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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 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

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

The changing context of schooling is examined in this paper in terms of global changes and what impact these are having on the skills young people need to have. In particular, the way work is changing, and the skills and education young people need to have to maximise their economic opportunities is explored. The key issues are that high skill jobs requiring university or high level vocational qualifications now make up the majority of jobs and they are growing at twice the rate of other jobs in Australia. Young people with university or vocational education and training (VET) qualifications (at least Certificate III level) have excellent prospects, whereas those who drop out of school early face much more poor and declining prospects. New approaches to schooling to ensure that most, if not all, young people not only complete a full secondary education, but also go on to attain a tertiary qualification at university or VET are explored in this paper. Research suggests that 'in school' factors such as improving teacher quality only account for around one-third of the variation in student performances, so these strategies need to encompass wider and more comprehensive approaches to supporting students to remain engaged and to make the right choices.

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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 1998 LSAY cohort in 2002. Information on this cohort was first collected in 1998, when these young people were Year 9 students in Australian schools. Highlights from this report include: 51% of this cohort were in tertiary education at university or TAFE full-time in 2002; two per cent of the cohort were attending secondary school; 24% were not enrolled in education and training in 2002; 20% were not in the labour force; 34% were employed full-time; approximately five per cent were unemployed; and the overwhelming majority were highly satisfied with various aspects of their lives. The contents are: The Year 9 class of 1998 in 2002; Education and training; Employment; Social aspects; Appendix; References. Show less

This report investigates the relationship between post-school plans, family background and having a lifelong learning orientation. It highlights the important role of vocational education and training such as TAFE as an alternative for students with no plans to study at university. Data was drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Youth (LSAY) and the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The study investigated the post-school plans of young people, with a particular interest in those from families of low socioeconomic background, the factors associated with the development of these plans, and the association between types of post-school plans and predispositions towards lifelong learning. The study suggests that the most important factors for predicting post-school plans are gender, ability and the vocational orientation of the student. An orientation to lifelong learning also has an effect but, according to the LSAY data, only a small one. According to the findings, financial disadvantage is not a barrier to post-school study when students choose to study at TAFE or to pursue other vocational options. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds were found to be more likely to realise their plans for tertiary education when those plans do not initially involve attending university. Four guiding principles for policy development are proposed: (1) the establishment of a national youth mentoring strategy to enhance support provided to young people by families, communities and schools to enable them to make successful choices about their future employment and/or study; (2) government funding to support schools to develop more diverse and flexible pathways into work and/or post-school education to improve outcomes for all students; (3) incentives for businesses to work with schools and tertiary institutions to provide increased opportunities for mentoring and more effective career counselling to ensure that students are better prepared to make choices about post-school work and study; and (4) improved family and community support systems to better support students’ transition from school to work and the development of positive attitudes towards lifelong learning. 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 2001. 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 2001 survey was 20 years. Highlights from this report include: approximately one-half of the cohort were engaged in study during 2001; more females than males were studying at university or TAFE, while the proportion of males in apprenticeships was greater; more than 90% of those who had completed some study since leaving school stated that they had benefited from study; more than four-fifths of the cohort were employed in 2001; 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; job satisfaction was very high among cohort members; and most members of the cohort were happy with their lives. The contents are: Executive summary; Introduction; Who is in the Year 9 class of 1995 in 2001?; 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 78.213, TD/TNC 78.214 and TD/TNC 78.217. Show less

This research study, funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), has identified the capabilities that characterise effective academic leaders in a range of roles and has produced resources to develop and monitor these leadership capabilities. It has identified that the core focus for leadership in the current operating context faced by our universities has to be on achieving effective change management and implementation. The approach has been to build upon a decade of studying professional capability, development and change leadership in a range of contexts. The study undertook an extensive international literature review, an online survey, and a series of national and international sector feedback workshops that tested the veracity of the results and identified their key implications. The study found that there was agreement that, in the current context, effective change implementation is a central challenge facing Australian higher education and its leaders, and that developing organisational and individual capabilities to manage change is a key priority. Show less

The Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER), established in 1930, is an independent educational research organisation. It provides research, both within Australia and internationally, and creates and disseminates knowledge and tools that can be used to improve learning. This publication highlights a number of research projects undertaken by ACER during 2001/2002. They are: Room for improvement in civic education; Reform of Indonesia's education system; Working with universities to enhance selection; Using student achievement data to improve learning; Online school assessment resources; Professional development standards for teachers of science; Improving numeracy learning; Developing lifelong learning in secondary schools; Applying ACER expertise to driving tests. Show less