Saturday 28th June 2025
Blog Page 1721

MIT to offer free online course

Sameer Agrawal
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MIT to offer free online course

One of the world’s leading universities, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has announced its first free course which can be studied and assessed online.

The course, 6.002x: Circuits and Electronics, which will begin in March, is an electronics course that is the first prototype of an online project, known as MITx. It is anticipated to take 10 hours per week, finishing in June.

Despite the current existence of online degree courses, the project represents major progress in the use of technology to deliver higher education. Students worldwide can study for a MIT certificate, without any entrance requirements or cost.

The university has mentioned that it would like MITx to ‘shatter barriers to education’. A spokesman also mentioned that the course is not a ‘watered down’ version of the campus course or ‘any less intense’.

The prototype is dependent on an ‘honour code’ in which students commit to behaving honestly. However, mechanisms to check identity will be implemented.

The provost of the university has commented that they are looking to experiment to discover what can be delivered by online courses and what needs traditional face-to-face interaction. MIT have commented that they can only teach a fraction of those who would like to study at the university, and the course allows them to reach a much larger number of students.

Courses in other subjects such as maths and biology are to be introduced subsequently.

A spokesman for Oxford University commented that Oxford’s own e-learning and online provision is ‘certainly among the most forward-looking in the UK in terms of open educational offerings.’

‘It is worth noting first and foremost that undergraduate courses at Oxford cannot be replicated or replaced by open educational offerings such as iTunes U because at Oxford teaching is focused on the tutorial where one or two students meet a tutor to discuss subjects in depth.’

More than 500,000 lectures are available for free download on the iTunesU Service. Oxford currently has more content on service than any other UK university, and has the number one global chart podcast from the series ‘Building a business.’ Oxford’s iTunesU has more than 3,000 published items and more than 100,000 downloads per week, with some tutors having recorded an entire lecture series. The site also features public lectures, talks at Oxford’s annual alumni weekend, interviews with researchers about their work and interviews with our students about their Oxford experience.

University of Oxford’s Open Spires project has harnessed technology to release hundreds of hours of Oxford lectures online to benefit learners and teachers all over the world. Academics are giving away their content as open resources under a creative commons license. This is one of the largest open education projects in the UK and places Oxford alongside MIT, Yale and Berkeley as leading research institutions who make learning materials available for free.

Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education began offering online courses in January 2004, and there are now 58 short online courses available. Courses are repeated each year, meaning 150 courses are provided per year, on average. The courses have attracted 2500 students so far this year (2011 – 12).

The Department gives careful thought to the subjects in which to develop short online courses, ensuring they fit within a coherent and balanced portfolio which offers students choice and variety within the available subject disciplines. The range of courses currently available is weighted towards the Humanities, in which the Department has an established reputation. The provision of Economics, Mathematics, Natural and Environmental Science, Politics and Psychology courses is being expanded, not only in response to student demand in these areas but as academic staff in the wider University wish to extend their scholarship to the medium of online teaching and learning.

Oxford’s new Certificate in Higher Education is equivalent to one year of full-time undergraduate study at first year level. Students can use the credit that they obtain from online coruses to count towards gaining an award from the University. The course is now accepting applications and will begin in autumn of 2012. There are nine subject areas to choose from : Archaeology, Art, History, Architectural History, History, Italian, Literature, Creative Writing, Philosophy, or Spanish.

A ring of writers

Rebecca Loxton
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A ring of writers

Group 2012 is an Oxford-wide newly-created endeavour for budding novelists who wish to come together to share the worries and woes that surround putting pen to paper, or submitting book to publisher. The group is open to a writer at any stage of his career: the first-time novelist who is basking in the glow of having just been published; the seasoned author, who can offer handy hints drawn from his own illustrious career writing books; the young student, who has only just decided she wants to try her hand at writing a novel.

The group, comprised of a large number of members of the public, is joined by a panel of published authors. The first meeting, held in the upstairs section of Blackwell’s, involves a round of introductions from the panel and then a discussion as to what exactly the group would like to cover during its meetings. The charming thing about this literary circle is its democratic aspect: content of meetings will not be decided by the panel members organising them, but by the people who will swell their ranks.

The discussion ensues, with a free glass of red wine at everybody’s side. The discussion covers not only the content of future meetings, but also strays into fiery disagreements about the merits (or otherwise) of the dreaded Kindle. During the introductory stage, each member of the panel has already introduced their literary pursuits to the audience gathered before them. Their range of achievements is impressive, and includes a writer of historical fiction, a children’s author and an author who has been driven to self-publish. The varied expertise of the panel means budding authors of all genres should find somebody they can relate to.

The group will meet monthly, and will provide a source of support and advice for those struggling, or thriving, as they pursue their careers as authors. The turnout shows just how many people aspire to become writers; but it serves as a reminder as to how difficult it is to succeed in this competitive world.

London Fashion Week: Danish Wekeel’s ‘Draped Modern Kouroi’

Adi David
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London Fashion Week: Danish Wekeel’s ‘Draped Modern Kouroi’

Danish Wakeel is a young London based fashion designer who recently launched his forth collection aimed for the fall-winter 2012 season. ‘Draped Modern Kouroi’, his first wearable collection, was created exclusively for men as an echo of the designer’s own metrosexual image and rebellious personality.

An offspring of the industry, Danish fills an aspiring haut-couture niche, aiming his creations to ‘men who are confident enough to look different and ahead of fashion’, men who ‘have an urge to be noticed wherever they go’. The designer’s sense of couture is distinct, his collection fusing high fashion with dark glam and, at the same time, giving a new take on classic designs.

The whole show surrounding the launch event was meant to transpose the audience in a modern Dionysian fairy-tale: red rose petals, feathers, exotic dancers with a slight touch of fetish; a bit tacky if you ask me, but it had the required effect.

The designer ‘s inspiration came from the concept of drapes. Although in current fashion trends drapes are associated with women’s wear, historically they were unisex items, worn by men in the form of togas, kilts or attires. Bearing this idea in mind, Danish produced a collection mainly focused on blazers. He started from the classic shape and gave it wide cuts and asymmetric contours, experimenting with shades, shapes and volumes, which expose plenty of skin and come to embrace those sculpted silhouettes.

The overall monochromatic pallet that Danish used was highlighted here and there with intricate patterns and prints invoking a diverse mixture of artistic leitmotifs. Throughout the collection the eventual chromatic simplicity of particular items was countered with textural details in pieces such as a pair of trousers with embroidered glass beads or, my favorite, a black blazer with black feathers details sewed in the material.

When not blinking your eyes away, the trousers were just supporting other items of the collection. The general cut was an interesting reinterpretation of classic British tailoring details, which was strongly influenced by Ottoman shalwars, wide at the top and skin-tight on the ankle.

Danish did occasionally break the male exclusivity of the collection and introduced a few dresses: a humble study of straight cuts, low backs, frilly details and feminine figures in general.

Although it feels slightly out of the space and time of current mainstream fashion, the collection will definitely find its way to the wardrobes of many extravagant fashionistas.

Cherworld: Hilary Week 7

Sophie Jamieson
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Cherworld: Hilary Week 7

 

 

 

Worcester ease into Cuppers final again

Adam Scott Taylor
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Worcester ease into Cuppers final again

In looking to reach the final and attempt to retain their title from last year, Worcester fielded a starting line-up that suggested the strength of squad which Lincoln were up against. Ten of the eleven Worcester players had featured on the University football scene, and while Lincoln couldn’t match those statistics on paper, the start of the match was a tense affair with a lack of quality football providing some equality between the teams. The game had added impetus as two years ago these sides had met in the Cuppers semi-final, where a tense penalty shoot-out ending in a Worcester miss led to Lincoln progressing. With this something of a grudge match, the lack of initial crowd for kick-off then was slightly baffling, perhaps due to the amusing European-style early kick-off time, but within ten minutes a solid hundred people had converged on University Parks. This spectator situation was typical of a game where rapid change was the dominating factor; a nervous, battling opening Worcester suddenly scored a salvo of goals from which Lincoln – and everyone watching – never recovered.

Lincoln had already lost one of their best players in Josh Thomas to a recurrent hamstring problem, and although Blue Alex Biggs looked dangerous attacking the full-backs, receiving the ball wide and running around the outside of the Worcester defence, the sudden Worcester goal rout killed off any competitive interest. Blues striker Adam Healy scored two in quick succession, finding himself on the end of Tom Phelan’s lobbed ball to the back post to tap in past the keeper and following up with a strong header in a similar position from a corner. The Worcester spectators celebrated this brace from the Blues striker with a double-performance of their favourite festive chant.

The fact remains, though, that Lincoln suffered heavily during this period due to their poor defence in and around the penalty area from Worcester set-pieces, but the third goal, with Liam Steward-George scoring direct from a corner for the second game in succession, could not be blamed upon that. Worcester centre-back Elliott Thomas then scored a sweetly-struck volley as the ball fell out to the edge of the box, before a Steward-George free-kick forced a Lincoln player to concede an own-goal, headed backwards over his goalkeeper from close range.

All of this carnage occurred within a twenty-minute period of the first half, and when play resumed after half-time the standard of football remained scrappy and frustrating. For Worcester though, this was a perfectly satisfactory outcome, with Phelan in particular providing a strong (and refreshingly sensible) midfield presence. Lincoln had a few chances, with an unmarked header going over the bar, but their several speculative efforts failed to trouble the Worcester goalkeeper. The Worcester captain made several substitutions, with one eye perhaps on their imminent run of games and the form finally developing in the league. The fresh energy levels made it more difficult for Lincoln to attempt a purple patch akin to Worcester’s in the first half, and the game finished with the scoreline an emphatic 5-0.

Asked about the game, Worcester winger Steward-George commented that ‘we came into the game wanting revenge and wanting it done in style’. He expressed excitement at the first floodlit Cuppers final at Iffley this coming Friday evening, and related his plan to ‘love the fans and smash the final’. Take from that what you will, St. Anne’s.

For Lincoln, they will rue a poor period of defensive play spectacularly exploited. Worcester will be confident at Iffley, but with memories of last year’s deadlocked final where they narrowly overcame New College still fresh in the memory, and so too the similarly stagnant second half at University Parks, they will be looking for a performance with more consistent quality. Or simply another quick five.

The MGA marches on

Matt Nicol
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The MGA marches on

A scrappy and controversial game at the Uni Parks last Friday saw St Anne’s reach the final of Cuppers for only the second time in their history.

Their resolute display against Teddy Hall – which saw them emerge victorious from a penalty shootout after 120 goalless minutes – was marred by a horrific injury to influential central midfielder Callum Vibert however, who suffered a broken leg from a wild Hall tackle in the second half.

The M.G.A, in the eyes of Teddy Hall at least, entered the game as underdogs given their place in college football’s third tier compared to Hall’s Premier League status. Perhaps this actually helped Anne’s, who nullified the threat of Teddy Hall, Blues and all, throughout the first 45 minutes of the tie.

After pointlessly heated email exchanges over the rescheduling of the fixture and some critical comments in sections of the student media, this game had added spice, particularly given the vocal support for both teams, who were supported on the touchline by a giant novelty teddy and beaver respectively.

This passion took a sad turn midway through the second half though, as a wild (though not malicious) tackle ended Vibert’s season, but produced just a yellow card from the referee to the dismay of the men in Mint Green. It was a tackle worthy of a red in even the most brutal Sunday League game, and the ref, perhaps regretting this decision, later sent off the offending player after he petulantly kicked the ball away.

Justice had been served, you could say, and with Teddy Hall legs tiring Anne’s were ascendant. They could not find the creative spark to unlock the Hall defence, marshalled by Blue Anthony Beddows though, and were restricted to long range efforts and the dangerous set pieces of Xavier Navas. The game drifted on through extra-time.

And so came the inevitable penalties. Anne’s keeper Nick Gardner stepped up to smash home the first attempt, before performing his best Bruce Grobbelaar impersonation to psyche out the Hall takers. The first five penalties were buried before a weak Teddy Hall effort was saved.

Two penalties later Blues centre back Robert Price stepped up to take the potential winner. Normally a centre back of experience and finesse, the pressure of the occasion showed as his effort was kept out.

One more Anne’s miss and suddenly it was Teddy Hall with a chance to win it, but their player missed the target, as did their next taker as the pendulum swung back in Anne’s favour. It was a harsh ending for Hall who played their part in a tight game, but that this will not matter to the M.G.A who gleefully partook in a pitch invasion after the decisive penalty was missed.

It was the beaver and not the teddy bear that was left smiling in the end. Anne’s, in the words of Gardner ‘took the three points’ and will look forward to the final, where a victory would vindicate the sacrifice made by Vibert during this game.

Cherwell: Over To You

Xin Fan
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Cherwell: Over To You

 

 

We’re Kiehl-ing Over for Kiehl’s

Rachel Lobley And Helen Tatlow
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We’re Kiehl-ing Over for Kiehl’s

Established as an old-world apothecary in New York over 150 years ago, cosmetics brand Kiehl’s focuses on creating effective, and high quality, skincare. Their primary concern is their use of ingredients, which continue to be inspired by their apothecary roots, and which are proudly displayed on the front of their packaging. Since its early New York days, the brand has gone global, with several stores already positioned around the UK, and plans for more to come. As a result of this expansion, Kiehl’s has gained a loyal following worldwide, as well as in New York, where it is viewed as something of an institution of the city, even having a day named after it (November 12th). Intrigued by its previous successes, and keen to learn more about this emerging brand in the UK, we set out to test some of their key products to see if we’d be converted….

 

Rachel tried:

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser (Now £15) – http://www.kiehls.co.uk/face/cleansers/ultra-facial-cleanser.aspx 

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser makes some bold and enticing promises on its simple packaging, and I feel as though for my skin, it has really lived up to them. It is extremely gentle, and while it removes makeup, dirt and oil with great ease, it did not leave my skin feeling tight like some of the harsher cleansers I have used in the past. In fact, it actually left my face feeling softer and smoother than before I washed it! Although I would still recommend moisturising after using any cleanser, it is nice to feel as though you are not stripping your skin of its natural balance by using this product. Make sure you have plenty of water on your face and your hands to get a good lather going, and to wash the cleanser back off again, as residue can tend to build up on the sides of your face, as it does with most cleansers. A little extra rinsing is definitely worth it though, and overall, I am extremely impressed, and pleasantly surprised, by how gentle yet effective this cleanser seems to be. After testing the Original Ultra Facial Range, I can’t wait to try out Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Collection, which works to visibly reduce oil on skin.

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer (£17) – http://www.kiehls.co.uk/face/moisturizers/ultra-facial-moisturizer-spf-15.aspx 

As the names might suggest, this moisturiser is the perfect companion to the Facial Cleanser. It is suitable for all skin types, and feels extremely gentle on the skin, even when used straight after exfoliation, and luxurious yet natural ingredients such as Apricot Kernel Oil and Beeswax leave your skin feeling well nourished. The moisturiser is absorbed into the skin in a matter of seconds, and doesn’t feel heavy or greasy in the slightest, while still being SPF 15. This makes it especially good for use in the morning as a smooth base for your make up.

 

Helen tried:

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Tinted Moisturizer (£20.50) – http://www.kiehls.co.uk/face/color/ultra-facial-tinted-moisturizer-spf-15.aspx

Like countless other make-up enthusiasts out there I have long dreamed of a miracle tinted moisturiser that actually provides a decent amount of coverage for problem skin, whilst looking and feeling much lighter than a foundation. All previous candidates for this complexion-saving holy grail have left me disappointed. Not this time. This stuff, to put it frankly, is amazing. By building it up in thin layers, the coverage you can achieve with Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Tinted Moisturiser is astonishing. A light dusting of powder is still needed to stop skin becoming shiny, and I would use concealer to cover any large blemishes, but this tinted moisturiser more than holds its own on all but the very worst of skins and will stay put all day. With SPF 15 and ingredients including Chamomile and Royal Jelly, it’s no wonder my skin felt like it was being pampered. After a week of using this instead of my normal foundation my skin was in much better condition than before, since it was being nourished by my make-up every day instead of dried out! I got a lot of spontaneous compliments from friends on how good my skin looked. There is just one problem that’s stopping me from promoting this tinted moisturiser to the level of foundation replacement: even the lightest shade is too warm for me! More shades of this wonder product A.S.A.P, please, Kiehl’s!

Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1 (£9.50) – http://www.kiehls.co.uk/face/lip-care/lip-balm-1.aspx 

This might seem a bit expensive for a lip balm but if you want beautiful, soft lips overnight, this could be your go-to product. It felt lovely, and although it did take a while to sink in, once it did I could tell it was working hard to deeply moisturise. Apply last thing at night to chapped lips and wake up to be greeted with a smooth and supple pout. Considering how long the tube lasts, the high quality of this vitamin-infused lip balm makes it well worth the price. Added bonus: the mango-scented one smells really yummy!

Skins at Season Six

Goh Li Sian
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Skins at Season Six

I watched my first episode of Skins last January. The series follows a set of teenagers throughout their two years of college, before replacing them after two seasons with a new ‘generation’ of characters. Typically there is much sex, drugs, and partying. Skins has been praised for painting a ‘realistic’ picture of teenagers’ lives, which is… debatable. Nevertheless, I latched on to Season 5, in a sort of unfounded, vicarious nostalgia for the wild adolescence I never had.

It wasn’t just the drugs, sex and rock n roll, though. Season 5 honestly contained some of the most affecting writing I’ve encountered on TV. The series began with the introduction of sexually ambiguous Franky, the new arrival at college, in a sensitive exploration of the bullying of LGBTQ teens, before turning to Mini, who at first seemed to function as a sort of walking amalgamation of every Mean Girl cliché ever, but then deepened into a suppressed portrait of sadness, insecurity and sexual anxiety; as well as Grace, who was everyone’s favourite. I know you’re supposed to disapprove of teen marriage, but the finale where she and her heavy-metal aficionado boyfriend Rich attempt to get married (by forging their parents’ signature on the permission slip you need for underage marriages – look, I never said this show wasn’t ridiculous) was adorable. I am very, very attached to Season 5 of Skins. I suppose there are worse things to be addicted to.

Riding on the waves of those high expectations, I tuned into the first episode of the new season and found that Season 6 is actually… kind of shit. It opens with them going on holiday in Morocco, where the locals function as some kind of vaguely offensive backdrop to the main show constituted by these crazy English kids. Franky is inexplicably femmed up and shouts things like, “Shut the fuck up, you fucking fucker!” at her new boyfriend. This causes Mini to observe cuttingly, “I liked it better when she may or may not have been a lesbian” (ughgh, really?). Mini also starts sleeping with Alo, who has been reduced to a cardboard cutout of his previously hilarious, almost-poignant, stoned cup-pisser persona. Worst of all, Grace dies, in the most supremely pointless of all fictional deaths. Everyone else shares a protracted hallucination that she’s actually woken up from her coma for days.

Whereas Season 5 was neatly drawn and soul-rending, the new series is reduced to a shambolic caricature of itself, although I am given to understand that this happens periodically. They’ve also just introduced a sociopathic gambler who cruises for sexual partners on a Grindr-clone app and seemingly conducts all his life choices by the toss of a dice. Oh, lord.

Review: The Muppets

Joseph Newall
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Review: The Muppets

Upon hearing that Disney had acquired the rights to the Muppets franchise, you could forgive me for expecting yet another reboot in which my childhood memories are blenderized into a consumable morsel of nostalgia ready for the frothing mouth of the Multiplex. Thankfully, there are exceptions to this tragic rule: here’s a film of unquestionable pedigree, reaffirming my conviction that the Muppets are and always will be, no matter the occasional misstep, a source of pure concentrated joy.

With a tone that borders precariously on fan worship, we follow the efforts of Gary (Jason Segel), his partner Mary (Amy Adams) and sentient puppet-brother Walter as they try to get the Muppets back together again. The cast are uniformly great, bringing a refreshing self-consciousness to a screenplay that breaks the fourth wall with such frequency that it forces Kaufman-esque postmodernism to take a long, hard look at itself in the mirror. Such meta-referencing is a perfect counterpoint to the slapstick antics, thus forming a sensible stream of continuity between Muppet properties and our real universe. Not to mention the impressively high hit-rate of gags that come from all directions. (In a surprising twist of fate, even a Jack Black subplot is made to seem funny! Will miracles never cease?)

While it may not have the same emotional texture as Up or Toy Story 3, the film still retains a similar style of whimsy and wonder that’s perfect for children and parents alike. Although some of the musical numbers feel rather forced (Call me a cynic, but I’m not sure there will ever be a context in which I need to hear Chris Cooper rap), there’s still plenty of beautifully irreverent songs to complement the witty dialogue throughout. I truly hope Amy Adams and Miss Piggy’s faux-empowerment duet, “Me Party,” becomes an ironic anthem for contented singles everywhere. It’s this universal spirit that’s just so unique; a world free of cynicism, where flesh and blood coexist alongside those of foam and felt, where abject amateurism shares the stage with consummate professionalism. Quite how a band of puppets with ping pong balls for eyes have captured my heart remains a mystery, but they deliver a bear-hug of deadly positivity that’s well worth the ticket price.

Just like Statler and Waldorf on their critical balcony, I may kvetch and quibble over minor details, but when it’s finally time to “play the music” and “light the lights,” I wouldn’t leave my seat come hell or high water.

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