�鶹

In the second of a series surveying research evidence about teaching and learning, Graham Gibbs concludes that the best learning is done in small classes involving personal interaction with teachers

Matthew Reisz visits an exhibition to celebrate the bicentenary of a pioneering epidemiologist

THE podcast hears rallying cry for sector: play up and let students play the game

University vice-chancellor reveals the struggle to educate students who have been brutalised by civil war

For long-term prosperity, universities in war-torn countries must focus on rebuilding infrastructure, conference hears

Revised open-access guidance leaves unanswered questions

A university research manager suspended over his prior conviction for the bombing of the Israeli Embassy has been told he can return to work.

UK businesses are being failed by the government’s lack of a “coherent strategy to support the commercialisation of technological innovation in the UK”, MPs have said.

There is no case for further scientific investigation into the “manifestly nonsensical” mechanism by which homeopathy is supposed to work, the government’s outgoing chief scientific advisor has said.

The Prime Minister has rejected calls to withdraw overseas university students from the government’s target to reduce net migration, saying the move “would not make any difference to our student migration policy”.

More than three quarters of recent university graduates were not told about apprenticeships or vocational training routes before leaving secondary education, a survey has revealed.

Rick Trainor is to step down as principal of King’s College London in October 2014 after 10 years in charge at the central London institution.

By Allie Grasgreen, for

The tuition fee cap will remain at £9,000 in 2014-15, meaning the government is allowing most universities’ income to be eroded by inflation, while students’ grants for living expenses will be held back with a below-inflation rise.

Established UK universities will go out of business within the next 10 years unless they adapt to survive an era of intense pressure driven by globalisation, technology, rising student expectations, and competition for funding, a report has warned.

A fellowship award for postgraduate students at 10 universities will encourage them to develop thinking that will promote a more “circular economy” – a school of thought that aims to increase the amount of financial and physical waste that is converted into resources.

A document that aims to bridge the gender leadership gap in higher education worldwide has been officially launched at an international conference.

A competition that hopes to encourage more school children to study history of art at university reaches its finale this weekend following a series of eight regional heats.

More than half of female students identify “prevailing sexism, ‘laddism’ and a culture of harassment” at their universities, according to a survey by the National Union of Students.

Spending by English universities rose faster than their income did in the year before £9,000 tuition fees were introduced, while institutions again increased their reliance on fees paid by overseas students.

Female graduates are still earning less than their male counterparts, even when they have taken courses from the same subject area, new analysis has found.

The Labour Party has warned that the government’s drive to reduce net migration is choking off the flow of “legitimate university students” while ignoring abuse of the visitor visa route used by English language students.

Former education secretary David Blunkett has challenged universities to stand up to coalition ministers if they have concerns over government reforms.

Don’t ‘turn blind eye’ to excessive boozing, heads tell universities

Sir Mark Walport looks back at a highly successful decade in charge

London Met’s Steve Jefferys says he did nothing wrong in employing Jawad Botmeh

Whoever wins the next election, uncapped enrolments and a big student loan book must be addressed, say observers

A sideways look at the week’s big stories

Tories may ban overseas students from using NHS

Further austerity measures could wreak havoc with BIS’ stretched finances

‘Draconian’ numbers cap could snuff out sector, coalition warned

Department head Jenny Saul tells Paul Jump what she is doing to combat the bias against women

Management pledges to tackle ‘stress-inducing’ culture. By Elizabeth Gibney

Universities plan cost-sharing groups once VAT exemption rules are clarified. By Jack Grove

West London development will provide facilities for research, translation and commercialisation, explains Sir Keith O’Nions, Imperial president

University of Birmingham professor appointed post-Higgs boson ‘spokesperson’. By Paul Jump

Academics at post-1992 universities are less happy about levels of management control than staff at older institutions, a study has found.

University of Manouba hosts conference as dean Habib Kazdaghli faces trial said to ‘lack merit’. Matthew Reisz reports

Union says changes will lead to demotion and pay cuts. Jack Grove reports

Collection established of personal accounts of Women’s Liberation Movement activists. Elizabeth Gibney reports

Comparisons drawn between access plans and scrapped outreach scheme. Jack Grove reports

Academic proposes ‘analytic hierarchy process’ and more planning to avoid costly mistakes by universities. David Matthews reports

Nick Petford urges universities to be less risk-averse in difficult economic times

Death of Hugo Chavez unlikely to lead to changes within Venezuela’s ‘isolationist’ university system, says expert

Student accommodation provider UPP has launched its first bond, backed by the income from student residences at five universities.

Longer embargo periods of up to 24 months for green open access will only apply when universities’ annual block grants for “gold” article fees have run out, Research Councils UK has confirmed.

David Willetts has criticised “curmudgeons” who call for the return of a binary divide between universities and polytechnics, while a Labour MP has said modern universities can teach older institutions a lesson.

International students add £120.3 million to the Sheffield economy each year, an in-depth analysis has concluded.

Six elite universities in the US and UK dominate THE’s 2013 World Reputation Rankings

By Carl Straumsheim, for