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EU-Russia higher education cooperation has continued despite global tensions including Crimea incorporation. One example of this cooperation is the development of Finnish-Russian double degree programmes. This paper focuses on institutional environments where double degrees develop and asks how and why they produce uncertainty from inside Finnish and Russian universities in the period of this unfavourable political situation. The matryoshka model is applied to understand the institutional environment of a university and the institutions around it. The institutional nature of a double degree is determined by comparative analysis of how internal university stakeholders in Finland and Russia perceive a programme’s benchmarks. The study is based on the analysis of interviews conducted in partner universities. This paper discusses how perceptions of double degrees influence uncertainty in programme provision within and between institutional environments in Finnish and Russian universities. In addition, the level of institutionalisation of the double degrees may be evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines 2 recent Australian government issues papers on higher education and research policy, indicating areas both of concern and opportunity for Australian higher education providers in theology and their research efforts. The paper then offers suggestions as to how providers of theological education might position themselves as research institutions in the emerging higher education environment in Australia, and how educational policymakers might regard research in the theological sector of Australian higher education. This paper is directed, within the new research environment in Australia, to 2 groups of readers: those concerned with the administration of theological institutions, and those whose responsibility it is to draft policy with regard to research funding. To the theological institutions I want to say: (1) become more familiar with the emerging higher education culture, especially as it affects research, and pay attention to ensuring your institution's own quality assurance controls; (2) avoid being sidelined in the new environment, seek strategic partnerships with other institutions with a similar vision and mission to your own; and (3) attempt to state clearly the role and value of your own discipline in the Australia of the 21st Century. To the policymakers I say: recognise the value of research done, often in small private but not‐for‐profit institutions, in the theological and biblical disciplines. Recognise it as genuine research. Listen to the particular needs of these institutions, which may be quite different from larger institutions with more attention‐grabbing research profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses an article on the development, inadequacy, and history of Grade Point Average (GPA) by Soh, how national teaching awards in New Zealand influences the higher education by Kerry Shepard, and the exploration of institutional leadership by Perrakis and colleagues.

This paper identifies, examines and discusses higher education funding policy shifts that have taken place in Kenya. The paper argues that even though Kenya's higher education funding policy shifts, from free higher education to cost-sharing, and privatisation and commercialisation, are (to a greater extent) products of the country's encounter with globalisation, local social, political and economic dynamics have been of equally significant influence. Thus, the country's higher education funding policies have been products of a convergence of both the dynamics of globalisation and local contextual imperatives. Furthermore, the point is made that the shift from free higher education to cost-sharing, and privatisation and commercialisation, was symptomatic of a global transition from a development paradigm that was predominantly based on Keynesianism to a neo-liberal paradigm that privileges mean expenditure on social services (such as higher education) and the market logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an analysis into the global phenomenon known as credential/qualification fraud, a $US 1 billion dollar ‘cottage’ industry which has tainted higher education in Australia, and does not appear to be abating. The study is developed through a conceptual framework of credentialism, degree creep and screening theory, which the author theorises spawns the demand for degree qualifications, both legitimate and ‘less‐than‐wonderful’ along continuums of legitimacy and acceptability. The paper suggests several key resources and tools that can be used by administrators of universities, non‐self accrediting higher education providers and industry human resource managers. The paper concludes by reviewing key‐global practices currently employed as proactive measures to minimise credential fraud, moving towards a best practice framework for Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of internationalisation on academic work within a department of management in a large Australian university. It has been argued elsewhere that internationalisation strategies have transformed the nature and demands of academic work through the massification and commodification of educational curricula. Drawing on one of our university's projects to develop and deliver internationalised common curricula to students in Asia, South Africa and Australia we contend that internationalisation strategies have contributed to what we identify as the "Taylorisation" of teaching and learning. Frederick Taylor's principles of scientific management, exemplified by the growing trend towards standardisation of delivery and curricula, are readily identified in the pedagogical processes and expected academic practice in higher education. This paper draws on the work of others who highlight the complexity of internationalisation issues in the development and delivery of curricula and suggests a comprehensive programme of internationalisation that more effectively addresses the economic and social demands of the current global competitive environment. We argue for a programme of internationalisation that is counter-hegemonic, ongoing, comprehensive, multifaceted and integrated and we offer some practical suggestions to redefine the principles and practices of internationalisation within an Australian university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in expectations of research education worldwide have seen the rise of new demands beyond supervision and have highlighted the need for academic leadership in research education at a local level. Based on an interview study of those who have taken up local leadership roles in four Australian universities, this paper maps and analyses different dimensions of the emerging leadership role of research education coordination. It argues that while there is increasing clarity of what is required, there are considerable tensions in the nature of the coordination role and how coordination is to be executed. In particular, what leadership roles are appropriate and how can they be positioned effectively within universities? The paper draws on the Integrated Competing Values Framework to focus on the activities of coordination and on ideas of distributed leadership to discuss the leadership that characterises coordination. It is argued that without acknowledgement of the influences that coordinators need to exert and the positioning and support needed to achieve this, the contemporary agenda for research education will not be realised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines institutional governance of the public university in China, investigating the extent to which government has sponsored the autonomy of universities since the inception of the opening up reforms of 1978. The paper sets out to explain how the party governance system of China is interconnected with aspects of the university’s governance, little commented upon in academic literature outside of China. In particular, it explores how the Presidential Accountability System under the leadership of the University Committee of Communist Party (UCCP) operates. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Student workload is a contributing factor to students deciding to withdraw from their study before completion of the course, at significant cost to students, institutions and society. The aim of this paper is to create a basic workload model for a group of undergraduate students studying business law units at Curtin University in Western Australia. In doing this, the paper explores the concept of undergraduate student workload by reviewing the literature on the subject, identifying factors that have an impact upon student workload, quantifying those factors, and creating a basic model of factors to be taken into account when assessing student workload. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the biggest challenges confronting university students with print disabilities, such as blindness, is accessing the written word. In the past it was necessary to read text books onto cassette tape or turn them to Braille so these students could access the text books. Technological advances are making university life increasingly accessible for students with print disabilities. Using a combination of survey data and policy searches, the paper examines whether Australian universities are enabling students with print disabilities to take advantage of these technological advances. Results revealed that Australian universities are not ensuring that students with print disabilities have timely access to textbooks required for their university studies as a result of a combination of factors including inefficiencies caused by the statutory agency which regulates copyright, and by some universities having policies to provide minimal support to these students. These findings are discussed alongside a range of reforms which take into consideration publishers' copyright concerns, universities' cost limitations and the desire of students with print disabilities to gain access to textbooks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changed dynamic between tertiary students and universities has resulted in much discussion about consumer rights and obligations. Whilst some consider the change from students to clients to be simply an accurate reflection of changing times, others believe the trend to be a covert blueprint for radical change imposed by forces external to the academy. In either case, the discussion is more concerned with rights, responsibilities and obligations rather than pedagogic issues. With the shift in focus comes the possibility of consumer-based litigation based upon contractual obligations. To some extent, the success of such litigation will be based upon legalistic interpretations of the marketing rhetoric universities use to describe their product. As public statements, such rhetoric is part of the contract into which students enter with universities. This paper considers one of the ways in which universities have responded to the potential of being sued by unsatisfied customers: a tempering of hyperbole in their advertising. But how does the implication of such a strategy impact upon the perceived or actual standards of teaching? The paper begins with a brief overview of how universities have responded to students recasting themselves as customers, with the concomitant demands for satisfaction. It follows with a consideration of how these trends have become manifest in Australia. The focus narrows to consider how one university has responded to the changing environment, and then uses the example of one faculty within that university to exemplify the change in strategy. Finally, the paper considers the potential future relevance of that response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The working lives of general staff in universities have been a rather closed book until recently, having been largely ignored in both academic and non‐academic literature. When discussed or referred to, general staff have been depicted in problematic ways that, in recent times, can be associated with the prevailing discourse of corporate managerialism . This paper attempts to redress this situation by illustrating some aspects of the lives of general staff in universities. In particular the paper considers how changes in universities, as they have become more corporate, have influenced the work, perceptions and constructions of working life as described by a group of general staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing student expectations of higher education is an increasing challenge to the university sector. How one institution responds to those changing expectations is examined close up. While student non‐completion is a feature of the contemporary higher education landscape, little analysis of the role played by higher education institutions in stabilising retention rates has entered the public domain. The paper acknowledges the influence by state policies and of student disposition towards higher education as factors that may affect non‐completion rates but questions the role played by higher education institutions themselves in reducing the rate of non‐completion. From a theoretical perspective, barriers are identified which, coupled with institutional data, provide a first‐cut analysis of possible strategies that could work to limit poor retention rate trends. An underlying question embedded within the paper is: should universities faced with high first‐year non‐completion rates expect students to accommodate to university life, or should they seek to adjust institutional culture to adapt to changing student demands and expectations? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a study of research partnerships with industry across the higher education sector in three high technology fields in South Africa, the paper identifies five key tensions, the resolution of which shapes the way partnerships are facilitated and constrained in distinct institutional contexts. The paper highlights the significance of policy coherence between organizational levels within an institution, the importance of seeking a balance between financial and intellectual research imperatives, the necessity of promoting a strategic balance between the forms of partnership that are allowed and encouraged to develop, and the need for flexible regulation within institutions to provide levers and incentives without being heavy‐handed or constricting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports issues arising from a longitudinal study of 1991 to 2002 Australian higher education equity data. The national equity framework uses an empirical performance indicator system to monitor access, participation, success and retention of six designated equity groups. The paper examines three possible approaches for defining new groups. It finds no support for an exploratory empirical approach, or for an approach based on definitions of multiple disadvantage, but supports an approach which takes account of secondary school attendance. A case is made for a more sophisticated and contextualised approach to national reporting, to increase the responsiveness and productivity of the policy framework. While the benefits of a national equity policy framework are acknowledged, the paper proposes possibilities for new approaches to monitoring and measuring disadvantage in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Britain's higher education institutions (HEIs) face fundamental and unprecedented competitive pressures due to lower government funding (Cm 5735, The Future of Higher Education , Department for Education and Skills, 2003) and a government agenda focused on a "widening participation agenda". We employ the resource-based view (RBV) of strategy development to explore potential coping strategies. The RBV has not previously been applied to HEIs, partly because of limited relevant strategic data. The paper explores whether or not universities possess sustainable competitive advantages and concludes that they do, particularly knowledge-based, reputational, innovative and architectural related advantages. Further research is proposed into the competitive advantages of individual HEIs. The paper argues that a resource-based perspective could provide new and valuable insights for strategy development at UK universities and that these same principles can be applied in other parts of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major restructuring to the Australian higher education sector was initiated in 1988 with the dismantling of the previous binary system and the introduction of the unified national system. Since this time the sector has been the subject of continuous review by government and the policy and funding framework for higher education research in particular has undergone a number of changes. After providing contextual information regarding Australia and its R&D effort, this paper examines a number of major reviews that have impacted on the higher education sector. Particular attention is directed to identifying changes in both policy and funding environment. It is argued that the crisis facing Australian universities is the result of not only inadequate funding but also an over-reliance by government on the market steering of the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a letter from the editors pertaining to education management.

Change initiatives in higher education are frequently guided by an institutional change management program which provides employees with a framework and set of skills to better understand problems and facilitate change at the organisational level. In this paper, we explore employee perceptions of Six Sigma as a tool for facilitating change at one public institution of higher education in the southeast United States. Unlike previous research studies that focused on specific results of change initiatives using Six Sigma, our research team considered how individuals, trained in the implementation of Six Sigma techniques and strategies, viewed the potential of the Six Sigma model to enact and sustain change initiatives in a higher education setting. In this case study, we describe Six Sigma as a change management program in higher education based on Lewin’s Three-Phase Model of Change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A large number of failures in learning reforms at Asian universities have been documented recently in the literature. The main reason is that reformers often import Western-developed practices to Asian classrooms without a careful examination of their appropriateness within the socio-cultural context of these countries. This approach faces a high risk of failure because Western-developed practices are often supported by structural conditions and cultural values that are not always found in Asia. To ensure the success of student-centred learning reforms in Asian classrooms, this paper claims that reformers should not simply borrow and impose student-centred practices on Asian students. Rather, Asian educators need to be assisted to bring about change in their teaching practices and instructed how to design assessment that promotes student-centred learning practices. Moreover, some principles of student-centred theories need to be modified to become culturally appropriate in the Asian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students are considered to be the main 'customers' in universities and polytechnics and increasingly they seek to have their needs met. This is one of the main reasons for persistent calls for the improvement of teaching in higher education. Tutors play an important role in the delivery of undergraduate education, although they are often perceived as a 'neglected' or 'invisible' group. This paper assesses students' perceptions of tutors and the factors that contribute to their learning in a New Zealand university. Survey questionnaires were administered to management students at the end of their course, to gather information on their perceptions of tutor effectiveness and to reflect on their overall tutorial experiences. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken of the data collected. The results supported the initial hypotheses that the learning environment, positive and constructive feedback and stimulating tutorials improve student learning and lead to higher levels of student satisfaction with their learning experiences at university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disclosure in 2006 by Oxford's Conference of Colleges that it would require newly matriculated students to sign a student-college contract is the latest evidence of the tendency to reduce the university-student relationship to one of contract. It also points to the reinvention of the university in the context of a disaggregated and individualised wider community. Alienation from self and from community is reinforced by the standardised persona assumed in economic interaction and now transforming social interaction. This is a fundamental paradigm shift that requires a radical rethink of the new university as a community. This paper will trace the transformation of the student from a status relationship, in which the student is a member of a university community, to one in which the student is a client of the university. This process involves the denaturing of the students and, through them, the university. The consequences of such a process can be considered at the level of the student's engagement with the university and the studies undertaken there. This paper will consider, in particular, the ramifications of an 'actuarial' mentality adopted by students to assess the 'economic choices' available to them in their higher education, by which they hope to manage their future and insure against risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores leadership styles and gender in higher education (HE) by examining representation of female professors in Australian and Turkish universities and identifying barriers to achieving seniority. The paper explores factors, including leadership styles, which explain the higher representation of female professors in Turkey, despite legislative frameworks and strategies in Australia to improve representation of senior women. It then explores barriers to women's career advancement, including the difficult management culture, low morale, informal processes in appointment and promotion, and lack of training for management roles in Australia, and conflict between career and family roles in Turkey. Finally, the paper identifies the impact of strategic choices on leadership styles and women's career advancement. This research questions the impact of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action frameworks on women's representation as professors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been many changes to the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) since its introduction in 1989. The most significant of these is possibly the reforms announced in the 2003 Federal Budget, which allow universities to increase the contributions required of students by up to 25%. This paper considers the distribution of deferred HECS liabilities according to the socioeconomic status of students. An algorithm is presented for converting area‐level data to its individual‐level equivalent. It is found that students of lower socioeconomic status defer a much larger proportion of their HECS than students of higher socioeconomic status. The adverse side effects of HECS identified in the literature will therefore be more acute for low socioeconomic status background students than for their wealthier counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the examination procedures and protocols for the DBA degree through a survey of universities offering the degree in Australia. The findings indicate general consistency among institutions in understanding the differences between a DBA and PhD, and a relatively uniform acceptance of key criteria for assessment of the DBA. However, in some instances the information provided to examiners of DBA theses was either unavailable or limited, or did not articulate clearly the differences between a DBA and PhD and how these differences are to be addressed when examining a DBA thesis. A framework is provided for assisting potential examiners of DBA theses and graduate schools or business faculties in their drafting of DBA examination guidelines in order to obtain a level of consistency in DBA examination procedures and protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates about middle management in higher education have been largely confined to the dominant discourse of managerialism. In this paper, we argue for an engagement with the broader management literature, with its multiple discourses of middle management. We present an analysis of middle management as a multifaceted phenomenon and review literature on middle managers as representing: core organisational values; as self-interested agent of control; as corporate bureaucrat; and as repositories of organisational wisdom. In considering each of these views, we reflect on the relevant debates within higher education. We conclude that a more productive discussion of the role of middle management in higher education is possible by breaking with the simple managerialism/collegiate duality found in the higher education literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major problem with on-line education in contemporary universities is securing cooperation of academics. This paper argues that even if the benefits of on-line learning are widely recognised, several incentive problems inhibit academic staff participation. These incentive problems include unverifiability of expertise in on-line learning, the firm-specific nature of investments in on-line learning and the team nature of on-line learning. Suggestions are made for remedying each of these problems by correcting the distorted incentives faced by academics and administrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The higher education sector is a dynamic environment where universities compete on a global basis for resources, students, and high-quality staff. The impending retirement of the baby boomer generation will create increased competition for research leaders. One way to address this is to develop research leaders from existing researchers. However, little is known about what it takes to transition from a leading researcher to a research leader, so there is much to be learned from the experiences of those who have successfully navigated those transitions. To explore the transition from early career researcher to leading researcher to research leader, we undertook a mixed methods study involving 30 senior research leaders and administrators from a range of organisations across Australia. In this paper, we describe how the career paths of these research leaders developed in a highly competitive research environment and discuss how universities can attract, retain, develop, and promote their researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because there is close cooperation on quality assurance in the Scandinavian countries, one would expect there to be convergence of quality assurance policies and practices in Scandinavian higher education. Few studies have analysed these quality assurance policies and practices from a comparative viewpoint. Based on empirical evidence produced in connection with studies of recent quality reforms in Scandinavia and an approach based on linking diffusion and translation theories with institutionalist perspectives focusing on path dependency, the paper contributes to the current debate on Scandinavian quality assurance. The debate is compelling with regard to the Swedish case in particular, with its ‘one size fits all’ approach and exclusive focus on outcomes which has been heavily criticised by the higher education institutions and has turned out to be controversial from the European viewpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The higher education sector operates in an increasingly complex global environment that is placing it under considerable stress and resulting in widespread change to the operating context and leadership of higher education institutions. The outcome has been the increased likelihood of conflict between academics and senior leaders, presaging the need for more engaged and broader approach to leadership. Based on empirical research into the Australian university sector, this paper contends that a distributed leadership (DL) approach is appropriate for the higher education sector and offers value for supporting effective change. In acknowledging the paradigm change needed to implement a DL approach successfully, the authors present a process model to underpin the shift from a leader-centric to a DL approach. The Sustainable Enabling and Evaluating Reflective DL change process model presents a synthesis of how a systemic change to DL in higher education can occur. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The future of Malaysia as a high-income and competitive nation largely depends on its pool of highly skilled human capital. Hence, the issue of human capital development has taken centre stage in numerous reform agendas of Malaysia. This paper seeks to provide examples of policy initiatives aimed at facilitating the management of highly educated talent in Malaysia. It subsequently considers the role of higher education institutions, particularly the universities, as attractors, educators and retainers of intellectuals, in shaping talent. In conclusion, we argue that more significant underlying shortcomings of talent development are derived from the still transitional nature of the reforms and incomplete structural changes occurring in the national system, and that a change in mindset is the first necessary step towards nurturing and developing a human resource talent pool. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents information from the editors on the papers published in the current issue of the journal and the overall methodology adopted in selecting these papers. The current issue has papers on topics like cost of education, academic degrees and university marketing, from countries like Spain, Israel and the U.S. The editor comments on the huge amount of papers received by the journal and the blind peer review conducted for them.

The article reflects on the issues presented in the journal including student fees and related equity considerations, student expectations and retention, research, and general staffs of universities and colleges. It also cites the contributors which include Elisa Rose Birch, Paul Miller, and Bernard Longden.

In this paper, we examine the role of e-learning enrolments in revenue functions for four-year public universities. Many universities have moved into e-learning as a resource to overcome the funding shortfall which has been an outcome of the recent economic climate. It is hypothesised that an e-learning presence will enhance revenues for universities in varying capacities. We use panel data from the Department of Education and the Southern Regional Education Board, covering the years 2006–2008. We estimate a fixed effects regression to control for unobserved heterogeneity across universities. Results indicate that e-learning enrolment decreases revenue derived from state appropriations. One possible explanation is that traditional universities have found a new revenue outlet in e-learning that decreases the need for state funding. Our results lend support for universities seeking to break away from being a public entity and towards a profit maximising firm. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper identifies common timetabling issues and options as experienced in Australian universities, and develops a rationale to inform management decisions on a suitable system and the associated policies, procedures, management structure and resources at the University of Newcastle, to enable more effective timetabling in line with the needs of its students and staff, and the organisation. To strive for effective management and production of timetabling there are key elements to consider. These are policy and process; technology; people including culture; and communication. The change has to be managed and led, and each stage considered and evaluated. The literature and responses to the survey that was sent to a number of universities to complete, provided an overview of what is effective at a number of institutions in terms of a timetabling system, policy, procedures, structure and resources. It also identified key issues and how they were resolved, worked around or are still being tackled at various universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines job turnover among US university presidents from 2001–2006. Using data from the American Council of Education's Survey of American College Presidents, this analysis finds that public (state supported) university presidents’ odds of leaving office over a five-year period are approximately 50 per cent higher than are their private (independent) university presidents. This job instability appears to be driven primarily by the higher propensity for public university presidents to leave one institution to become president at another institution. The flatter returns to time in office experienced by public university presidents likely motives this heightened job turnover. Increased competition for university presidents is likely to increase the returns to job mobility in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite being one of the major reasons for the development of quality assessment, students seem relatively unaware of its potential impact. Since one of the main purposes of assessment is to provide students with information on the quality of universities, this lack of awareness brings in to question the effectiveness of assessment as a device for promoting institutional accountability. Aiming to contribute to increase knowledge in this field, the paper addresses Portuguese students' perceptions of the impact of quality assessment. Resorting to the findings of a qualitative study on this subject, it is argued that students seem to assume a rather ambiguous position vis-à-vis this impact. While seeing assessment as having only a limited capacity to produce changes, students seem reluctant about the possibility of measures being adopted to increase it. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As part of an ambitious 10-year programme to overhaul and improve its entire education structure, China is currently engaged in developing, reforming and opening up its higher education sector. The stated aims are to increase access, increase resourcing, improve outcomes and lessen direct official interference. Underpinning the programme are aspects of Confucian philosophy as well as Communist Party of China ordinances. Confucian thought however, is far from intractable and how much it has been altered to suit the political perspective is a matter of contention. This paper argues that the term Confucian heritage as it has been applied to governance in higher education is too unstable to inform the analysis of progress and potential in Chinese higher education reform in any meaningful way. Instead, it serves the more civic purpose of providing a popular reference point for China's national and international ambitions in the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It has been widely acknowledged that an important indicator of a successful sojourn for international students is social integration into the host community. Despite seemingly regular opportunities to integrate, many international students report that their interactions with local residents remain superficial. The Community Connections programme at The University of Newcastle in Australia has aimed to address this issue over the past 13 years by engaging a broad range of volunteers from the host community to welcome, befriend, and support international students. In 2009, the opportunity arose to conduct a small pilot project within Community Connections, the aim of which was to focus specifically on facilitating relationships between international and domestic students. Thirty domestic students and a similar number of international students volunteered to participate in this pilot project. This paper describes the steps involved to develop this project, outlines the evaluation process, and discusses the impact of participation in the programme on student experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A university's key resource is its staff, both academic and general. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the work of general staff. Yet general staff comprise more than half the workforce in Australian universities and a more rigorous understanding of the contribution of general staff towards the strategic goals of their institutions has the potential to enhance their institutions' organisational sustainability. Universities have multiple and diverse stakeholders, but students are the key stakeholders in universities' core business of learning and teaching. Consequently, the interaction of general staff with students has potential to have an impact on the sustainability of an institution. This paper describes a preliminary study into how general staff contribute to student outcomes. A meta-study by Prebble et al. derived 13 propositions for support of student outcomes that focused on the contribution by academic staff and Middleton subsequently surmised that general staff are also central to those outcomes. This study uses the Delphi method to test Middleton's assertion by engaging general staff in ranking the propositions in terms of their contribution to student outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federal government changes to the funding of doctoral students have focused the attention of university management on their completion rates. The aims of this paper are to inform the allocation of institutional resources in a manner that improves the likelihood of timely doctoral completions and to highlight a process that can also be used for analyses of other key indicators of progression and attrition. The analyses and model development used national data readily available to all universities, which are collected in a standard approach through the Graduate Destinations Survey (GDS). The findings show that the most important variable for timely completion was attendance (full-time compared with part-time), whereby in terms of full-time equivalent (FTE) years of study, part-time students were far more likely to complete quickly than full-time students. For the full-time students, the key predictors of timely completion were residency, field of study and English-speaking background (ESB). The timeliness of part-time students was predicted by field of study and ESB. This study confirms that there is considerable variation by discipline for timely doctoral completions. The pragmatic application and prospective test of the derived models present a variety of opportunities for research student administrators. For example, those full-time students scoring highly represented a concentration of timely graduates more than 7.5 times higher than the lowest-scoring group - almost an order of magnitude of difference. In short, university management could gain tremendous value from more widely using the data available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the journey of one pre-1992 UK university towards the creation of an environment that supports teaching and learning effectively. This includes both a culture that values the scholarship of teaching and learning and pedagogic research and that provides a supportive environment for its students' development. It investigates the key internal events along this journey, demonstrating which of these have facilitated institutional-wide development. In order to do this, use is made of Cowan and Heywood's model of the curriculum development and renewal process. Conclusions are drawn on the characteristics of the events that have been most effective and on the general lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a landmark organisational change event within the University of Western Sydney, when the university ceased operating as a federation of four distinct, inter-related elements and merged to become a single entity, four foundation College Managers made a strategic decision to form an alliance. This alliance significantly enhanced the organisational impact and effectiveness of each partner during what was a highly turbulent, competitive and constantly shifting change setting. This paper describes the environmental conditions that led to the formation of this partnership and details the three core alliance strategies implemented by the College Managers. Such strategies included the creation of lateral and hierarchical communication channels, the engagement of staff, plus the provision of a supportive work environment. The success, or otherwise, of the alliance and its strategies is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper clusters and ranks the research performance of 36 Australian universities according to their research performance over the period of 1998–2002. Research performance is measured according to audited numbers of Ph.D. completions and publications, and research grants income (in accordance with rules established by the Department of Education, Science and Training), and analysed in both total and per academic staff terms. Hierarchical cluster analysis supports a binary division between 15 higher‐performing and 22 lower‐performing universities, with the specification in per academic staff terms identifying the self‐designated research intensive Group of Seven universities, plus several others in the better‐performing group. The higher‐performing group includes the 7 research‐intensive Group of Eight universities examined. Factor analysis indicates that the top three research performers in terms of total research performance are the Universities of Melbourne, Sydney, and Queensland, while the top 3 in terms of per capita academic staff are the Universities of Melbourne, Adelaide, and Western Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary universities, serving mass higher education markets, find themselves delivering complex, broadly based projects such as student support and welfare, human resource development, and business enterprise. Established concepts of academic administration and devolved management have been overlaid by more fluid institutional structures and cultures, with a softening of internal and external boundaries (Whitchurch, 2004, 2005). These developments have caused major shifts in the identities of professional administrators and managers as they adopt more project‐oriented roles crossing functional and organisational boundaries. This paper considers the dynamics of these changes, in terms that move beyond conventional assumptions about administration and management. While identities have been defined traditionally via structured domains such as professional knowledges, institutional boundaries, and the policy requirements of the higher education sector, an emergent project domain has fostered the development of an increasingly multi‐professional grouping of staff, with implications for career futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the results of the first comprehensive longitudinal study of qualification retention, completion and progression in tertiary education in New Zealand. Of the cohort of domestic students which started a qualification at a public tertiary education provider in 1998, 40% had gained a qualification by the end of 2002, 9% were still studying, and 51% had left without gaining a qualification. For the cohort of students who completed a qualification in 2001, 15% continued study at a higher level in 2002, 24% continued at the same or a lower level, while 62% left study. Significant variations exist for different demographic and study-related subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the heightened competition introduced by the potential global market and the need for structural changes within organisations delivering e-content, e-learning policy is beginning to take on a more significant role within the context of educational policy per se . For this reason, it is becoming increasingly important to establish what effect such policies have and how they are achieved. This paper addresses this question, illustrating five ways in which change is understood (Fordist, evolutionary, ecological, community of practice and discourse-oriented) and then using this range of perspectives to explore how e-learning policy drives change (both organisational and pedagogic) within a selected higher education institution. The implications of this case are then discussed, and both methodological and pragmatic conclusions are drawn, considering the relative insights offered by the models and ways in which change around e-learning might be supported or promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many constituencies external to higher education have begun promoting greater accountability. This view advocates a closer focus on the bottom line and that universities should utilise a more business-like model. One major outgrowth of this paradigm shift has been the seemingly recent emergence of outsourcing in higher education. Higher education has seemingly been slow to adopt this strategy. Or has it? The truth is that higher education has been outsourcing classroom instruction for many years. Recent statistics in the US suggest that over half of all undergraduate instruction is contracted out to teaching staff outside the university's regular full-time academic staff. Is this usage of outsourcing working in higher education? This paper applies an outsourcing assessment method developed in the business world to higher education so as to answer questions conceming the outsourcing of classroom instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines a recent book about the University of Melbourne. It uses this as a case study to explore traditional conceptions of the university in the Western tradition, and aspects of the Australian debate about government policies and institutional strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian universities, like their counterparts in most Western countries, have suffered a dramatic reduction in the level of public funding in recent years. One issue on the horizon that is of relevance to students and universities is the latter's exposure to National Competition Policy and, more specifically, the Trade Practices Act. Recent changes to universities, the student experience and the law present new legal options for student redress and new liabilities for universities and individual staff. In this paper, I ask whether appealing to the Trade Practices Act is an appropriate strategy for responding to "deregulation" of universities, funding cuts and the associated decline in the capacity of universities to deliver quality education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]