How to start a freelance career

As a freelancer I often have to dispel the myth that I spend my days in pyjamas, flitting between daytime TV and writing the odd article.

The reality of most freelance careers is a multi-discipline role involving a wide range of skills, from client management and accounting to strategic planning and marketing. So how do you prepare for the plunge into life as a freelancer?
There are currently around 1.6 million freelancers working in the UK, according to data from freelance association,PCG, with a 12% increase since 2008.

It leads to a far happier workforce, according to a survey by accountancy firm SJD, in which over two thirds (77%) of people said they found being a contractor or freelancer more satisfying than being an employee, with less than 10% saying they would go back to permanent employment if they were offered the chance.

The benefits are clear with 84% of respondents enjoying higher rates of pay, 70% the flexibility contracting offers, 65% greater freedom and just over a third citing the kudos of being viewed as an industry expert as important. So if you are serious about adjusting the work-life balance and being your own boss, what steps do you need to take?

Make a plan
Starting a freelance career is not something to do on a whim. It requires careful planning to ensure you are ready to make the change, both professionally and financially.

Draw up a household budget to work out how much income you need to sustain your lifestyle and talk it through with your partner if you are likely to need their financial support in the beginning. Be aware that you will be giving up a secure monthly salary for what may be an irregular income from potentially short contracts or sporadic jobs.

If possible, make a gradual transition from full-time employment, advises Jon Norris, editor ofFreelance Advisor and Crunch Accounting: "It may mean a few months of hard work as you work your 9-to-5 during the day and freelance in the evening, but it will allow you to build up a client base and steady income before you cut the employment cord."

Build a financial buffer
Make the most of your current full-time position to build up savings before you make the leap. A fund equal to around six months salary is the ideal size buffer, but aim to save as much as you can.

"Freelancing can be a fickle game, and clients can come and go with surprising frequency," says Norris. "If you run into financial trouble in the first few months of freelancing, an emergency stash of money can be the difference between life and death for your new enterprise. "

Start networking
Building strong contacts is vital to a successful freelance career and should be a top priority both during full-time employment and once you leave. An industry friend helped PR & social media consultant Clare Homer make the decision to go freelance in July.

"After eight years in the industry I had grown bored of my in-house PR role and wanted a new challenge. At the time, my friend, who is a business coach, was launching a new app and said he could offer me regular work and advice. This was just the boost I needed to set off and start my own business, CfHMedia."

A proactive approach to networking is key, explains Clare. "I researched potential clients, contacted them about my services and asked for a call or meeting. If I just waited for clients to knock on the door, then I'd still be in the same job. I make a conscious effort to network online and at events and it's invaluable."

It is also worth speaking to the specialist agencies in your industry, advises Matthew Huddleston, chief financial officer of FPS Group. "Find out what kind of contracts might be available, whether you are suitable for them, and how much you can earn."

Get organised
If your freelance career sees you working from home, it can be tempting to lie-in and knock-off early. However the novelty will likely wear off after week or two, when you may find yourself working longer hours in order to meet client deadlines and earn the income you need to live on.

Creating a routine and structured working day from the outset is key. The bonus is that you can pick your own hours. Cake maker Marian Shaw, works around her children, by starting her day at 5.30am and dropping off orders after the school run. "I then have a second 'shift' and drop off the next batch of orders before I pick the kids up," explains Marian. "I have been doing this three days a week for the past year and it is working really well. I have to be strict with my time but it is worth it to be there for my children."

When the work is done, arranging payment requires rigorous organisation. "An unexpected shortfall in cashflow is the number one killer of new businesses, so do everything you can to get paid and get paid on time," says Norris. "Set strict 30-day payment terms on your invoices and include late payment penalties in your contracts and enforce them where necessary."

Know your worth
Being able to set your own rate of pay and keeping the money for yourself is one of the major perks of working freelance. However, setting this rate is one of the hardest things to do. You will be charging for your time and services – so it is crucial not to undersell yourself and work for less than you deserve, as well as not set your rate too high and price yourself out of work.

Industry research is vital to determine the right rate for you and your clients. Large corporate companies are likely to have bigger budgets for example, while small businesses and fellow freelance clients are probably working on tight budgets – so it makes sense to set your rates accordingly.

Experience should play a part in determining your rate too. So newbies for example, should consider dropping your rate a little to attract work, with the knowledge that you can increase it once you have built up a portfolio.

The state of the economy is also a major factor at the moment. In a survey of contractors byThe Pulse Umbrella Group, almost three-quarters (73%) are confident about the demand for their skills in 2012, yet only 16% expect to see their fees increasing this year, and over half (53%) would consider reducing their rates to get work if they had to.

Could you make £60k a year from pub quiz machines?

Christian Drummond, a 40-year-old from Brighton, is in the headlines today after claiming to make up to £60,000 a year playing pub quiz machines. His incredible knowledge of trivia means that as he trawls over 10,000 pubs and nightclubs he can make up to £60 an hour.

So can we follow his example?

Good money

Drummond told his story in the Daily Mail today. It's an enviable income. He has made a small fortune from the machines, which put him through an English Literature degree at Sussex University, paid for his wedding, and sent him on holidays. It is currently his full-time job.

Over the months he has developed techniques. He has a favourite game: The Colour of Money, and he goes from pub to pub - moving on after a pay-out. He travels to a new city once a fortnight and plays until he has exhausted all the pubs in that location.

So far he has stayed out of trouble, although he has been escorted from one pub, and had another landlord turn the machines off.

Downside

However, he admits there are downsides. He has to keep on the move, and he plays the games for ten hours a day. After staring at a screen for that long - and using your brain - the whole things starts to feel like work.

He said: "It was very exciting at first, but now it has become work, but not just that it has become drudge work. It is not what I studied for, so now enough is enough and I want to get a normal job."

Can you win?

Of course, for the rest of us, the real stumbling block is that this only worked for Drummond because of his exhaustive capacity to retain trivia. He told the newspaper, for example, that he can name all 500 Dickens characters, the number of sets in every Wimbledon final, and the populations of every African city.

Without this kind of brain, its a recipe to feed a small fortune into quiz machines around the country: to gamble and lose.

Tips

Gambling is never a sure thing - and for most of us it's a sure way to lose. However, for those who are happy losing their money this way, he revealed his top tips for playing the machines to the Mail.

1) If the question has a numerical answer, 80% of the time it's the middle one of the three given. On dates, it's almost always the earliest.
2) If you want to gauge how generous the game is, play one which gives you a numerical target before it pays out. That way you can see fairly quickly how many answers you need to get right in order to be paid.
3) Always play the same game, and get to know the common answers. There are also bizarre questions the machine will use if it is set not to let you win. Once you get asked something truly odd it's time to move on.
4) Don't gamble if you are given the option.
5) Aim for lots of small payouts rather than one big win.

Warnings

For many people, giving these tips a whirl is a harmless bit of fun. However, GamCare says that there are a number of warning signs you need to watch for - which indicate it's time to stop.
1) Spending more time and money on gambling than you can afford
2) Finding it hard to stop
3) Having arguments about gambling - or lying to avoid them
4) Losing interest in other things
5) Gambling until your money is gone - and chasing losses

M&S cuts loan rate to 5.5%

Interest rates are on personal loans are now at a six-year low.

If you want to borrow between £7,500 and £15,000, M&S Bank may be willing to lend to you at 5.5%. That's a cracking rate, especially when you remember that back in January, the cheapest loan on the market was 6% a year.

Here's how the M&S Personal Loan compares with other leading loans on the market:

Best personal loans - £10,000 over five years

Loan	Representative APR	Total amount repayable	Monthly repayment
M&S Personal Loan	5.5%	£11,423.91	£190.40
Derbyshire BS Personal Loan	5.6%	£11,449.80	£190.83
Tesco Bank Personal Loan	5.7%	£11,476.20	£191.27
Sainsbury's Bank Standard Nectar Cardholder Loan	5.7%	£11,476.20	£191.27
Clydesdale Bank Online Personal Loan	5.8%	£11,502.60	£191.71
Yorkshire Bank Online Personal Loan	5.8%	£11,502.60	£191.71
AA Existing Member Personal Loan	5.9%	£11,529.00	£192.15
Barclays Bank Existing Customer Barclayloan	5.9%	£11,529.00	£192.15

So the M&S Loan is the clear market leader, but don't assume that everyone will be offered a loan at 5.5%. M&S Bank is only obliged to offer loans at 5.5% to 51% of successful applicants – plenty of folk could be turned down or offered a loan at a higher interest rate.

That said, if you have a good credit rating, there's a good chance you will be offered a 5.5% loan. That's as long as you're looking to borrow between £7,500 and £15,000 for a period between one and five years.

And even better, a recent law change means you'll probably be able to repay your loan early if you wish, and not have to pay any penalty fee.

Read more in Overpay your loan without penalty.

A new bank

This week's rate cut comes after M&S launched its first ever current account last month. It's a premium account where you have to pay a monthly fee, but I suspect that M&S Bank will still win a fair number of customers thanks to its much-loved, trustworthy brand.

What's more M&S isn't just making a push in personal loans and current accounts. The M&S Credit Card is also a very attractive product as it comes with a 15-month 0% period for new purchases.

Let's imagine that you got a new M&S card and then used it to buy some new furniture for £2,000. You wouldn't have to pay any interest on the resulting debt for 15 months!

You can also earn M&S reward points as you spend on the card. You'll get one point for every pound you spend at M&S and a point for every £2 you spend elsewhere. Every 100 points gives you a £1 M&S voucher.

Read about rival reward cards in The best reward cards.

You do need to be careful though. The 0% deal will probably end if you don't make the minimum monthly payment on every card bill. It's also worth noting that the 15-month period begins when you take out the card not when you buy the furniture.

Still, the M&S Card is a great bit of plastic and it's effectively an even cheaper way to borrow than the M&S Loan.

Should you borrow?

Before you rush out to get a new credit card or loan, do ask yourself if you really need to borrow. Debt can become a massive millstone if your circumstances change, and, of course, you'll have to pay interest if you take out a personal loan.

Even though the rate on the M&S Loan is low, you'll still be giving money to M&S which you could be spending on yourself.

So if you're able to hold back from borrowing, you may do yourself a favour in the long-term.

Foods for hair and beauty

It's a well-known fact that a good balanced diet can help keep your body healthy, and that goes for your skin and hair too. Here's how to harness nature's finest ingredients in your beauty regime...

Top related searches:

1. Foods for beautiful skin
2. Dry skin cures
3. Seaweed soaps
4. Honey moisturiser
5. Aloe for skin
6. Oily skin cures
7. Honey face mask
8. Coconut oil
9. Coconut oil for hair
10. Good skin diet

Honey
Known as Mother Nature's antiseptic, honey has been shown to help heal wounds quickly as well as killing bacteria. It's a natural antioxidant and works to kill bacteria, making it an excellent ingredient for naturally getting rid of spots, but it's a great moisturiser too. Try Madeleine Ritchie's Silk Face Gel, containing Royal Jelly, Manuka honey and jojoba oil, for a moisture boost that will leave your skin soft, and help to repair and protect it.

Pumpkin
Containing hydrating essential fatty acids and antixoidant vitamins A and C, pumpkin isn't just for Halloween. Within this golden ball of goodness hides an enzyme that effectively peels away dead skin and speeds up the production of new cells, making it a fabulous anti-ageing ingredient. Zia Natural's Pumpkin Exfoliating Mask will leave your skin refreshed, repaired and glowing for a more youthful appearance.

Seaweed
Seaweed has been used for centuries in the Far East, not just as a healthy food but a natural skin care wonder plant too, thanks to a host of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. It is thought to reduce inflammation and irritation, cleanse and soften but firm the skin too, which is why it is often used in products aimed at reducing the appearance of cellulite.

The Body Shop sells an excellent range of seaweed skincare products, from clay masks to clarifying toners and day creams. For a really indulgent treatment, head to the Dorchester Spa in London and try the Thalgo Micronised Algae Seaweed Body Wrap, that will have you detoxed and relaxed in no time.

Salmon
We should all be well aware of the health benefits associated with oily fish these days, but did you know it can help rejuvenate your skin too? Salmon contains a compound called dimethylaminoethanel, or DMAE, is thought to help firm skin and smooth away those fine lines and wrinkles. Swanson's Cosmetic Science Wrinkle Cream contains DMAE to give your skin a soft, supple appearance, without a greasy feel.

Olive oil
It's hardly surprising that olive oil acts as a natural moisturiser, and because it helps to protect against dry skin, people who suffer from psoriasis or eczema may find they benefit from this natural hydration, even when applied directly after a shower like baby oil.

Better still, it makes for an excellent homemade treatment for those dry, winter split ends. If you're not keen on using the bottle from your kitchen, try Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil, which contains not only olive oil but a range of seed and nut oils - the result is soft, smooth, frizz-free hair that will strengthen your locks and reduce breakage and tangles.

Boris Johnson: Living Wage To Rise By 25p An Hour

                                        Boris Johnson - launching the increase in the Living Wage

London's Living Wage must increase by 25p an hour, to £8.55, Mayor Boris Johnson has announced, worth an extra £4.5m to workers on low wages.

The Living Wage outside London will also rise by 25p to £7.45, compared to the national minimum wage of £6.19.

The Living Wage Foundation will, from Monday, be awarding a "kitemark" to employers who pay the Living Wage - and said it hoped the mark would become as recognisable as the Fair Trade logo.

The Greater London Authority, Barclays Bank, Lloyds of London and KPMG are some of the largest companies who pay their employees and contractors the Living Wage. Lord Coe pledged in 2010 that all those working on the London 2012 Olympics would be paid the Living Wage too.

But most government departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions, still pay their cleaners lower than the London Living Wage.

High-profile campaigns have also called for the Living Wage to be paid by the Tower Of London and John Lewis, where striking cleaners from contractor ICM won a 10 per cent pay rise, back-dated to March this year.

Buckingham Palace also agreed last year to give workers a pay rise, after it emerged many were earning well below a Living Wage, according to the Daily Mirror.

Johnson said during a briefing to local authorities, charities and employers, who already pay their employees the Living Wage, that the standard helped to build "motivated, dedicated workforces".

He added: "The Living Wage helps businesses to boost the bottom line and ensures that hard-working people who contribute to London's success can enjoy a decent standard of living."

"Despite very challenging economic times, it's clear that more employers are waking up to the huge benefits that paying the Living Wage delivers.

"We have a great range of household names on board and I want to see more coming forward."

Since the Living Wage was introduced in 2005, an estimated 11,500 workers have benefited.

Why I Choose Not To Wear a Poppy

It is that time of the year again when it seems like everyone is wearing a poppy; on the tube, on the bus, in the park. You cannot get away from them. Yet, like every year, I refuse to wear one. It is not because I am opposed to remembering those who died in WWI. In fact my great uncle Muhammad Shaban, of the 30th Punjabis, was killed in the First World War fighting for the British in Tanzania but I still cannot pin a poppy to my clothes.

It feels as though everyone that appears on TV has to wear a poppy. Asians, Muslims and black people wear extra big ones just to show their additional loyalty to, what has become, a nationalistic and a patriotic symbol.

Rather than wearing a poppy, if we really want to remember the dead, then why don't we stop engaging in new wars? Why don't we stop occupying other countries? Why don't we stop bombing and killing children? It seems, however, the politicians are committed to repeating the mistakes of the past and sending other people's children to fight their wars over resources, power and status.

I recently received a letter from the Royal British Legion, with images of soldiers that have suffered injuries. The images were accompanied with captions reading; "They are just boys. But they are our boys". They are not my boys or 'our' boys. This may sound harsh to some, but they knew what they were signing up for, they went to fight in an occupation of a foreign land. If they get injured in the process it is the government's responsibility to take care of them, not for them to rely on the charity of the public who are already paying for a war that has been going on longer than the second and first World Wars combined. I feel for the families who have lost their loved ones in politicians' wars. A life is a life, British, Afghan or Iraqi; I wish our media saw it that way - but instead we get disproportionate coverage of some victims which means that we end up only caring about 'our' dead.

The poppy is used as a tool to promote current wars. It is not used to say 'never again' as it should be. Politicians use it to beat down opposition to war whilst questioning people's loyalties and patriotism. The symbol of the poppy was never intended for peace or to stop war, it was a cry for others to take up arms and take revenge in a poem by John McCrae. The gentleman whose idea it was to start the poppy, General Earl Haig, was responsible for gross incompetence on the battlefield in which thousands perished.

Yet, we are blinded by this cry of 'our boys' and the fallacy that British troops are in Afghanistan defending Britain. On the back of the envelope there is a 'send a message of support to an injured hero' plastered next to a British flag. Hero? Really? Since when did we start calling paid soldiers, with Kevlar protection, air support, heavy machine guns, armoured vehicles and tanks heroes? In this narrative the farmer who is defending his country from the occupier is the bad guy. Who are the real heroes?

We have whole-heartedly bought into this premise that soldiers are sacred and their role should never be questioned. I for one cannot accept it and must see the world in a much wider context. Rich versus poor, ruling elites versus the proletariat, the politicians versus the people, big business versus the indigenous people, the well-armed Western soldiers versus the rag tag resistance of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Who will remember the children killed? Who will remember the victims of occupation? Who will remember the contribution of Muslim soldiers to the World Wars? Will they be remembered in the minute silences? Will their images be brandished on the news; will anyone even think of Ali Shan who fought in Burma for the British and now lives in Birmingham? Ali Shan does not wear a poppy and neither do his children or grandchildren. Then there is the case of my great uncle, who will remember him? We will, we do not need to wear a poppy to remember him.

I do not hold these opinions because I am a Muslim, although it helps. I can see the suffering of fellow Muslims at the hands of soldiers acting on orders of my government. What are my thoughts on the extreme minority of Muslims in the UK that burned poppies? They were idiots. Burning something that others hold sacred and dear is never right.

My act of not wearing a poppy when everyone else is, is in remembrance of all those men that were sent to their deaths, forced to go over the trenches to face machine guns. I remember all those that were sacrificed for the sake of power using disastrous tactics. I remember men like my great uncle, who were seen as cannon fodder because they were not white. I remember all those families that lost their loved ones and prayed for no more wars. Most of all, I don't wear a poppy, hoping that people will move away from jingoism and realise that it is not a symbol of respect and honour for the dead, but by wearing it and accepting the current narrative, it does the opposite - it glorifies and promotes war.

Multivitamins - Don't Believe the Hype

A major study published last week found that taking a standard multivitamin pill lowered the risk of developing cancer. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, this large-scale, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 14,641 male physicians in the US aged 50 years or older, found that taking a daily multivitamin supplement reduced the risk of developing cancer. Inevitably, this has been accompanied by triumphant headlines, lauding the benefits of multivitamins (and you can just imagine the supplement industry rubbing its hands in glee). So, it begs the big question, should we all be popping a daily multivitamin to protect against cancer?

The first thing to point out is that the size of the benefit in this study was modest, amounting to an 8% reduced risk in cancer incidence in those taking the daily multivitamin supplement (and we should note that there was actually no significant difference in the risk of cancer mortality). But still, 8% is 8%, and in the war against cancer, most of us would welcome nudging the odds in our favour.

But don't get too swept away with the idea that multivitamins are some sort of panacea. Relying on multivitamins to quell our cancer risk is misguided for three reasons:

1. Multivitamins are a poor relation to real food. Unlike their synthetic counterparts, real food contains a mind-boggling diversity of not just vitamins and minerals, but hundreds, indeed thousands, of bio-active plant compounds, known as phytonutrients. Prize candidates include lycopene (cooked/processed tomatoes), catechins (green tea), glucosinolates (cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli), quercetin (onions), sulphur compounds (onions and garlic), anthocyanins (berries), luteolin (celery), chlorogenic acid (coffee), flavanols (cocoa), lupeol (mango), resistant starch (legumes), isoflavones (soya), and the list could go on and on.... In essence, what we find is a complexity and synergism of bio-active nutrients that mere multivitamin pills can't come close to replicating.

2. Multivitamins are an unintelligent scatter gun approach to supplementing nutrients, conceived on the premise of providing 'a bit of everything'. The trouble with this approach is that whilst we get some nutrients we really do need, we also get some we don't. Surely, a more sophisticated strategy is to just supplement with the nutrients that are genuinely missing from our diet, at just the right dose? We strongly argue the case for a more informed and intelligent use of nutritional supplements in The Health Delusion, highlighting in particular the two nutrients that Brits simply don't get enough of: vitamin D (especially in the winter) and selenium. Your multivitamin will contain these nutrients, but the chances of them being present in optimal amounts (especially vitamin D) is slim, and a disappointment when we consider that both of these nutrients are likely to be powerful allies for cancer protection (you can find my recommendations for winter supplementation of vitamin D and selenium here).

3. Being lulled into the belief that multivitamins are the answer may divert attention from the really important dietary factors more conclusively proven to lower cancer risk. For that, look no further than the profoundly helpful report on diet and cancer compiled jointly by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research. Representing the scientific consensus from a small army of leading experts, it synthesizes research from across the globe into a set of clear recommendations. Examples of these recommendations include maintaining a healthy weight throughout life (perhaps one of the most important ways to protect against cancer), being physically active as part of everyday life, eating mostly foods of plant origin (such as fruits, vegetables, minimally processed cereals, pulses), limiting intake of red meat and avoiding processed meat, and limiting alcoholic drinks. For anyone motivated to reduce their cancer risk through diet (and physical activity), this is the stuff we should really be taking notice of.

The message here is not to throw away your daily multivitamin. It goes almost without saying that dietary and lifestyle changes are notoriously difficult to make, whilst taking a pill is easy. So if you do take one, stick with a relatively modest dose product (as was used in this study, which incidentally was 'Centrum Silver'), and avoid unnecessarily high doses, especially of antioxidants (such as vitamins A, C, E and beta carotene), which as we spell out in The Health Delusion are likely to do more harm than good. But for those serious about slashing their cancer risk, I'd recommend you focus your efforts elsewhere first, before rushing for the pill pot.

How do you stop online students cheating

Imagine taking a university exam in your own home, under the watchful eye of a webcam or with software profiling your keystrokes or your syntax to see whether it really is you answering the questions.

Online university courses have become the Next Big Thing for higher education, particularly in the United States, where millions of students have signed up for courses from some of the most upmarket universities.

With spiralling costs and student loan debts crossing the trillion dollar barrier this year, the online university has been seen as a way of reaching many more people for much less money.

But a major stumbling block has been how such digital courses are assessed.

When students are at home how do you know whether they are cheating? How you do know the identity of the person answering the questions?

For the online courses to gain value, they need a credible way of assessing students and an important part of that is preventing fraud.

Home exams

The Open University in the UK has been a pioneer of distance learning.

"It's a common problem across the sector - how do you know that the individual taking the exam is the right person?" says Peter Taylor, chair of the Open University's academic conduct group.

An important attraction of online courses is that students can study where and when they want - and he says the university is looking at ways of letting people take exams at home.

Anant Agarwal, head of edX, is offering real exam centres for online students

"We're looking at whether we can do online examinations, so the student doesn't have to come in to a hall, they just need to be sitting in front of their computer at a particular time when the exam is released to their computer," says Prof Taylor.

"Their computer would be locked down so that it can't use other materials. If you've got an appropriate webcam - that can provide you with effective invigilation."

"I've not yet seen systems which I'm confident about at the moment - but I don't think it will be too long before these problems are resolved."

Online identity

This still raises the question about how you know who is sitting the exam.

"There are various ways you can identify a person," says Prof Taylor.

"One system we looked at meant that you had to type in a particular phrase - and the rate and the particular way you type is effectively a signature of the individual."

These are not distant-horizon ideas - Prof Taylor says he would expect such technology to be in place within the next five years.

He also says that there is no reason to think more people would necessarily cheat online.

"Let's face it, in a large examination hall, each individual student isn't going to be closely watched. The idea of people bringing notes up their sleeves remains a problem."

EdX, an online university project set up earlier this year by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, wants to make more use of the exam hall rather than less.

Students taking edX online courses will be able to sit their final exams in an international network of test centres, run by Pearson Vue.

These will be formally supervised on-screen exams, using the edX website, and those who pass will receive a "proctored certificate", showing it has been achieved in an invigilated setting.

Bricks and mortar boards

"This is a very important step," says edX's first president, Anant Agarwal. "Because people have been concerned that learners had no way of showing that they had done the work themselves, if they were applying for a job or for higher education."

With enough randomly generated questions, he says, it would be possible to grade the work of tens of thousands of students at different times around the world.

Harvard is among the new wave of top universities offering courses online

Such online testing techniques are going to have an impact on the traditional university course too, he says.

"Online education is like a rising tide, it's going to lift all boats," says Prof Agarwal.

Students really like the instant feedback of online testing, he says. And interactive, multimedia online lectures make the old-style lectures look less effective.

But this volume of testing depends on automated marking - and will mean a limit on the range of subjects and type of questions that can be examined.

A computer is going to struggle to mark an essay on irony.

Industrial scale marking

That's the challenge for another of the most significant online course providers, Coursera, set up by Stanford academics and backed by Silicon Valley investors.

It has attracted students remarkably quickly - 1.6 million have signed up in the first year, taking courses from more than 30 top universities.

When the University of London's international section joined last month, 9,000 students signed up in the first 24 hours.

But how can such large numbers of candidates be reliably marked?

Coursera's co-founder Daphne Koller says trying to find a way to assess so many students is "part of the learning process".

She says automatic marking can generate a score or a grade, but students want human feedback. And there isn't any technology that can judge whether an essay has really connected with a question.

The Open University's Prof Taylor says their own experiments have shown that any software for assessing free-text answers requires a large amount of human intervention.

"Decisions about the quality of work are made by academics. There has to be a human brain in there somewhere," he says.

Coursera has been experimenting with peer assessment, where students grade each others' work, following guidelines set by the teacher.

This allows for the marking capacity to grow with the class size - but it also depends on the reliability of fellow students.

These online courses are also being discussed online - and blogs from students refer to disagreements over marking.

For instance, there are disputes among this global student body over British or American spellings.

Honour code

This brings the debate back to an old fashioned and low-tech form of preventing cheating.

The "honour code" - or should that be "honor code" - is an ethical approach, based on a promise to maintain academic honesty.

And there is research suggesting it really works and institutions with such a code have a lower level of cheating.

Keystroke measurements and iris recognition could verify a student's identity

The need to establish a reliable system to stop online cheating is fast becoming a mainstream concern.

The latest recruit to edX, the University of Texas, says it wants to charge tuition fees for online courses that will count towards degrees - which will mean the same level of rigour in testing as traditional courses.

Martin Bean, vice chancellor of the Open University, said: "There is no doubt that this is the 'web moment' for higher education and a battle is shaping up for growing student numbers on global courses online, with some able to grow large numbers of students very quickly.

"However this is a battle which will be about brands and the market ability of the providers but also, crucially, about quality of teaching and credibility."

Will online universities become an important way to study? Will online courses have the same value as traditional degrees? A few of your comments are published here.

The distinction between Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences on the one hand and Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths on the other will become starker because of online assessment. Although the distinction isn't absolute, it's broadly true that in the former subjects there are few questions to which the answers can easily be categorized as right or wrong (and allocated to these categories by a computer) and in the latter there are many such questions. For this reason, the two domains of intellectual work will pull away from one another regarding teaching and learning just as they already have done in other areas, such as research and the dissemination of knowledge. Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences still rely primarily on the printed monograph for dissemination of research outcomes, while Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths use the journal article (commonly circulated digitally). In the former subjects, the academics care about ideas from long ago, while in the latter the academics care little for anything written more than a few years ago. This has considerable impact on institutions such as libraries, which in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences are places where research is undertaken, while in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths libraries are places where learning takes place. This all amounts to a fundamental rift in the idea of what a university is for, and it's part of an even wider rift in our culture's capacity to record the results of human thinking. The latest technologies are exceptionally good at enabling instant communication of the latest thinking--such as what someone on the ground in Aleppo thinks of the war there--and exceptionally poor at enabling long-term preservation of old thinking. (As the British Museum curators are apt to point out, it's much easier to preserve an Egyptian papyrus from 3,000 years ago than to preserve a floppy disk from 30 years ago.)

Prof Gabriel Egan, De Montfort University

There is no way to be absolutely certain without seeing the person face to face. Many international students work hard to find ways to beat the system - we see it all the time. The more enterprising then sell their skills. No wonder the sign up was so high for London. Just because someone is sitting in front of a computer with iris recognition technology doesn't stop them reading from a piece of paper stuck on the wall or another person dictating from afar. Both institutions and students are heading for a fall because theses courses will soon become discredited, (some distance qualifications are not accepted in the Gulf for example) and students will end up with a worthless certificate.....

Jill Cook, Swansea

I teach commencing humanities students at one of Australia's new universities. There is a good story to tell here. The majority of these students apply to study with comparatively low tertiary admission scores and commence their degree courses quite unprepared for higher level learning. Many of these students are immigrants or the children of immigrants and come from homes where languages other than English are spoken most of the time. Around 22 per cent of these students come from the bottom SES quartile (compared to 16 per cent across all Australian universities). This is the changing face of higher education in Australia. Federal government policy is supporting a rapid increase in participation by students from low-SES backgrounds who are typically the 'first in the family' to attempt higher education. While attrition rates are quite high at the first year level (around 25 per cent of this humanities cohort don't continue on to the second year although many return later to try again) the majority do persist and go on to complete their degree studies. Most report high levels of satisfaction with their course and with their academic performance. The commencing humanities students are supported with foundation subjects to build academic literacy and other pedagogical strategies designed to build confidence and 'learner identity'. While some use is made of 'e-learning' or 'blended learning' approaches - welcomed by digitally literate younger students in particular - the most crucial and intensive learning in those early weeks and months on campus occurs in small face-to-face tutorials rather than in large lecture rooms or virtual forums. Students report that challenging classroom conversations - about difficult scholarly texts and controversial social issues - extend their thinking and their confidence. While Coursera and other online offerings might be playing an increasingly useful role in fueling students' passion to learn, and providing authoritative course content, I doubt that such offerin gs will easily replace the intensity and effectiveness of those Socratic situations where students and their teachers have difficult embodied conversations.

Dr Andrew Funston, Melbourne, Australia

I am currently studying the online course on edX. My take on the subject is simple, I am doing this course to increase my knowledge and go up the professional ladder. If i was to cheat around the tests, my knowledge would be incomplete and I will be found wanting during the interviews and hence cant get the job I want. This could be the sucess of hounour-code. These courses will enable people to learn new skills and bring them into the workplace.

Sukh Bhullar, London

As a mother of a toddler with a full-time job, it is almost impossible for me to study any other way than online. I am halfway through a three-year online MSc, and the academic standards are as rigorous as those for on-site learners, but with the added complexity of limited interaction with other students and lecturers. I'm sure there are students who will cheat online, just as there are in-person learners who plagarise. Generally though, most of us studying online are more committed because we'd made the choice of this learning method because we have to.

Carolyn Bowick, Edinburgh

I am currently studying on two Harvard/MIT edX computer science/programming courses and they are very good. I have completed a number of traditional degree courses during my life and I find this course delivery system to be less stressful and more productive than typical lecture hall/seminar/tutorial teaching. It is a style of learning which is particularly well adapted to older people as it can be done at home in one's own time and at zero cost. It is, however, a solitary experience and, as such, may not be right for younger people who are looking for a more fun/social experience at university. I have signed up to the 'honor code' and if you are only interested in learning, this works fine. I can see, however, that if your sole purpose is to obtain a diploma, then it would be very easy to cheat. On a technical degree course, I can't really see how just having the diploma would help you, as you would soon be found out in the work place if you didn't know your stuff ... This is the future of education in my opinion and I think it's wonderful.

Michael O'Sullivan, Maidstone

Before worrying about online students, first schools and universities round the world need to stop offline students buying their assignments and handing them in as their own work. "TurnItIn" software may stop plagiarism but it doesn't stop uniquely written essays and assignments being bought and submitted. Schools and universities currently have no mechanism to stop it, meaning most qualifications are not believable.

Anon,

We are seeing the start of the education/learning revolution. The internet and access to technology can mean that anyone can learn anything, anywhere. We are a generation away from the end of the formal 'testing' of knowledge and understanding and moving towards a true 'learning portfolio' that will record your capabilities. This transition will reduce the possibility of cheating. You can cheat a high stakes final exam, but who could maintain this for smaller, focused events that record your grasp of something specific? A 2:1 in a subject is only of value to an Employer if the parts of that subject applicable to the job are the parts you did well in.

Paul Campbell, Liverpool

Is there an absolute guarantee that the person sitting an exam in a campus university is who they claim to be? The problem is not confined to distance learning institutions. There have been stories of students paid [or otherwise encouraged] to sit exams under another's name for as long as there have been universities. Likewise the allegations of teachers in "certain schools" completing examinable coursework [notably in fine art] for their pupils.

Tony Seaton, Nuneaton

I've just started studying for my BA in English Language and Literature with The Open University. I would think that anyone that signs up to do a course online wouldn't cheat as it means you're spending thousands of pounds to not learn. I think to throw yourself into a course you need to be quite dedicated. I'm a mother with a full-time job and this degree is going to take me six years to complete. I have no intention of cheating as I WANT to learn. Seems a waste of time and money to the individual if they cheat as all they will gain is some letters, which will prove useless if they go into a job claiming to be an expert when they are not, not the actual knowledge.

Kasi Brewer, Fareham

I'm doing a Coursera Humanities course, simply because I want to learn more about our world. I don't sit for the exams. There must be millions like me, and the cost of supplying the videos of actual undergrad lectures must be minimal compared with the publicity that Princeton gets.

Keith, Morecambe

I work at a small public library. We regularly have to proctor exams for students taking online couses. The exams are mailed directly to the library and an exam time is set. The student uses our program room to take the test. Then we seal up and mail it back to the university. A photo ID check is required by most schools so that we know the person is who he/she says they are. I believe on-line degrees with the proper checks are a valid way of gaining an eduction. But I do also believe that the student can miss out on the valuable interaction with other students and faculty in a traditional education setting.

Marguerite, Boyceville, WI USA

I am halfway through my first Coursera course and have signed up for 3 more. The course delivery, in the form of video lectures in this case, is excellent. I do find though, with 50,000 on the course, the discussion forums difficult to find and follow a sustainable 'thread' though that could be down to pratice. The biggest cat amongst these virtual pigeons is however the peer evaluation. More discussion has been generated about this than anything else, from the spelling issue to word counts and grammar. What there isn't much of in the forum is a analysis of the rubric itself, that is, the expected content. (Interestingly, Penn State, who provide this course, have lowered the grade for a certificate to 50%, presumably to counter wide interpretation of the peer grading system.) I have little interest in some of the frankly petty issues raised by participants because I am doing the course for fun - it's challenging enough and free, unlike other providers like Oxford's continuing education courses (which do carry CATs points). I don't need aanother qualfication and I think the certificate will be sufficient to support my cv in terms of professional development inasmuch as it demonstrates willingness and commitment to learning and a level of engagement in academic discussion. Although I do see this learning environment as having a future for those wanting access to higher education, it cannot in its current form replace traditionaldegrees. The culture of the participants has to evolve as much as the systems for assessment and the attitudes towards recognition.

Alison Griffin, Stratford upon Avon

I am Adjunct Professor of English at SUNY/Old Westbury in New York and have taught traditional lecture courses as well as World Literature On-line courses. The bottom line is that someone (though, not everyone) is going to cheat, to try to beat the system and to forge ahead on the latest path of dishonesty digital or otherwise. If academics stays true to its procedures and penalties - students MUST in online situations receive before the first on-line test is taken, a code of conduct firmly in place with the penalties for cheating outlined. Sussing out the how and what's of this problem are large and workable. Which is why you have all those smart professors walking around universities in the first place whose job it is is (on some level) to try to outwit students in the first place in order to teach them effectively. I agree that it is tough for a computer to grade a paper on irony. But I still contend that human ingenuity, creativity and a classroom filled with other people is not necessarily going to disappear-is now an alternative/transition form. The online cheating issue is a problem of keeping people on their toes while navigating a sedentary, less active, less community centered learning model. People are less likely to cheat if they feel like they are going to be caught - in online situation I don't think people take that as seriously and that issue is at the heart of crafting a solution. The profession needs to take up its lamps and start on a familiar task in a world no less filled with hypocrites, liars , thieves and cheaters than it was in Diogenes time

Professor Jennifer C. Person, SUNY/Old Westbury

I've just completed the second week of an edX course on biostatistics offered by Harvard University (and thus branded HarvardX). I'd like to stress upon the word "completed" because enrolling in any of these courses is ridiculously simple. I believe only 5% of the students who enrolled in the first edX course actually completed it. If you enroll in one of these MOOCs (massive open online courses) and find the material difficult, there's little help you can seek, unless you can find something useful in the hundreds of messages (often chaotic) posted by thousands of students. If you fall behind or drop out, no one's going to care. It's all up to you. The course material, no doubt, is world class, and so is the way the courses have been produced - the intuitive learning interface, videos, etc. It's incredible that these courses are being offered free of cost, but the commitment and effort needed to complete them may probably be more than that needed for classroom courses, where one's voice might be heard

Ravi Murugesan, Mumbai, India

I am an English teacher at the King Saud university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Here online courses are not acceptable by my employer, due to the reasons mentioned in the article. And, having seen how easy it is to cheat, I can clearly understand why. During 4 years as a teacher in China I witnessed several people undertake online degrees with prominent UK universities. All of whom openly cheated and enjoyed an easy passage to a Masters degree. It's so easy in places like China where cheating is part of educational culture. The people I'm talking about enjoyed the full support from the Dean and faculty of the university they worked at. Essays and research were freely exchanged enabling the students to progress with the minimum of effort. In conclusion, I deem that online degrees are worth no more than a forged degree certificate

Paul, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

I agree with Michael O'Sullivan. It isn't big news yet, but at some point soon the fact that top quality dissertations are being bought and handed in for totally undeserved high marks will hit the media. The number of essay writing services in the UK is escalating all the time. Basically, if you and your kids are honest they are likely to lose out to these legally protected cheats. The internet exams are just another nail in the coffin