By Graeme Paton. Many students are ill-prepared for the world of work because degrees such as science and engineering are being “delivered on paper” without real life experience, the Universities Minister has warned.
Courses in practical subjects are often too theoretical and appear to have “lost touch with the reality of modern business”, according to David Willetts.
In an interview with the Telegraph, he outlined radical plans designed to raise standards in core disciplines such as science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) that are seen as vital to the economic recovery. More...
MOOC Providers Take Flight in Britain and Germany: Introducing Future Learn and Iversity
They may be a little late to the MOOC party, but two newly-launched European open course platforms might still be able to carve out a niche.
Coursera and edX, the two main players in the US at this point, have been up and running for almost 18 months. And although both ventures have a long list of international partners, the rising cost of higher education is building interest in MOOCs in Europe and the UK. The founders of new European platforms – Future Learn in the UK, and iversity in Germany — are betting they can still make headway in an increasingly crowded market. More...


