Comments for Rebecca Hughes http://www.rebeccahughes.org Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:07:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 Comment on Your university degree is useless by Nick Poskitt http://www.rebeccahughes.org/your-university-degree-is-useless/comment-page-1#comment-4 Nick Poskitt Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:07:13 +0000 http://www.rebeccahughes.org/?p=130#comment-4 And just to contribute to the argument - one of my friends at the University of Kent at Canterbury has had enough time in her spare hours to learn the value of pi to 65 decimal places. Jealous much. And just to contribute to the argument – one of my friends at the University of Kent at Canterbury has had enough time in her spare hours to learn the value of pi to 65 decimal places.

Jealous much.

]]> Comment on Your university degree is useless by Graham http://www.rebeccahughes.org/your-university-degree-is-useless/comment-page-1#comment-3 Graham Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:16:33 +0000 http://www.rebeccahughes.org/?p=130#comment-3 The issue of "what is a degree for" and related concerns about fees came up on a first year module just last week. There was a faintly social Darwinist-sounding idea doing the rounds, suggesting that if fees went up, the students who are always down the pub would leave university. The problem seems to me to be one where we've got higher education and employment so tangled up, that we lose sight of what the former is for. So the 'how it benefits the economy'-type argument is ultimately self-defeating. As you (rightly) say, when student loans, progress bursaries and Educational Maintenance Allowances are getting spent on booze, it does transfer some money into the drinks industry, producing a revenue stream for one sector of the economy. Many a true word spoken in jest. Pause for thought. These economic arguments don't answer this question: why bother with university at all? If one wants the spending, why not hand over the money directly? If one wants the cuts, why not let students fund their own studies entirely? Either way, the questions 'why study?', 'why teach?' aren't being addressed directly. The issue of “what is a degree for” and related concerns about fees came up on a first year module just last week. There was a faintly social Darwinist-sounding idea doing the rounds, suggesting that if fees went up, the students who are always down the pub would leave university.

The problem seems to me to be one where we’ve got higher education and employment so tangled up, that we lose sight of what the former is for. So the ‘how it benefits the economy’-type argument is ultimately self-defeating. As you (rightly) say, when student loans, progress bursaries and Educational Maintenance Allowances are getting spent on booze, it does transfer some money into the drinks industry, producing a revenue stream for one sector of the economy. Many a true word spoken in jest.

Pause for thought. These economic arguments don’t answer this question: why bother with university at all? If one wants the spending, why not hand over the money directly? If one wants the cuts, why not let students fund their own studies entirely? Either way, the questions ‘why study?’, ‘why teach?’ aren’t being addressed directly.

]]> Comment on Allan Little’s top tips for student journalists by Busy, busy, busy | Alan McGuinness http://www.rebeccahughes.org/allan-littles-top-tips-for-student-journalists/comment-page-1#comment-2 Busy, busy, busy | Alan McGuinness Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:31:28 +0000 http://www.rebeccahughes.org/?p=114#comment-2 [...] and second years about the industry and passed on some tips to us. My colleague Rebecca Hughes has posted on her site about his visit – incidentally she launched her site [...] [...] and second years about the industry and passed on some tips to us. My colleague Rebecca Hughes has posted on her site about his visit – incidentally she launched her site [...]

]]>