Search

Higher education is under pressure to advance from a singular focus on assessment of outputs (measurements) to encompass the impact (influence) of initiatives across all aspects of academic endeavour (research, learning and teaching, and leadership). This paper focuses on the implications of this shift for leadership in higher education. Demonstrating the impact of leadership in higher education requires taking a step beyond measuring the skills, behaviours, and achievements of individual leaders to demonstrating how universities can evaluate the impact of actions taken to build leadership capacity across the institution. The authors extend the outcome of empirical research into how a distributed leadership approach can be enabled and evaluated in Australian higher education – to analyse the effectiveness of these processes for both measuring output and assessing the impact and influence of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Distributed leadership has been explored internationally as a leadership model that will promote and advance excellence in learning and teaching in higher education. This paper presents an assessment of how effectively distributed leadership was enabled at five Australian institutions implementing a collaborative teaching quality development scheme called the Peer Assisted Teaching Scheme. The Scheme brings together expertise from teams of academics, coordinators, and institutional learning and teaching portfolio holders to the shared goal of enhancing learning and teaching quality. A distributed leadership benchmarking tool was used to assess the Scheme’s effectiveness, and we found that (i) the Scheme is highly consistent with the distributed leadership benchmarks, and that (ii) the benchmarking tool is easily used in assessing the alignment (or otherwise) of teaching and learning quality initiatives with distributed leadership benchmarks. This paper will be of interest to those seeking to assess implementations of distributed leadership to improve teaching quality and leadership capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objectives of this paper were to explore the existing status of agricultural higher education in India, application of marketing concepts in similar institutions and to find the most appropriate marketing concept to make agricultural higher education more competitive. Extensive searches of relevant agricultural education, business management and higher educational data bases were made. It was found that agricultural higher education in India is stagnant and is facing an identity crisis among its stakeholders. Marketing theories and concepts which are now being applied in higher education across the globe have not been thought of in the context of agriculture education. A review of the literature suggested that considering the objectives, the multiplicity of stakeholders and the nature of public-funded agricultural education, marketing orientation would be most appropriate. Based on the experiences of similar institutions, the paper suggests a three-level strategy for the implementation of marketing orientation in institutions of agricultural higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one on the aspects of staffing in New Zealand, and another one on gender-biased policy.

Concerns regarding the nomenclature of university administration in Australia and the UK have featured in the higher education literature for over a decade. In response, a significant nomenclature shift is occurring, with Australian universities replacing the term ‘General Staff’ to describe all administrative and technical staff, in favour of ‘Professional Staff’. Following nomenclature trends in the UK, this change has been in gestation for some time having been championed by individuals, groups, professional associations and more recently a national staff union. This paper presents the findings of a doctoral study regarding the nomenclature preferences of 194 Australian university research support staff. It provides insight into the motivations behind the nomenclature shift, with an emphasis on the dissatisfaction expressed for the term ‘Non-Academic Staff’. Drawing on these findings, this paper suggests an aspirational framework for university professional staff in the form of a ‘nomenclature ladder’ for sector-wide application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are increasing demands for higher levels of data assurance in higher education. This paper explores some of the drivers for this trend, and then explains what stakeholders mean by the concept of data assurance, since this has not been well defined previously. The paper captures insights from existing literature, stakeholders, auditors, and the university case experience of the authors to produce a logical model of data assurance. The model seeks to make the best use of scarce resources to deliver the stakeholders' assurance expectations, reducing redundancy and minimising the risks of omission. A logical and layered approach to the problem best delivers these outcomes. The paper concludes with a consideration of implementation issues, and demonstrates how traditional differences between academics and administrators in this difficult area may be addressed. While the paper is located in the English context, the principles will have wider applicability under other regulatory regimes. [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]

Within the framework of the strategic journey undertaken between 2005 and 2010, this paper seeks to examine how the University of Melbourne sought to differentiate itself through the introduction and reconceptualisation of a ‘third stream’ of academic work. Specifically, this paper seeks to investigate, through qualitative methods, how those in leadership roles in diverse areas of the University understood and operationalised knowledge transfer as a new strategic priority from 2006; and the approaches taken leading to the University's (subsequently refined) view of third stream activity as engagement. This paper also argues that there were multiple barriers to introducing and implementing the new strategy. However, once personal linkages were created between the changed strategy and scholarly life, an organisational story developed with the potential benefits leading to opportunities through mission differentiation, without the risk of unsustainable organisational resource demands. Finally, this paper concludes that significant change is not easy, but it is possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has become commonplace for scholars and education managers to talk of the globalisation of higher education. How to provide housing for the growing numbers of international students, however, remains contentious. This paper presents the situation in Australia by analysing the results of two large surveys and official reports published by student associations, housing authorities, the University of Sydney, and the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. It shows that the authorities have not succeeded in providing an answer to the international student housing question. In turn, accommodation remains a difficult issue for most international students and threatens to undermine the quality of higher education. Understood only as an accommodation problem, it may be argued that the situation could be improved if more affordable student housing was provided. However, this paper argues that until the problem is framed in socio-economic terms and analysed from a broad perspective, a solution will remain elusive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper undertakes a critique of the gendered nature of leadership in modern universities in Kenya. The paper argues that the inclusive nature of African feminism makes it easier for both men and women to join in this discussion since African feminism demands a more holistic perspective that does not pit men against women but encourages them to work together to address gender inequalities. The review shows that there is a need to develop policies and strategies both at national and local level geared towards increasing women's participation in decision making and leadership in higher education in Kenya. The paper provides an opportunity for reflection on problems related to the participation of academic women in leadership in higher education in Kenya and comparable systems through the changing times and settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses a survey of leadership development needs and current challenges of senior women at two different Australian universities. It found that their leadership development needs were quite similar: over 80 per cent of respondents considered that a senior women's leadership programme would provide knowledge and skills for leadership in the current tough working environment. The preferred content included skills in people management, political awareness, operational issues and career development, and preferred format was mentoring, peer networks, coaching and 360 degree feedback, and shadowing and mentoring at another university. The qualitative responses indicated several strong themes: the impact of excessive workloads and high levels of administration on their effectiveness; the need for peer and supervisor support and networks, underpinned by effective organisational skills and administrative support; and the gendering of careers, especially academic careers, evident in male colleagues receiving more support, resources and recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important way to improve access for groups that are under-represented in tertiary education is to facilitate the movement of students from vocational education and training to higher education institutions. However, there is substantial evidence of rigidities and obstacles to such a closer integration between these two sectors. This paper discusses the problems experienced by students currently articulating from vocational education and training to higher education institutions, identifies impediments to collaborative pathways and suggests measures for overcoming such obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much emphasis is currently placed on the impact of marketisation on higher education and the damage it has caused to forms of academic and student identity. Evident is a concern that much of value in these identities has been lost amidst the pressure of audit, performance indicators and consumerism. This paper explores the changes to these identities to gauge how appropriate the 'loss' thesis is as a diagnosis of current challenges. In exploring these issues, the paper argues that, while the past is troubling, the reasons for this trouble have as much to do with concerns over democratic accountability as they do with external political interference. The paper concludes by using this ideological tension to characterise the university as 'mediating publicness', a characterisation that may provide an alternative to current concerns over loss, doubt and institutional inertia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper questions the value of the current trend towards mandating formal teaching accreditation in higher education and argues that the 'just-in-time' nature of short training programmes coupled with on-going occasional mentoring is likely to result in more productive professional development for academic teachers. Specifically, the paper considers the increasing use of the graduate certificate as a means to improve practice despite the sparseness and contradictory nature of evidential data (as opposed to surveys of perceptions) supporting their efficacy as instruments of professional development. Finally the paper presents a case for less formal training and development, arguing that because universities have changed substantially in response to demands for greater access in terms of a much wider intake; in response to the increasing managerial emphasis on productivity and in response to the maelstrom of unmediated communication that has characterised the early part of the twenty-first century, a more pragmatic approach to academic development is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the experiences of academics who became department heads in a post-1992 UK university and explores the influence that being in the position has on their planned future academic career. Drawing on life history interviews undertaken with 17 male and female heads of department, the paper constitutes an in-depth study of their careers in the same university. The findings suggest that academics who become department heads not only need the capacity to assume a range of personal and professional identities, but need flexibility to regularly adopt and switch between them. Whether individuals can successfully balance and manage such multiple identities, or whether they experience major conflicts within or between them, greatly affects their experiences of being a head of department and seems to influence their subsequent career decisions. The paper concludes by proposing a conceptual framework and typology to interpret the career trajectories of academics that became department heads in the case university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the contemporary development and reform challenges in tertiary education in Malaysia in both national and global contexts. The critical role exercised by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency in driving strategic change in higher education cultures, both in public and private universities is described and analysed. The paper examines the adoption, generation and institutionalisation of global standards of practice in teaching and learning and in other fundamental dimensions of the provision of quality education. Contending ideas, rationales and models of universities and the contributions this institution makes to educational provisions are examined. The analyses are informed by the development reforms in other sectors of government and society within the integrated framework of the nation's strategic vision of development - Vision 2020. [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 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in its social sector, especially in setting up new schools and universities. The aim of the development is to prepare the Kingdom for a future that is not dependent on its oil resources which are predicted to run out in less than a hundred years. Driven by the country's monarch, King Abdullah, many of the changes in the higher education sector are top-down management decisions that are meeting some resistance in their implementation. This paper considers some causes of the perceived barriers to implementation of Saudi Arabia's national higher education policies, with a specific focus on the dissemination and implementation of the National Qualifications Framework for post secondary education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia devised by the National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment. The paper proposes a networked management system as a possible solution to overcome the barriers. Finally, it argues that while there are a number of factors that may slow down the Kingdom's development of its higher education sector, they are unlikely to derail it completely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses responses provided by 31 Pro Vice-Chancellors (PVCs) and Deputy Vice-Chancellors (DVCs) who were part of a larger study of more than 500 higher education leaders in roles ranging from DVC to head of programme in 20 Australian universities. Using both quantitative and qualitative data the paper gives an insider's perspective on what the roles of DVC and PVC are like at the daily level. It identifies the key focus of the roles, highlights the criteria these leaders use to judge that they are effectively performing them and outlines the relative impact of different influences on their work. It then discusses their views on what being in such a role is like, including its key satisfactions and challenges; and identifies the capabilities seen to be central to managing in such a context. Finally, it provides insights into how such leaders have gone about learning their role. The paper indicates how these findings can be used to address the current succession crisis for leaders in such critical roles. It shows how the data generated can be used to build leadership from within by identifying leaders with potential early on in their career, how the findings can be used to give selection processes more focus and how leadership development programmes can best be shaped to be effective. Having a high level of emotional intelligence is identified as a key ingredient in the successful delivery of such roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have examined the reasons for students' satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their higher educational experience. However, no single paper reviews the major attributes of an educational program that are most commonly found to be significant predictors of student satisfaction. This paper reviews the major attributes that most influence students' perceptions of overall satisfaction with particular emphasis on business students' satisfaction. Not surprisingly, academic factors such as the quality of teaching, skills and knowledge acquired and the curriculum itself are the most significant determinants of overall satisfaction. A number of other non-academic factors, however, such as the student's feeling of 'belonging' and perceptions of the institution's responsiveness and concern, also contribute significantly to overall satisfaction. This paper is intended as a starting point for those who may be designing a student satisfaction survey or those who simply wish to learn about the attributes of an academic program most likely to influence student opinion of the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education institutions worldwide have and continue to seek opportunities to spread their offerings abroad. While the provision of courses to students located overseas through partner institutions has many advantages, it raises questions about quality control that are not as applicable to other forms of international education. This paper uses a transaction cost approach to analyse quality control issues. Australian University Quality Agency reports supply the data. The paper concludes that there is a risk of opportunism and bounded rationality in license arrangements, thus universities need to monitor the contracts and their implementation very carefully. Specifically, systems are required to ensure equivalence of entry, teaching and assessment standards, the financial viability of the partners and the accuracy of their marketing material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the developed world becomes more reliant on knowledge as a vital part of economic growth and development, the importance of highly skilled workers who can create, disseminate and use new knowledge becomes integral. Within Australia, recent policies relating to higher education and research have prompted new thinking about the extent to which the research training in Australia is able to facilitate growth, given the economy's current reliance on natural resources is unsustainable (Cutler, 2008). This paper draws on work undertaken for the Australian Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research specified to examine issues relating to the research workforce. It focuses on estimating the extent of workforce demand for the PhD in Australia between now and 2020. The research presented here is intended to stimulate further thought and research about these issues and the extent to which policy can be created to facilitate the sustainable growth of Australia's knowledge economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns higher and further education institutions' policies as they relate to the interactions of their staff and students with the sex industry. In Scotland and England, consenting adults may legally buy and sell sex and commercial sexual entertainment, such as erotic dance and phone sex, provided that they do not do so in a public place. The indoor commercial sex sector is legally staffed and patronised by a wide variety of individuals, yet newspapers publish articles for salacious appeal exposing their involvement. A Freedom of Information enquiry found that although no institution had a policy prohibiting staff or student involvement in commercial sex, unwritten assumptions could be used to penalise legal but stigmatised sexual behaviour. The paper considers how institutions might respond to allegations of disreputable behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching and learning partnerships in universities have the potential to enhance the interconnections and interdependencies between higher education, society and the economy for the benefit of all stakeholders. The aim of this paper was to investigate five representative Australian universities' engagement in teaching and learning partnerships identifying the prevalence, type and influences. The two data sources were each university's Mission-based Compact and their strategic plans. A total of 134 statements in the Compacts related to teaching and learning partnerships and these statements related to eight themes. These teaching and learning partnerships within a particular time period were influenced by industry–community relationships, accreditation requirements, and the broader social environment. Whilst all universities in the study acknowledge the significance of teaching and learning partnerships, it is the depth and breadth of these teaching and learning partnerships that create distinctions among the universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically explores the opportunity for leadership development in higher education within an interpretative inquiry paradigm from the perspective of middle-level academics transitioning into leadership/management roles in Australian universities. Middle-level academics are described as being at a mid-point in their careers and universally appear to represent a substantial percentage of academic personnel in tertiary institutions. Much has been written about the rapid and seemingly unstoppable changes occurring in the higher education climate as a result of global reform and with it the effect that change is having within the realm of academic leadership. Of some interest particularly is the effect that change is having at the level of middle-level academics in leadership roles. Many universities throughout Australia have established various 'leadership capability frameworks' to meet the need of leadership and management development. However, consideration needs to be given to how well these programs prepare middle-level academics for their leadership roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) increases the 'work readiness' of university graduates but it is a complex undertaking and involves numerous risks for the stakeholders involved. A systematic review of the literature published between 2012 and 2017 reveals that the discourses related to risk and WIL are quite limited with the perspectives of key stakeholders receiving little attention. To address these shortcomings, a stakeholder centric model is proposed that conceptualises risk as a network of potentially fragile relationships and interactions, centred on the student, and involving all key WIL stakeholders. This Stakeholder Interaction (SI) model provides a framework for the analysis of risk from the perspectives of each stakeholder in turn and as such, has the potential to inform the management of risk in WIL more broadly and address some gaps in academic discourse and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper builds on recent studies of institutional diversity in Australian tertiary education by modifying this model and using it to profile Australian pathway providers. The results offer insight into the role and work of this under-represented part of Australian tertiary education, as well as highlighting key strategic issues for these institutions and encourages a self-reflexive stance towards profiling methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of the Head of Department is at the heart of tertiary education; it is where institutional policy and procedure are predominately enacted. The extant literature on the nature and challenges of such roles is almost exclusively from the Western world. The research that this article reports on examined the leadership and management structures and staff progression routes in Bangladesh colleges. The project then explored the roles and challenges facing Heads of Department in the colleges. Four focus groups were held comprising of a total of 26 Heads of Department from Bangladesh colleges. Findings indicate that the Bangladesh higher education system is highly centralised, from the Ministry of Education and the National University. Participants report their role as primarily paper-based administration with little autonomy. The challenges they face involve dealing with acute staffing shortages, student political activists and no preparation and development in the form of training. These roles and challenges differ from roles in higher education in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines shifts in the knowledge production policy agenda at Japanese research universities – a transition from discipline-based academic tradition towards interdisciplinary forms of knowledge production – through a case study of a leading interdisciplinary research institute. We examine this transition through the case of Tohoku University, one of seven 'Designated National Universities', and its flagship International Research Institute of Disaster Science. Documentary analysis revealed a renewed emphasis on interdisciplinarity, evident in restructuring towards a 'blended hybrid' model to reconcile the different institutional logics of diverse research traditions among its staff. Interviews with key stakeholders uncovered the internal dynamics of this process, its barriers and opportunities. We conclude with implications for Japanese higher education, arguing that a shift to 'blended hybrid' institutional forms is necessary but insufficient to maintain successful interdisciplinary research institutes. Success is contingent on simultaneous commitment to sustainable international connections and relationships with diverse external stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the fourth decade of the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, including author analyses and thematic insights from articles published from 2009 to 2018. In addition to an increase in the number of articles published, the Journal now publishes more articles by authors from outside Australia, female authors and co-authored articles. Institutional management and leadership is the most common theme, responsible for just over one quarter of articles. By methodology and level of analysis, roughly half of all articles utilise survey or multivariate approaches and target national-level insights. Due to the practical orientation of the journal, many articles integrate management, leadership and policy with other common higher education themes, such as student experience and quality assurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between the state and the university is predominantly shaped at a national level which tends to reflect the specific traditions and circumstances of individual countries. In China the Communist Party has played a crucial role in university governance making it different from any other country. However the role of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in universities, particularly in private universities, has rarely been discussed in English literature. This paper examines how the University Communist Committee of the Party (UCCP) is set up and works within private universities, and the various patterns of institutional governance that can emerge. It draws extensively on documents of the CCP and interviews with 32 senior managers on 44 separate occasions. The study shows that while allowing private entrepreneurs considerable freedom to invest in higher education, the CCP still has control over the private universities in their socialist development. This is partly achieved through the requirement that every private university must have a UCCP to oversee the implementation of CCP policies in the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the public dimension of universities in Chile is examined. Interviews were held with academics at both public and private well-established universities and new private universities. The analysis shows a consensus regarding the production of certain public goods such as knowledge, wider access and the promotion of a public sphere. It also reveals a dissensus such that academics at well-established universities tend to maintain a statist view of the public university in which the state plays a key role while academics at new private universities characteristically adopt an individualist view in which the university is detached from the state and more focused on securing social mobility. Drawing on an Archerian framework, it is suggested that these perceptions have been shaped by global, national and especially institutional factors. Critical questions arise concerning the possibility of spaces for new perceptions of the public dimension of universities. [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]

This paper reports the results of a primary data collection exercise conducted with postgraduate students enrolled at a large Russell Group university in the UK. The aim of this study was to gain insights of students' experience of a jointly-taught, distance learning, part-time postgraduate programme. A mixed-methods approach involving an online survey and semi-structured interviews was adopted. The results show that students concentrated their perceptions on three main areas: the academic content of the programme, seen as current, interesting and relevant to their professional lives; delivery processes, including the advantages of the flexibility and tailored approach and the disadvantages of being exposed to different teaching styles and lack of face to face interaction; the administrative and practical aspects, accounting for the majority of complaints due to the discrepancies across the two schools responsible for the delivery of the programme. Differences in experience emerged depending on gender and year of enrolment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many universities divide their academic workloads according to a model of 40 per cent teaching, 40 per cent research, and 20 per cent administration and service. Increasing demands on academic time, however, make this balance hard to achieve, since teaching and administration frequently impinge on research time. Moreover, regular academic activities may not fit into the workloaded time available. This paper presents evidence from a 3 month case study of a single academic in an Arts department at a research-intensive Australian university who has a 40:40:20 workload and is encouraged to publish an average of two high quality journal articles a year. Based on the study's findings, a more realistic workload model would be 40 per cent teaching, 25 per cent research and 35 per cent administration, with an adjustment in the amount of quality research outputs expected. A new model should also balance face-to-face teaching time with teaching-related activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complaints made to external agencies about Australian universities are rising in both number and complexity. Recent debate has therefore focused upon how to improve grievance handling in the Australian higher education sector. One suggested 'solution' is the creation of a national Australian university ombudsman. The UK has recently introduced such a national student complaint body - the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), a 'world first'. This paper examines the structure and operation of the OIA and highlights the advantages and pitfalls of introducing an equivalent office into the Australian higher education sector. It argues that, on balance, there are advantages in a national university ombudsman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies quantifiable indicators that might enhance the national evaluation of learning and teaching in Australian higher education. It begins by setting out a framework suitable for guiding the identification and selection of indicators. After a brief critical review of current indicator possibilities, it defines a number of possible indicators that might be developed. The paper works from the premise that as greater significance is placed on the outcomes of measurement, we need to place greater significance on measurement itself. It is imperative that appropriate and contemporary measures are used, and that evaluations are developed in ways that ensure that the basic availability of data does not dictate the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the changes in the recognition of universities made or proposed in England, Australia and the USA since 2004, and posits a broad shift from the permanent designation of institutional types to the periodic recognition of qualification-granting authority. This is associated with increased private funding and operation of universities, which in turn is associated with a shift from elite to mass higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the implications of government funding for postgraduate research in English universities. Specifically, it focuses upon the funding model introduced recently by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The suggestion in the paper is that the operation of this model will seriously disadvantage certain parts of the English higher education sector, as well as particular discipline areas and professions. The argument is put that linkage between Research Assessment Exercises on the one hand, and the training of research students on the other hand, is both iniquitous and ultimately disadvantageous to the national research effort. It also runs counter to the responsibilities of HEFCE in supporting existing students in their programmes of study and throws into question the place of the national quality assurance processes that have recently been put in place. England is used here as a case study of what happens when governments begin to manipulate funding streams without considering consequences. Nations that are considering introducing research assessment exercise and/or quality assurance systems at national levels may note these consequences. [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]

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]

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]

For more than a decade professional doctorates in Australia have continued to grow and diversify across a broadening array of disciplines. An empirical study of “The Doctoral Education Experience” in Australian universities included an examination of doctoral experiences in departments offering both PhD and professional doctorates. This paper discusses professional doctorates in education, management, law and the creative arts, remarking on similarities and differences found between PhD and professional doctorate programs, providing an insight into practice. Three specific areas are discussed. The first is the recruitment and selection of students, student choice of professional doctorates and perceived career benefits. The second area is the structure and organisation of PhD and professional doctorate programs, including the identification of the research topic. The third area is the perceived status of professional doctorates vis-à-vis the PhD. The findings are discussed within the context of government policy on postgraduate education and the emerging literature on professional doctorates. The concluding section of the paper considers the issue of differentiation between the doctorates and possible future developments. Within the context of Australian higher education the main difference could become the capacity to pay: attempts to impose fees in advance for professional doctorates are reinforced by recent government policy on student financing. [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]

This paper describes our experience of managing a two-year research project that involved University staff from two different disciplines and three industry partners. It describes the benefits we gained from the involvement of multiple parties, such as the ability to call upon diverse expertise, the capacity to study a complex issue and the ability to make a direct contribution to industry practice. It also describes some of the difficulties such as managing across University structures, maintaining the collaborators' interest in the project, gaining approval from multiple ethics committees and managing the expectations of various stakeholders. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations for senior University staff and for researchers and points to ways universities could better facilitate involvement in these types of complex research projects. [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]

This paper discusses two types of university provision that dominate higher education in Australia, namely, the social justice market and the state capitalist form of university provision. The paper compares these two types of provision and contrasts them with the concept of private for-profit university provision. It argues that private for-profit provision holds the most promise of the three for bringing about the more publicly beneficial outcomes usually dreamed of by advocates of state-provided university education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressures to link higher education to the workplace and industry environment have created a radically different climate for postgraduate research education, and, as universities struggle to accommodate new ways of structuring doctoral degrees and new ways of producing knowledge, there are indications that many traditional structures and management processes are under pressure to change. There are also suggestions that the emergence of new degrees could provide opportunities for innovative practices in the design of new curricula, new assessment methods and new types of supervision. As part of an empirical study, this paper will report on two doctoral programmes that explicitly link the theory and scholarship of the academy with the practice and professional knowledge of the workplace and community environment. The paper will explore strategies for managing research in this new environment for doctoral education, investigate the claims about new practice and discuss three aspects pertaining to the development of knowledge and new doctoral identities in these two programmes: context, supervision and pedagogy, and knowledge production. [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]

The standard of governance of tertiary education institutions (TEIs) in New Zealand is critical to the success of these institutions. However, enhancing the quality of governance requires careful analysis of the purpose of governance and competent analysis of alternative institutional arrangements. Unfortunately, research addressing governance in TEIs is sparse and there has been no significant research on this topic within New Zealand. This paper provides a background to TEI governance in New Zealand, which is followed by a discussion of key issues. An evaluation of governance practice in TEIs is followed by a description of a survey of current practice in New Zealand TEI governance and an analysis of the results. The paper concludes with a discussion on how governance in New Zealand TEIs may be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]