Overseas students 'to increase in UK universities'

The number of overseas students in UK universities will rise by a further 10% this decade, says a study for the British Council.

Only Australia is set to have a bigger increase in overseas students.

It forecasts that India rather than China will send the most students in this lucrative global market.

Jo Beall, the British Council director of education, says the "next 10 years will be critical" if the UK is to take advantage.

Speaking ahead of the British Council's Going Global conference, Dr Beall says there is a "decade of opportunity" for the UK to benefit from an increasingly-mobile international student population.

Shifting power
"In an increasingly connected and inter-dependent world, a willingness and ability to collaborate internationally and to respond to changing trends are vital," said Dr Beall.

By the end of the last decade there were 3.5m students studying overseas - and even though the rate of increase will slow, the overall number is expected to continue to rise.

Setting out global trends in higher education until 2020, the British Council study forecasts an increasing importance for Asian countries, challenging the longstanding domination of the United States.

By 2020, China will have almost twice as many students as the United States.

But the British Council predicts that it will be India rather than China that will be key player for sending students overseas.

Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that currently China is by the far the biggest provider of overseas students to the UK -with 67,000 students in the UK, compared with 39,000 from India.

The figures from 2011 show that about 12% of students at UK universities are from overseas - which is categorised as being outside the European Union.

In terms of the potential market for higher education, the British Council highlights that by 2020, just four countries will account for more than half of the world's 18 to 22 year olds - India, China, the United States and Indonesia.

The British Council says that the biggest single expansion in overseas students is likely to be Australia, which it predicts will be teaching an extra 50,000 by 2020.

But it says that the UK could be the second-biggest in terms of increasing overseas student numbers, predicting a rise of 30,000.

The British Council also highlights how university research has become internationalised - with more than a third of research now involving international collaborations.

The forecasts are issued in advance of this week's Going Global conference in London, examining university globalisation, which will bring together 1,300 higher education leaders from around the world.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk

Overnight Alcohol Related Emergency Visits Almost Treble Since UK Licensing Laws Changed

The number of people kept overnight for emergency care because of alcohol-related problems has almost tripled since the UK changed its licensing laws, according to and article in the Emergency Medicine Journal (BMJ).

In November, 2005, UK licensing laws changed so that establishments can sell alcohol virtually 24/7. It was thought that by extending licensing hours binge drinking and crime and disorder related to drunkenness would go down.

This study looked at the number of emergency care visits to an inner-city London teaching hospital during two separate months - one month before the change in law, the other month after. It is a large emergency department, close to several drinking establishments. The study only looked at people over 16 who had been drinking before coming into the emergency department.

The study found that:
(March 2005 was before the change in the law, March 2006 was after the change)

-- March 2005 - over 10,000 emergency department visits were made
-- March 2006 - 3% fewer emergency department visits were made (compared to 2005)
-- March 2005 - 2,700 overnight visits to emergency care
-- March 2006 - 3,100 overnight visits to emergency care
-- March 2005 - 3% of overnight stays were alcohol related (79 total)
-- March 2006 - 8% of overnight stays were alcohol related (250 total)

The authors believe that the new legislation, rather than curb binge drinking and alcohol related crime and disorder, has had the opposite effect. They said "We feel that our findings are likely to be representative of inner city (emergency care departments) in the UK. If reproduced over longer time periods and across the UK, as a whole, the additional numbers of patients presenting to emergency care, with alcohol related problems could be very substantial."

NEWS BY:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Education Divisions Boost McGraw-Hill and Pearson Earnings

Two of the biggest players in education publishing had good news to report in their most recent earnings filings, even though McGraw-Hill (MHP) supplied more tangible information than its U.K.-based competitor, Pearson (PSO).

McGraw-Hill Sees Strong Gains in Education Division

For its third quarter, McGraw-Hill's profit rose to $380 million, or $1.23 a share, from $336 million, or $1.07 a share in the year-earlier period -- a 15% increase from the same time last year and way above analysts' expectations of $1.10 EPS. Total revenue grew by 5.5% to $1.98 billion, also beating analysts' projections for the company.

On the education side, revenue jumped 5.5% to $1.1 billion while operating profit grew 19.9% to $357.5 million. That took into account a $3.8 million pre-tax gain on the divestiture of a secondary school business in Australia, while foreign exchange had negligible impact this quarter, a far cry from previous earnings periods.

Looking at specific education segments, revenue for the School Education Group increased by 6.7% to $534.7 million compared to the same time last year, while the higher education side went up 4.3% to $520.0 million. The School Education Group is now on track to capture 30% of the estimated $825 million to $875 million state new adoption market in 2010, owing in large part to substantial orders from the adoption states with the biggest student enrollments, such as Texas, California, and Florida.

Good news also came from the Standard & Poor's side, as that division's revenue increased 9.5% to $697.4 million compared to 12 months ago. The biggest reason? High-yield debt issuance.

As for information and media, Q3 revenue declined by 4.7% to $227.8 million compared to the same period last year, but it would have increased 5.1% if not for lingering residue from the sale of BusinessWeek to Bloomberg. Operating profit for this division also increased by 55.1% to $45.8 million in the third quarter.

In a statement, Chairman, CEO and President Harold McGraw III attributed the earnings jump to a slew of factors, including "surging global high-yield issuance in the bond market, a solid gain at S&P Indices, increases in U.S. elementary-high school and higher education in the seasonally most important quarter of the year, double-digit increases in the sales of digital products and services in higher education and professional markets, and global growth in energy information products."

Looking ahead, the company is bumping up its guidance, now anticipating earnings per share somewhere between $2.60 and $2.65, even with a one-time gain of 2 cents EPS from recent acquisitions.

Pearson Finds Success in Move to Global Learning Technology

As for Pearson, its nine-month trading report was thin on numbers and long on percentage-driven positive news. Overall, the company increased sales by 7% and adjusted operating profit 15% in the first nine months of 2010. Its trade book publishing arm, Penguin, saw revenue grow 5% compared to last year, and the education side increased 7% from 12 months ago. That piece of news caused Pearson to remark that it continues "to accelerate our transformation from book publisher to the leading global learning technology and services company through organic investment and bolt-on acquisitions."

An 11% jump in revenue for the Financial Times came about because of "strong demand for its print and digital content," increased M&A activity and sustained advertising growth. For Penguin, Pearson noted that "physical retail markets are tough," but they were offset "by strong publishing and rapid growth in eBook sales" for 16,500 titles currently available. Industry newsletter Publishers Lunch ran the numbers, and for e-books that means "if Penguin ebooks went from 8.5% of U.S. sales after two quarters to 10% of U.S. sales in the third quarter, that would comprise revenue of approximately $4 million."

In other words, as is the case for almost all big publishers right now, e-books are growing, but the story is still small potatoes compared to larger sectors like education -- and print publishing as a whole.


NEWS BY: http://www.dailyfinance.com

UK small caps climb higher at midday; Sanatana Diamonds top on Kimberlite find

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - UK small caps climbed higher at midday, reflecting the positive mood of the wider market, with Sanatana Diamonds the top riser after its Kimberlite discovery.

At 12.05 pm, the FTSE Small Cap index was 4.30 points up at 3,792.70, while the FTSE 100 was 33.40 points ahead at 6,533.80.

Sanatana Diamonds gained 4-1/2 pence to 20-1/2 as it announced a discovery of Kimberlite on the Greenhorn Project in the Northwest territories.

It said Kimberlite, a type of rock best known for containing diamonds, was intersected at a 5.5 metre depth during the drilling of a vertical hole on the G14 magnetic anomaly.

The new kimberlite has been named 'Dharma'.

Drilling is continuing in kimberlite at a greater than 145 metre depth and will continue as long as it remains in kimberlite or until the drill reaches the end of its supply of drilling rods at 250 metres, the company said in a statement.

Also buoyed by positive drilling news was Kalahari Minerals, which moved ahead 2-1/2 pence to 25-1/2 as it said it has received further positive drilling results from its Witvlei project in Namibia, prompting Evolution Securities to keep its 'buy' stance on the stock.

Completing the hat-trick was Lithic Metals which stayed higher, up 1 pence to 7, but slipped from an earlier high of 7-3/4 pence, on the back of encouraging nickel reach results from its Mitaba Hills Project in Zambia.

Intercede Group climbed 6 pence higher to 38-1/2, as the smart card and identity management software maker reported 'excellent' progress in the first-half to end September, adding its sales for the period rose more than 20 pct compared with the year-ago period, while provider of educational qualifications and assessment services Education Development International rose 2-1/2 pence to 37 as it predicted group adjusted operating profit of not less than 2 mln stg for the year.

Positive trading news also lifted Redhall Group 10 pence to 250 as the specialist engineering support services group revealed another year of strong growth and confirmed that full-year results are anticipated to be slightly ahead of market expectations.

Each of the group's three operating divisions has seen material improvement in trading year on year.

Elsewhere, on a more modest note Landround ticked up 1 to 17-1/2 after the AIM-listed rewards programme and promotions group disclosed narrowing losses at the half-way mark, while Lighthouse Group, 2 pence higher to 25, said it did not see any reason for the recent movement in the group's share price, but said current trading remains strong, with full-year results expected to be in line with expectations.

Specialty drug company Vernalis ticked up 2 pence to 17-1/2 after its executive chairman Peter Fellner bought 252,000 shares at 16.25 pence each, lifting his stake to 415,888 shares or 0.133 pct of the company's issued share capital.

Meanwhile, a contract win for Nasstar lifted shares 2-1/2 pence to 38, as the software supplier said it had won a contract of undisclosed value to provide electronic communications and services to Stelios Haji-Ioannou's easyGroup.

AIM-listed Nasstar said it would supply easyGroup's easyCar, easyBus,

easyHotel and easyCruise businesses with hosted desktop, hosted exchange email,

hosted BlackBerry and hosted sharepoint services.

The contract is for an initial period of 1 year with an immediate

requirement of more than 130 users subscribing for a combination of Nasstar's

on-demand services, Nasstar said.

Meanwhile car dealership group Lookers shifted up a gear, adding 4-1/4 to 142, following the acquisition of rival Dutton Forshaw Group from Lloyds TSB Asset Finance Division for up to 60 mln stg, prompting KBC Peel Hunt to keep

its 'buy' rating on the stock and 250 pence price target.

In a statement earlier today, the company said the deal comprises a payment

of about 28 mln stg for the entire issued share capital of Dutton Forshaw and

the assumption of a maximum of 32 mln stg of debt.

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IBM relies on social business software at Lotusphere conference

At the IBM's Lotusphere conference in Florida last month, Big Blue made several announcements on the future of its enterprise collaboration software.

The theme was social business, and it was evident from the number of sessions with the word "social" in the agenda, that IBM is banking on it to drive growth in businesses (including its own) in the future.

Ultimately, social business is a competitive differentiator," says Alistair Rennie, GM of collaboration solutions at IBM.

Speaking at the opening general session, Rennie says businesses can profit from harnessing the knowledge and skills of its employees by implementing social networking functions into their IT. He says current collaboration tools, like email, are being misused, and companies should focus on a unified and integrated communications platform.

"I would shut off my own email if it wasn't running on Lotus Notes," jokes Rennie.

IBM says it is ready to provide the social business platform of the future, and announced a host of collaboration-orientated changes to its Lotus software to meet that demand. Big Blue demonstrated its much anticipated cloud-based document collaboration tool, IBM Docs.

The software, formerly known as LotusLive Symphony, lets users edit and manage documents with real-time collaboration, and has many of the same features found in competing products such as Google Docs and Office 365. Docs is currently in closed beta, but IBM says it will be available later this year as a part of its new SmartCloud for Business product.

IBM's Sametime also received new features this year. The telephony and communications software will see deeper integration into different Lotus systems, including the ability to start video conferencing from within emails and instant messages, using Polycom's RealPresence technology.

Collaboration software

IBM's social business platform will be tied together with its Connections collaboration software, which IBM says also supports Notes and Domino, Exchange and Sharepoint software.

Children's Hospital Boston is currently using the Connections software to help staff collaborate on cases within the hospital, and also externally through what it calls 'telemedicine'.




NEWS BY:http://www.computerworlduk.com

Asus Talks Refunds for UK Transformer Prime Users

The Asus Transformer Prime got off to a bit of a rocky start, and the fact that the company announced a brand new model just a few weeks after it hit the shops probably didn't help matters. The company has done its best to placate users unhappy with the GPS, supposed WiFi issues and locked bootloader, but the company is now offering another alternative: A full refund. The company today said that extensive checks have confirmed that no units with WiFi issues have been supplied to customers in the UK, it is willing to refund customers that are still unhappy with their device.

"After extensive checks we can confirm that no units have been supplied to the UK with a known WiFi issue. Any customers experiencing WiFi issues specifically are advised to contact our support hotline on 0870 1208 340," Asus UK said. "Any customers who have purchased a Transformer Prime TF201 and are dissatisfied with the performance of the GPS module are advised to return the unit to their point of purchase for a full refund as per standard consumer rights that apply in the UK."

For those that don't want to return their brand new tablet, the company is offering to extend its standard 12-month warranty to 18 months. Users wishing to extend their warranty can do so by calling the number mentioned above.

If you've bought a Transformer Prime but are eager to get the improved version, the TF700, then you should think carefully before returning your TF201. Asus UK says the TF700, announced last week at CES, won't arrive in the UK until June, which means you could be without tablet for as much as six months before the upgraded version becomes available.

NEWS BY:http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Asus-UK-Transformer-Prime-Refund-New-Model-TF700,14516.html

Industrial-strength award for Massey mathematician

A Massey University professor who uses mathematics to model the drift of ash from volcanic eruptions as well as solving industrial problems has just been awarded the highest Australasian accolade for maths in industry.

Robert McKibbin, a Professor of Applied Mathematics based at the Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences at Albany, received the 2012 ANZIAM (Australian and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics group) Medal for his lifelong work in applied and industrial mathematics.

He is known as one of the pre-eminent applied mathematicians in New Zealand, with a particular focus on geophysical and industrial applications, from modelling hydrothermal eruptions in areas such as Rotorua and the distribution of volcanic dust from eruptions, to fluid motion and pollution transport in groundwater aquifers, ground subsidence and aluminium and iron smelting.

Professor McKibbin says he had always been good at maths at school, but never realised until he reached university how diverse its applications and uses could be in a wide range of industrial, agricultural and other scientific areas.

“In mathematical modelling, we take an interdisciplinary approach. You need to understand the physics, chemistry or biology of a phenomenon as well as having the mathematical tools to address whatever the problem is,” he says.

Creating conceptual models for invisible or unpredictable phenomena – like volcanic dust particles and underground hydrothermal activity – is both challenging and fascinating, he says. “You are dealing with ‘what if’ scenarios, like 'what if Mount Taranaki blew its top?' What might the impact be, and how would the surrounding population and landscape be affected?”

Professor McKibbin, who was recognised at the awards ceremony for his contribution to research and enhancing the profile of applied and industrial maths through teaching and mentoring, including supervising more than 20 PhD and masters students, says budding high school mathematicians need to be made aware of the exciting job prospects available. "Mathematicians are a fairly rare breed, and are highly sought-after by a range of industries for their logical thinking and conceptual skills that are needed in problem solving.”

Professor McKibbin received the medal on February 1 at a presentation at the group’s conference in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. It has been awarded biennially since 1995, making him the ninth person, and only the second New Zealand-based mathematician to receive it. The other was Professor Graeme Wake, also from the Albany-based institute, who received it in 2006.

NEWS BY:http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED1202/S00027/industrial-strength-award-for-massey-mathematician.htm

Analysis: Which university has the fattest wallet?

How has the fall in the value of the stock market since The THES' first analysis of university wealth in 2001 affected the financial health of UK institutions? Claire Sanders and Alison Goddard report.

Cambridge University is still the richest institution in the UK, despite a fall of 26 per cent in the value of its endowments since 2000.

In the second analysis of university wealth by The THES - the first was carried out in 2001 based on 2000 figures - the fall in the value of the stock market can be clearly seen. Bristol University has seen the value of its endowments fall by more than a third.

Others have fared extraordinarily well. Surrey University, which The THES identified in 2000 as one of the up-and-coming wealthy universities, has seen its endowments fall by just 0.1 per cent. Since the publication of the last set of league tables, Surrey has announced that it is looking at plans to go private.

Other institutions that have performed strongly include Reading, Coventry and Wolverhampton universities.

The balance sheets used by The THES were supplied by the Higher Education Statistics Agency and are for the year to July 31 2002. They have been compared with those for July 31 2000.

Net assets

Net assets, or total funds, show the value of an institution's fixed assets such as buildings, its endowment assets and its current assets minus its liabilities. A university's net assets also include whatever it owns in spin-off companies. They reflect the size of a university as well as its wealth.

Cambridge has net assets of just over £1.2 billion, a 0.6 per cent increase on 2000. Oxford University's net assets are smaller at £809 million, a 0.2 per cent increase on 2000. Unlike Cambridge, Oxford does not include buildings more than 50 years old in its fixed assets.

Two years ago, Cambridge estimated that its colleges' net assets amounted to £1.5 billion. Oxford put the figure at somewhere between £1.2 billion and £1.5 billion. Neither university could provide updated estimates.

The ten universities with the biggest assets account for more than 35 per cent of the sector's assets.

The highest ranked new university is Manchester Metropolitan at 16. Leeds Metropolitan, Coventry, Wolverhampton and Brighton universities all come in the top 30.

These all tend to be universities with large student numbers. A spokesperson for Wolverhampton said: "We are in the process of a major building programme, called New Horizons. This has significantly increased our net assets. We are also the tenth largest university in the UK in terms of head count."

The past two years have seen serious swings in the net assets of some universities. The University of East London has seen a fall of 28 per cent, Greenwich University a fall of 19.6 per cent and Heriot-Watt University a fall of 17.4 per cent.

A UEL spokesperson said: "This fall is due to the sale of properties, including Maryland House in Stratford." The university has also changed the basis of the valuation of its Longbridge Road campus.

At the other end of the scale, Exeter University has seen an increase in net assets of 64.4 per cent, York University an increase of 52.8 per cent, Sussex University an increase of 46.6 per cent and London Guildhall University an increase of 40 per cent.

A spokesperson for Exeter said: "The £65 million increase is due to investment in new facilities, particularly the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies. We have also carried out a revaluation of the university's estate and seen its value go up due to big increases in property and land values in this area." 

NEWS BY:http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=178107&sectioncode=26

UK university reviews funding from Libya

"We have also received scholarship funding in respect of advice given to the Libyan Investment Authority in London," it continued.

"No further receipts are anticipated."

In 2009, the university was pledged £1.5m from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation for its North Africa Programme.

The university said it has accepted £300,000 of that grant and the funds so far had been used to develop a research programme on North Africa, focused on politics, economics and society.

"In current difficult circumstances across the region, the School has decided to stop new activities under that programme.

"The Council of the School will keep the position under review.

"The School intends to continue its work on democratisation in North Africa funded from other sources unrelated to the Libyan authorities."
'Opportunity for reform'

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, 38, enrolled at the LSE in 2003 for an MSc which he completed. He continued his studies there, and was awarded a PhD in 2008.

Professor David Held, who supervised his PhD studies, said he watched his former student's speech and was "deeply disturbed by its failure to grasp the changing circumstances of the Middle East in general, and of Libya in particular".

"Rather than seeing the opportunity for reform based on liberal democratic values and human rights, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi stressed the threat of civil war and foreign intervention.

"I have known Saif al-Islam Gaddafi for several years since he did a PhD at the LSE. During this time I came to know a young man who was caught between loyalties to his family and a desire to reform his country.

"My support for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was always conditional on him resolving the dilemma that he faced in a progressive and democratic direction.

"The speech last night makes it abundantly clear that his commitment to transforming his country has been overwhelmed by the crisis he finds himself in. He tragically, but fatefully, made the wrong judgement."

The LSE Students' Union said it was "totally unjustifiable and contradictory of LSE to operate on funds which contravene its guiding principles".

"We welcome the School's decision to take no further funding from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation; however, we believe that this does not go far enough.

"The school should take action to ensure that the money that was stolen from the Libyan people for our benefit, is now used for the benefit of Libyan people."
The London School of Economics has said it is reconsidering its links with Libya "as a matter of urgency".

The LSE has run courses for Libyan officials and has received a £1.5m donation from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation.

Colonel Gaddafi's second son, Saif al-Islam, studied at the LSE, gaining both a Master of Science and a doctorate.

The LSE statement follows a speech made by Saif on Sunday, in which he said the regime in Libya would stand firm.

He warned of civil war and rejected foreign intervention.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi wrote his doctoral dissertation on the role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions.
Courses

The LSE has offered executive education programmes to Libyan officials. "No further courses are in preparation," the university's statement said.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12537155

Tuition fees: 27 universities seek last-minute changes

More than a fifth of England's universities have applied to change their fee packages, just weeks before the application deadline.

The Office for Fair Access said 27 of England's universities had sought to lower fees to make use of new measures that could allow them to expand.

Universities blame the late announcement of these measures by the government.

Ministers say changes should not disadvantage any student.

But the National Unions of Students said tens of thousands of students now faced weeks of uncertainty because of the changes.

Maximum tuition fees will rise to as much as £9,000 a year next autumn.

Universities were required to submit their plans for higher charges, bursaries and fee-waivers for certain groups of students back in April. These were then assessed by the fair access regulator, Offa.

This was before the government published its proposals in the Higher Education White Paper, which was delayed by several months.

The plans included allowing universities charging less than £7,500 a year in fees to expand by bidding for 20,000 degree places.

This was widely seen as a last-minute measure to bring the overall cost of higher fees down for the government after it became clear that more universities than expected were planning to charge maximum fees.

Offa said it had received applications from 27 institutions wishing to reduce their average fees to £7,500 or below in order to bid for the 20,000 places set aside for this purpose.

It also said it had received new access agreements from seven publicly funded further education institutions wishing to bid for some of these places.

The watchdog says it will assess the revised agreements and inform universities and colleges of its decisions by November 30.

In the meantime, institutions must contact applicants affected by the changes and let them know. Would-be students will then have the chance to reconsider their options.

Offa also said it would consider any further changes from universities still wishing to change their access agreements.

Nicola Dandridge, head of umbrella group Universities UK, said: "This has come about because universities were asked to set their 2012-13 fee levels and financial support by April this year, before the details of student number controls had been decided.

"The delayed publication in June of the government's White Paper then shifted the goal posts [of student number controls]."

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15596986

FDA's mobile medical app guidelines get everybody talking

cWASHINGTON – The questions and comments are pouring in over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s draft guidance on mobile medical apps, making it obvious that the government’s first attempt to clarify its regulatory authority over this fast-growing field won’t be the last.

While the 30-page draft establishes three categories of devices that would fall under FDA perusal, it leaves out – either specifically or by omission – several other uses. Among them: App sellers (like Apple), telecommunications providers and handset manufacturers, to name a few.

“What we have done is we have taken that approach and formulated policies that were narrowly focused on a very small subset while allowing apps that are out there to foster and continue developing that space,” said Bakul Patel, an FDA policy advisor who helped draft the guidelines, in news reports. “We wanted to make sure that we are consistent in regulating medical devices so nothing has changed. … (If) somebody makes a stethoscope on an iPhone, it doesn’t change the level of oversight we have of a stethoscope.”

Chuck Parker, executive director of the Continua Health Alliance, a 230-member global alliance of healthcare and technology companies working to improve the quality of personal healthcare, said the draft “opens up the market” by giving the industry rules to work with.

“It sort of clears the thoughts out a little bit, and that does help us out,” he said.

“It’s pretty consistent with what I expected them to do,” said Yarmela Pavlovic, an associate with the global law firm of Hogan Lovells. “What’s been happening (in the mobile medical app space) is very, very fast development, and there needed to be an interpretation of existing regulations.”

Zachary Bujnoch, a senior industry analyst for telehealth and healthcare with Frost & Sullivan, called the draft document a much-needed entry into a “market full of hype.” He said the regulations will help “vet out the market” and target the thousands of healthcare apps on the market.

“This is going to hinder innovation in the market – there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “But that’s good. It’s a very confused market right now … that needs clarification.”

Pavlovic said she was “surprised by the way they narrowed” the classifications of apps to come under FDA guidance. “There’s definitely things that fall outside the categories that will be discussed,” she said. For example, she said, should accessories apps be treated the same as their connected devices?

Both Parker and Bujnoch questioned whether electronic health records should fall under FDA review (electronic and personal health records currently fall outside the FDA’s scope, according to the draft). An issue expected to generate a lot of comment, both said, is the definition of clinical decision support. If a device takes healthcare data and translates that into a clinical decision that can affect one’s healthcare, should it fall under the FDA’s guidelines?

“It depends on where the decision factor comes in,” said Parker. “Who defines the intelligence that gets sent back to the individual?”

The FDA draft will be a topic of discussion at two upcoming conferences. On Wednesday, it’s on the agenda for the American Telemedicine Association’s Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. (co-hosted by the Continua Health Alliance); and it will be the subject of a keynote panel discussion during the World Congress 3rd Annual Leadership Summit on mHealth, scheduled for Friday, July 29.

The mHealth Regulatory Coalition is also expected to weigh in, taking part in the ATA/Continua conference on Wednesday and issuing its own version of mHealth guidelines within a few weeks.

In addition, the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center, based in Billings, Mont., will co-host an August 15 “”Brown Bag Webinar” with the Center for Telehealth & e-Health Law on the topic. The webinar, titled “Are You a Medical Device Manufacturer: The FDA’s Final Rule on Medical Devices,” will feature Anthony Pavel, an attorney with the law firm of K&L Gates and a CTeL board member.

NEWS BY: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/fdas-mobile-medical-app-guidelines-get-everybody-talking

Silverstone to house new technical college

Silverstone motor racing circuit is to house one of the first in a new wave of specialist university technical colleges (UTCs).

Set up with Northampton University and a local college, it will be one of 13 UTCs to offer highly technical subjects to teenagers from next year.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said the UTCs "have the potential to change the lives of thousands for the better."

Others argue they risk setting children on a rigid career path too early.

The government also announced on Monday that it had approved 55 new free schools.

This includes one being set up by the prestigious independent school Brighton College in a deprived part of east London but targeting poor, bright teenagers across the city.

And plans for the first bilingual primary school, which aims to teach in English 50% of the time and Spanish the rest, have also been approved.

Like free schools, university technical colleges are a flagship Conservative policy. They are being pioneered by former Education Secretary Kenneth Baker.

They are similar to German technical schools, where students can elect to follow skills-based education from their mid-teens.

The other 12 new UTCs will be established in Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Burnley, Bedfordshire, Daventry, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Plymouth, Sheffield, Southwark and Wigan.

There are already two UTCs open in England, one sponsored by heavy plant manufacturers JCB in Staffordshire and the other, The Black Country UTC, in Walsall in the West Midlands. And three more are already in the pipeline.

They offer 14- to 19-year-olds the opportunity to take a full time, technically oriented course of study and are supposed to be very well equipped with modern technical facilities.

They are sponsored by a university and aim to offer clear routes into higher education or further learning in work.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15216987

UK University Foundation Courses

Russian high school programs finish a year earlier than those in the UK, which means Russian students looking to do a UK degree course almost always need a need to do a foundation year first.

There are two types of foundation programs. One has its course content validated by a UK university, and successful students are guaranteed a university place. These offer courses in specialist subjects together with academic English. They employ highly qualified teachers - the English language staff, for example will have at least a diploma. The other kind does not have validated courses and does not guarantee a university place. At best they offer a good top-up in a specialist subject and/or a solid academic English course.

From 2009, Russian students who wish to study at private institutions will need to enroll in a college accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) or a language school covered by Accreditation UK to obtain a visa.

Unfortunately, the BAC inspects only specialist subjects while Accreditation UK inspects only English-language teaching. Foundation programs should offer both. In addition both schemes accredit courses that don't guarantee university places as well as those that do.

So how do you choose a good foundation year? By asking some very tough questions.

If you already know which university you want, simply ask the admissions office. The university may run its own foundation program or outsource it to a state college, private college or a language school while guaranteeing degree places to successful students.

In either case, it is important to check what assistance is available if the student fails. "If a student [barely] fails the foundation year, we help them find a place somewhere else," says Claire Ballard of Reading University's International Office.

An increasing number of universities have private-sector partners who run foundation programs on the university campus. Students can enrol direct with these partners and get help choosing a university subsequently. Most of these organizations have formal arrangements with other universities for students who don't quite make the grade.

Study Group, for example, runs international study centers in nine British universities but many more universities accept people on their foundation program.

INTO is involved in joint ventures, currently with three British universities, which means the university remains responsible for academic quality. Again other universities will accept their course. INTO are building on-campus centers for their courses which include pre-foundation courses for those whose English is weak through to English-language support for students during their degrees.

Students who haven't decided on the university to which they wish to apply, could consider a foundation year at an accredited college whose programs are formally accepted by a number of university partners. For example, those at Bellerby's Colleges, part of Study Group, is accepted by forty British universities. There are language schools, too, which have validated courses. The program run by the Bell School in Cambridge, for example, is formally accepted by twelve universities and students are guaranteed a place at a university on successful completion of the course.

Some language schools are building a reputation in specialist subjects as well as English. IH London has a business track and another for science and engineering. These are accepted as entry qualifications for specific degree courses in universities such as King's College, London; Queen Mary, London; and Nottingham University.

Proper validated foundation years do not come cheap. University-run courses cost in the £7,500 to £13,000 ($14,900 to $25,820) range for non-EU students and the private-sector fees are much the same.

Courses without validation can be much cheaper. But if no university will accept them, what is the point?


NEWS BY:http://www.themoscowtimes.com/careercenter/JC/article/381487.html

Teaching union ATL backs pension deal

Members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers have voted to back the government's revised pensions deal.

Some 91.6% of ATL members voted in favour of the deal, thrashed out after a one-day strike in November with six other teaching unions.

ATL is one of the smaller, more moderate teaching unions and represents 160,000 teachers, heads, lecturers and support staff in the UK.

Its president Alice Robinson said her union's members were "realists".

November's strike was the first time in ATL's history that members took part in a walkout.

Under the latest deal, teachers' pension contributions will still increase, but ATL says their pension pots will grow faster than under the current Teachers' Pensions Scheme (TPS) because of an improved accrual rate.

Members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers have voted to back the government's revised pensions deal.

Some 91.6% of ATL members voted in favour of the deal, thrashed out after a one-day strike in November with six other teaching unions.

ATL is one of the smaller, more moderate teaching unions and represents 160,000 teachers, heads, lecturers and support staff in the UK.

Its president Alice Robinson said her union's members were "realists".

November's strike was the first time in ATL's history that members took part in a walkout.

Under the latest deal, teachers' pension contributions will still increase, but ATL says their pension pots will grow faster than under the current Teachers' Pensions Scheme (TPS) because of an improved accrual rate. 

NEWS:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16787958

UK university plans Bangkok campus

Plans to unveil the UK's first private university campus in Bangkok have been unveiled.

The University of Central Lancashire has signed an agreement with Thai-based entrepreneur Sitichai Charoenkajonkul to create a full-scale campus.

Preston-based UCLan will invest £7.5 million in the Thailand venture which aims to open the doors to its first influx of students in June 2014.

The site will offer full-time and part-time undergraduate, postgraduate and foundation degree courses in subject areas such as business, built and natural environment, engineering, creative and performing arts, and languages. Located in the Bangkok metropolitan area and within easy reach of the city centre, the new facility will initially be home to 800 students with a planned capacity of 5,000 in 10 years.

UCLan vice chancellor Malcolm McVicar said: "UCLan has made huge strides in the last 10 years and the qualities of innovation, entrepreneurship and enterprise remain at the heart of everything we do.

"We have students from over 120 countries and some 125 partnerships across the globe but we are now entering a new phase of exciting development which will see us build campuses outside the UK.

NEWS BY:http://www.braypeople.ie/breaking-news/world-news/uk-university-plans-bangkok-campus-2987540.html

Why black students aren't getting into Oxbridge

News this week that the total of 32 black students accepted by Oxford University in 2011 represents an increase from last year, is not much to write home about when 2010 figures show that fewer than one in 100 students beginning courses at Oxford or Cambridge were black.

At Cambridge, the number of admissions for black students fell to 16 out of an intake of 2,624, compared with 25 the previous year.

Earlier this year David Cameron called the universities' ethnic admissions figures 'disgraceful', though this was based on incorrect information that only one British black student had been accepted by Oxford in 2009.

The organisation Operation Black Vote has commented that black students are being 'squeezed out of Oxbridge' and consequently out of elite careers like politics that seem to depend largely on that particular education. It said:  'The grim educational reality is those costly private institutions with small classes and a dedicated focus on preparing for Oxbridge entrance fantastically gives an advantage to the privileged. Adding to the squeeze, middle class families are now saturating both Faith and Grammar schools - once a route for bright working class kids, Black and White, to enter Oxbridge...'

NEWS BY:http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/news/black-students-miss-out-on-oxbridge-%281%29/

University Guide 2013: submit your details

As we prepare the next Guardian University Guide, we invite universities and colleges to check that we are on the right track when it comes to matching subjects with cost centres and Jacs codes – the subject categories used by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa).

A dedicated website is used to simplify the process.

The Guardian University Guide uses Hesa data to calculate indicators such as spending per student and staff/student ratios, and it is vital for us to match up subjects and cost centres to reflect the performance of institutions.

Default mappings are offered as a guide that provides some consistency across the sector in representing how different subjects are provided.

We are giving all institutions the chance to make sensible adjustments to these mappings to reflect their particular course or departmental structures.

We are also requesting that institutions take the opportunity to refine the tuition fee information that we will be publishing in February's Postgraduate University Guide.


NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/nov/08/university-guide-mapping

City University London opens its doors to Silicon Roundabout start-ups

City University London is hosting the first in a series of events that aims to encourage interaction, knowledge share and collaboration between local technology start-ups and University staff and students.

event will enable businesses in the Old Street and Shoreditch area -
dubbed to find out more about City's School of Informatics, which offers education, research and consultancy in areas such as user experience design, computer games development and information security.

The programme for the evening will include informal networking, tours of the City Interaction Lab - one of London's leading usability testing facilities - and introductory talks by two City researchers. Professor Kevin Jones, who has more than 20 years' experience in Silicon Valley start-ups and corporations, will discuss what makes a place a great home for technology innovation, while Dr George Buchanan will explore how good user experience can create a competitive advantage.

Alex Elkins, Manager of City's Professional Liaison Unit, which is organising the event, says: "The University is just a stone's throw away from Old Street and we have so much to offer businesses in the area - whether they're looking to find bright new recruits or need technical support with product development."

Recent successes at City's School of Informatics include: 

NEWS BY:http://www.city.ac.uk/news/2011/oct/city-university-london-opens-its-doors-to-silicon-roundabout-start-ups

LSE investigates Nazi card game that ended in Jewish student's broken nose

An investigation has been launched at the London School of Economics as to why a Jewish student on a skiing trip organised by the university’s students’ union had his nose broken after objecting to fellow students playing a card game called 'Nazi Ring of Fire'.

Although the alleged attack, which took place between 9th and17th of December, was not reported to the French police, it is being treated by the university as anti-Semitic. As part of the game, players were reportedly required to 'salute the Führer' and cards were laid out in the shape of a swastika. .

Alex Peters-Day, the General Secretary of the LSE’s Students’ Union said that the university was planning “educational as well as punitive sanctions that would be settled upon” shortly, after she had met with the dean of undergraduate studies, Dr Janet Stockdale. She said that students involved in the attack could face possible expulsion from the athletics union and students' Union. She added that the victim of the attack is keen to remain anonymous.

The president of the Jewish Society at the university, Jay Stoll, to whom complaints of the behaviour had been made last Monday by eight students, said that while he did not feel that anti-Semitism or racism was “endemic” at the university there were parts of the athletics union who had “no regard for political sensitivity” but rather adhered to an “unwritten code” which was frequently racist or sexist.

NEWS BY:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/lse-investigates-nazi-card-game-that-ended-in-jewish-students-broken-nose-6290470.html

Student sends Oxford University rejection letter for 'taking itself too seriously'

A student has sent her own rejection letter to a prestigious university
criticising it for "intimidating" pupils from comprehensive school
backgrounds during the interview process.

Elly Nowell, from Winchester, Hampshire, wrote in her letter to Oxford University that using "grand formal settings" for the interviews allowed public school applicants to "flourish".

The 19-year-old, who studied at Brockenhurst College, had applied to Magdalen College to read law (jurisprudence).

Parodying a standard university rejection letter, she wrote: "I have now considered your establishment as a place to read Law (jurisprudence).

"I very much regret to inform you that I will be withdrawing my application.

"I realise you may be disappointed by this decision, but you were in competition with many fantastic universities and following your interview I am afraid you do not quite meet the standard of the universities I will be considering."

The letter continued: "While you may believe your decision to hold interviews in grand formal settings is inspiring, it allows public school applicants to flourish and intimidates state school applicants, distorting the academic potential of both." 

NEWS BY:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/student-sends-oxford-university-rejection-letter-for-taking-itself-too-seriously-6291262.html