Review of modern foreign languages: joint response by HEFCE and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The HEFCE Board on 27 November considered a review of modern foreign languages in English higher education (HE). The review, commissioned by HEFCE and undertaken by Professor Michael Worton, Vice-Provost of University College London, drew on a range of data to make recommendations that aim to assure the long-term sustainability and vitality of modern foreign languages (MFL) provision in HE. A

Full statement on HEFCE website

Language degree review announced

England's higher education funding council has confirmed it will examine modern foreign language provision amid concern about university budget cuts.

Several have had reduced funding for languages following an assessment of research by the funding council.

BBC website

HEFCE publishes sustainable development strategy

The Higher Education Funding Council for England has just published: Sustainable development in higher education: 2008 update to strategic statement and action plan

HEFCE website

Graduates and their early careers- HEFCE report

From the executive summary:

8. Of the strategically important subjects, engineering had the highest mean salary for employed graduates after six months. When considering employment three and a half years after graduating, modern foreign language graduates have the highest mean salary.

HEFCE website

Future brighter for science and languages

The future of science and other key vulnerable subjects, which have seen declines in the past in the number of students, is now far healthier than it was three years ago, Professor David Eastwood, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, said today (21 October).

HEFCE : News : 2008 : 21 October 2008

Links

David Eastwood on BBC Radio 4
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2008/sivsint.htm


Student interest in science and languages revives.
Efforts to save vulnerable courses are bearing fruit, says university funding body. The Guardian

International Approaches to Islamic Studies in Higher Education

This press release from HEFCE, concerns the report 'International Approaches to Islamic Studies in Higher Education' authored by the Subject Centres for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies and Philosophical and Religious Studies.

Following the HEFCE conference on 17 April, Islamic studies: the way forward in the UK, we have published the conference proceedings on our website at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/aboutus/sis/islamic/conf/.

We have also published the report 'International Approaches to Islamic Studies in Higher Education' at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/Pubs/rdreports/2008/rd07_08/.

• This research found that the following general themes have emerged as important developments in Islamic Studies in higher education across most of the countries concerned:
• interdisciplinary and trans-regional centres for the study of Islam and Muslims in the modern world
• networks of scholars, at national or regional levels, that encourage collaboration in research and teaching between universities
• the promotion of efforts to incorporate aspects of the training of local Muslim leaders, including imams, into higher education programmes
• individual modules related to Islamic Studies that can be pursued by students on a variety of degree courses or offered as outreach education courses, in a variety of learning and teaching modes.
  
  HEFCE is continuing to take the programme of work forward and will keep you informed of developments.