Caught napping
Richard Garner and Lucy Hodges

ONE IN four students in the UK admits going to sleep in lectures at their university. The survey of more than 1,300 students at 96 universities also shows that 25 per cent believe teaching standards at their university are poor. A staggering 58 per cent either skipped lecturers or turned up late — with 10 per cent admitting to attending a lecture while drunk.

More than 20 per cent of students admitted skipping at least one in five lectures during the course of an academic year.

The findings will worry ministers and vice-chancellors as universities strive to compete in a global market for students.

Academics also believe overseas students will be put off from applying to UK universities if they perceive that existing undergraduates are dissatisfied with teaching standards.

Bahram Bekhradnia, head of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said he felt the percentage showing dissatisfaction was "high", adding that an equivalent survey in the USA showed an 85 per cent satisfaction level.

"I am a bit gloomy about the quality of what students are getting now and that makes me worried about overseas students," he added.

The survey, carried out by Opinion panel Research, shows students are just as likely to be disappointed by teaching standards in older more established universities as they are in the former polytechnics.

Of those skipping lectures, the majority come from the older universities - suggesting the old universities put less effort into teaching than research.

Lecturers there too also believe their students are better prepared and know how to pass exams.

The figures also show that 55 per cent of the students have eaten during a lecture, while 72 per cent have left their mobile on.

Two-thirds have text-messaged fellow students while one in eight have answered calls on their mobiles.

Males were more likely to skip lectures or text-message their friends.

— The Independent

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