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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]

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]

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]

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]