HE Scotland's Friday Round-Up (14/08/2009)

Notable stories appearing on the HE Scotland Twitter feed in the last seven days included...

In policy and funding news:

• NUS Scotland published Overstretched and Overdrawn, a survey of 6,000 students focused on financial hardship. The study indicated that more than half of the students surveyed are in commercial debt, and two thirds are in debt to friends and family. It also found that more than half of the students surveyed were in work, with 70 per cent of these working more than the recommended 10 hours a week during term-time. In addition to attracting a variety of coverage, including that by the BBC and The Herald, the SNP issued a media release stating that the SNP Government's decision to abolish the graduate endowment had 'helped to reduce the debt burden of Scotland's students' with Aileen Campbell MSP claiming 'Scottish students were failed by the Labour and Lib Dem administration with a lack of financial support'. Labour opposition spokesperson, Claire Baker MSP, took rather a different view. She initially tweeted to say that the SNP needed to 'get their head out of the sand and take some action' on the issue and went on to brand the SNP's claims about restoring free education 'a joke'.
• On Wednesday, Robert Gordon University announced it had signed a deal with Dundee College which will see students on a range of HND programmes at the College able to move straight into their third year of some RGU degree programmes.
• On the same day, the University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute's progress towards full university title was criticised with Inverness-based economist, Tony Mackay, calling for an inquiry into the lengthy process.
• The Sutton Trust published a research report entitled Applications, Offers and Admissions to Research led Universities which suggested 'thousands of state school pupils shun top degree courses'. UCU took the view that the report revealed a 'poverty of ambition'. Whilst the Russell Group chose not to comment, Million+ took issue with the report's focus on just 13 research intensive universities, claiming the 'risk of this narrow approach is that the social mobility being achieved by the rest of the UK’s universities is ignored,' Widespread media coverage of the report included that by the BBC and The Mail.
• There was mixed environmental news for institutions this week. Whilst with the University of St Andrews highlighted the eco-friendly credentials of its new medical school, Heriot Watt University found itself one of a number of UK universities to be criticised for carbon offsetting in an article by the Times Higher Education magazine.

In student news:

• Last week's higher results continued to make the news. The Scotsman reported that the recession had boosted the 'Heriot-Watt intake by fifth' and the Sunday Mail ran a similar story. Meanwhile ahead of the A-Level results, The Sunday Times suggested 'the scramble for the final university places will be more intense this year'. Despite the level of demand and last week's calls for more funded places, Thursday's Times Higher Education magazine brought news that the Scottish Funding Council had no intention to relax the recruitment limits placed on the higher education institutions it funds.
• With freshers weeks not far off at universities across Scotland, Edinburgh University Student Association published guidance intended to help students get on with their neighbours which the Scotland on Sunday duly dubbed a guide on 'how to party' .
• In other party news, former contestant on India's version of X Factor and Edinburgh Napier University student, Anshul Tomer, made the news with his plans to sing at the Edinburgh Mela.
• It was also a week of remarkable student journeys. Just as University of Edinburgh fresher Euan Hunter completed a remarkable 37 day trans-Canada cycle ride, James Killingbeck of St Andrews University put out to sea in Devon having taken the decision to head back to Fife for the new term in a sea kayak.

In research news:

• University of Edinburgh research made a big splash, in the form of researchers' findings that facial symmetry offered clues to mental ability. Whilst this story received a good deal of coverage, including pieces in The Independent, the BBC and The Scotsman, it was perhaps surprising that an MRC media release detailing research elsewhere in Edinburgh on penis length wasn't picked up by many outlets.
• By contrast, Glasgow and Aberdeen archaeologists' discovery of a significant Bronze Age tomb in Perthshire did receive widespread media coverage, including that in The Scotsman, The Times and the BBC.
• The University of Glasgow also released news of the forthcoming publication of the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary. Having been forty-five years in the making, one can only imagine the scenes over the years as successive RAE managers at the institution asked about the date of publication...
• Meanwhile, Aberdeen University research indicating that gender plays an important role in angina was covered widely, including pieces by journalists from The Guardian and STV.
• Elsewhere the University of Edinburgh's automaton computerised band 'Cybraphon' appeared to tickle journalists' fancy, with a feature in The Scotsman entitled 'Cybraphon: 'It's a total moody diva' being just one of many similar pieces.

As usual we finish with the best sector media release title of the week. This edition's award goes to this from Edinburgh Napier University:

• University to hothouse future Rockstars

But it would be impossible to finish without mentioning the following headline from The Scotsman:

• Stressful life ages ewe

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HE Scotland's Friday Round-Up (07/08/2009)

Notable stories appearing on the HE Scotland Twitter feed in the last seven days included...

In policy and funding news:

• The Westminster Committee on Innovation Universities, Science and Skills, chaired by Phil Willis, published report into Students and Universities on Sunday. Explore links to some of the resultant media coverage about degree standards and read about the apparent political mood in favour of reducing UK universities' autonomy in HE Scotland's blog post on the report.
• The National Student Survey 2009 results were published yesterday. Find out how the Scottish universities participating ranked, how the Scottish sector performed compared to the rest of the UK and read what the UCU and NUS had to say about the results in HE Scotland's special blog post on the results.
• University applicants received their Highers results this week. The increased demand for places coupled with the best ever results by school leavers led to calls for additional places at Scottish universities from Labour Spokesperson Claire Baker and in The Herald, whilst the UCU called for penalties for universities which over-recruit to be waived. (Surely this was all a bit late - wasn't the time to make such calls back when England announced additional places two weeks ago? - Ed)
• Meanwhile, the Scottish Government published the Student Loans for Higher Education statistics, but these received scant media attention, despite indicating that 35 per cent of students leaving university in 2007 are currently employed below the £15,000 earnings threshold for repayment.

In student news:

• Monday saw the release of the NatWest Student Living Index 2009. Whilst PA ran with the revelatory 'Students rely on parents for cash', The Scotsman provided a Scottish angle on the survey's findings and looked at the variation between student costs and working patterns in different cities.
• Glasgow School of Art student, Carron Bull, sparkled as she took first prize in Ortak Jewellery's search for jewellery designers of the future.
• As Carron sparkled in the west, in the north-east, RGU graduate Rory Fraser shone with the launch of his third computer game 'Football Tycoon'.
• Stirling University student golfers past and present also had a good week, the highlight being Catriona Matthew's victory in the British Open.
• Elsewhere in student sport, Glasgow Caledonian University student Craig Ruddy received council backing for his 2014 Commonwealth Games bid.

In research news:

• Journalists found a University of Aberdeen researcher talking their language and, as a consequence, details of his findings about dolphins' communication made a 'splash' in various outlets, including The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and on Channel 4.
• A University of the West of Scotland psychologist also kept journalists busy with his findings that unprotected sex may have mental health benefits. Unsurprisingly, this news was also pounced on by the media, including pieces in The Independent in and The Telegraph.
• As if chatty dolphins and unprotected sex weren't good enough, an alcohol story completed the media-friendly research news this week as researchers at the University of Glasgow discovered yet more benefits in drinking red wine. The Express and The Mirror were amongst the many to cover news of the findings.
• Elsewhere, Andrew Brierley of St Andrews University informed us that climate change would irreversible by 2040 and joint research by the University of Edinburgh and UHI offered hope of high-speed web access in remote areas.

And finally, there was a bit more to go on this week than last when looking for the best sector media release title of the week. HE Scotland liked the following from the University of Dundee :

• Garden to go native and host 'pow-wow'

But this edition's award goes to this from St Andrews:

• Academic goes Pop

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Follow HE Scotland on Twitter to keep pace with Scottish higher education news as it happens.To register for e-mail alerts about future editions of the Friday Round-Up, just e-mail "Subscribe" to HEScotland@gmail.com - your details will NOT be shared with third parties.

NSS Results - Students in Scotland most satisfied in the UK, but feedback an issue for NUS

HEFCE today released the results of the National Student Survey (NSS) for 2009. The survey provides a picture of final year undergraduate students' views of their experience in higher education. On the measure of overall satisfaction, preliminary data suggests the Scottish sector as a whole performed well relative to other parts of the UK. Students who have just left the 12 participating Scottish institutions indicated an overall satisfaction rate of 86%. This compared favourably with the 82% rating given by students at English higher education institutions and student satisfaction rates of 83% in Wales and 84% in Northern Ireland.

Feedback poor in Scotland

Despite the positive score for overall satisfaction, NUS Scotland highlighted its concern at Scottish universities' scores for feedback. Noting that only 53 % of students at Scottish institutions agreed that ‘feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I did not understand’, the student body voiced its concern that the rate of satisfaction remained "stubbornly low" in this area. President Liam Burns commented

“Many lecturers are working incredibly hard to improve the amount and quality of feedback students receive, but today’s results show that universities have to throw their weight behind this work... University management need to show a commitment to making sure feedback is more than just a number or a grade.”

The UCU, however, welcomed the survey's findings and the fact that the majority of Scottish students were happy with quality of teaching they receive whilst at university. However, assistant general secretary, David Bleiman, warned that students' positive experience in Scotland could not be guaranteed indefinitely and went on to call for additional government support suggesting that:

"...cuts to teaching budgets and worsening student bursaries are going to make it much harder to sustain the current levels of satisfaction. Hence the Scottish Government should spend the extra £30 million it is allocating for student support on bursaries and redouble its efforts to find extra funding for universities."

Scottish Rankings

St Andrews University retained its position at the head of the Scottish league table for overall satisfaction, despite falling back a percentage point. Of the three new Scottish participants this year (RGU, Edinburgh Napier and The Glasgow School of Art), Robert Gordon performed most strongly and was ranked 7th with a satisfaction rating of 84%. Elsewhere, Heriot Watt's level of satisfaction fell by 4%, the University of Edinburgh remained adrift of the rest of the 'Ancients' in 9th place and, at 69%, the level of satisfaction of Glasgow School of Art students was some considerable way adrift of the rest of the sector.

The complete league table for Scotland looks as follows:

• 1. University of St Andrews 92% (2008 - 93%)
• 2. University of Glasgow 90% (2008 - 86%)
• 3. University of Aberdeen 89% (2008 - 91%)
• 4. University of Dundee 88% (2008 - 84%)
• 4. University of Stirling 88% (2008 - 86%)
• 6. University of Strathclyde 86% (2008 - 85%)
• 7. Glasgow Caledonian University 84% (2008 - 85%)
• 7. Robert Gordon University 84% (2008 - N/A)
• 9. University of Edinburgh 83% (2008 - 83%)
• 10. Heriot-Watt University 81% (2008 - 85%)
• 10. Napier University 81% (2008 - N/A)
• 12. Glasgow School of Art 69% (2008 - N/A)

Further Information

News piece & full dataset from HEFCE