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This article provides insight into the nature of research workload allocation for Australian academics. It explores the distinction between research perfonnance and research workload allocation. Research performance can be judged at an institutional level, a work group level or an individual level. The process by which an institution's research performance is judged is not necessarily suitable at the level of the individual academic. The research performance of individual academics is based on their 'research output', in the form of publications, grants or supervision of research students, but historically, little attention has been paid to the 'input' or the time required to achieve these outputs. To determine the real costs of research, and to examine academic working conditions, this paper argues the clear distinction must be made that 'output' is about research performance; whereas 'input' is about research workload allocation. Therefore, what is needed is a suite of reasonable time allocations which can be associated with research activities, as is the case for teaching related activities. The paper analyses data from an online survey, circulated to academics across Australia in 2016, in which staff estimated the typical time spent on a wide range of research related tasks. The findings from the 2059 respondents show staff strongly support a transparent and holistic approach to workload planning which acknowledges the full range of activities they undertake. Analysis of the times associated with the research tasks led to the development of a table of suggested time estimates, based on the median values, for many common research activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been substantial growth in postgraduate coursework study in Australia since moves towards deregulation began in the early 1990s. This growth in postgraduate coursework education has brought benefits for both institutions and individuals. However, in a deregulated fee environment these benefits now risk being outweighed by the mounting costs of education for those who wish to improve their qualifications. This paper revisits a paper by Smith and Frankland in 2000, regarding the 'marketisation' of postgraduate coursework degrees in Australia and addresses the likely implications of recent proposals for a cap on the combined cumulative fee debt for current and prospective postgraduate coursework students. It finds that many of the predictions made by Smith and Frankland in 2000 have been borne out and that the prospect of limits on cumulative debt from multiple degree programs has the potential to have an impact on increasing numbers of graduates with fee debts well in excess of $100,000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines what it means to be an activist and to do activist work in the Australian contemporary university. In a context of globalisation, massification and marketisation, what does academic or scholar activism look like? In a time of political uncertainty about fee deregulation, further cuts to public funding and changes to the income-contingent loans scheme, what does it mean to be an activist or to do activist work? And what happens when activist attention turns to the higher education sector and the operations of the university? This paper examines these broad questions at an intimate level, presenting a reflective narrative of an individual career in academic activism marked by a long-standing scholarly interest in the nature and work of universities, academic and professional roles, teaching experience in multiple disciplines and involvement in union representation. In this paper, the reflections of an individual academic activist, Rosie, are embedded in a contextual discussion of university governance, regulatory and auditing frameworks, the academic workforce, gender inequality, and learning and teaching in higher education in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, the Australian Government's Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment of research quality declined to rate 1.5 per cent of submissions from universities. The public debate focused on practices of gaming or 'coding errors' within university submissions as the reason for this outcome. The issue was about the in/appropriate allocation of research activities to Fields of Research. This paper argues that such practices are only part of the explanation. With the support of statistical modelling, unrated outcomes are shown to laave also arisen from particular evaluation practices within the discipline of Psychology and the associated Medical and Health Sciences Research Evaluation Committee. Given the high stakes nature of unrated outcomes and that the evaluation process breaches public administration principles by being not appealable nor appropriately transparent, the paper concludes with recommendations for the strengthening ERA policy and procedures to enhance trust in future ERA processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights some of the challenges being faced by Australian higher education which are likely to have an impact over the next ten years and beyond and opportunities to deal with them. In doing so, the policy settings from the Dawkins reforms in the late 1980s to the present which have shaped the higher education landscape are described, bringing into perspective the operating context for Australian universities. Two key themes are discussed: universities' reliance on international students, and demographic shifts. The discussion that follows is how these drivers are likely to shape demand for higher education and what impact these will have on universities over the next ten years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People seeking asylum in Australia face complex and significant barriers accessing higher education. Due to the temporary nature of their visa, their only pathway to university is being granted admission as an international student, which is financially prohibitive. This paper focuses on the lived experience of people seeking asylum with regard to accessing higher education, and identifies six major themes: the importance of accessing studies; the stress of struggling to meet living expenses while studying; mental health issues; support for people with disabilities, health challenges, and family responsibilities; the importance of language support and navigational brokers; and the role of higher education in the settlement of people seeking asylum. The research indicates that more university and community support is needed to foster access and participation, but the priority should be on addressing the Australian Federal Government policies that underpin the most significant barriers facing people seeking asylum in accessing higher education. This recommendation is most pressing in light of the re-election of the Coalition Government in May 2019, which has committed to continue these restrictive policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although professional staff comprise more than half the Australian higher education workforce, typically research has concentrated on the work of academic staff. Professional staff are increasingly researching the working lives of professional staff, adding to the understanding of the work of professional staff and the contributions they make towards the strategic goals of their institutions. This paper explores the work of professional staff in relation to student outcomes and is part of on-going doctoral research into the work of professional staff at an Australian university. Following a preliminary framing study, a case study was undertaken using semi-structured interviews with a range of professional staff, Emerging from these interviews is a conceptualisation of the work of professional staff in relation to student outcomes, from the perspectives of professional staff themselves. This paper concludes with proposals to improve the outcomes for students, and improve the working lives of both professional and academic staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a growing body of research has been conducted on student misconduct in universities, quantitative data on disciplinary action undertaken by institutions against student transgressions are largely absent from the literature. This paper provides baseline quantitative data on disciplinary action against students in the universities. It is concluded that those rates are not insignificant given the effort and resources dedicated to dealing with misconduct and the numbers of students affected. The paper includes limited discussion of reforms to rules and/or practices implied by, or arising from, these figures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes some of the drivers for 'education for sustainability' that exist in universities and also explores some of the rationales that underpin higher education's reluctance to engage more formally in education for sustainability. It attempts to provide a balanced commentary on the role and capability of higher education in promoting environmental sustainability to students. Because the paper is grounded in higher education learning and teaching discourse it starts by interpreting the term 'education for sustainability' for a broad higher education audience and situates concepts of sustainability within domains of higher education learning and teaching. The paper focuses on Australian and New Zealand universities but introduces developments from around the world for comparative purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper suggests rethinking the doctoral examination process in Australia to enable a closer alignment with the aims of the learning programme. The doctoral examination processes generally aim to assess the candidate's research capability, the quality and originality of the candidate's contribution to knowledge, and to authenticate that the work undertaken is in fact that of the candidate. However, based on a review of the Australian system for examining it is clear that the process does not fully align with the aims of the current doctorate and that modest changes could remedy this situation. The paper concludes with some suggestions for change which might enhance the assessment process of Australia's highest academic award and issues which need to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The university attendance habits of Australians, in a geographic sense, are different from those in the United States, the United Kingdom and many other western countries. Australian university students are less likely to move between major cities to study. This paper finds that in addition to this, within a large metropolitan area, university campuses attract a substantial share of the university-attending population who completed their schooling nearby. Essentially, Australian university students like to 'keep it local'. The findings discussed here also illustrate that the location of academically accessible university campuses in outer suburban areas can help to improve opportunities for university entrance. This paper highlights the need for universities to develop networks with schools in their local areas in order to ensure that course provision is tailored to the needs of local communities and also to educate local students about the opportunities that a university education can provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With particular regard to gender, this paper considers the rise and fall of EEO in Australian universities over the last 30 years. The paper argues that EEO, a product of social liberalism, had barely been introduced before it became a casualty of the Dawkins reforms and the transformation of the university. Corporatisation resulted in top-down managerialism and the production of academics as neoliberal subjects. Within this context, identity politics either moved to the periphery or disappeared altogether, so far as staff were concerned. The discourse of equality was quickly displaced by new discourses, such as that of diversity, which better suited the market metanarrative. The market has also induced a shift away from staff to students, inviting the question as to whether EEO is now passé. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) has been advanced as having many desirable properties. These have been discussed largely from the theoretical perspective, and with the individual rather than the family as the reference point. This paper explores whether HECS is working the way it was intended. Is it having undesirable or unanticipated consequences? The paper also canvasses the informational requirements for a more fully informed debate on the economic and social impacts of HECS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of Indigenous people enrolling in and completing higher education courses in the Northern Territory slowly continues to climb. Since the first policies supporting the Australian Government's self-determination policy that encompassed training of Indigenous teachers in the Northern Territory, Charles Darwin University and Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education have played vital roles in increasing opportunities for Indigenous people to participate and succeed in higher education across all industries. From a policy perspective, these institutions are responsible for implementing Indigenous higher education policies at the local level in order to ensure that practice is guided by policy. Yet, there are other factors at play when considering policy implementation. This paper will provide a historical narrative around the institutional responses to national Indigenous higher education policies and summarise how implementation has often been constrained by parallel economic and socio-political forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we review current practices for developing and promoting academic leadership in universities. We consider the forms of leadership that are appropriate for academic organisations, while exploring the types of leadership favoured by recruitment and promotion committees. Using the Australian higher education context as a case study, we critique the current situation as promoting a restricted form of leadership focused on technical leadership within an academic discipline, rather than the broader array of leadership skills necessary for effective academic leadership. We go on to consider a number of ways in which this broad range of leadership skills can be fostered and developed within academe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian universities are increasingly resorting to the use of journal metrics such as impact factors and ranking lists in appraisal and promotion processes, and are starting to set quantitative 'performance expectations' which make use of such journal-based metrics. The widespread use and misuse of research metrics is leading to increased concern in scientific and broader academic communities worldwide. This paper reviews some of the most important recent responses to the so-called 'metric tide', with particular reference to the report of that name recently issued by the UK's Higher Education Funding Council for England, and other important statements such as the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and the Leiden Manifesto. While there is a spectrum of views on research metrics in general, there is widespread agreement from authoritative sources that it is not appropriate to rely on journal-level metrics, such as journal ranking lists, for assessing the merit of individual scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safety management systems in Australian higher education organisations are under-researched. Limited workplace safety information can be found in the various reports on university human resources benchmarking programs, and typically they show only descriptive statistics. With the commencement of new consultation-focused regulations applying to many universities in Australia, the need to have a better understanding of the operation of organisational safety management systems has more prominence. This paper presents results from a 'safety culture' survey completed by staff in a business-related faculty (53 respondents, 15 per cent response rate) from three Australian universities. Based on analysis of the survey data, the safety culture in these three universities can aptly be described as a work-in-progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a perception that radical change in the higher education sector is inevitable. This paper argues that the university model of higher education is fundamentally sound and by implication, is not necessarily subject to the same forces acting on other industries. If changes are to affect higher education, these are likely to come from forces seeking to capitalise on the success of the higher education model, and in doing so place the entire model at risk. This issue is discussed in relation to one real proposal as an example of the actual (rather than the perceived) threats to the university sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia is one of many countries to encourage its students to study abroad and hence develop a global perspective. Traditionally, students who have pursued this option represented a relatively privileged and demographically narrow group. More recently, governments and other agencies have been offering funding support with the aim of 'democratising' study abroad so that it is more accessible to all students. To help inform the 'democratisation' discussion, this paper presents an analysis of the demographic profile of students from Australian universities who currently study abroad, examining changing trends over time and identifying demographic groups that may be underrepresented in the current Australian study abroad population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, universities in developed countries are engaging in transnational education. Responsibilities and opportunities to exercise management and leadership in the provision of transnational education depend on the organisational model adopted and whether the academics involved are on home or international campuses. Models range from neocolonial control to transnational partnerships. In the Australian Office for Learning and Teaching study that informs this paper, good practice in allocation and exercise of management and leadership responsibilities was identified and recommendations developed. A balance was struck between the home institution's quality assurance obligations, which imply a high level of home-based control, and the value of a degree of local control to the commitment of local academics involved, to their career opportunities, and to the educational experiences of their students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite extensive and on-going efforts, people from a low socio-economic background continue to be significantly under-represented in Australian higher education. In response to this situation, a two year action research project explored the broad issue of higher education access for young people from low socio-economic backgrounds in South East Queensland, Australia. This paper focuses on one specific aspect of that project, and reports on the underlying factors which constrain access to higher education access for one cultural community in Australia. Analysis is based on interview data from young people and parents from this community, and presents a rich description of their lived experiences. Enhanced understanding of the perspectives of young people and their families relating to higher education access provides a solid foundation for developing informed and culturally appropriate higher education access initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines why the development of a world class university system represents a rational, even inevitable, policy approach for Australia in response to world university rankings. It assembles evidence questioning the value of policies which direct undue emphasis on the concentration of resources and the development of elite universities, especially in smaller nations. Several recent policy initiatives have enhanced Australia's ability to maintain a strong university system and this has meaningful implications for the international promotion of Australian higher education. The 'system' approach necessitates that Australia continue to pay close attention to world university rankings but develop more sophisticated means of classifying and benchmarking universities to ensure the required diversity of institutional missions to achieve all that is expected of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of diversity has been part of the Australian government's higher education agenda for several years, but empirical studies on the actual state of diversity in the sector are limited. This situation raises questions regarding the factual basis for the policy claims made. With this in mind, this paper seeks to assess the degree of diversity within the Australian higher education sector through an analysis of the perceptions, aspirations and reported activities of Australian academics in terms of their teaching, research and community service. Using data collected in the 2007 international Changing Nature of the Academic Profession survey, we are able to cautiously conclude that some diversity appears to exist, however not to the extent one might expect given the importance placed on institutional groupings in the Australian higher education debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the developmental needs of early career postdoctoral fellows - the lifeblood of an internationally competitive researchintensive university - this paper suggests an inextricably linked, two pronged approach to improving research performance at Australian universities. The first is to reconceptualise post-PhD research pathways and in doing so conceive a mechanism for creating new postdoctoral positions; the second is to develop a coherent programme of policies, processes and practices in postdoctoral education and training. In this way, Australian universities will increase their success in attracting and retaining the brightest and best postdoctoral students from all over the world and thereby improve research performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University rankings are having a profound effect on both higher education systems and individual universities. In this paper we outline these effects, discuss the desirable characteristics of a good ranking methodology and document existing practice, with an emphasis on the two main international rankings (Shanghai Jiao Tong and THES-QS). We take a critical look at where Australian universities rank internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]