suggests that education is different from any other subject taught at university. I very much doubt that Richard Austen-Baker would agree that lawyers are the worse for having been taught law...

Evidence? What evidence?

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

According to Phil Baty (Leader, 17 September), now is the time for the higher education sector to unite to make its case for enhanced public investment. He says: "It is obvious that we have a strong evidence-based case for investment, not...

High cost of 'diplomacy'

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

After the furore surrounding MPs' expenses, it was with amazement that I read the news item about the use of university funds by Simon Lee, former vice-chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University, and his wife ("Auditors clear former v-c...

Quote, unquote

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In an item on the celebratory 25th birthday issue of Wasafiri ("Worthy traveller: publication that reshaped the landscape turns silver", 17 September), an article of mine in the birthday issue was truncated and misquoted. In your piece,...

Not dead, just unborn

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When one compares today's bloated, interventionist US Government with its minimalist counterpart of 1900, it is difficult to take seriously Gerald Houseman's contention that "privatising and non-regulatory urges" have characterised its development...

Mental workout

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Some of the sympathetic reactions to a university's micromanagement strategy ("You want jobsworths? Then pay us what the job's worth", 10 September) betray a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the academy. Students ought to view...

Should have known better

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

While I was delighted to see my academic speciality, the Beatles, featured in Gary Day's column (17 September), I was less impressed with the factual errors the column contained.

No surprises

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I suppose that the omission of science and engineering topics from your latest Textbook Guide (17 September) is unsurprising, given their consistent absence from your weekly Books section.

Sinned against and sinning

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It would be charitable to assume that the essay on Lust ("Seven Deadly Sins", 17 September) was a spoof, designed to remind us of the nastiness of a certain kind of man-to-man talk. But perhaps Terence Kealey ought to have read Middlemarch...

Running battles on the governance front line 1

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Following the usual paeans of praise for academic independence in these pages, I would like to point out the unacknowledged administrative costs involved.

Running battles on the governance front line 2

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The subject of university governance is high on the agenda. It is clear to me that changes to increase the influence of lay members on governing councils instituted by the Higher Education Funding Council for England are totally misguided...

Running battles on the governance front line 3

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The letter from a group of 185 academics concerned about the way "voluntary" redundancies appear to be "engineered" raises an important point (Letters, 10 September). In the voluntary casework I do, I have noticed an increasing number of...

Devil in the details

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The practice of awarding marks for attendance ("Thanks very much for coming: you shall be rewarded", 10 September) may offer more support for providing employers with a detailed breakdown of performance indicators over degree courses: achieving...

Spelling it out

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I enjoyed the feature on George Orwell written by my colleague at the University of Texas, Tom Palaima ("1984: it's coming", 3 September), but I would like to make one pointed clarification.

Mind your tongue

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What an unpopular chap Raphael Salkie is likely to be around the University of Oxford ("Strange death of Oxford linguistics", 27 August). He begins his gracious, intelligent and even-tempered discussion of Roy Harris' Rationality and the...

Back to school

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There are many problems with what Richard Austen-Baker says about teaching in schools and universities (Letters, 10 September).

Why the cradle fell

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The nursery that was closed in June at the University of the West of England was the smaller of two ("Union fights for campus creches", 10 September). It was situated in one of the smaller campuses that is due for closure in the next few...

Actually, it was here first

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Your news item states that the University of Nottingham's Samworth Academy is the first academy to be sponsored by a university ("Take them higher", 10 September). The Merchants' Academy, jointly sponsored by the Society of Merchant Venturers...

Practise what you preach

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

You say that education suffers because teaching gets no respect (Leader, 10 September). This must change, and academics must start with themselves, you add. I find it lamentable that Times Higher Education criticises academics for neglecting...

Save the children

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Initial responses to my research on paedophilia originally led me to conclude that there is no consensus among academics on the harmfulness of adult sexual contact with children ("Paedophilia research riles and titillates the academy", 10...

'Quality' controls must be eliminated

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I agree that there are huge problems with lack of autonomy in British universities ("Winning the war of independence", 3 September), but it is not just in the US where things are better - there is sanity elsewhere in Europe, too.

A dangerous precedent

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We, the undersigned, are psychologists alarmed by the treatment of our colleagues at the University of Surrey.

Two meanings of teaching 1

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Jo Pickering's letter (3 September) criticising Joao Magueijo's article on the teacher training of university lecturers reveals certain assumptions underlying the whole project. In particular, she refers to the objective of teaching as producing...

Two meanings of teaching 2

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Amid the ping-pong of debate ("Those who can, get a PhD; those who can't, simply teach anyway", 27 August), has the issue of advancing knowledge by working at a high level of academic discipline in one's subject field been touched upon?...

Poisoned chalice

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The search for robust and accessible means of comparing the quality of different courses and institutions is becoming higher education's equivalent of the search for the Holy Grail ("Pressure grows to replace league tables", 27 August)....

Training days

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Having worked in the field many years ago, I enjoyed Adrian Furnham's typology of trainers ("Prepare to meet your trainer", 27 August).

Virtual barriers will crumble

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Your article about the impending decline in the use of virtual-world technologies may be an accurate reflection of the "hype cycle", but it could be misleading if used to interpret the long-term educational value of these technologies ("Threat...

Purls of wisdom

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Thank you for "Stitches through time" (27 August). The image of knitting as "integral" to Sara Schley's life rang very true. But more than this biographical lesson in "connections", knitting is also an important therapeutic metaphor for...

That sinking feeling

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Further to earlier letters on your annual exam howlers feature, I still can't decide whether the answer I once received to the question "name a city destroyed by a natural disaster" - "Atlantis" - was actually a howler or simply a case of...

What does it mean to be 'qualified'?

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As the wailing continues over the school-leavers "qualified" for university entry for whom there are no places available, we should reflect on what "qualified" means. Anyone who scrapes through A levels with two passes at grade E is technically...

Tune in to excellence 1

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I am distressed at the prospect of the First Secretary and a host of civil servants spending their valuable time poring over "spidergrams" to judge universities' performance ("Pressure grows to replace league tables", 27 August).

Tune in to excellence 2

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Publication of comparative performance data in the form of spidergrams has been tried before. Between 2001 and 2004, the Home Office published similar statistics for police authorities in such form.

Selective memory

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I can't help thinking that the article on Malaysia ("Quintessentially Britain, truly Asia", 27 August) may have crossed the line in suggesting that memories of the British colonial period are generally positive.

I...

An incomplete picture

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Having just taken over as head of the School of Teaching, Health and Care at Bradford College, I was alarmed to read in your article "Call to raise entry criteria for trainee teachers" (20 August) that the percentage of our undergraduate...

Place the students first

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

João Magueijo's opinion article caused me great concern regarding the self-awareness of some of our leading academics ("Dummies' guides to teaching insult our intelligence", 20 August). Good lecturers are sometimes born naturally self-reflective,...

Darwinian politics

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In his obtuse review of Andre Pichot's The Pure Society: From Darwin to Hitler ("Allocating blame in a selective way", 27 August), Simon Underdown indulges in the pop-science fantasy that a clear line can be drawn between science and politics....

Don't give me a break

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Craving periods of uninterrupted time? A year without having to respond to emails? Tim Birkhead may be disappointed ("Lo, He created study leave", 27 August).

Poppleton is recruiting

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I fear there has been some confusion in your advertising department.

Bear facts about the Bard 1

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Your annual feature on exam howlers ("The French Resistance made good use of the internet, you know", 27 August) reminded me how keenly students of Shakespeare have illuminated plays I thought I knew inside out. To know that in The Winter's...

Bear facts about the Bard 2

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In regards to your article on exam bloopers, I must share one of my favourites. It also relates to the quoted passage from Hobbes' Leviathan. However, on this exam the student declared that "life in the state of nature was solitary, poor,...

HR's union rhetoric is stuck in the 1980s 1

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I was perplexed to read that university HR directors believe the sector's problems are the fault of the workforce and their representatives. It is not staff and unions who have created a culture of casualised employment in higher education....

HR's union rhetoric is stuck in the 1980s 2

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The "conservative, fearful culture" that is "holding universities back" is not the creation of campus trade unions. Rather, it is due to the reluctance of university managements to address the long-ingrained habits of bullying and harassment,...

Exam boards out of touch 1

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So the A-level results have been released for 2009 and show a 97 per cent pass rate. There are all sorts of comparisons that we can make with the pass rates of 25 years ago. We can decry both students and lecturers, stating that the examinations...

Exam boards out of touch 2

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In arguing grade "inflation" at A level, Bruce Charlton (Letters, 13 August) uses a monetary term that refers to the amount of money in existence and its velocity of circulation. But A levels are about knowledge. This has certainly increased...

Virtual delivery needed

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This year's increased demand for university places is seeing record numbers of pupils miss out. But there is a straightforward answer to catering for these extra students. Increased use of innovative technology to enable distance learning...

Pot. Kettle. Black

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Teacher training for lecturers must really be making progress to justify such a savage kicking from João Magueijo ("Dummies' guides to teaching insult our intelligence", 20 August). He accuses those of us involved in teacher training of...

'Shirker' label unfair

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Your report ("Universities offset to 'shirk' their green responsibilities", 13 August) implied that the University of Westminster is taking an easy path out of managing its environmental impact.

Storm defences in place

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The story ("Storm warning: change now or perish, institutions told", 13 August) helpfully restates the causes of the severe financial pressure that universities are experiencing now and will continue to suffer for years to come. It is not...

BTW: Text correction

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The first PhD in text messaging was not undertaken by Caroline Tagg at the University of Birmingham (The week in higher education, 13 August).

The wonder of Wikipedia

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Phil Tresadern (Letters, 20 August) does not appear to favour Wikipedia, even if quoted by Bruce Charlton (Letters, 13 August).

What about languages?

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Like many others, we have just received copies of the Economic and Social Research Council's strategic plan for 2009-14. The vision highlights the three "I"s: impact, innovation and interdisciplinarity. As directors of the five Language...