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Examines the role of the government in the higher education sector in Australia. Importance of governmental support to the changes needed by the universities; Role of the government in research and teaching funding; Functionality in the development of industrial relations and other related policies; Responsibility in shaping the higher education system for national policy purposes.

While the context is shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, the major themes of the Special Issue link directly to fundamental moral questions of the purpose and goals of tertiary education. In presenting the Special Issue, we emphasise the diversity of the world's higher education systems, cultures and practices, to expand our collective imagination of what tertiary education is and could be. How nations assert their national and regional cultures in adapting introduced models of higher education is an emerging topic of some urgency, given the continuing role of Western higher education in neo-colonialism. [Extracted from the article]

This paper revisits the issue of institutional diversity in Australian higher education, taking account of international trends and research on the subject. Drawing on empirical studies over the last three decades, I adopt a within-country case study approach to analysing institutional diversity in the Australian higher education policy context and consider post-COVID systemic implications. Catalysts for this analysis include revisions to the Australian provider category standards, government policy shifts influencing the undergraduate curriculum, and the systemic impact of a global pandemic. The paper concludes with three propositions, arguing that institutional diversity will be more important than ever to meet the diverse needs of students and the labour market; an ecosystemic approach to post-secondary education will be a key enabler of sector diversity; and a paradigm shift, enabled by such drivers as government policy and proactive institutional leadership, will be essential to achieve enhanced institutional diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a critical account of the role of universities in the development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong.To do so, the paper examines the political economy of Hong Kong's innovation and technology development. It outlines a finance-led regime, under which the vision of long-term innovation initiatives is transformed into short-term finance events, and the development of an entrepreneurial culture in society and in universities is neglected. The paper also suggests that the current research funding system and the rise of managerialism in the higher education sector restrict the development of academic entrepreneurship, though universities play a significant role in the innovation system. The paper closes by examining the recent changes in higher education policy and governance, the intensification of integration with mainland China and their implications for prospects of advocating a culture of innovation and promoting innovation and technology in Hong Kong. [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]

Within Australian higher education, there has been an evolving of employability policy, realised in curriculum, at an intersection of the constructs of employment, work-readiness, life-long learning, and career development. The enactment of employability policy has driven an evolution in the practices of higher education in both curriculum and student support. This paper presents a case study of an Australian university which has reimagined the delivery of career and student support services through a framework that envisions preparing students for future worlds of work. The emergent policy framework has transformed organisational structures, human resources, and connections between student support practices and curriculum design. This transformation has generated new intersections of practice and is challenging institutional constructs of expertise. This case study provides transferrable learnings for broader considerations of higher education policy and practice as employability becomes the core driver of student success, and explores layered discourses of policymaking across an institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

In roughly a decade, university rankings gained the foreground in the policy arena for higher education and their influence is not going to decrease. However, several methodological shortcomings and warnings about the unintended consequences for national higher education systems have been raised. Against this background, this paper stresses that the individual recipients of information contained in university rankings are currently overlooked. Indeed, university rankings are addressed to a generic recipient, but actually, there are multiple audiences for rankings, and each of these audiences has different needs and each one attributes a different value to information attached to rankings. Referring to a theoretical tool borrowed from bioethics, this paper highlights that the ranking game involves a variety of recipients and that the current setting of the ranking panorama leaves room for gaps to emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The higher education policy of the previous Australian government aimed to achieve an internationally competitive higher education sector while expanding access opportunities to all Australians. This policy agenda closely reflects global trends that focus on achieving both quality and equity objectives. In this paper, the formulation and implementation of the policy are examined according to the policy cycle approach, drawing on additional theories and analytic frameworks as applicable. The analysis explores why such an ambitious policy approach was taken, how it was implemented and factors affecting its achievability. Indicators suggest the policy was not delivered successfully within the term of the Labor administration. It also highlights an ongoing policy trend to unify the higher education sector, despite evident divisions within the sector and between levels of government administration. The paper concludes with recommendations to diversify the system so that the equity and quality policy agendas can be implemented concurrently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses an article on academic staff, general staff, and the article "Higher and Further Education Institution Policies on Student and Staff Involvement in Commercial Sex."

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 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]

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]

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]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various articles within the issue on topics including higher education policy, global alliances in education and methodological problem that hinders ranking system in education.

The objective of this paper is to identify the impact of current national policies and emerging curricular practices on master’s by coursework students in Australia. It is argued that the rate of top-down policy change, together with bottom-up innovation, is resulting in a high level of complexity that is challenging providers, staff and student alike. Findings from a national study that elicited the views of key stakeholders on aspects of the master’s by coursework degree including its adequacy as a preparation for doctoral study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within an increasingly dynamic and volatile external environment, university managers are charged with implementing strategies including models that attempt to distribute complex academic workloads fairly and transparently in order to meet institutional goals. However, the impact of such models on individual academic behaviour is often unexpected. This paper explores a theoretical approach based on perceptions of fairness, to explain the unintended consequences arising from the use of a workload allocation model. Using results from a case study to illustrate theoretical constructs, we identify the reasons behind academic resistance in response to such models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper populations of students returning to tertiary study in the period 1997-2005 have been compared with the population of non-returning students who had the same opportunity to return. Such comparisons were conducted for students who returned after a break of 1-7 years (seven comparison groups). Students with the highest likelihood of returning were found to be: (i) students who had an outstanding student loan prior to their return that had been borrowed for previous tertiary studies; (ii) students who did not complete the qualification studied previously; (iii) degree-level university students; and (iv) students who had studied towards qualifications in health, education, society and culture rather than in management and commerce fields. The major finding reported in this paper is that a student loan debt does not discourage students from future study. The findings also suggest that policy decisions were likely to trigger short-term increases in returning behaviour and that the populations most affected were likely to be those who left tertiary education in the year in which the policy decisions were announced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current implementation of Australia's Learning and Teaching Performance Fund rewards universities that demonstrate outstanding performance. This paper critically evaluates the capacity of the fund to promote improvement in learning and teaching. Analysis of past data describing institutional performance clearly shows that the rank order of universities has varied little over time. It is argued that this stability implies that incentive for investment in improved teaching and learning will be restricted to those universities that tend to score close to the funding threshold. An alternative approach to funding is advocated, involving graphical communication of trends in performance using control charts. The approach seeks to broaden incentives for better teaching and learning by explicitly, (a) acknowledging excellence in any one funding round, and (b) rewarding improvement in performance over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Involvement of employees and unions in workplace decision-making has a long history in Australian industrial relations. The mechanism for employee involvement in workplace change was originally set out in the Termination Change and Redundancy (TCR) clause in Australian awards in 1984. It continues to operate under Enterprise Bargaining Agreements (EBAs), along with other negotiated terms and conditions. EBAs thus represent a source of organizational policy and provide a starting-point to examine institutional processes for employee involvement in workplace change. The higher education sector has undergone significant change over the past two decades, and some have claimed that collegiality has been replaced by an increasing managerialist focus on productivity and efficiency. This paper reports on a longitudinal analysis examining the extent to which the TCR clause has evolved in Australian universities and its implications for change management policy for the sector. [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]

Since the early twentieth century the PhD has been the research degree of choice in the UK, but traditional ideas and practices relating to the degree are now being challenged. This paper sketches out the main drivers of change and explores the main challenges confronting doctoral study within the UK. It explains why there is a need for a wholesale revision of assumptions and expectations about what the PhD is, and it charts the genesis and evolution of the PhD in the UK. Key drivers for change include a new emphasis on skills and training, submission rates and quality of supervision, changes in the examination of the thesis, and the introduction of national benchmarking. The paper then explores changes in the PhD as product and as process, and outlines how and why new forms of doctorate are emerging. It asks, rhetorically, whether the changing nature of the doctorate reflects adaptation to changing circumstances in order to survive. [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 paper examines the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the higher education system in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Using a literature review, three elements were examined: its development and structure, quality, and research capacity. The findings reveal that the UAE’s higher education sector has witnessed remarkable growth since 1997, guided by the state’s policy commitment, and few restrictions on foreign universities opening branches in the UAE. This situation has led to substantial growth in the supply of higher education opportunities for the Emirati and expatriate population. Despite the UAE having achieved a high ranking for ‘quality indicators’ on the global level in the World Economic Forum’s Competitiveness Reports, the quality of graduates, education, and research engagement is still debatable. Significant efforts are needed to ensure that these critical issues, as well as the understudied expansion of higher education institutions, are being addressed to erase the misalignment with the UAE’s strategic goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 role and impact of diversity in higher education has permeated conversations about student access and achievement for many years. Language articulated by various courts suggests that higher education policies should reflect a broad conceptualisation of diversity beyond that of the magnitude and proportion of race and ethnicity, yet institutions struggle to measure diversity in a manner that effectively supports the management of diversity goals and meets the legal requirements for targeted strategies. Building on methodologies from biology and political science, this paper proposes a new way of conceptualising and measuring diversity that addresses the limitations of traditional diversity metrics and accounts for race and race-neutral attributes within a single model. Using data from over 1500 colleges and universities, the development of a composite diversity index is demonstrated as a strategy for meeting organisational need to account for and measure multiple diversity attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2005 and 2013, student loan debt in the US increased at a rate of 13.3 per cent per annum. This rise in collegiate student debt has become the focus of any number of new proposals and policies at both the state and national levels. While considering broad policies to stem this rising tide are admirable, they do little to help a graduating high school student interested in minimising their debt level choose between competing institutions of higher learning. In this paper, we analyse the institutional characteristics that result in students assuming higher debt levels. We use a data set compiled from the 2011 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and supplement from a variety of sources with additional institutional characteristics such as location and weather to investigate this question. After controlling for the cost of attending the institution, we find that requiring higher standardised test scores on entrance exams and being located in less urban areas result in lower average debt by graduates. Additionally, we identify a non-linear relationship between the income levels of students’ families and the debt with which they graduate, with middle-income students and families being the most heavily burdened by debt. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A number of countries with public higher education systems have implemented privatisation policies. In Japan, the national government introduced the National University Corporation Act (NUCA) in 2004 and changed the legal status of national universities from that of government-owned public institutions to independent administrative agencies. Its objective was to incorporate them, giving their presidents discretionary power and encouraging financial independence and autonomous administration. Applying McNay’s models of university governance, this paper tracks three stages of university governance longitudinally from 1886, when Japan’s modern higher education system was established, to reveal the historical roots of problems that the NUCA is meant to address. In addition, the effects of the NUCA over the first 6-year period (2004–2009) are examined based on data analysis. Its criteria for analysis are developments in the direction of financial, administrative and intellectual independence, accompanied by increased levels of transparency and public accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Current changes to policy around higher education in the United Kingdom are leading to an increasingly marketised system. As funding is transferred from the United Kingdom government to the individual student, universities will be required to pay more attention to marketing. This paper draws on the literature relating to marketing of services to assess the extent to which higher education marketing addresses issues of covenant, quiddity and representation. Using a mixed sample of universities and associated further education colleges who provide higher education opportunities, this research investigates the marketing strategies of different types of higher education institution. Differences identified include the extent to which reputation, educational experience, research and student life are used in marketing. We conclude that newer universities and further education colleges appear to be more greatly influenced by contemporary government policy agenda than are the older more traditional institutions, which continue to trade largely on their established strong reputations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article sets out to investigate the notions Spanish university teaching staff have of quality in education, on the assumption that those notions give a reliable picture of the attitudes of teaching staff towards education policy design and university management. The paper takes an empirical approach, collecting opinions telematically via a questionnaire. The responses show that teaching staff prefer modern notions of quality in teaching, and those closer to the culture of their educational institutions, but are not confident that their managers share those preferences. The opinions of teaching staff can provide useful information for the design of education policies and quality management systems applicable to Spanish universities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Higher education institutions (HEIs) may be funded privately, by the state or by a mixture of the two. Nevertheless, any state financing of HE necessitates a mechanism to determine the level of support and the channels through which it is to be directed; that is, a resource allocation model. Public funding, through resource allocation models, influences HEIs' behaviour according to how funding reaches them. Nonetheless, under any allocation system, funders and HEIs must be accountable for their actions and their spending, meaning that resource allocation and accountability are intertwined. Without accountability, institutions may engage in too much research and scholarship, fail to respond to student needs and become inefficient. However, as HEIs must be able to manage their own affairs, accountability must not become a straightjacket. Furthermore, both accountability and resource allocation models need to support HEI governance and management. The nature of the financing relationship with HEIs causes problems for decision making and policy as society wrestles with issues of funding and control. This paper examines two perspectives on resource allocation models and assesses funding alternatives. It develops a resource allocation 'pendulum' and investigates the link between accountability and resource allocation, which are employed to assess the case of Jamaican higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Declining enrolment in the physical sciences at university is causing concern among higher education institutions, governments and industry. In response, renewed attention is being paid to the tertiary science background of school teachers, given their key role in both preparing and enthusing students for tertiary science study. A recent study, Who's teaching science?, has provided the first national picture of both the supply and tertiary qualifications of Australia's secondary school science teachers. While there is no shortage of teachers with strong grounding in the life sciences, schools are struggling to adequately staff senior science classes in Physics and Chemistry. This is a growing problem: large numbers of science teachers are set to retire, and many younger and early career teachers are expressing dissatisfaction with their careers. This paper highlights the findings most relevant for the university sector, and examines the policy implications, including those for the curriculum design of both science and teacher education programs. [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]

Much of the work of colleges and universities gets done at the academic department level. Yet, most institutions of higher learning pay little attention to either the preparation of academic department leaders or their succession into the position. This paper examines the first step taken at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (U.S.A.) to address this mid-level academic leadership preparedness issue. That step: Identify what department chairs need to know to be effective leaders. The authors then outline an approach to department-level leadership preparation based on the data gathered in the multi-level needs assessment effort reported herein and discuss possible implications for like-minded institutions. [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]

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]

Over the last decade higher education institutions in Australia have moved towards a model of 'managerialism' due predominantly to changes in government funding policies. As a consequence of the need to compete with other universities for students, university managers have increasingly focused upon marketing techniques used in for-profit organisations to attract and retain students. This paper focuses on the question of whether, and in what ways, the marketing technique of segment profiling can be effectively employed to measure the potential of new market segments and the viability of strategic planning goals in the higher education sector. Geo-demographic data from the student database of a regional Australian university were cross-matched with segment profiling data from a nearby regional centre to ascertain the viability of the region for the establishment of an undergraduate 'satellite' campus. The results of the study show that the technique is useful in reducing the risk of specific strategic planning goals by identifying the potential of new market segments and streamlining target marketing practices. The implications of these findings are discussed with reference to the future success of strategic planning goals achieved by managers in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments in Australia play an important role in the provision of education at all levels. This paper reviews the assistance provided by governments to students in Australian universities. It first provides some background information on the history and structure of the Australian higher education sector and then discusses the two major forms of government financial assistance: assistance with fees and assistance through income support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the world, governments and the higher education sector are being asked to become more accountable for the money they spend on research funding. Research quality measurement exercises, such as the Excellence in Research for Australia initiative, use a number of agreed indicators to measure, analyse and report on various institution and discipline-based research outputs. This emphasis on the outputs of research as opposed to its longer term outcomes is having an effect on internal university policy and processes which can often operate negatively on individual staff career development and promotion. This article reports on a project aimed at more clearly articulating and defining the idea of research impact for academics by preparing a promotion application. Phase one of the project was an extensive international literature review and this article sets out the findings from this review, considers the difficulties for articulating and evidences impact at the individual level and makes some suggestions for how academic staff and units might begin to deal with the idea of research impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Just over a decade ago, the Australian Government introduced funding mechanisms which aimed at reducing doctoral candidates' attrition rate and completion times, and increasing reported student satisfaction. This study looks for any evidence of the impact on Australian universities' research education programmes as a result of the introduction of these mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on the "Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management." Quality of the journal; Content of the articles published in the journal; New format of the journal.

This article discusses the role of the media and academic experts in the configuration of educational policy in a neoliberal context. The analysis is based on the discourse on the public/private divide in higher education scrutinising the opinion columns of El Mercurio, a major Chilean newspaper. The authors identify the discursive disappearance of the public university and the reappearance of the 'public' dimension connected to the private sector. The discourse of a 'diverse and mixed' system is accomplished by two discursive devices: (a) Reference to (selected) global trends and (b) Scientific expertise in higher education. The economic and discursive power of El Mercurio enhances the discourses of opinion columnists on the public/private divide. As a result, the concept of the public takes a hybrid turn, detaching itself from the State as its exclusive owner and connecting it to the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key attractor for many international students when choosing to study abroad is the prospect of gaining employment in the host country after graduating. From a university's perspective this becomes an important attraction issue for both maintaining and increasing the number of international students as well as improving graduate employability. A survey was utilised to explore employment intentions and outcomes of international graduate alumni from two Australian universities (n = 511 and n = 648). A comparative analysis between the universities has been undertaken in relation to this and rates of unemployment amongst graduates. The study has coined the term Two-step migration intender for international students/graduates and contributes to a gap in the research in relation to international graduate mobility, career intentions and employment outcomes. The findings have strategic implications for the promotion of Australian higher education to overseas markets and can also inform higher education policy and practice in terms of strategies for promoting international graduate employability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is embraced in Australian higher education (HE) and is a feature of most Australian HE 'entry to profession' engineering education programs accredited by Engineers Australia. Accreditation guidelines articulate the need for curriculum-integrated engagement with professional practice (EPP) and encourage EPP in a separate workplace environment, e.g. WIL. This article reports on the analysis of semi-structured interviews with staff and student engineers from four Australian HE institutions with mandatory engineering WIL. Framed by a Bourdieusian theoretical perspective, the influence of capitals on student access to engineering WIL placements was investigated. The research found that students' capitals influenced access to engineering WIL placements. Policy and educational practice recommendations are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While academic expatriation is a longstanding global phenomenon, Thailand has emerged in recent years as an increasingly popular destination for internationally mobile academics. The objective of this article is to identify current policy dispositions towards foreign academics at the national and institutional levels in Thailand. The article finds that within Thai higher education policy discourse, foreign academics are framed in three primary ways: as opportunities, as absent or unimportant, and as threats to Thailand. While foreign academics are often cast as experts who might accelerate the economic development of the nation and enhance the competitiveness of the Thai higher education sector, they may also be presented as threats to Thai culture, values and security. However, the most prevalent disposition found in this study was one of absence and marginality, suggesting a high degree of ambivalence toward foreign academics. The article concludes with implications for future researchers and policymakers to consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the contribution of higher education to the development of numeracy and literacy competencies. To control for other post-schooling determinants of generic skills, the analysis is confined to adults aged 20–24 years who have completed or who are enrolled in tertiary studies. The quality of incoming students is controlled for by estimating the average PISA score attributable to this cohort using a truncated distribution approach. Average tertiary competencies are obtained for 31 countries from the OECD's Programme for the Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The empirical findings are that the PISA scores account for most (70 per cent) of the international variation in PIAAC scores. Government expenditure on higher education is found to exert a small positive effect on PIAAC scores, at least for numeracy. The level of national research activity, as measured by research publications, has a small negative effect on PIAAC scores [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of mass media in education policy processes is increasingly complex, but research on its contribution is far from adequate. This study uses the higher education quality assurance policies issued in China at the beginning of this century to explore the roles played by mass media in the creation and implementation of education policies. Mass media's current influence on Chinese education policies mainly includes promoting policy agenda setting, enhancing policy legitimacy and monitoring the process of policy implementation. However, its role in constructing a platform for public discussion and improving policy design needs to be strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-established paradigms around intensifying global engagement, internationalism and ‘borderless-ness’ in the UK higher education (HE) sector are being challenged and disrupted by the nationalist drift of global political and socioeconomic forces. This article identifies the core policy themes facing UK international HE and reflects on how these are changing in response to the changing external climate (especially Brexit). It analyses how key stakeholders are responding to the challenges created by a fluid policy context, including increasing calls for greater policy alignment and a co-ordinated national international HE strategy. It also examines how UK institutions currently exercise their autonomy through their strategies, structures and practices, including how they create structures to support ‘global engagement’ and develop strategic partnerships, and how these might help them to transcend national policy concerns and weather global ‘storms’, or to proactively shape policy. Growing national policy divergence and competing policy priorities mean that enhanced co-ordination through a sector-level (and cross-national) body must precede, and facilitate, the development of any UK-wide international HE strategy. This must embrace institutional autonomy and mission diversity, recognise and value the full spectrum of international HE activities and provide sufficient funding to leverage the implementation of institutional strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]