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The structure of the academic year is changing in Australian universities in response to the desire to achieve greater efficiency in the use of expensive infrastructure and a perceived demand from students for flexibility in their study schedules. The trend towards extended teaching in Australian universities appears likely to continue, mostly in the form of increased offerings in summer sessions without disruption to the two standard semesters. This report contributes to the discussion of alternative models by exploring the implications for the core activities of the university, i.e. teaching, learning and research. The report reviews relevant research and discusses the implications in five sections: international models and trends; emerging models and issues in Australian universities; implications for teaching and learning practices; implications for the quality of the on-campus student experience; implications for academic work satisfaction, effectiveness and career development. The reports concludes by recommending some issues requiring further empirical research: the changing study and work practices of students; student motivations for study; student views of the on-campus student experience; and student interest in accelerated programs and summer enrolment. The report also recommends a number of principles upon which planning of structures for extended teaching periods should be based. Show less

More full-time undergraduate students now rely on paid work as their main or sole source of income. They work an average of around 15 hours per week, but almost four out of every ten work 16 hours or more, and 18 per cent work 21 hours or more per week. The extent to which full-time undergraduate students combine full-time enrolment with substantial hours of paid work emerged as an issue for Australian universities in the last few years. This investigation, based on a survey of 1,563 full-time enrolled working students, explores the impacts of paid work on full-time students’ experience of university life and their academic performance. It also briefly reviews how universities are responding to these challenges.

Excerpt from published executive summary. Show less

The move from elite to mass higher education in Australia over the decade from 1987 to 1996 has been accompanied by concerns that many school-leavers are not well prepared to cope with the transition to university education. This report begins by describing the contemporary Australian higher education scene and the emergence of the perceived need to reconsider the purposes and outcomes of undergraduate education. Two different strategies are identified, namely the restructuring of entry and changing the curriculum. Show less

This report is based on a survey and telephone interviews with a sample of primary school teachers in New South Wales [NSW] who had undertaken either a core or elective Aboriginal Studies subject as a component of their initial teacher education degree. Three hundred and ninety-two teachers from 201 primary schools across NSW took part in the survey and 18 teachers from 13 schools were invited to take part in the interviews. The aim of the research was to evaluate the impact of pre-service primary teacher education Aboriginal Studies subjects on teachers self-perceived abilities to appreciate, understand and teach Aboriginal Studies and perspectives in Australian schools. The research project also compared and contrasted these teachers’ self perceptions with teachers who had not undertaken an Aboriginal Studies subject as part of their initial teacher education course. The project sought to identify useful structure and content that would strengthen teacher’s ability to teach Aboriginal Studies and Aboriginal students. Analysis of data found that pre-service Aboriginal Studies make a positive difference for teachers. Teachers felt they knew more about Aboriginal history, current issues, pedagogy for teaching Aboriginal Studies and generally were more effective teachers for Aboriginal students. The findings of this study also offer insights into how to strengthen Aboriginal Studies courses.

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In recent years, disability services in tertiary institutions in Australia have faced increasing demands to provide services to students with disabilities and medical conditions. In many of these institutions, meeting these increased demands is being attempted with little or no increase in disability resources or funding. Within this context, this study sought to take an alternative view of disability service provision for the educational and learning needs of students in tertiary institutions. It focused on the issue of flexibility within mainstream, on-campus educational and training programs and drew a distinction between these and other learning programs such as distance education and courses that are solely delivered electronically or online. The methodology included a review of literature on the learning experiences of students and a survey of the views and attitudes of teaching and disability staff towards the delivery of more flexible and accessible methods. The survey of teaching staff included university and TAFE lecturers from both metropolitan and regional centres in Western Australia. Both teaching and disability staff recognise the potential benefits of flexible teaching and learning (FTL) for meeting the learning needs of students with disabilities. However, due to various important factors such as time and resources and institutional culture, a more systemic model of service provision is not operating. The consequence of this is that the potential benefits of meeting the learning needs of students with disabilities through such methods as FTL are not being realised in a comprehensive or planned way. The study identified a number of steps which disability staff can take to support the move towards more accessible and flexible delivery of education and training programs. Show less

This report calls for a reframing of Indigenous progress in higher education so that due emphasis can be placed on the very remarkable achievements of the many Indigenous people who have eagerly grasped the opportunity to experience university studies. The report shows that many of these students have overcome historical education disadvantage, as well as cultural, and in many cases financial and geographic barriers to achieve academically. Others have discovered that university life is not for them, but have left with greater self-confidence and an increased ability to interact positively both in Indigenous and mainstream communities. The findings show that despite government advice about [Higher Education Contribution Scheme] HECS, freely available in institutions, many students fail to appreciate the income contingent nature of the HECS-related loans, that HECS fees are deferrable and what happens to the HECS debt in the event that a student dies. In fact, people on low incomes benefit from deferred HECS repayment arrangements because they either never repay or they may benefit from an interest free loan. In addition, there are specific exemptions from compulsory repayments for people on low family incomes as well as provisions for financial hardship. The findings also show confusion about matters relating to ABSTUDY. Erroneous understandings about ABSTUDY allowances appear to be common within the Indigenous higher education community and there does not appear to be an appreciation that overall ABSTUDY is more generous than either Youth Allowance or Austudy in recognition of the educational disadvantage of Indigenous students. To date, as the report acknowledges, there is no evidence of a decline in overall student numbers following changes to ABSTUDY. The Department continues to closely monitor outcomes in this regard.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

This report contains analyses of student progress through publicly funded post-initial coursework-based higher education programmes in Australia. Four levels of courses are included in the study: master’s by coursework; postgraduate diploma; graduate certificate; and bachelor’s (second degree). The analyses are based on unpublished data from DEST’s higher education statistics collection. A longitudinal database was constructed from the records of students who commenced courses in either 1997 or 1998. The database was produced by combining information from different administrative files covering several years. Consistent rules were developed to ensure that merged records referred to the same student. Each student’s progress through his or her course was followed until 2001. The database included both enrolment and completions data, however data on completions that occurred in 2001 were not available for inclusion.

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The National Review of Nursing Education 2002 was initiated in April 2001 to examine the future nursing educational needs of the health, community and aged care system in Australia and to provide advice on appropriate education policy and funding frameworks. The Review examined the effectiveness of current arrangements for the education and training of nurses, labour market factors affecting the employment of nurses and the choice of nursing as an occupation, and the key factors driving the demand for, and supply of, nursing education and training. The Review sought to make recommendations on models of nursing education and training, the types of skills and knowledge required, and mechanisms for attracting new recruits to nursing and encouraging the commitment to lifelong learning of those already engaged in nursing. The Review commissioned a wide range of research and six literature reviews. This report provides an overview of all the reports that have come out of the review and is structured as follows: Overview of recent and current reviews of aspects of nursing and nurse education in Australia; Labour force issues in reports; Work force studies reviewed; Labour force projections reviews; Data sources; Conclusion. Included as appendices are: The Reid review (1994); List of reports by category; Summaries - educational programmes.

The volume from which this paper is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 71.717; individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 71.718 to TD/TNC 71.720. The final report of the National Review of Nursing Education 2002 is indexed at TD/TNC 71.180. Show less

This conference, organised by the Higher Education Division of the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, looked at the growth and impact of online learning. The papers are: Scholarship and flexible learning: the Griffith experience / Roy Webb; Concept of a university in the 21st century / Lauchlan Chipman; Future directions: a corporate view / Terry Cutler; Venture capital viewpoints and e-learning futures / David Lance; Instructional management systems (IMS): setting the standards for e-education / Richard Llewellyn; Collaborations and strategic partnerships: embrace the Trojan Horse? / Trevor Grigg; Participants’ perception of issues and implications / Bruce Mulligan. The following panel discussions are also included: Online education: are universities prepared? / Dale Spender, Yoni Ryan, Fiona Stewart; Online learning: the university, vocational education and training, and private provider experiences / Bruce King, Brian Elkner, Lesley Johnson; The e-learning revolution: implications for academic work and university culture / Malcolm Skilbeck, Paul Clark, Richard Johnson.

‘Panel discussion: online learning: the university, vocational education and training, and private provider experiences’ by Bruce King, Brian Elkner and Lesley Johnson is indexed at TD/TNC 67.298. Show less

The development of science and information-based industries is a long established, and increasingly important, driver of economic growth and job creation. This type of industrial development requires effective technology transfer between the public sector and the private sector, and associated enabling linkages, that translate academic research into commercial outcomes. This translation of research into commercial outcomes can create a ‘virtuous cycle’ involving universities, industry and government. The creation of such a virtuous cycle was a major policy objective of the Health and Medical Research Strategic Review - the Wills Review - conducted in 1998. Health and medical research is an area in which Australia performs relatively well in research terms and is also an area of growing economic importance globally due to the combination of advances in bio-science and demographic trends. The opportunity therefore exists to create this type of virtuous cycle in Australia. In order for this opportunity to be exploited, it is necessary to identify and remove those barriers to technology transfer and research commercialisation that restrict the operation of this virtuous cycle. One type of barrier noted in the Wills Review were the institutional policies and procedures in research performing organisations that limit entrepreneurial activity by researchers. This study addresses the Wills Review’s finding that there may be institutional barriers to the involvement of university researchers in new business enterprises, specifically in relation to holding equity, directorships and moving between academia and industry. Show less