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At a time in which there is increasing focus on the productivity, equity and standards of higher education, it is vital for universities to have access to data that focus on how students are learning and the outcomes being achieved. The Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) provides the higher education sector with such data. The AUSSE reflects a collaboration between the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and participating institutions. In the 2009 AUSSE, 35 institutions took part, around three quarters of the universities in Australia and New Zealand. This report provides measures of student engagement, information about individuals' intrinsic involvement with their learning, and the extent to which they are making use of available educational opportunities. Such information enhances knowledge about learning processes, can be a reliable proxy for understanding students' learning outcomes and provides excellent diagnostic measures for learning enhancement activities. Show less

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) project studies the progress of several groups of young Australians as they move from school into post-secondary education and/or work. The oldest group in the project was born in 1961 while the youngest were in Year 9 in 1998. Data is collected through the Australian Youth Survey, a major longitudinal survey of youth that interviews a group of young Australians annually about their school experiences, post-school education and training participation, and employment activities. The first part of this report examines the tertiary entrance performance of students in Year 12 in 1998 using data from the LSAY project to address a variety of demographic, socioeconomic, educational and psychological factors. These include literacy and numeracy achievement, gender, socioeconomic background, school sector, region, ethnicity and indigenous status. The second part of the report focuses on individual schools, examining the impact of schools on student performance. Show less

The focus of this report is on Year 12 students who applied to go to university but were not offered a place. It uses data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) project for the cohort that was first sampled in Year 9 in 1998 and analyses the characteristics of the following groups of young people who were in Year 12 in 2001: applied to enter university, but not offered a place (Group one); received an offer of a university place, but did not enrol in university in either 2002 or 2003 (Group two); received an offer of a university place and enrolled in 2003 after a ‘gap’ year in 2002 (Group three); entered university in 2002 (Group four); did not apply for a university course (Group five). The study also included another group that comprised those who left school before Year 12 and those with no post-school information (Group six). The study found that the main reason for students missing out on a place at university was their lower level of academic performance. However, by 2003, around 45% of these students (Group one) were engaged in some form of post-school education and training. Approximately 24% were enrolled in a TAFE Diploma course, 11% were in a traineeship; six per cent were in a TAFE Certificate course, and five per cent were in an apprenticeship. Show less

In 2000, ACER introduced cohort reports as part of its Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program to 'provide an overview of the education, training and labour market experiences of the whole cohort on a regular basis, contributing to discussions of issues that affect young people'. Cohort reports supplement data already available from government statistics on enrolments and apparent retention rates. These reports are aimed at helping researchers to see the potential of the database as they use a wider range of the variables than may be used in the LSAY research reports.

This report contains information about the experiences of the 1995 LSAY cohort in 2000. Information on this cohort was first collected in 1995, when these young people were Year 9 students in Australian schools. The modal age of respondents at the time of the 2000 survey was 19 years. Highlights from this report include: 60% of the cohort were engaged in study during 2000, including 34% at university, 11% at TAFE, and 14% undertaking an apprenticeship or traineeship; greater proportions of females than males were studying at university or TAFE, whilst greater proportions of males than females were in apprenticeships; more than 90% of those who had completed some study during the year stated that they had benefited from study; more than three-quarters of the cohort were employed in 2000, with 45% working full-time and 33% working part-time; males employed full-time worked more hours per week and earned more money than females employed full-time, while males employed part-time earned more money than females employed part-time but worked the same number of hours per week; and job satisfaction was very high among cohort members. The contents are: Introduction; Who is in the Year 9 class of 1995 in 2000?; Education and training activities; Employment; Social aspects; Concluding comments; References.

Other cohort reports relating to the Year 9 class of 1995 are indexed at TD/TNC 78.211, TD/TNC 78.214 and TD/TNC 78.217. Show less

This report focuses on the current crisis in science education in Australia. It focuses on the teaching of science in schools, in particular primary schools, and advances the need for change to ensure children are encouraged to develop not only science literacy skills for life but also to pursue careers in the science and technology sectors. Failure to inspire children at a young age is impacting on Australia’s ‘science crisis’ and having long term effects, including a shortage of skilled science professionals in the workplace. It is contended that a ‘re-imaging’ is needed, not just changes to curriculum and assessment, to improve science education. The ‘re-imaging’ needs to include teacher education, for practising teachers, who need support for taking on new ways of teaching, and for trainee teachers. The report looks at societal changes and their impact on science education. Student participation in post-compulsory science education is considered, as is the demand for teachers of science. Show less

Vocational education and training (VET) programs in secondary schools in Australia are intended to broaden the range of curriculum offerings and provide young people with another pathway to work and tertiary education. This report analyses the levels of participation in VET in schools, the characteristics of the young people who take VET programs and their work and study activities after leaving Year 12. The report examined outcomes in the first two years after completion of secondary school and pathways between the main post-school activities for separate groups of students. The findings of the study highlight the importance of monitoring participation and outcomes of participation in VET in schools. Show less

In Australia today, fewer academic staff are available to do a growing amount of work and the capacity of the workforce is shrinking relative to almost linear growth in the size of the system. Simply recruiting people into existing academic roles will not be sufficient because both the work and the workforce have changed, and hence so have the roles. This research briefing analyses academic work and the academic workforce in the context of current dynamics and likely futures. It discusses the significance of academic work, reviews workforce characteristics, and analyses tensions and pressures. Prevailing conceptualisations, it is argued, do not reflect the current situation in which the profession finds itself. There is an overarching need for a fresh conceptualisation of academic work. These conceptual ideas are reinforced and expanded by a case study of sessional academics. The challenges faced by the academic profession are operationalised in eight strategies for building Australia's future academic workforce: (1) reconfiguring academic work; (2) constructing academic career profiles; (3) designing attractive customised experiences; (4) designing measured experiences; (5) engaging sessional academics; (6) refreshing the research degree; (7) expanding staff numbers with system growth; and (8) engaging leaders in capacity development. The authors conclude by calling on institutions and the profession, jointly and collectively, to assume responsibility for leading the change required to implement these strategies. They describe the foundations of a roadmap setting an agenda for reshaping the academic workforce and profession.

Published abstract. Show less

The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research is examining research workforce issues such as the need to meet the impact of an ageing academic workforce and wider workforce demands for people with higher degree by research (HDR) qualifications. As an initial piece of work, the Department commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to undertake a research study on the ‘Future supply of and demand for higher degree by research (HDR) qualifications’. This is the final report of this study. It presents a snapshot of Australia’s current HDR supply and its characteristics as well as projected supply and demand of HDR qualifications between now and 2020. The findings of the report will inform further analysis of research workforce issues in Australia. The research also catalogues a number of existing data sources that can be utilised for research into this population and identifies key gaps in the current collections which inhibit some areas of analyses into this level of qualification. The HDR qualifications, the doctorate by research (or PhD) and the masters by research, provide important skills and knowledge that can be effectively used to build the innovation and research capacity of the Australian economy. 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. The role of those with the skills and competencies provided through higher research degrees is therefore of increasing importance to the future development of the Australian economy. Show less

The workshop brought together representatives from university associations, universities and governments to support, pursue and work towards the achievement of the priorities outlined by [Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation] APEC Economic Leaders. The workshop focused on four key themes within cross-border education cooperation - student mobility, researcher mobility, provider mobility and virtual mobility. For each theme, presenters used their expertise in the subject matter to raise key challenges, highlight examples of good practice and consider opportunities for university associations to work together. A panel discussion on each theme enabled a broad range of experiences and perspectives to be shared. For each theme workshop delegates focused on the identification of barriers to cross-border education cooperation, good practice in cross-border education cooperation and opportunities for collaboration in cross-border education cooperation.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

This report, based on data collected in the Y95 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY-95), analyses the effects of part-time work on participation and attrition in secondary school and in tertiary study as well as on the post school activities of young people. It is structured as follows: chapter one contains the introduction; chapter two presents an analysis of the impact of part-time work on Year 12 completion; chapter three focuses on the main activities of students after they leave school; chapter four covers tertiary study; chapter five examines the impact of work on dropout from tertiary study; and the final chapter provides a summary of the main findings and considers the nature of the impact of work on the lives and progress of the students. The main findings include: working one to five hours per week during Year 9 does not make any difference to the likelihood of completing Year 12, although working more than five hours a week increases the likelihood of dropping out before completing Year 12, especially for males; the greater the number of hours students work, the greater their likelihood of dropping out; Year 9 female students who work part-time are much more likely to complete Year 12 than their male counterparts; and, Year 9 male students who work more than 15 hours a week are approximately 60% less likely to complete Year 12. Show less