I know that institutions must look use their entry requirements, to control the numbers entering science courses. (With my background, I’d never get the chance to study science as a mature student). However, to make the whole thing worthwhile, it has to have some exclusivity, which is all down to the strength of material covered.

Davids’ link (14) incisively shows that it’s even a struggle at the top of the academic ladder. If professors and PhDs are questioning the value of research posts, and undergrads question the value of bachelor degrees, where is there to go?

(Where’s that golf course architecture prospectus?)

In general, I find the attitudes of vice chancellors, politicians, and others who should know better, much more worrying than those of the High Street homeopath, many of whom are probably sincere in their batty beliefs. In fact I’m starting a whole blog on that, at www.dcscience.net/goodsci/goodscience.htm . And over the summer I’m hoping to get it all in to WordPress, with a little help from friends.

It is all part of the commodification of education and in such a system caveat emptor applies just as it does when buying anything else. It also means that unfortunately your degree will be worth less as people who are not up to scratch will have one too as it is not good business practice to fail ‘customers’. I’m afraid you should have signed up for golf course design, now there’s a useful degree.

I’m studying towards a BSc with the OU. And like others, I spend considerable time (and money) pushing myself through modules. At the end of all the mathematics and physics I’d hope to be able to walk away with the confidence that I have developed a strong scientific background through a challanging course.

The OU has always fought hard to assert itself as a viable academic route. Of all institutions, they should know that adding a course like this to the science curriculum, isn’t just controversial. It provides ammunition to their detractors, and tarnishes the hard work of students, graduates and course tutors in solid fields.

At best, the mainstream science students get miffed. Just think, I could have spent my time floating through some nice comfy woo, rather than working through the nosebleed that understanding quantum screening induced. At worst, I’ll try to use my BSc as a step towards further study or better employment, only to find out it’s worthless.

For the BBC’s part in all this, I get the impression that there’s just a hint of finger pointing at the OU, “well they said it’s true, and they’re a university”. And even though that’s no excuse, I still wish that the OU would be more protective of it’s reputation rather than embarking on projects like this.

That is why we should be supportive of the Guardian at least trying to do science with people who at least have science degrees. The MMR stuff in the Observer seem to have slipped by because it was a ‘health’ story. We have to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater which is why Ben is being sensible and not throwing the wobbly people think he should be throwing.

By all means criticise and complain but urging Ben to risk it all by flouncing off to the other papers is counterproductive.

We do need to keep ramming home the idea to the beeb that misrepresenting science should be bigger than Andrew Gilligan’s opinion was.

Many of us here have had the experience of complaining to the BBC and getting no action or even a reply – like the f***ing three-head ed frog story. After over three years of trying, on and off, I have never, ever, had even an acknowledgement reply from the BBC.

Far more significant and important than that crap with Blue Peter, or that UTTER crap with the queen ‘not having a tantrum’, both of which were headline news for days.

In the meantime the damage has been done and their audience misled – which of rather more consequence than whether someone flounced out of a fashion shoot or not…

First bullet point in the BBC response. (p.23)

Why is there such a tension? Why can’t they just tell the truth?

Well done for seeing this to the end. And for getting a result.