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Much of the contemporary literature around assessment practices in higher education focuses on assessment quality and its fitness for purpose. However, there is limited research around student comprehension of written assessment task descriptions and their understanding of the task itself. The purpose of this study was to examine a number of assessment task descriptions in a higher education institution to ascertain their degree of readability, which is key to student understanding of the assessment task. Three readability indexes were used to assess the readability of assessment task descriptions across 37 large-enrolment higher education units. It was found that the readability of the assessment task descriptions of 20 of the 37 units was poor. This study found a statistically significant correlation between the readability of assessment task descriptions and student satisfaction in post-unit evaluation surveys. No correlation was found between assessment task readability and student success. Student satisfaction for units where the readability of assessment tasks was good, scored higher on average than units where the readability was poor. The implications of this study suggest that universities need to pay more attention to ensuring that assessment task descriptions are understandable by the target audience.

This study situates student attrition within the strategic framework of Australian public universities. It draws on organisational theory to describe higher education within a bureaucratic framework. The study uses a quantitative approach to undertake a content analysis of attrition and retention policy statements from all Australian universities. This reveals that Australian universities, and the higher education sector as a whole, are attempting to address attrition within their existing bureaucracies. Attrition however is a wicked problem that includes many variables outside the influence of universities, which limits the potential of strategic approaches to problem solving. The practical implications of these findings are that current approaches to attrition are likely to fail. The wicked nature of the attrition problem needs to be taken into account when developing strategies or policies within higher education.

Student attrition continues to be a significant and costly challenge for higher education institutions across the globe. In Australia, universities cite the importance of addressing student attrition through strategic statements and policy documents, and expend time and resources on the problem. Despite vast expenditures, they have made little impact on student attrition, which continues to negatively impact reputation and revenue. Using a regional Australian university as a case study, this paper analyses a student exit survey to identify the complex and inter-related array of factors that contribute to student attrition. It was found that attrition would be better conceptualised as a wicked problem, which is one that cannot be strategically addressed using traditional approaches to problem-solving. The practical implications of these findings reinforce that current approaches to attrition are likely to fail. Therefore, the wicked nature of the attrition problem needs to be taken into account when developing strategies or policies within higher education.

Learning analytics is an emerging field in which sophisticated analytic tools are used to inform and improve learning and teaching. Researchers within a regional university in Australia identified an association between interaction and student success in online courses and subsequently developed a learning analytics system aimed at informing learning and teaching practices. Contemporary literature draws attention to ethical considerations and moral tensions in the implementation of learning analytics. This paper presents a case study of the ethical implications of a learning analytics implementation at CQUniversity, a regional Australian university. There was an institutional assumption that student data, consensually gathered at enrollment could be analyzed beyond the scope of the original consent. Further, academics were using the data in a manner not intended by the designers of the learning analytic system, and academics interpreted the student's individualized data to label students based on their estimate of success. The learning analytics system is still being used and the ethical findings from this paper have implications for CQUniversity, academics and students. In order to resolve the ethical dilemmas the university could increase transparency of the process to students and obtain consent at multiple levels throughout the student journey.

Military spouses are situated at the junction of the military and civilian worlds. They provide necessary support to military strategic and operational objectives and are also expected to perform a traditional spousal role of the 'good' military wife. This article demonstrates the existence of strong military partner archetypes which guide military community norms and expectations of spousal behaviour. In 14 qualitative interviews and five focus groups with Australian military partners, participants revealed many different, yet firm, sentiments related to identity, including fierce independence; a sense of belonging; self-reliance; a desire to help others; belief in fairness and pragmatism. The archetypes outlined in this article shape how partners see their role, and how they interact with other non-military partners and the military organization. This research delivers insights into optimizing military partner services to better support spouses through deployment, relocation and other military experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine associations among risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), health literacy levels, and sociodemographic characteristics in a nonclinical adult population to assist in the development of effective T2D prevention programs. Methods: The Health Literacy Questionnaire and Australian Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool were included in an online survey. Participants were a random sample of adults residing in each Australian state and territory. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression. Results: A total of 1279 Australian adults participated (52% female; mean ± SD age, 61 ± 12 years). Most were at medium (42.4%) or high (46.9%) risk of developing T2D. The lowest health literacy scores were found for the domains "critical appraisal of health information" and "navigating the health care system." After controlling for covariates, participants at the highest risk of developing T2D were significantly more likely to be unemployed, have ≥1 chronic conditions, or have a mental health condition. Furthermore, they were significantly more likely to develop T2D if they scored low in 1 of the following health literacy domains: critical appraisal of health information, navigating the health care system, actively managing health, social support, and health care provider support. Conclusions: Health literacy was associated with increased risk for developing T2D and should therefore be part of diabetes prevention initiatives. Specifically, new health promotion initiatives need to help people develop skills required to critically appraise health information and navigate the health care system. Health practitioners and educators should ensure that health information developed for consumers is uncomplicated and easily understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]