tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/higher-education-policy-debate-28517/articlesHigher Education Policy Debate – The Conversation2022-04-19T20:18:25Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1808552022-04-19T20:18:25Z2022-04-19T20:18:25ZHere’s what the major parties need to do about higher education this election<p>In the lead-up to the federal election, neither of the major parties has given higher education much thought or attention. </p>
<p>While the Coalition focuses on the military and Labor on aged care, universities continue to sweat it out after a decade of at best being ignored, and at worst being wilfully undermined by the current government. </p>
<p>Higher education might not be on many voters’ radars now, but as the number of 18-year-olds <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewjnorton/status/1511844862663946240">is projected to increase</a>, if university funding and places do not increase, this could quickly become an issue if parents find their children can’t fulfil their dream of going to university.</p>
<h2>A decade of cuts and worse</h2>
<p>Universities have been shunned by the Coalition government since it was elected almost a decade ago in 2013. While the Coalition’s first budget in May 2014 established the Medical Research Future Fund of A$20 billion and increased some other research grants, it cut operating grants and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/australia-news-blog/2014/may/13/mixed-bag-for-science-in-joe-hockeys-first-budget">grants to the Australian Research Council and CSIRO</a>.</p>
<p>The budget also unsuccessfully <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-expensive-more-elite-higher-education-in-five-years-26641">proposed</a> to remove caps on student fees, and introduce fees for research higher degrees.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-expensive-more-elite-higher-education-in-five-years-26641">More expensive, more elite: higher education in five years</a>
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<p>The Coalition cut operating grants again in 2017 and university research funding again in 2018, and successive education ministers <a href="https://theconversation.com/higher-education-policy-in-2018-culture-wars-reignite-but-in-the-end-its-all-about-the-money-109080">secretly vetoed Australian Research Council grants in the humanities</a> before the federal election in 2018 and <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-resigned-from-the-arc-college-of-experts-after-minister-vetoed-research-grants-175925">again</a> last year.</p>
<p>During the pandemic the government <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/04/australian-universities-angry-at-final-twist-of-the-knife-excluding-them-from-jobkeeper">changed JobKeeper’s rules</a> three times to exclude public universities from support, but left private higher education providers eligible. </p>
<p>The government made some modest concessions, by allowing universities to <a href="https://andrewnorton.net.au/2020/04/15/the-first-higher-education-support-package-a-revised-less-speculative-post/">retain their student funding for 2020</a> even if they under-enrolled, offering increased funding for micro credentials, increasing <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/2020-21-budget-research-package">research program funding</a> in 2021 by $1 billion, and <a href="https://andrewnorton.net.au/2021/07/05/how-defensible-were-the-governments-jobkeeper-decisions-for-public-universities/">funding new places</a> mainly for 2021. But overall the government’s actions appeared at best unsupportive.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-2021-22-budget-has-added-salt-to-universities-covid-wounds-160862">The 2021-22 budget has added salt to universities' COVID wounds</a>
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<p>The Coalition legislated its signature higher education policy Job-Ready Graduates in late 2020.</p>
<p>Job-Ready Graduates <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-analysis-shows-morrison-government-funding-wont-cover-any-extra-uni-student-places-for-years-167542">cut higher education funding</a> again, but also made substantial other changes. This included lowering the fees for courses the government deemed more likely to lead to work such as teaching and nursing, and increasing them for law, commerce and the humanities.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-analysis-shows-morrison-government-funding-wont-cover-any-extra-uni-student-places-for-years-167542">New analysis shows Morrison government funding won't cover any extra uni student places for years</a>
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<p>And as an eloquent closing statement of the Coalition’s political and policy priorities, its big-spending pre-election budget offered <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-cost-of-living-budget-cuts-spends-and-everything-you-need-to-know-at-a-glance-180124">nothing new for education</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-cost-of-living-budget-cuts-spends-and-everything-you-need-to-know-at-a-glance-180124">A cost-of-living budget: cuts, spends, and everything you need to know at a glance</a>
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<h2>What has the Coalition done and what should it do?</h2>
<p>The Coalition has rightly been concerned about the long-term substantial under-representation in higher education of people from regional and remote areas. It has increased places at <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/job-ready/more-regional-opportunities#toc-commonwealth-grant-scheme-growth-for-regional-campuses">regional campuses</a>, introduced <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/regional-university-centres">regional university centres</a>, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/nov/12/extra-135m-set-to-ease-the-funding-squeeze-on-regional-universities">compensated</a> regional universities for the cut in funding in 2017.</p>
<p>Yet depending on the method used to identify regional and remote students, remote students still have less than half the participation rate of other students, and regional students have <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-16-equity-performance-data">76-80%</a> of the participation rate of other students.</p>
<p>The Coalition government removed the cap on places for Indigenous students from regional and remote areas. It should extend that policy for all Indigenous students, all remote students, and even all regional students.</p>
<p>There were only <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-16-equity-performance-data">10,000 remote students</a> in 2020, which is half the number of Indigenous students, so there is little risk of a budget blowout from removing enrolment caps for them. There were around <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-16-equity-performance-data">200,000 regional students in 2020</a>, so removing the enrolment cap for them would be more expensive. But they are only 20% of all domestic students, so even if regional students increased their enrolment substantially, their impact on the budget would still be relatively modest.</p>
<h2>What has Labor promised and what should it do?</h2>
<p>Labor has promised 465,000 free TAFE places (including 45,000 new places), and up to 20,000 <a href="https://theconversation.com/albanese-offers-more-university-places-and-free-tafe-spots-173215">extra university places</a> for universities offering more places in areas it identifies as national priority and skills shortages (clean energy, advanced manufacturing, health and education) and more places for under-represented student groups. However, 20,000 places may not be enough, and more could be added.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/albanese-offers-more-university-places-and-free-tafe-spots-173215">Albanese offers more university places and free TAFE spots</a>
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<p>Job-Ready Graduates has several <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-flaws-in-job-ready-graduates-package-will-add-to-the-turmoil-in-australian-higher-education-147740">design flaws</a>, even accepting the Coalition’s premise that it should favour the jobs it predicts for the future, which is at least questionable on <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-government-actually-predict-the-jobs-of-the-future-141275">evidentiary</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-tehans-student-fees-are-not-just-about-jobs-but-about-funding-and-a-dash-of-ideology-too-141185">normative</a> grounds.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-government-actually-predict-the-jobs-of-the-future-141275">Can government actually predict the jobs of the future?</a>
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<p>The starkest anomaly is that <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/higher-education-loan-program/resources/2022-indexed-rates">fees for students in the humanities</a> are $14,630 per year, 28% more than fees for medical students. </p>
<p>This is bad policy for at least three reasons. </p>
<p>The more than doubling of humanities fees by Job-Ready Graduates signals a devaluing of fields which are intrinsically valuable, and are instrumentally valuable in understanding society and culture’s handling of health measures and of developments abroad, whose importance has become more obvious in the last three years.</p>
<p>Secondly, humanities students now pay 93% of the funding for their programs, far more than the 29% medical students contribute to their programs’ funding. Third, humanities graduates earn far less than medical graduates and thus have far less capacity to repay their loans.</p>
<p>The simplest way for Labor to fix this would be to put society and culture in the same funding category as English, which the Coalition bizarrely split from the rest of society and culture. That would cut humanities fees to the lowest rate and it would increase total funding for society and culture by 10% to the same rate for English, education, mathematics and statistics.</p>
<p>While tertiary education might not seem like a vote winner now, if universities are left to flounder, higher education may become out of reach for more young people. Voters will surely start to pay attention then. </p>
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/job-ready-graduates-89012">Read more of The Conversation’s analysis of Job-Ready Graduates</a></em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gavin Moodie has received various research grants from bodies funded by the Australian and state governments, and was employed by Australian universities for 35 years. He is currently employed by the University of Toronto and is a co investigator on a grant funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>Universities have seen a decade of cuts and unfavourable policies under the Coalition government. Here’s what the major parties should be promising now.Gavin Moodie, Adjunct professor, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1643192021-08-05T04:19:39Z2021-08-05T04:19:39ZThink our unis are all much the same? Look more closely and you will find diversity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/414097/original/file-20210802-19-1njmekz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=700%2C0%2C3172%2C2087&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/young-people-riding-conveyor-belt-university-282144062">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic <a href="https://theconversation.com/big-spending-recovery-budget-leaves-universities-out-in-the-cold-160439">plunged Australian universities into crisis</a>. From early 2020, many voices declared <a href="https://www.ey.com/en_au/government-public-sector/specialise-to-survive--why-universities-need-to-focus-">increased specialisation and difference between institutions</a> was the way for them to survive. Yet our <a href="https://www.unsworks.unsw.edu.au/primo-explore/fulldisplay?vid=UNSWORKS&docid=unsworks_76739&context=L">soon-to-be-published study</a> has shown if we dig a little deeper each university is a complex patchwork, especially in the area of research. </p>
<p>Australian universities present an array of sometimes competing interests, activities and priorities. So why is the sector seen as lacking diversity? </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/lets-talk-about-what-each-uni-does-but-dont-make-it-a-choice-between-teaching-or-research-162249">Let's talk about what each uni does, but don't make it a choice between teaching or research</a>
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<p>One reason is the official narratives universities present about themselves. The expectations of many stakeholders, not least national governments, shape these narratives. The cruel irony is that this makes our universities all appear the same. </p>
<p>So universities are castigated for their lack of originality and failure to differentiate. There are <a href="https://www.alantudge.com.au/latest-news/our-priorities-for-strengthening-australias-universities/">calls for greater diversity</a> in their teaching and research. </p>
<p>We have <a href="https://theconversation.com/lets-talk-about-what-each-uni-does-but-dont-make-it-a-choice-between-teaching-or-research-162249">heard these calls before</a> – such thinking is <a href="https://theconversation.com/coalition-wants-specialised-universities-with-ranking-boost-to-group-of-eight-4633">far from new</a>. Institutional diversity has been a bipartisan principle of national policy since at least the late 1980s when the <a href="https://theconversation.com/book-review-the-dawkins-revolution-25-years-on-19291">Dawkins reforms</a> began. </p>
<p>It was claimed these reforms would promote greater diversity in higher education. Observers <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ591489.pdf">suggest</a> the opposite occurred very rapidly. Subsequent <a href="https://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv%3A17448">government reports</a> continued to advocate greater institutional diversity. </p>
<p>By 2008 the Bradley Review had led to so-called <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/higher-education-funding/mission-based-compacts">mission-based compacts</a>. These were intended to formalise diverse university missions, through agreements negotiated with the Commonwealth. In practice, each university periodically completes a template outlining its planned activities and key performance indicators.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/research-and-teaching-what-do-we-actually-want-australian-universities-to-do-13864">Research and teaching – what do we actually want Australian universities to do?</a>
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<h2>All singing from the same songbook</h2>
<p>As part of our research, we explored diversity questions through the lens of the research positioning and goals of the 41 <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/higher-education-funding/mission-based-compacts">universities that entered into mission-based compacts</a> from 2014. </p>
<p>So what does this government program, designed to stimulate diverse and specialised missions, show us? The university compacts provide a veritable bingo card of descriptors for research activity such as: </p>
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<li>focus and concentration on research strengths</li>
<li>collaboration and cross-disciplinary thematic approaches</li>
<li>application to complex national and global problems </li>
<li>investment in health and medical areas</li>
<li>growth and nurturing of external partnerships, engagement and impact.</li>
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<p>The sameness of institutional research positioning is so pronounced that individual university claims of distinctiveness appear contradictory. It’s easy to see from the compacts how a view has taken hold that universities are all too much alike. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-no-one-seem-to-like-compacts-47259">Why does no-one seem to like compacts?</a>
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<h2>Diversity is in the detail</h2>
<p>What do we see, though, when exploring beyond abstract institutional descriptions? In another part of our research we looked at Australia’s oldest university, the University of Sydney. This case shows how institutional pronouncements represent a veneer over what is really a hugely diverse internal ecosystem. </p>
<p>This university’s compacts and strategy identify around two dozen areas of research. Extracting from its website and annual reports, however, we find the number of faculties, schools, centres, networks and research groupings exceeds 240. </p>
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<img alt="University of Sydney buildings" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/414096/original/file-20210802-28-kvmmeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/414096/original/file-20210802-28-kvmmeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414096/original/file-20210802-28-kvmmeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414096/original/file-20210802-28-kvmmeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414096/original/file-20210802-28-kvmmeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414096/original/file-20210802-28-kvmmeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414096/original/file-20210802-28-kvmmeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The picture presented by the University of Sydney’s mission-based compact doesn’t do justice to the full diversity of its research.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sydney-australia-7-aug-2017-view-720611131">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>The finer detail of such an environment is impossible to articulate in a digestible form. Nobody, least of all government departments with templates and performance indicators in hand, is likely to want to read about such a labyrinth. They are even less likely to invest in something so difficult to describe and manage that it could be labelled <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20140716075612402">organised anarchy</a>. </p>
<p>Universities aim to produce institutional descriptions acceptable to both internal and external stakeholders. This means the extent of internal diversity within even a single university requires considerable finessing. </p>
<p>While the resulting products are then vague and unoriginal, they follow a recipe of heavily institutionalised norms and expectations through which universities signal their status and legitimacy. Australian universities universally believe this is the key to the resources they need to survive and thrive. </p>
<p>It may not appear so at first glance, but differences between universities become clear when examined closely through their research. The research enterprise itself is built on the value of originality and difference. These attributes are controlled mercilessly at a project level through peer review. </p>
<p>And, unlike other enterprises, cross-institutional collaborations are the norm for research. </p>
<p>While important in terms of status and branding, and to those who manage and co-ordinate resource allocation, institutional constructs can be arbitrary distinctions. They can be quite removed from the day-to-day activities of researchers, who are akin to franchisees managing their own research businesses. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/7-6-billion-and-11-of-researchers-our-estimate-of-how-much-australian-university-research-stands-to-lose-by-2024-146672">$7.6 billion and 11% of researchers: our estimate of how much Australian university research stands to lose by 2024</a>
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<h2>Unis respond similarly to the pressures on them</h2>
<p>Our research also supports the idea that, at the institutional level, Australian universities are highly passive in how they respond to environmental influences. In particular, universities respond diligently to signals from government, on which they feel dependent. </p>
<p>Couple this with a contradiction between policy logic that seeks diversity and associated programs that appear to stifle it, and the result is the homogeneity that we perceive. Compacts provide but one example of this dynamic. </p>
<p>The funding model for universities makes research a (mandatory) cost-bearing exercise. To subsidise research, universities have <a href="https://theconversation.com/7-6-billion-and-11-of-researchers-our-estimate-of-how-much-australian-university-research-stands-to-lose-by-2024-146672">converged upon the international student market</a>, which lacks the regulatory constraints placed upon domestic student fees and enrolments. A more comprehensive suite of offerings for international students naturally enables institutions to maximise the fees they can generate. This then helps cover the unfunded costs of research.</p>
<p>The funding and regulatory settings that limit university choices are rightly easy targets for blame. But these settings work hand in hand with the unoriginal goals of universities, which reflect a lack of diversity in thinking and approaches to dealing with systemic challenges. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/most-of-australias-uni-leaders-are-white-male-and-grey-this-lack-of-diversity-could-be-a-handicap-150952">Most of Australia's uni leaders are white, male and grey. This lack of diversity could be a handicap</a>
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<p>Before jumping headlong into reconfiguring the sector, it may be prudent to examine more closely how and in what ways our universities are similar. When perceiving sameness, we should be careful to ensure we are not missing the finer details that are often – for good reasons – obscured. </p>
<p>The long-observed homogeneity of our universities may be a function of how and why we are asking certain questions, as well as where we choose to focus our attention.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/164319/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The research on University of Sydney was undertaken before Kalervo Gulson commenced his current position. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristy Muir currently receives funding from Vincent Fairfax Foundation, The Myer Foundation, Sidney Myer Trust, Paul Ramsay Foundation and the National Australia Bank. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julian Zipparo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The sameness of the way in which universities present themselves is based on a shared view of what they think stakeholders want. Behind the official facade it’s more like ‘organised anarchy’.Julian Zipparo, Executive Manager, Research Engagement, UTS; PhD Higher Education, UNSW SydneyKalervo Gulson, Professor, University of SydneyKristy Muir, Professor of Social Policy / CEO, Centre for Social Impact, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1622492021-06-16T05:07:47Z2021-06-16T05:07:47ZLet’s talk about what each uni does, but don’t make it a choice between teaching or research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406305/original/file-20210615-27-1iebtkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C4920%2C3245&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/melbourne-australia-august-2-2015-humanities-302819366">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge has <a href="https://www.alantudge.com.au/latest-news/our-priorities-for-strengthening-australias-universities/">called on</a> Australian universities to “start a conversation about how we can support greater differentiation and specialisation in the university sector. We have 39 comprehensive universities, which may not be an optimal model for the quality of teaching or research in this country.” This is a worthy aspiration, depending on what we mean by differentiation and specialisation.</p>
<p>At its best, seeking to differentiate and specialise can be a way to marshal talent and focus. At worst, such calls can be euphemism and set up a false dilemma of having a simple choice between teaching and research.</p>
<h2>A recurring debate</h2>
<p>The debate about greater specialisation in Australian universities is not new. As an opposition education spokesman and then Coalition government minister, Christopher Pyne <a href="https://theconversation.com/coalition-wants-specialised-universities-with-ranking-boost-to-group-of-eight-4633">made</a> similar <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/high-wired-wednesday/news-story/174b739dcac88d80ffa646edb9cb949b">calls</a> for specialisation in the system a decade ago. More recently it was discussed in the context of the 2019 <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/quality-and-legislative-frameworks/review-higher-education-provider-category-standards">Review of Provider Category Standards</a>.</p>
<p>At different times during the past century governments and university leaders have examined whether teaching and research in some areas should be limited to only a few institutions. From forestry education to legal studies, debate has been common about what is taught where and by whom.</p>
<p>Questioning the need for specialisation and diversity is welcome. Leaving for a moment what benefits it can bring, for some degrees a critical mass of students means it is impractical (and highly costly) to offer them at all institutions.</p>
<h2>Not so similar, you and I</h2>
<p>Despite Australia public universities often being labelled as “comprehensive”, there is already a lot of specialisation and differentiation in the system.</p>
<p>Medical education is one longstanding example. Only a subset of universities offer it. This is for numerous reasons, not least that it is tightly regulated and requires significant facilities.</p>
<p>Australia has a number of universities for which specialisation is core to their identity and mission. The <a href="https://divinity.edu.au/about/">University of Divinity</a>, for example, offers scholarship in theology, philosophy and ministry.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="View of clocktower of bluestone building at sunset." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406299/original/file-20210615-131485-1ib6pc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406299/original/file-20210615-131485-1ib6pc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406299/original/file-20210615-131485-1ib6pc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406299/original/file-20210615-131485-1ib6pc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406299/original/file-20210615-131485-1ib6pc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406299/original/file-20210615-131485-1ib6pc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406299/original/file-20210615-131485-1ib6pc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The 11 colleges of the University of Divinity provide highly specialised offerings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecogh/34215946455/in/photolist-U4W7ZW-U8xEPi">Michael Coghlan/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The idea of specialised institutions in Australia is not new either. The University of New South Wales began life as the <a href="http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/sessionalview/sessional/act/1949-11.pdf">New South Wales University of Technology</a> in 1949. This lasted only a few years, though, before it became UNSW, gaining a law school and other faculties.</p>
<p>Yet discussion about greater specialisation and diversification can often be contentious. It can hit a raw nerve when “specialisation” is used as a euphemism for excluding some universities, especially from research activity.</p>
<h2>What’s in a name?</h2>
<p>The legal definition of an Australian university requires it to undertake research. Australia <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/policy-submissions/teaching-learning-funding/regulation-and-accreditation/">specifies what a university is</a> and controls the use of the title “university” for good reason.</p>
<p>One case in point is the short-lived <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_University_(Norfolk_Island)">Greenwich University</a> on Norfolk Island. In 1999 the quality of the newly established university came sharply <a href="https://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/ni/comment/greenwichsmh000629.pdf">into focus</a>. The then education minister, Brendan Nelson, was forced to <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2004A01024">intervene</a> to ensure it could not continue to offer sub-standard education.</p>
<p>The Greenwich case also hints at preconceived ideas in Australia about what a university should aspire to in terms of quality and offering. For most people this now includes undertaking research.</p>
<p>This is understandable; there are synergies between teaching and research. Students can benefit from their teacher’s research experience and being exposed to the latest research. They can witness an active research culture.</p>
<h2>A false dilemma</h2>
<p>When the debate is crudely framed, it can be easy to set up a false dilemma.</p>
<p>There are good reasons to specialise. For one, it makes programs with limited demand financially viable. </p>
<p>Equally, specialisation is not always appropriate for legitimate reasons. An important consideration is to ensure core teaching and research are located where local communities can access them. </p>
<p>There is nothing wrong necessarily with having only comprehensive institutions, if that best meets the needs of students, employers and the community. </p>
<p>There is more that unites Australian universities than divides them: they are all part of an international academic community and hold themselves to standards set by peers who are leaders in their fields.</p>
<p>Which is not to argue they all do (or should do) the same thing. Yet it can be easy to erroneously limit what specialisation means or, at worst, set it up as a proxy for debate about other things, such as prestige and privilege.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162249/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gwilym Croucher does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>At best, when universities differentiate and specialise it can marshal talent and sharpen their focus. At worst. though, this debate can present universities with a false dilemma.Gwilym Croucher, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/651002016-09-20T19:53:16Z2016-09-20T19:53:16ZHas the push to get more disadvantaged students into universities been a success?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138197/original/image-20160919-4026-c3j1wh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Between 2008 and 2015, the number of disadvantaged students enrolled at Australian institutions increased by 50.2%.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Department of Education has commissioned an evaluation of the <a href="http://www.acilallen.com.au/microSite?idMicroSite=26">Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program</a> (HEPPP), which <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-participation-and-partnerships-programme-heppp">helps to</a> improve access to university for disadvantaged students – and also increase retention and completion rates of these students.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-participation-and-partnerships-programme-heppp">The evaluation</a> will look at how effective the program has been, who’s benefited, what changes may be required and whether it provides good value for money.</p>
<p>Given the program is already scheduled for a <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-participation-and-partnerships-programme-heppp">$152 million funding cut</a> from 2017, and given the rapid rise in <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Expenditure_on_education_and_training_in_Australia_2015_Update_and_analysis.pdf">higher education expenditure</a> which has increase by 40% over the 11 years to 2013-14, many are nervous about the <a href="https://campusmorningmail.com.au/unhappy-heppp-review/">potential outcome</a>.</p>
<h2>What does HEPPP do?</h2>
<p>HEPPP was introduced in 2010, alongside the <a href="https://theconversation.com/uncapping-of-university-places-has-not-failed-disadvantaged-students-61145">demand-driven system</a> that uncapped undergraduate places. </p>
<p>In 2016, <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/documents/2010-2016-higher-education-participation-and-partnerships-program-heppp-participation">A$155 million</a> was distributed across the sector, according to low SES enrolments.</p>
<p>Western Sydney University <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/34983">received</a> $11.5 million, for example, while Australian National University received just under $400,000. </p>
<p>Typically funds are used to broaden access and support existing students. </p>
<p>Outreach activities include university staff travelling to low-SES secondary schools to deliver workshops and masterclasses. School students also visit campuses and experiencing a day in the life of a university student. </p>
<p>For current students, universities also spend HEPPP funds on scholarships and bursaries, peer-mentoring programs, support services and learning analytics systems. </p>
<h2>Is HEPPP effective?</h2>
<p>Research shows that HEPPP activities work. </p>
<p>Between 2008 and 2015, the <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/41746">number of students</a> enrolled at Australian institutions from low SES backgrounds increased by 50.2%, compared with growth in overall domestic undergraduate enrolments of 36.8%. Much of this increase is doubtless <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/review_of_the_demand_driven_funding_system_report_for_the_website.pdf">due to the demand-driven system</a> itself. </p>
<p>However, more <a href="http://www.bridges.nsw.edu.au/about/bridges_effect">specific studies</a> suggest that HEPPP is also partly responsible for the low SES enrolment increase.</p>
<p>To date, the largest single HEPPP project involved a consortium of New South Wales universities working with disadvantaged schools across the state. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.bridges.nsw.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/898504/04302015Bridges_to_Higher_Education_Final_Report.pdf">“Bridges to Higher Education”</a> cost $21.2 million and was independently evaluated by KPMG, which found a 6% increase in university offers made to school leavers at the Bridges project schools (compared with a 1% increase at non-Bridges low SES schools).</p>
<p>The total economic return to the targeted low-SES areas was estimated at $54 million. </p>
<p>The second largest HEPPP project, involving the <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/queensland-widening-participation-consortium/">Queensland Widening Participation Consortium</a>, also found significant increases in university aspirations and applications. These findings are likely to be replicated across the country. </p>
<p>HEPPP scholarships and bursaries have also clearly <a href="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/openu/jwpll/2010/00000012/00000003/art00004">improved opportunities</a> for low SES students to succeed at university. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Moving-Beyond-Acts-of-Faith-Effective-Scholarships-for-Equity-Students.pdf">recent cross-institutional study</a>found:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>equity scholarships are effective in retaining recipients, across the three universities Deakin University, Queensland University of Technology, and the University of Sydney, across demographic groups and across different scholarship products.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Other factors at play</h2>
<p>The program was introduced at the same time as the demand-driven system. Separating the effects of each cause in raising low-SES participation rates is therefore difficult. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/vet-funding-in-australia-background-trends-and-future-options/">Other factors</a> such as vocational education and training (VET) policies and broader economic factors also complicate causation. </p>
<p>Moreover, HEPPP is a long-term strategy to address structural inequity. </p>
<p>It includes outreach to primary schools, with many participants unlikely to complete university for a decade or more. </p>
<p>After just six years of insecure annual funding at unpredictable levels, any conclusions reached will be tentative. </p>
<p>It is also important to mention that no national evaluation framework was established from the outset. Consultants <a href="http://campusmorningmail.com.au/unhappy-heppp-review/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sendpress&utm_campaign">are now seeking</a> student level data from universities in the ambitious hope of retrospectively finding causation across the nation. </p>
<h2>Why is HEPPP important?</h2>
<p>HEPPP activities work because they are evidence-based. </p>
<p>One of the most <a href="http://www.latrobe.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/635937/La-Trobe-OOHC-Higher-Ed-Final-Report-for-NCSEHE-2015-04-13.pdf">common themes</a> for underrepresented groups in higher education – from boys in regional areas, to people transitioning out of foster care, to new migrants, to first in family students, to people from low SES backgrounds – is that they believe university is not for people like them. </p>
<p>Outreach activities address this belief by normalising university and increasing its visibility and accessibility to under-represented groups.</p>
<p>Outreach also <a href="https://www.leap.vic.edu.au/about-leap/leap-program">demystifies careers</a>, which is critical. For enrolled low SES students, <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Moving-Beyond-Acts-of-Faith-Effective-Scholarships-for-Equity-Students.pdf">financial support</a> is of obvious value to success and retention. </p>
<p>The value of widening participation activities is <a href="http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/HEFCE,2014/Content/Pubs/Independentresearch/2015/Student,opportunity,outcomes,in-depth,study/HEFCE2015_sodepth.pdf">well established internationally</a>.</p>
<h2>How could it be improved?</h2>
<p>While the general effectiveness of HEPPP activities is clear, more specific evidence is still needed. </p>
<p>Questions that need answering include: which universities’ outreach programs are the most effective? Which student support programs are better than others? </p>
<p><a href="http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/HEFCE,2014/Content/Pubs/Independentresearch/2015/Student,opportunity,outcomes,in-depth,study/HEFCE2015_sodepth.pdf">As required in the UK</a>, we need better comparisons, more randomised control trials, and a national evaluation framework. </p>
<p>Explicitly targeting regional students, whose participation rate <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/Media-and-Events/submissions-and-reports/Submission-to-the-Review-of-HEPPP/Submission-to-the-Review-of-HEPPP#.V9dKUB596Ul">remains low and flat</a>, and including other equity groups, could also strengthen the program. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.offa.org.uk/publications/analysis-data-and-progress-reports/">annual university HEPPP reports</a> could also be published as they are in the UK to share evidence and practice. The Australian government currently does not publish university HEPPP reports so it is difficult to identify innovation across the sector.</p>
<p>Student equity is not marginal. While HEPPP is a relatively small program, systemic under-representation limits the quality as well as the equity of Australian higher education. Equity therefore also needs to be included within mainstream higher education funding, accountability, policies and metrics.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65100/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Harvey has received several research grants funded through HEPPP. </span></em></p>While research shows HEPPP has helped to increase numbers of disadvantaged students going to university, more specific evidence is still needed.Andrew Harvey, Director, Access and Achievement Research Unit, La Trobe UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/638732016-08-15T20:07:53Z2016-08-15T20:07:53ZIdeas from abroad: reforming the Australian university admissions system<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133896/original/image-20160812-13397-5pexos.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What are some alternatives to the ATAR?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Following the government’s decision to <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/documents/driving-innovation-fairness-and-excellence-australian-education">undertake consultations</a> on how best to reform Australian higher education, one of the key areas up for debate is about how to create an effective university admissions system. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.uac.edu.au/atar/index.shtml">value of the ATAR</a> – where high school students receive an overall ranking that is often, although not solely, used as a way to select students for higher education courses – has been called into question. Vice-chancellors have called the model <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/universities-move-away-from-clearlyin-atars-20160119-gm98lh.html">“meaningless”</a> and <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/lets-end-the-atar-says-unsw-vc-ian-jacobs-20160127-gmerue.html">“too simplistic”</a>. Some have even called for the model to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-universities-can-redress-inequality-55158">scrapped entirely</a>.</p>
<p>There has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-we-scrap-the-atar-what-are-the-alternative-options-experts-comment-55501">lots of discussion</a> around whether the current model is working well. What are some alternatives?</p>
<p>Education is notorious for re-inventing the same policy wheels. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the <a href="http://www.topuniversities.com/system-strength-rankings/2016#sorting=rank+custom=rank+order=desc+search">world’s best-performing</a> higher education systems to see what they do differently to give us some inspiration – and possible guidance. </p>
<h2>The USA – elite model</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133897/original/image-20160812-20932-1jurf0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133897/original/image-20160812-20932-1jurf0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133897/original/image-20160812-20932-1jurf0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133897/original/image-20160812-20932-1jurf0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133897/original/image-20160812-20932-1jurf0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133897/original/image-20160812-20932-1jurf0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133897/original/image-20160812-20932-1jurf0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">At Harvard University, six out of every 100 applicants are accepted.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The US has no overall national university entrance system. But there are some areas of commonality across the states in how a large number of universities – both public and private – select and admit students.</p>
<p>Generally, each university sets its admission requirements within state legislative requirements. This includes an indication of academic performance as demonstrated by performance on either the <a href="https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat">SAT</a> or <a href="http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act.html">ACT</a> – both standardised tests – and some demonstration of <a href="http://admissions.arizona.edu/how-to-apply/abor-course-competencies">high school competencies</a> based on specific subject combinations and levels of achievement in those subjects.</p>
<p>US universities typically provide opportunities for students to include information about their extracurricular activities to demonstrate their readiness for university. This may include evidence of leadership, service, work experience, motivation and personal experience. </p>
<p>Many universities also require or allow students to <a href="http://admissions.arizona.edu/how-to-apply/freshmen/application-review-process">submit an essay</a> or personal statement to further make their case for admission.</p>
<p>At Harvard University, where <a href="https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/application-requirements">six out of every 100 applicants</a> are accepted, the entrance requirements are demanding. Domestic and international applicants must complete the <a href="http://www.commonapp.org/">Common Application</a> or <a href="https://www.universalcollegeapp.com/">Universal College Application</a>. In addition, they must submit:</p>
<ul>
<li>Harvard College Questions for the Common Application or the Universal College Application Harvard supplement</li>
<li>ACT with writing, or old SAT or new SAT with writing</li>
<li>normally, 2 SAT subject tests</li>
<li>school report and high school transcript</li>
<li>two teacher reports</li>
<li>mid-year school report</li>
<li>final school report.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Alternative model to help disadvantaged students access university</strong></p>
<p>The Early College High School models are an increasingly popular alternative pathway into university for underrepresented students.</p>
<p>This movement began in 2002 and was originally funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others to help students from disadvantaged and low-SES backgrounds <a href="http://www.jff.org/initiatives/early-college-designs/history">aspire to and gain affordable access to university</a>. </p>
<p>There are different models, but generally schools and universities partner to provide college classes replacing some of the traditional high-school classes. These may be delivered at the school or on the university campus. </p>
<p>Students who complete their Early College High School courses receive direct entry to the partner university and up to two years of college credit.</p>
<p>Findings from the <a href="http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/ECHSI_Impact_Study_Report_Final1_0.pdf">American Institutes for Research 2013 Early College High School Initiative Impact Study</a> found that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Early College students had a greater opportunity than their peers to enrol in and graduate from college. They also appeared to be on a different academic trajectory, with Early College students earning college degrees and enrolling in four-year institutions at higher rates than comparison students. Early Colleges appeared to mitigate the traditional educational attainment gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>The UK</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133899/original/image-20160812-18014-1eku0wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133899/original/image-20160812-18014-1eku0wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133899/original/image-20160812-18014-1eku0wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133899/original/image-20160812-18014-1eku0wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133899/original/image-20160812-18014-1eku0wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133899/original/image-20160812-18014-1eku0wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133899/original/image-20160812-18014-1eku0wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students who don’t get an offer can go through a process called Clearing, which allows applicants to contact universities directly to plead their case for places that have not yet been filled.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Gianni/flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>School-leaver applications to universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are processed through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The majority of UK universities use the UCAS systems for both domestic and international undergraduate applicants.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/entry-requirements">UCAS requires</a> students to submit their predicted grades, achievements, a cover letter outlining skills and why they want to study that particular subject area. Some students will also be expected to do an admissions test and/or interview. Applicants submit their applications for up to five universities in order of preference.</p>
<p>Universities then make conditional or unconditional offers, sometimes based on the student meeting the required grades.</p>
<p>Students who don’t meet the required grades set by the university can go through a process called <a href="https://www.whatuni.com/advice/ultimate-guides/university-clearing-complete-guide/41459/">“Clearing”</a>. This allows applicants to contact universities directly to plead their case for places that have yet to be filled. Clearing occurs largely over the phone on a set day – but the process can take weeks. It can be a brutal process, particularly for students still coming to terms with the fact that they didn’t get in to their university of choice.</p>
<p>As many <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9396122/More-students-forced-to-sit-university-admissions-tests.html">as half</a> of the UK universities require students to sit their own, additional admissions tests as they are losing confidence in the A-level grades as an accurate indicator of students’ academic capabilities. A greater diversity of students – more than 30% – are now entering through alternative pathways without A levels.</p>
<h2>Germany</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133901/original/image-20160812-14924-1asts2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133901/original/image-20160812-14924-1asts2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133901/original/image-20160812-14924-1asts2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133901/original/image-20160812-14924-1asts2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133901/original/image-20160812-14924-1asts2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133901/original/image-20160812-14924-1asts2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133901/original/image-20160812-14924-1asts2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In Germany, students apply directly to each university.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As in the US, responsibility for the education systems is state-based and applications are made directly to each university. </p>
<p>However, in Germany, higher education is free. </p>
<p>If candidates already have a European qualification, such as the Baccalaureate or A-levels, potential students may only be required to <a href="http://www.topuniversities.com/where-to-study/europe/germany/guide#tab=2">prove proficiency</a> in German and/or English depending on the course of study. </p>
<p>Previously, domestic students had to have completed a matriculation exam known as the Arbitur, which equates to the Baccalaureate or A-levels. </p>
<p>The Arbitur is losing its prominence as the defining entry point to German universities. Students are increasingly entering university via alternative pathways.</p>
<p>An essential difference in the German context requires an understanding of the school system. </p>
<p>From fourth grade, students are <a href="http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/germanschools.html">streamed into pathways</a> that can determine their future academic options. Traditionally, it was students who completed the Gymnasium high school pathway (out of three potential pathways, the other two being Hauptschule and Realschule) who were specifically prepared for university entrance during year 12 or 13. </p>
<p>This explains why entry into university appears to be a little less demanding than other countries. The sifting and sorting process has occurred earlier, right back in primary school.</p>
<h2>Options for Australia</h2>
<p>We have an opportunity. The most effective selection system to use will depend on what we are trying to accomplish with our higher education system. The question is what is our tertiary system most trying to do, and for whose benefit? </p>
<p>Like the rest of the world, we’ve massified and moved the focus to the private benefit of a university degree, creating an argument for users to pay more – private good versus public good. </p>
<p>The nature of the product has changed. When 40% of our population is getting a degree, the nature of what it is changes – as will the manner in which we select for it. This is a precursor for an analysis of how we should select students for entry.</p>
<p>The elites, who still have students banging on the door, want to leave the system as it is. They are taking the top 10-15%, as they have always done. Nothing’s changed for them. </p>
<p>The difference is that in previous times only the top 10-15% went to university. ATAR is efficient for them; 95.70 you’re in, 95.65 you’re out. Why change?</p>
<p>The ones at the other end of the rankings competition want a different system, because their supply of students has dried up and the ATAR system is laying bare their weakness – there are no longer any students they won’t take. They’re looking for alternative admission systems because the current one delivers them no students. </p>
<p>The ones in the middle are hedging their bets.</p>
<p>That’s the nub of the issue. There’s no “best” system for Australia unless we know what we are trying to do. At the moment, the discussion is being driven by universities for self-interest, not for what’s best for the country or the sector.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63873/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claire Brown previously received funding from the Higher Education, Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) to implement and research the Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program in Australia. That funding has now ended.</span></em></p>In determining a replacement for the ATAR, it will be essential to consider the impacts of any such change on the school and vocational education systems.Dr Claire Brown, Associate Director, The Victoria Institute, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/625442016-07-19T20:06:54Z2016-07-19T20:06:54ZSeven ways Australia can boost its connection with Indian universities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130662/original/image-20160715-2138-1q6zwpn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Australian universities should explore ways of working with Indian institutions.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>India has a <a href="https://theconversation.com/india-soon-to-have-have-largest-tertiary-age-population-in-the-world-62223">high and growing demand</a> for tertiary education that can’t currently be met by Indian institutions alone.</p>
<p>The government’s goal to fill 40 million university places by 2020 means India will need to recruit an extra 14 million students over the next four years. But current supply won’t meet demand.</p>
<p>As one of the leading providers of international tertiary education in Asia, Australia is potentially well-positioned to meet this surging demand. But it will face stiff competition from other countries, such as the US and UK – which many Indian students still see as superior destinations for university. </p>
<p>It is against this background that the Australia India Institute – Australia’s only national centre for research and analysis on India – has published <a href="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9302bae06250e2ad9d62de009/files/AVeryShortPolicyBriefV1_July2016.pdf">a report</a> making a number of recommendations on how Australia can improve its access to the market for Indian international students.</p>
<p>The report recognises there is already <a href="https://internationaleducation.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx">a great deal being done</a> in Australia to improve market access in India, for example within the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra and the Australian High Commission in Delhi.</p>
<p>At the university level, a number of institutions, including <a href="https://www.deakin.edu.au/research/story?story_id=2011/08/08/deakin-india-research-initiative">Deakin</a>, <a href="http://www.iitbmonash.org/about-us/">Monash</a>, <a href="http://www.rmit.edu.au/research/research-institutes-centres-and-groups/multi-partner-collaborations/aicause/">RMIT</a>, University of New South Wales, and the <a href="http://iro.unimelb.edu.au/news/launch-of-blended-bachelor-of-science-in-pune,-india">University of Melbourne</a>, have recently collaborated with Indian universities, developing joint degrees, student exchange programs, and research tie-ups. </p>
<p>But Australia still has only a 5% share of India’s market for international students. By contrast, we have an 11% share of the market for Chinese international students and a 27% share of the market for Malaysian international students. </p>
<p>We must recognise areas where Australia has lagged behind other countries, particularly the US and the UK, which have managed to secure a larger share of the Indian international student market. </p>
<p>One area in which we have lagged behind our key competitors is in developing strong linkages to India’s emerging centres of educational innovation. </p>
<p>There are a number of outward-looking universities developing in India that are actively seeking international collaborations in research and teaching, including Jindal Global University, Shiv Nadar University and Ashoka University. </p>
<p>While the US and UK’s best universities have been establishing collaborations with these institutions, Australia has only done so in a very limited capacity. </p>
<p>Exploring the potential to work with these new universities should be a priority, moving forward.</p>
<p>We must also work closely with India to improve systems for mutual recognition of qualifications. </p>
<p>India currently has no way of recognising some degrees offered in Australia, such as accelerated masters programs. And due to the bewildering diversity of educational institutions in India, Australia struggles to evaluate Indian students’ prior learning when making decisions regarding entry requirements.</p>
<p>Our research has identified the following ways in which government could facilitate betters connections between Australian and Indian universities. This would help make Australia a more attractive destination for Indian students. </p>
<h2>Seven key recommendations for the Australian government</h2>
<ol>
<li><p>The government should work with institutions to develop case studies of successful collaborations between Australian and Indian universities. These could be used as inspiration for academics and university administrators. </p></li>
<li><p>Identify academics who are working on collaborations across the Australia-India space in higher education, and provide them with additional time allocations so they can promote the value of collaborations and work intensively to build stronger linkages.</p></li>
<li><p>Develop incentives for faculties to engage in developing joint degrees or blended degrees with Indian universities. Staff could be paid to visit India with the specific aim of developing such degrees.</p></li>
<li><p>Develop a more distinctive message about the value of cooperation with India – one that extends beyond mutual economic gain. Indian universities have become <a href="http://www.australiaindiaeducation.com/files/13142%20AIEC%20HE%20report_D2%20designed%20for%20printing.pdf">wary of working with their Australian counterparts</a>, due to the perception that Australia was self-interested. Australia must see the value of India linkages in terms of advancing human capital formation in India and Australia, building links between youth, improving access to higher education, and developing new curricula.</p></li>
<li><p>Organise a delegation to India to develop projects for new forms of collaboration, particularly with new centres of educational innovation, but also with established centres of academic excellence.</p></li>
<li><p>To improve systems of qualifications recognition, the government should develop a database of equivalences between Australian and international educational qualifications. This could be modelled on the database offered by the UK’s <a href="https://www.naric.org.uk/">National Academic Recognition Information Centre</a>, which is used to assess the comparability of international students’ prior learning with similar British qualifications.</p></li>
<li><p>Fund a scoping project to assess the potential benefits and challenges of establishing campuses for Australia’s elite Group of Eight universities in India. The Indian government looks <a href="https://theconversation.com/report-urges-india-to-allow-overseas-universities-to-open-up-campuses-61435">increasingly likely to overturn an existing law</a> that prevents foreign providers from setting up campuses on Indian soil. A scoping project would ensure that we are ahead of the game if and when the legislation changes.</p></li>
</ol><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62544/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Trent Brown works as a research assistant at the Australia India Institute which receives funding from The Commonwealth Government of Australia, Victorian Government, University of Melbourne and other private sources.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Craig Jeffrey is director of the Australia India Institute which receives funding from The Commonwealth Government of Australia, Victorian Government, University of Melbourne and other private sources.</span></em></p>Australia will face stiff competition from other countries, such as the US and UK, so it must have a clear strategy for how to deepen its engagement with India’s higher education sector.Trent Brown, Research Assistant, Australia India Institute, The University of MelbourneCraig Jeffrey, Director and CEO of the Australia India Institute; Professor of Development Geography, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/623442016-07-18T20:04:58Z2016-07-18T20:04:58ZThree ways to reform research that won’t break the budget<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130143/original/image-20160712-9302-z0ptld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The new government’s existing research policy framework is pretty thin.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Now that we finally have a government in Australia, we need to focus on how we can both prosper as a nation in the new technology-driven global economy and become a fairer and more equitable society.</p>
<p>One thing that was painfully <a href="https://theconversation.com/higher-education-gets-short-shrift-in-the-election-campaign-and-we-are-all-the-poorer-for-it-61509">absent from the election debate</a> was any sustained focus on the role Australia’s research capacity could play in helping to meet these challenges.</p>
<p>The government’s existing <a href="https://www.liberal.org.au/our-plan/innovation-and-science-agenda">research policy framework</a> is pretty thin. </p>
<p>Yes, there is the promised <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mrff">Medical Research Future Fund</a>, which should hopefully relieve some pressure on the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). But much detail remains to be worked out and the source of funding secured. </p>
<h2>Research funding stagnating</h2>
<p>Worryingly, at the same time, funding for the Australian Research Council – which supports a much wider array of research areas – is stagnating. </p>
<p>In the last <a href="http://www.science.gov.au/scienceGov/news/Pages/2016-17-Budget-the-Australian-Governments-commitment-to-Science-and-Research.aspx">budget</a>, the government did find some additional funding for some large-scale research infrastructure (such as the <a href="http://www.synchrotron.org.au/synchrotron-science/what-is-a-synchrotron">Synchrotron</a>, a large machine that accelerates electrons to almost the speed of light), but did so mainly by taking funding from other research schemes.</p>
<p>We still lack a smart, long-term and sufficiently funded strategy for research investment and support. </p>
<h2>Slipping further behind</h2>
<p>Australia is also in danger of <a href="https://theconversation.com/infographic-how-much-does-australia-spend-on-science-and-research-61094">slipping even further behind</a> in the global research and development game. </p>
<p>Figures show that government research and development (R&D) investment remains near the bottom of the OECD. Even total R&D spending (including both private and public sources) places us far behind the very economies we are being encouraged to emulate (US, Sweden, Germany and Finland). </p>
<p>And yet evidence from <a href="http://www.leru.org/index.php/public/news/investing-in-research-innovation-and-education-really-pays-off-/">Europe</a>, the <a href="http://news.mit.edu/2015/mit-report-benefits-investment-basic-research-0427">US</a> and <a href="http://www.smartinvestment.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/documents/Economic%20contributions%20of%20UNSW%20-%20Final%20report%20-%20Deloitte%20Access%20Economic....pdf">Australia</a> suggests that investment in research (and in education more generally) is a proven policy winner. </p>
<p>It’s a kind of policy “superfood” – investment that helps secure the health of our communities over the long term. </p>
<h2>Efficiency and equity</h2>
<p>By investing in high-quality research, governments can generate outcomes that help make societies more efficient and equitable. </p>
<p>Our economy becomes more efficient because of the constant generation of new ideas, inventions and improvements in the materials, processes, techniques and machines that lie at the heart of our productive capacities. </p>
<p>Our society becomes more equitable as we learn how to distribute the benefits of these changes in ways that ensure all of our citizens enjoy genuine equality of opportunity. </p>
<p>Despite enormous economic growth over the past 50 years, there remains significant inequality in our communities and thus the social challenges that come with it. </p>
<p>Hence the benefits of, for example, developing cleaner energy, or more effective preventive health care, become even more important. In fact, according to the <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/sdn/2015/sdn1513.pdf">International Monetary Fund</a>, inequality is bad for economic growth and we need even greater social innovation to overcome it. </p>
<p>Although we’re used to thinking there is a fundamental trade-off between efficiency and equity, investment in high-quality research helps transform this trade-off into a potential “win-win”. And this raises an important point about the role that universities play in the innovation ecosystem.</p>
<h2>Transformative and creative innovation</h2>
<p>What universities can provide are the means to generate transformative and creative innovation. The scale of the challenges we face require this kind of ambition. </p>
<p>But we need to find new ways for enabling the research being done in our universities to have even greater impact in the community. </p>
<p>As the <a href="http://grattan.edu.au/report/orange-book-2016-priorities-for-the-next-commonwealth-government/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sendpress&utm_campaign">Grattan Institute</a> has pointed out:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In real terms, nearly five times as much was spent on applied research in 2014 compared to 20 years before. Despite this, universities are the direct source of only 3% of business innovation ideas.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We need innovative ideas that can help transform our health system, for example, by harnessing technology and the insights of the social sciences to treat the scourge of mental illness, or the burden of obesity and diabetes; new ways of trapping the weird and wonderful forces of quantum mechanics to revolutionise computing as we know it; and the insights of our philosophers, political scientists lawyers and historians to help us understand the consequences of these new developments for our legal, political and cultural institutions.</p>
<p>We need to take the long view and pursue the bold ideas and approaches that will form the basis of the new industries, technologies and policies that will help shape Australia’s future.</p>
<h2>Three ideas for the new government</h2>
<p>The good news is that there are some things a new government can do almost immediately to help address these problems – and that won’t break the budget.</p>
<p><strong>1) Collaboration in policy and research</strong></p>
<p>Let’s build a broad, bipartisan vision for the future of research and development in Australia. This has been lacking for too long.</p>
<p>We need to bring together universities, state and federal governments, key community partners and industry to map out what kind of research we want to support and see develop in Australia over the next 20 years. </p>
<p>Given the nature of the problems we face today – and into the future – we need to bring together the sciences, humanities and creative arts together to underpin the kind of transformative and creative innovation our society needs. </p>
<p>We’ve got new <a href="http://www.science.gov.au/scienceGov/ScienceAndResearchPriorities/Pages/default.aspx">research priorities</a> for science. We need to broaden this out to include research from across a broad range of disciplines, including the humanities and social sciences. The future is all about breaking down barriers between disciplines and integrating approaches and insights from a range of different domains. </p>
<p><strong>2) Release existing research funds</strong></p>
<p>The government could also release some of the existing funds for research infrastructure set up under the previous <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/education-investment-fund">Education Infrastructure Fund</a> (EIF) – currently held in limbo – to provide desperately needed investment for research infrastructure. </p>
<p>It’s already there. No need to take it from somewhere else. </p>
<p>The initial round of funding from EIF resulted in a series of highly successful projects already helping to deliver outstanding social and scientific outcomes across the country – including world-class facilities for <a href="http://sydney.edu.au/nano/">nano-scale science and technology</a>, <a href="http://www.imas.utas.edu.au">marine and Antarctic studies</a>, <a href="http://www.cdu.edu.au/acike/welcome-acike">Indigenous knowledges</a> and <a href="http://www.cfne.unimelb.edu.au">neural engineering</a>.</p>
<p>We also need to build a research funding system that sets aside, every year, sufficient funds to invest in the indirect costs of research (such as the equipment, administrative support and running costs) that are vital to achieving high-quality research outcomes. </p>
<p><strong>3) Establish committee of experts to guide strategic investment in infrastructure</strong></p>
<p>We should establish an independent committee of experts, with broad representation from the different disciplinary areas, community organisations and industry, to help advise the government on where investments in research infrastructure can best be made over the long term. We need a stable, long-term vision for research investment. Let’s draw on the expertise we have across the higher education sector and the community to help deliver on that vision.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62344/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Duncan Ivison receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of The Conversation. </span></em></p>Research and development investment remains stagnant in Australia. It’s time for a new, long-term strategy for research.Duncan Ivison, Professor of Political Philosophy, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research), University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/618002016-07-14T20:03:01Z2016-07-14T20:03:01ZFinding ways forward when higher education reform options are limited<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130333/original/image-20160713-12366-awt5nh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Both sides of politics agree that student funding rates need reviewing.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>A federal election is an opportunity to take stock of how Australia is doing, where it’s going, and what governments can do about it. <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/advice-to-government">This series</a>, written by program directors at the Grattan Institute, explores the challenges that Australia faces and advocates policy changes for budgets, economic growth, cities and transport, energy, school education, higher education and health.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>With the Liberals returned to office, their <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/news/consultation-future-higher-education-reform">higher education review process</a> will almost certainly continue. But any hope that the election would smooth the path to higher education reform is now gone. The government has less room to move than before. </p>
<h2>The budget and the parliament limit reform options</h2>
<p>At best, there will be no new public money, just shuffling funds between programs. At worst, as seems more likely, higher education will help reduce the budget deficit.</p>
<p>Politically, the new Senate cross-benchers seem less likely to support difficult decisions than those they replace. </p>
<p>The government needs higher education policy options that do not need parliamentary approval, or which Labor could support over the medium term (we saw in June that Labor’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-two-major-parties-shape-up-on-debate-around-student-loan-reform-60861">pragmatism increases with proximity to government</a>).</p>
<p>In this political environment, the Liberal idea of “flagship” undergraduate courses for which universities could charge more than <a href="http://studyassist.gov.au/sites/studyassist/helppayingmyfees/csps/pages/student-contribution-amounts#2016">standard student contributions</a> will struggle. </p>
<h2>Both sides of politics agree that student funding rates need reviewing</h2>
<p>But both sides of politics are open to reviewing the standard total per student funding rates – that is, <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/2016_allocation_of_units_of_study_revised_without_ed.pdf">the student contribution plus the Commonwealth contribution</a>. </p>
<p>Current per student funding rates have their origins in a university expenditure study done more than 25 years ago. There is little dispute, in the higher education sector or in politics, that the time to revise has arrived. </p>
<p>To help this process along, the government could require universities to <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/the-cash-nexus-how-teaching-funds-research-in-australian-universities/">report more useful information about how they spend their money</a>. This can be done by ministerial direction. </p>
<p>A good review process will not just consider historical expenditure patterns. The review needs to cost the standards higher education providers must meet. These include <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2015L01639">general government rules</a> applying to all higher education providers, along with <a href="http://www.amc.org.au/">accreditation</a> and <a href="https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/">professional admission</a> requirements affecting particular disciplines.</p>
<h2>Should research be included in student funding rates?</h2>
<p>The biggest policy issue is whether a research component should officially be included in student funding rates. </p>
<p>Profits on teaching are essential to university research output. <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/the-cash-nexus-how-teaching-funds-research-in-australian-universities/">Grattan research published last year</a> found that at least 20% of the money spent on research comes from teaching profits. This conclusion was based on conservative calculations – the true number could easily be higher. </p>
<p>Universities want to increase research output. After a long boom, university research expenditure <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8111.0">stalled at just over $10 billion between 2012 and 2014</a>. Research is shrinking as a share of all university expenditure. <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/staff-data">Research staff</a> and <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/data-used-research-block-grant-rbg-funding-formulae">research publications</a> are both in slight decline. </p>
<p>There are several possible causes for less research activity: slower <a href="http://www.industry.gov.au/innovation/reportsandstudies/Pages/SRIBudget.aspx">growth in government research grants</a> and <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/portfolio-budget-statements-2016-17">a decline in 2015</a>, subdued <a href="https://internationaleducation.gov.au/research/International-Student-Data/Pages/InternationalStudentData2016.aspx#Pivot_Table">international student numbers from 2010 to 2014</a> reducing teaching profits, and <a href="https://app.heims.education.gov.au/HeimsOnline/IPInfo/Payment/IndexSearch">indexation of university grants</a> not keeping pace with wage increases.</p>
<p>Higher per student funding rates would help universities increase research activity. But this is not necessarily an ideal way to fund research. </p>
<p>Other government research funding is <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/research-block-grants-calculation-methodology">based on research performance</a>, not on student numbers. The universities that enrol the most students aren’t necessarily the best at research.</p>
<p>If research activity benefited teaching, that might be another reason to fund research via student numbers. But <a href="http://grattan.edu.au/report/taking-university-teaching-seriously/">the empirical evidence on this teaching-research nexus is inconclusive</a>. It’s not a strong enough basis for major public or student investment.</p>
<h2>Caution is needed on teaching-only student funding rates</h2>
<p>Although we lack a clear case for extending research funding via per student grants, we should be cautious about entirely separating existing teaching and research funding. </p>
<p>In 2015, <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/selected-higher-education-statistics-2015-staff-data">32,000 academics were employed as teachers and researchers</a>. Financially supporting these joint-function roles requires some alignment of teaching and research funding sources. </p>
<p>Even if academic work should become more specialised into teaching or research, this can only feasibly happen over time. It would be reckless to do it via a quick policy change.</p>
<p>In the medium term at least, we will need some allowance for research in new per university student funding rates. This would not prevent a lower teaching-only rate in higher education providers that don’t do research, as proposed by the Liberals in 2014 and more recently by Labor for their election-promise <a href="http://www.100positivepolicies.org.au/commonwealth_institutes_for_higher_education_fact_sheet">Commonwealth higher education institutes.</a></p>
<h2>A funding review is a way forward when options are limited</h2>
<p>A review of per student funding rates won’t settle disagreement over the mix of public and private funding. But a review is something both major political parties can agree on to clarify the debate: we will know how much we need to spend to get a good higher education system. It is a way forward when options seem limited.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61800/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Grattan Institute began with contributions to its endowment of $15 million from each of the Federal and Victorian Governments. In order to safeguard its independence, Grattan Institute’s board controls this endowment. The funds are invested and Grattan uses the income to pursue its activities.</span></em></p>At best, there will be no new public money, just shuffling funds between programs. At worst, higher education will help reduce the budget deficit.Andrew Norton, Program Director, Higher Education, Grattan InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/623582016-07-13T03:10:00Z2016-07-13T03:10:00ZCan the government realistically cut funding by 20% for each student in higher education?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130304/original/image-20160712-17950-1c1ahup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Capping the number of students at current levels would reduce future participation in tertiary education.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Higher education policy is one of the biggest challenges facing the new federal government. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/he_reform_paper_driving_innovation_fairness_and_excellence_3_may_2016.pdf">budget forward</a> estimates show substantial savings from a <a href="https://theconversation.com/higher-education-gets-short-shrift-in-the-election-campaign-and-we-are-all-the-poorer-for-it-61509">20% cut</a> in the government subsidy per student. </p>
<p>However, the original plan to achieve this through full deregulation of student fees is no longer an option. So, can the government realistically achieve its savings?</p>
<h2>Reimposing caps on funded places</h2>
<p>While reimposing caps on the number of funded places that universities can offer would help the government deal with budget pressures, it is very much contrary to the Coalition’s proposal. It also would not meet the need to increase the number of students graduating. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/papers/participation-in-tertiary-education-in-australia/">Recent analysis</a> shows that capping the number of students at current levels would significantly reduce future participation in tertiary education.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130302/original/image-20160712-9285-8tobwc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130302/original/image-20160712-9285-8tobwc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130302/original/image-20160712-9285-8tobwc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130302/original/image-20160712-9285-8tobwc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130302/original/image-20160712-9285-8tobwc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130302/original/image-20160712-9285-8tobwc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130302/original/image-20160712-9285-8tobwc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Participation-in-Tertiary-Education-in-Australia.pdf">Participation in Tertiary Education in Australia, Mitchell Policy Paper, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University, Melbourne</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Maintaining the demand-driven system</h2>
<p>The other option, presumably, is to <a href="https://theconversation.com/uncapping-of-university-places-achieved-what-it-set-out-to-do-so-why-is-it-dubbed-a-policy-failure-61082">maintain the demand-driven system</a> of higher education (or even expand it) but cut the per-student subsidy and increase fees.</p>
<p>That is unless the government decided not to look for budget savings, but rather to continue increasing public investment in higher education to avoid the need for reduced student subsidies. </p>
<p>Aside from needing Senate approval for any budget-saving reforms, this would be unlikely, given the Coalition’s positioning on budget issues. The government would have to find savings in other areas to fund such a policy, or increase taxes, or allow a higher budget deficit than planned.</p>
<h2>Other options for allowing fees to increase</h2>
<p>Full deregulation of student fees appears to be politically impossible for the government to pursue and has faced <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-break-the-higher-education-impasse-37280">substantial critique</a>. If the government is going to allow increased fees, it needs an alternative to full deregulation.</p>
<p><strong>Cut per-student funding but raise the student contribution from an average of about 40% to 50%, by raising HECS caps</strong></p>
<p>While this might help the government’s budget, a 20% cut in per-student subsidies would probably struggle to achieve political support. </p>
<p>If the cut was reduced from 20% to say 10%, this might be more palatable to the Senate and could result in higher per-student total funding (including the fees). </p>
<p>If caps were raised just enough to allow this, the expected result would be all universities charging at the caps. </p>
<p>This approach might get support from the university sector, where it is largely considered that current funding rates make providing the desirable quality of education difficult. However, this would add costs to the forward estimates and might not receive a positive reaction from a treasurer determined to avoid tax rises and struggling to rein in a deficit.</p>
<p><strong>Limited fee flexibility through the taper model combined with taking advantage of claw-back for students needing additional support</strong></p>
<p>During last year’s debate about full deregulation, <a href="http://www.afr.com/opinion/higher-fees-should-mean-less-subsidies-for-universities-20150315-144iun">senior research fellow Janine Dixon and I argued</a> for flexibility, while avoiding excessive rises and allowing some price differentiation between providers. <a href="https://theconversation.com/modifying-student-loan-system-could-ensure-access-for-all-students-45292">Bruce Chapman</a> supported a similar approach.</p>
<p>The proposal involved a <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/sites/default/files/business/pdfs/higher-education-reform-cops-working-paper-16-march-2015.pdf">“taper model”</a>, whereby government tuition subsidies would be reduced according to a progressive schedule, when fees are raised above a threshold. </p>
<p>At the same time, we argued that the savings would allow for an enhanced <a href="http://www.copsmodels.com/elecpapr/g-252.htm">Higher Education Participation Program</a>, incorporating scholarships for students from low socio-economic backgrounds across the system, and additional support to reduce attrition and improve success for “at risk” students. </p>
<p>Modelling on the likely effects on fees, university revenue and the government’s budget suggests this policy has a good chance of achieving its aims while still making some budget savings.</p>
<p><strong>Fee deregulation while capping income-contingent loans</strong></p>
<p>Capping income-contingent loans would likely have a similar effect to a fee cap, but carries a risk of higher fees where students could afford certain courses without a loan. This is arguably contrary to the equity and insurance aims of the HECS income-contingent loan system.</p>
<p><strong>Flagship courses</strong></p>
<p>A new idea in the <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/he_reform_paper_driving_innovation_fairness_and_excellence_3_may_2016_-_.pdf">Coalition’s discussion paper</a> is to allow a limited number of flagship courses more flexibility to raise their fees. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.canberra.edu.au/research/faculty-research-centres/edinstitute/documents/HigherEd_FundingReviewReport1.pdf">similar idea</a> was floated during the Gillard government, but in that proposal flagship courses would receive higher government subsidies. </p>
<p>The latter idea can probably be ruled out in the current fiscal environment. The former idea has more legs as an experiment, to test the feasibility and benefits of some degree of deregulation. </p>
<p>If some courses are allowed greater fee flexibility than others, they might arguably need to offer a truly higher-value course. </p>
<p>This idea could be combined with the taper model, which might both promote its political acceptability and help fund an enhanced HEPP program and/or budget.</p>
<h2>Remaining questions</h2>
<p>It will take a very persuasive minister to convince the Senate to adopt even these more moderate policies than full fee deregulation, given the Coalition’s previous experience. </p>
<p>An increase in caps on HECS looks to be the simplest and arguably easiest policy to sell, especially if the per-student subsidy cut is around 10% rather than 20%, and total per-student funding increases. </p>
<p>However, a significant advantage of the taper model, introduced gradually, is its potential to enhance funding of equity strategies and improve the success rates of students who need additional support.</p>
<p>Even if some fee flexibility is introduced, while creating greater certainty for the higher education sector, this would <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Inaugural_policy_lecture_Reconceptualising_tertiary_education.pdf">leave critical questions</a> about the broader tertiary sector unresolved, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>How to revitalise and reform vocational education?</p></li>
<li><p>How to achieve more coherence between vocational and higher education?</p></li>
<li><p>How to reconfigure income-contingent loans to support a more coherent tertiary system?</p></li>
<li><p>What is the appropriate structure of public subsidies for different types of tertiary education?</p></li>
<li><p>How should both higher and vocational education regulate and/or fund non-university and private providers?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Another important question is: do we need an <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-higher-education-reforms-need-to-be-independently-overseen-34231">independent entity</a> to advise on these and other matters, and to oversee a managed market system?</p>
<p>Ideally, these questions should be resolved at the same time as the higher education funding issues. </p>
<p>It would be a remarkable achievement if the federal minister could pull that off in the current political environment, especially as it also brings into play major federal-state issues. </p>
<p>Perhaps we will have to accept a two-stage process, but all these issues need to be addressed in due course. Meanwhile, the case for establishing an independent entity to assist with a rational reform process is a strong one.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Professor Dawkins presented these proposals at the <a href="http://aomevents.com/ace2016">Australian Conference of Economists</a> on July 13.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62358/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Dawkins does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>One option could be to cut per-student funding and instead raise the student contribution from an average of about 40% to 50%, by raising HECS caps.Peter Dawkins, Vice Chancellor, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/620452016-07-13T00:00:24Z2016-07-13T00:00:24ZFuture of higher education: ‘The situation in research is clearly unsustainable’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129301/original/image-20160705-19098-1ee6ijz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There has been an increase in research grants going to high-profile applicants.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is an extract taken from the second edition of Raising the Stakes: Gambling with the Future of Universities, by Peter Coaldrake and Lawrence Stedman, and published by University of Queensland Press</em></p>
<hr>
<p>In the absence of solid evidence about quality and standards, widespread concern has emerged that our <a href="https://theconversation.com/large-growth-in-student-numbers-is-threatening-sustainability-of-university-system-61206">university system is unsustainable</a>.</p>
<p>Those providing the money worry that it is unsustainably expensive, while many of those inside the sector catastrophise that it is under-resourced to the point of becoming unsustainable.</p>
<p>These concerns persist despite decades of almost continual review and re-review, much of which have produced little tangible evidence about perceived problems.</p>
<p>To date Australia has managed to strike a balance which has seen public expenditure for higher education and research stay at around 1% of GDP over the past quarter of a century, compared to around 1.4% across the OECD, despite massive increases in research funding and a doubling in the number of Australian students enrolled in universities.</p>
<p>This has been achieved by controlling access to public subsidies, capping numbers of students, controlling fees and increasing the share of fees to be repaid by students. Now things have changed. The aim of extending higher education to all those who might benefit from it was always somewhat at odds with the maintenance of caps on student enrolments.</p>
<p>And the removal of the lid in 2012 <a href="https://theconversation.com/uncapping-of-university-places-achieved-what-it-set-out-to-do-so-why-is-it-dubbed-a-policy-failure-61082">led to enrolments shooting up</a>, further cementing the idea of university as a mainstream aspiration. There was little political support for reapplying caps on student numbers; however, rapid growth in enrolment meant that government spending also rose rapidly.</p>
<p>Whether the spending growth driven by unchecked university expansion can be sustained within current settings is debatable, and growth has slowed in more recent years. </p>
<p>The sector cannot hope to be protected indefinitely from cuts when the government is under pressure to support costs associated with ageing, defence and healthcare, and broader national infrastructure. </p>
<p>Nor is the university sector by any means the government’s major priority in education: funding for schools and vocational training are both acute challenges and universities are just part of the continuum needed to educate and develop the workforce of the future.</p>
<p>Governments might acknowledge the importance of higher education and research but they have been exasperated on a regular basis with the sector’s tendency to be self-absorbed about its importance, to complexify and exaggerate its problems, and to be habitual mendicants. </p>
<p>One of the results of this has been to seek reductions in government spending on universities.</p>
<p>Throughout 2015 and 2016 the savings associated with the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/fee-deregulation">2014 deregulation package</a> continued to be factored into government budgets despite ongoing rejection of the reforms by the Senate. This amounts to a short-fall of some four billion dollars, and while the 2016-2017 budget reduced the expected savings to around two billion dollars, the sector remains highly vulnerable when reality finally hits.</p>
<p>Savings will either be forgone, testing further the willingness of government to increase direct outlays to universities, or they will not, and other offsets will need to be found.</p>
<p>Put even more bluntly this means either that students will pay more, or universities will take a cut or, more likely, a combination of the two will emerge. </p>
<p>What is even more clearly unsustainable is the situation in research.</p>
<p>Over the ten years to 2013 governments doubled medical research grant funding in real terms and increased general university research grants from the Australian Research Council by 70%. In contrast, infrastructure grants only grew by 25%. Over this time the number of academics notionally involved in research grew by 37%, slightly less than growth in student load.</p>
<p>Yet despite increases in grant funds far outstripping growth in the academic population, demand for research grants has far exceeded supply, with success rates for grant applications falling to record lows. This has come about partly because more funds have been concentrated on the most successful applicants, and proposals to extend the duration of project funding would exacerbate this.</p>
<p>Perhaps more significantly it has also come from the heightened stakes attached to external research funding for individual academics and for institutions. </p>
<p>Global and national rankings, national audits of quality and funding formulas with further rewards for the successful all serve to reinforce the primacy of academic research as a marker of excellence directly impacting on reputation.</p>
<p>Australia must strengthen its research base, but governments will not pour more money into the black hole of research indefinitely, even for medical research which usually and understandably attracts political favour.</p>
<p>The solution is not to spiral inwards with an ever greater concentration on past glories or to pick winners or favoured universities. However, Australia’s future challenges are diverse and demand a research base that is also diverse and vibrant. </p>
<p>The reality is that most research funding will find its way into the most research-intensive universities.</p>
<p>Yet we need to be able to develop new fields, including interdisciplinary work that tackles our greatest national and global challenges.</p>
<p>We must find ways of sustaining excellence on many fronts and in many places, which in turn will need sustained commitment of public funding together with healthy competition and fundamental changes in research expectations, academic roles, and institutional ability in order to match rhetoric about strategy and selective strength with effective action.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62045/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Demand for research grants has far exceeded supply, with success rates for grant applications falling to record lows.Peter Coaldrake, Vice-Chancellor, Queensland University of TechnologyLawrence Stedman, Principal policy adviser, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/615112016-07-01T00:33:21Z2016-07-01T00:33:21ZHigher education pays for itself many times over<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128231/original/image-20160627-28370-e2ddaw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">University education has paid a rate of return of around 15%.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The relative <a href="https://theconversation.com/higher-education-gets-short-shrift-in-the-election-campaign-and-we-are-all-the-poorer-for-it-61509">neglect of higher education investment in political debate</a> is a missed opportunity. </p>
<p>The economic evidence is that not only does higher education build the economy’s skills and knowledge, but that it pays for itself many times over.</p>
<p>On average, university training in Australia has paid a rate of return <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/news/commissioned-studies/The-Importance-of-universities-to-Australia-s-prosperity/The-importance-of-universities-to-Australia-s-prosperity#.V3WuxZN95Bx">of around 14-15%</a> according to analysis of 2006 and 2011 census data. University research has delivered an <a href="http://apo.org.au/resource/economic-modelling-improved-funding-and-reform-arrangements-universities">average rate of return of 25%</a>.</p>
<p>In 2014, university graduates <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/news/policy-papers/Keep-it-Clever--Policy-Statement-2016#.V3HFaZN95Bx">added an estimated $140 billion</a> to Australian gross domestic product (GDP), due to higher labour force participation, employment and productivity. </p>
<p>What’s more, education is currently Australia’s <a href="https://ministers.education.gov.au/pyne/education-exports-hit-record-176-billion">fourth largest export</a>. </p>
<h2>Economic modelling</h2>
<p>Education lobby groups and research institutes commission economic modelling for the sector to support such characterisations. This often leads to a whole range of figures being bounced around.</p>
<p>So how reliable are the above figures? Do these claims around the economic benefit of universities stand up? And how can we trust that the modelling being used is fair and accurate?</p>
<p>The main concern around modelling in general is that the methodologies used are not always transparent and accessible. This means that the numerical characterisation of a policy change, which is the input to a model, plus the way the knock-on effects are calibrated within the model, are hard to challenge or understand. In this way, numbers can be fiddled to favour a cause and proper evaluation is difficult. </p>
<p>Models and the reports that result from their deployment should be subject to open review and challenge in the manner of good research. Perhaps the Learned Academies, as the real independent repository of research standards, could be funded as part of an engagement and impact agenda to provide such assessments, thus facilitating better understanding and increased confidence in evidence-based policy. </p>
<h2>Education claims reliable?</h2>
<p>In May 2016, Universities Australia <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/Media-and-Events/HIGHER-ED-ITION/Articles/2016/The-Graduate-Effect">released a new report</a> around the wider economic benefits of a strong university sector. It concluded that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In 2014-15, the economic boost from new graduates entering Australia’s workforce created 25,000 new jobs for Australians without university degrees, and raised their wages by an average $655 a year per worker.</p>
<p>The higher activity generated by new university graduates entering the workforce increased government revenue by $5.1 billion in 2014-15.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Such outcomes are worth having and do seem consistent with other modelling, so can be taken as indicative of wider pay-offs beyond graduates themselves. This means that any “them and us” critiques of university funding do need qualification. </p>
<p>Beyond higher education, the TAFE Directors’ Association <a href="http://www.tda.edu.au/cb_pages/files/Econometric%20Final%20Report(1)">commissioned modelling</a>.pdf) on the vocational education and training (VET) contribution. It found that the average rate of return for VET is actually higher than for higher education training, at 18%. </p>
<p>Since this analysis is based on numerous separate peer-reviewed research studies in human capital, with the twist of recognising returns to module completion as well as to completed qualifications, this does seem quite reliable and is not dependent upon the internal model details. </p>
<p>After all, good incomes from shorter and less costly training clearly can be obtained through VET, though it suffers from some “image issues” in attracting students.</p>
<p>But a bottom line outcome is the fair conclusion that VET is being even less adequately supported in Australia than is university training. </p>
<p>A broader approach still to modelling is to examine “packages” of reform so that a narrative is simulated. </p>
<p>An example of this is found in the recent project on Australia’s Comparative Advantage completed for the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA). </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.acola.org.au/PDF/SAF01/SAF01%20full%20lo%20res.pdf">study examines</a> a wide range of publicly proposed and documented policies and reviews them as adding up to two packages - structural and investment - for reform. That is, real plans and not just policies. It <a href="http://www.acola.org.au/PDF/SAF01/8.%20Economics%20Scenarios.pdf">found that</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A new reform package across institutional change and future investment could add more than 20% to living standards by 2030 over and above trends that would be based on current policy settings only.</p>
<p>This implies a reform dividend to living standards of $10,000 per head. The reform dividend rises further by 2050, to over $15,000 per head. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>These numbers should be understood not as forecasts but as simulations. This means that the analysis holds all other factors constant, except the policy change specified and its knock-on effects. The analysis does not allow for the other unrelated actual changes happening in the real world, as would be required for a forecast.</p>
<p>Analysis and comparisons of the relative magnitude of the individual component policy effects would be helpful. But a virtue of this ACOLA exercise is that it is a meta analysis that brings together various independent policy studies, so that it does not depend only on its own authority. </p>
<p>This exercise was also overseen by an Expert Working Group, a Project Steering Committee and peer reviewed, all by senior scholars from across the spectrum of disciplines represented by the four Learned Academies.</p>
<p>Education reform is part of the packages evaluated. The key inputs from outside the models for the education effect are the estimated rates of return to investment in the various forms of education. </p>
<p>These rates of return (based on employment and income effects relative to costs, discounted over time) are themselves substantive evidence of education’s economic impact.</p>
<h2>More funding is a no-brainer</h2>
<p>More funding of tertiary education should be a no-brainer even on economic grounds alone. </p>
<p>The rates of return for tertiary education far surpass most commercial rates of return, which historically average around 10%, and surpass any hurdle rate for investment (typically 7-8%) sought in formal government investment analysis. </p>
<p>Yet under-investment continues. Sometimes short-termism trumps vision. But recognising that fact in the light of evidence, may change it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61511/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Glenn Withers previously worked for Universities Australia and has consulted for the TAFE Directors' Association. He chaired the Expert Working Group for the Australia's Comparative Advantage project for the Australian Council of Learned Academies. He chairs the Advisory Board for Blended Learning International Pty Ltd. </span></em></p>Not only does higher education build the economy’s skills and knowledge, but that it pays for itself and much else many times over.Glenn Withers, Professor of Economics, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/614372016-06-29T02:25:11Z2016-06-29T02:25:11ZSix ways to improve equity in Australian universities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/127984/original/image-20160624-30272-ofb8iz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Visiting universities while in high school helps to demystify higher education. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The latest <a href="https://www.go8.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/article/go8_7319_priority_directions_0.pdf">report from the Group of Eight</a>, which represents Australia’s elite universities, has sparked <a href="https://theconversation.com/uncapping-of-university-places-has-not-failed-disadvantaged-students-61145">debate about the demand-driven system</a> and equity in Australian higher education. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/uncapping-of-university-places-achieved-what-it-set-out-to-do-so-why-is-it-dubbed-a-policy-failure-61082">Research shows</a> we have made progress, but improving equity across the sector is challenging.</p>
<p>The Go8 argues that specific equity funding should be “restored” to assist universities with targeted initiatives. This funding has been delivered through the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP), which the government recently announced will be <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-participation-and-partnerships-programme-heppp">reduced</a> from next year.</p>
<h2>How to boost equity in higher education</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.newcastle.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/261124/REPORT-FINAL.pdf">New research</a> from Newcastle, Melbourne and La Trobe universities identifies the types of initiatives that have demonstrated they can help students from equity groups access, participate in and complete university. </p>
<p>Initiatives captured in the study must have been specifically aimed at one or more of the <a href="https://www.newcastle.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/261124/REPORT-FINAL.pdf">defined equity target groups</a>. Other groups identified by survey participants and authors of impact studies include those who identify as first-in-family and people from refugee backgrounds.</p>
<h2>1) University campus visits</h2>
<p>Attending university as part of a pre-university experience program has been shown to <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1360080X.2014.936089">increase the likelihood</a> of school students considering going to university in the future. Campus visits provide students with a clearer understanding of what the university life would be like.</p>
<p>Studies show that <a href="https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=664348199444873;res=IELHSS">having mentors involved</a> in campus visits makes them more effective in developing aspirations and intentions to go to university than attendance without them. </p>
<h2>2) Mentoring</h2>
<p>Time spent with mentors is shown to be important for school students in low socio-economic (SES) areas whose immediate family or caregiver has not been to university. </p>
<p>Stories told by mentors about their own experiences <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/QLD-Ambassadors-Project-Report-June-2015.pdf">prove effective in overcoming limiting views</a> about who is able to participate and achieve in higher education. </p>
<p>High school students in particular respond to university student role models or mentors from similar backgrounds. This form of “in-group” <a href="http://youth.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Final-Evaluation-Report-Pilot-Youth-Mentoring-Program-2014.pdf">identification</a> is linked to a greater sense of belonging in a university. </p>
<p>This helps to <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/QLD-Ambassadors-Project-Report-June-2015.pdf">challenge stereotypes</a> about who goes to university and who studies particular courses such as engineering and science.</p>
<p>Mentoring is effective ― when compared to no mentoring ― and it has an <a href="http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED540880.pdf">even greater effect</a> on improving intentions to attend university when it continues over a period of time. </p>
<h2>3) Demystifying university culture</h2>
<p>Strategies to address and counter students’ doubts about belonging and academic ability are important.</p>
<p>For online students, the use of social media can enable social, academic and ongoing group interaction. <a href="http://acd.sagepub.com/content/22/3/107.short">Incorporating social media</a> has been shown to increase opportunities for students from low-SES backgrounds in building strong social support networks. </p>
<p>On-campus experiences are also documented as being helpful for mature-age students in demystifying university and aiding the development of a student identity. This provides university pathway students with a taste of university life and helps them develop realistic <a href="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/openu/jwpll/2013/00000015/00000001/art00003">expectations</a> of what they will experience in their undergraduate degree. </p>
<p>Importantly, incorporating ways of learning from participants’ cultures – by, for example, <a href="http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=641039926801720;res=IELHSS">involving local community members</a> when designing class content – has been shown to <a href="http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/ceehe/index.php/iswp/article/view/21/61">increase</a> a reported sense of engagement and belonging for students from refugee and <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2014.911262?src=recsys">Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander</a> backgrounds.</p>
<h2>4) Developing academic skills</h2>
<p>Many of the impact studies captured in our review cite a lack of engagement among equity students with conventional forms of support. Because of past stigmatisation, some students do not wish to engage with the bureaucracy that surrounds provision of support because of what they perceive as deficit labels. </p>
<p>Past policies and practices mean that, particularly for Indigenous students, there may be low levels of trust and feelings of powerlessness in <a href="http://www.olt.gov.au/project-impact-accessible-ebooks-learning-outcomes-indigenous-students-2012">seeking conventional forms of support</a>. </p>
<p><a href="http://search.proquest.com/openview/b01d2e2cee03a88b0792abe2eff7fe58/1?pq-origsite=gscholar">Other studies</a> assert that the main reasons why a proportion of students do not access learning development are time constraints (making attendance at extra workshops difficult) and the need for students to receive feedback from assessment tasks before their needs can be identified, which leads to time lags. </p>
<p>Some equity participation initiatives in undergraduate programs use an outreach model of <a href="https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/525361/1-Early-Intervention-for-at-risk-students-Lizzio-and-Wilson-IETI-2013.pdf">directly contacting students</a> who have failed a first assessment, for example. This assists in developing the academic skills of more students by connecting with those who would not otherwise have sought assistance. </p>
<p>But it is essential that support <a href="http://www.olt.gov.au/resource-passwrite">is relevant to their area of study</a>.</p>
<h2>5) Well-designed online learning and resources</h2>
<p>Online learning approaches and focused <a href="http://enablingeducators.org/conference/2013/Goode%20NAEEA%202013.pdf">online orientation</a> activities are shown to provide greater engagement in learning. There are ongoing challenges, though, for students accessing good-quality technologies and sustaining engagement in online programs. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01587919.2014.899053">One study</a> describes the impact of e-learning tools that were introduced to a cohort where 62% of students study via online courses, the majority were equity students and many were from remote, isolated areas. </p>
<p>These e-tools included a combination of video clips, online tutorials and discussion boards/groups to encourage active learning, connection and engagement with course content. Increased engagement was reported as a result of the e-learning tools and discussion boards. Data showed that the majority of students (over 90%) found e-tools a useful learning resource.</p>
<p>Carefully paced, online and on-campus bridging or preparatory programs designed to assist first-year undergraduates before semester starts are also a way to enable students to gain basic knowledge and skills.</p>
<h2>6) Collaborations between institutions and communities</h2>
<p>As the previous points demonstrate, programs that are planned by providers in response to student needs, and in consultation with stakeholders where relevant, are more likely to sustain interest in university as a future option. </p>
<p>Programs that are inclusive, flexible and responsive to students (<a href="http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol10/iss1/2/">regarding the times programs are offered</a>, for example) are more effective because they receive greater participant and community support. This is shown to be particularly important for students from <a href="http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=641039926801720;res=IELHSS">Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and remote backgrounds</a>. </p>
<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>Earmarked specific equity funding is <a href="https://www.go8.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/article/go8_7319_priority_directions_0.pdf">essential</a> to ensure that recent historic gains in equity in higher education are not lost. </p>
<p>However, we need more research into effective equity initiatives that are being used worldwide. Not only is <a href="https://www.newcastle.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/261124/REPORT-FINAL.pdf">specific funding essential</a> for ensuring a fair and equitable system into the future, this needs to be anchored in a national approach that both draws on and supports ongoing program evaluation and research about what works best.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61437/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The report described was funded by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Education and Training under the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program National Priorities Pool. </span></em></p>Mentoring support and campus visits are a couple of ways of familiarising students with university.Associate Professor Anna Bennett, Senior Lecturer, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/615092016-06-27T02:23:09Z2016-06-27T02:23:09ZHigher education gets short shrift in the election campaign, and we are all the poorer for it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128226/original/image-20160627-28391-1xqy2nb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">We know there will be cuts if the Liberal party is re-elected.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Higher education policy during the Abbott government was highly controversial and probably a component of Tony Abbott’s undoing. </p>
<p>Not since the <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/gwilym-croucher/the-dawkins-revolution-25-years-on-9780522864151.aspx">Dawkins reforms of 1989-90</a>, if at all, had higher education been so prominent in public debate. </p>
<p>In his 2014 Budget, then Treasurer Joe Hockey proposed to reduce the Commonwealth Grants Scheme (CGS) to universities by 20%. But he would allow tuition fee deregulation, so that domestic undergraduate students could be charged up to the fee levels of international students, subject to a requirement to create a scholarship pool for students from low socio-economic (SES) backgrounds. Commonwealth-supported places (“HECS” places) were to be extended to sub-degree courses and to private providers. </p>
<p>A real rate of interest would be applied to graduate debtors, existing and future, but this was dropped in an attempt to get the measures through the Senate. </p>
<p>Most commentators agreed that fee levels under deregulation would have risen substantially, perhaps by up to 300%: far more than was required to replace the 20% cut to the CGS. </p>
<p>Relative absence of competition would give most universities the headroom to do this, and the international evidence was that universities do use up all the headroom they are given. </p>
<p>Students would be prepared to pay, it was said, because the income-contingent loan scheme blunted the price signal. </p>
<p>By the time students knew what they had done and whether their degree had been a good investment, it would be too late and they would be saddled with significant debt until middle age.</p>
<p>The opposition Labor party built a campaign around “$100,000 degrees”, and critics raised the spectre of the Americanisation of Australian higher education.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/university-fee-deregulation-blocked-but-pyne-pledges-to-fight-on-38912">measures were defeated twice in the Senate</a>, higher education was nightly news, and the eyes of the university world were on Australia.</p>
<h2>Pushed aside</h2>
<p>Given this background one might have expected higher education policy to be front and centre of the 2016 campaign. </p>
<p>But while there has been some distant yapping, this dog has not really barked at all. Why?</p>
<p>One reason may be that Liberal higher education policy is now obscure; perhaps deliberately so - a small target strategy.</p>
<p>Their <a href="https://www.liberal.org.au/our-plan/putting-students-first">policy document</a> on education contains almost nothing on universities. It is claimed that “under the Turnbull government, funding for universities is at record levels” at over A$16 billion, but this is the result of an expanded sector introduced in the Rudd-Gillard era. </p>
<p>Similarly, it is said that support for students through the loan scheme is at a “record level”, but this is also the consequence of previous Labor government policies. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/expert-panel-what-the-national-innovation-statement-means-for-science-51902">National Innovation and Science Agenda</a> to drive <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-ways-science-can-lead-the-innovation-debate-50838">stronger university collaboration with industry</a> is actually a new policy, but at $127 million it barely registers.</p>
<p>So, if we are to divine what the real Liberal higher education policy is we must dig into the <a href="https://theconversation.com/higher-education-in-policy-paralysis-after-budget-2016-what-now-58815">2016 Budget</a> and interpret comments made by the education minister and prime minister during the campaign.</p>
<h2>Liberals’ plan for a 20% cut to teaching grants</h2>
<p>In the Budget on 3 May, and in an <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/he_reform_paper_driving_innovation_fairness_and_excellence_3_may_2016.pdf">options paper released</a> that night, it became clear that the 20% cut to the CGS - basically teaching grants - remains policy, albeit deferred for one year. The forward estimates assume it, and the return to surplus timeline – an election plank - relies on it. </p>
<p>After the election, we are told, consultation will be carried out over some options, such as fee deregulation for <a href="https://theconversation.com/higher-education-in-policy-paralysis-after-budget-2016-what-now-58815">“flagship” courses</a> and re-balancing commonwealth and student contributions. </p>
<p>We are assured, however, that “full” deregulation of domestic student fees has been dropped for good.</p>
<p>The best one can make of this is that Liberal policy has, as its starting point, a cut of 20% to university teaching grants (being the major component of higher education expenditure cuts amounting to $2.5 billion over the forward estimates), but the actual cuts might turn out to be less if students are required to pay more. </p>
<p>The increase in student payments might be softened if the 2014 expenditure policies to extend HECS places to sub-bachelor places and private providers are dropped, but the conclusion is inescapable.</p>
<p>Unless students are required to pay significantly more, universities will face major cuts.</p>
<h2>Worse for universities now than under Pyne?</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128227/original/image-20160627-28366-4npfsx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128227/original/image-20160627-28366-4npfsx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128227/original/image-20160627-28366-4npfsx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128227/original/image-20160627-28366-4npfsx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128227/original/image-20160627-28366-4npfsx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128227/original/image-20160627-28366-4npfsx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128227/original/image-20160627-28366-4npfsx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Is higher education in a worse position now than when it was under Pyne?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Mick Tsikas</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Arguably the 2016 situation is worse for universities than the 2014-15 proposals, because it is not at all clear that the cap on domestic student fees will be raised sufficiently to compensate for the 20% cut in government funding. </p>
<p>On average, it is thought, an increase in student fees of about 30% would be required to compensate for a 20% reduction in commonwealth funding. </p>
<p>Education Minister Simon Birmingham could not, however, bring himself to say the words “20% cut” when <a href="http://www.senatorbirmingham.com.au/Media-Centre/Interview-Transcripts/ID/3008/Interview--Sky-News-Live--David-Speers">interviewed by David Speers on Sky News</a>. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>David Speers: “…The 20% funding cut remains in your forward estimates, is that right?”</p>
<p>Simon Birmingham: “And as I said to you before, that is recognising the fact that over the recent history, we’ve seen growth in spending on higher education run at twice the rate of the general economic growth. So there is a real financial sustainability problem there.”</p>
<p>David Speers: “So you do still want a 20% funding cut?”</p>
<p>Simon Birmingham: “We still certainly want to find savings in higher education.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Until recently, it was possible that the new option of limited fee deregulation might still have put universities in a better position than the proposed cuts would suggest. Then the prime minister weighed in.</p>
<p>In the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016/federal-election-2016-malcolm-turnbull-advances-partial-university-fee-deregulation-agenda-20160617-gpm3o3.html">Leaders’ Debate on 17 June</a>, Malcolm Turnbull made clear that deregulation would only be for a “small number” of flagship courses. </p>
<p>So what had been only an option was now upgraded to policy.</p>
<p>Given all this, why have Labor (and the Greens, and Nick Xenophon) not made more of an issue that was clearly playing well for them in 2014-2015? </p>
<p>After all, universities will face major cuts which will only be substantially alleviated if students are slugged instead. And if universities are not to be cut at all, the student fee increases could be as much as 30%, which sounds like the sort of thing that students might protest against. Are they just relieved it isn’t 300%?</p>
<p>One possible explanation is that it takes two to tango, and with the Coalition keen to keep higher education out of the campaign there is only so much traction to be had by repeated references to it. </p>
<h2>Lacking attention</h2>
<p>The government presumably knows that it is unlikely to win any new votes in this area but it has considerable potential to lose existing ones, hence the silence.</p>
<p>Another explanation is the view that the two major parties <a href="https://theconversation.com/there-is-more-agreement-between-the-parties-on-higher-ed-than-slogans-suggest-61510">have much in common</a> on higher education.</p>
<p>Another is that news editors do not think higher education is sufficiently front of mind for electors to warrant extensive coverage in the general media, particularly if no one is occupying a university administration building at the time.</p>
<p>Another is that even with the 24/7 news cycle there are only so many column inches or air-time minutes available, and events in Europe and the US have been using up oxygen.</p>
<p>Another could be that <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/">Universities Australia</a>, the peak body, continues to be in a difficult position and cannot mount effective opposition. UA likes to remain politically neutral, its member universities have divergent interests, and it wants to be on good terms with whoever is the incoming government. So attack ads in an election campaign are not really their bag. (Such anxieties do not seem afflict other bodies, like the <a href="https://theconversation.com/patient-advocate-or-doctors-union-how-the-ama-flexes-its-political-muscle-60444">Australian Medical Association</a>, however.)</p>
<p>Whatever the explanation, it is a lamentable situation. Universities are vital to the future of a civilised and prosperous society. They face very significant cuts which could only be fully averted if students pay more. But Australian students already pay a higher proportion of the costs of their education than in much of the developed world. </p>
<p>One could be forgiven for not protesting in 2013, when Tony Abbott looked into the camera shortly before the election and said there would be no cuts to education. </p>
<p>But now we know there will be cuts if they are re-elected (it won’t be a breach of an election promise) and no one is protesting. It is a curious incident.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61509/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Parker will become an employee of The Conversation from August 2016, after retiring as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra on 1 July. The views expressed here are his own.</span></em></p>Liberal higher education policy is obscure; perhaps deliberately so. But the conclusion is clear. Unless students are required to pay significantly more, universities will face major cuts.Stephen Parker, Vice-Chancellor, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/612742016-06-21T02:10:02Z2016-06-21T02:10:02ZPyne versus Carr on innovation – who came out top?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/127446/original/image-20160621-8889-155jg7k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kim Carr (left) and Christopher Pyne (right) debating on innovation at the National Press Club.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ABC</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Not everyone <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-20/christopher-pyne-and-kim-carr-debate-at-the/7526890">would watch</a> Liberal minister for innovation, science and industry, Christopher Pyne, debating Labor’s innovation, science, industry, research and higher education minister Kim Carr at the National Press Club in preference to going to see Batman versus Superman - but I did.</p>
<p>I recognise that neither is really a superhero, but over the years I’ve warmed to Carr’s passion for science and innovation and I enjoy Pyne’s quick wit and cheerful stubbornness.</p>
<p>From the outset it was clear that this wasn’t going to be a conventional head to head battle. </p>
<h2>In Australia most millionaires were not made by innovation</h2>
<p>The ministers’ titles overlap in the words “innovation” and “industry”, and those two words framed the debate.</p>
<p>Carr quickly pointed out that the word innovation had made a comeback. It had been banned under Abbott’s government but in Turnbull’s it was enthusiastically embraced. </p>
<p>There is some truth in this; the word is now spread around so much that it is rapidly losing meaning. </p>
<p>Pyne used the word as a synonym for “improvement” and his policies seem directed at driving innovative industry from the grass roots.</p>
<p>Importantly, though, a question from the floor suggested that in Australia most wealth has been created not by innovation and start ups, but by property, mining or retail. </p>
<p>Indeed, it is fairly clear we have a long way to go before a truly innovative culture is established. But Pyne correctly pointed out that there have been wins: he cited Atlassian and Wifi, but could have also wheeled out Cochlear, ResMed and the Victa Lawn Mower.</p>
<p>Pyne’s main message was that last year’s <a href="http://www.innovation.gov.au/page/agenda">National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA)</a>, a A$1.1 billion investment including 24 key initiatives, remained central to the Turnbull government’s platform. </p>
<p>It provides specific funding for strengths such as Quantum computing, as well as more general schemes intended to link researchers with industry. This was a significant departure from the former Abbott government’s approach, in which science had been neglected or cut.</p>
<p>Carr’s main message was that Labor would restore funding to the CSIRO and university research in order to drive high-tech manufacturing. As minister he would establish a department of innovation. </p>
<p>Carr has announced his own billion dollar plus package that includes funding the Cooperative Research Centres, regional institutions, the Great Barrier Reef, and industry linkages. </p>
<p>One key difference was that Carr actively talked about universities, which are in his portfolio. This contrasts with the Coalition, which seems to place them with Simon Birmingham. </p>
<p>Nevertheless the knowledge creation and wealth generation by universities is clearly relevant to industry and innovation, so the split of portfolios may have merit.</p>
<h2>Failure to fund university research</h2>
<p>A turning point was when Julie Hare from The Australian pointed out that it was the failure to fund university research that was the problem in the higher education sector, <a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-use-students-tuition-fees-to-boost-research-rather-than-teaching-data-shows-49813">not the funding of teaching</a>. She was implying, quite rightly, that getting this foundation right could be a first step in growing an innovative culture. </p>
<p>In other words, if the full costs of research were funded, as suggested by the <a href="http://www.industry.gov.au/innovation/InnovationPolicy/Pages/ReviewoftheNationalInnovationSystem.aspx">Cutler</a> Review back in 2008, and planned by the Rudd government but later curtailed by the Gillard government, then we would get back on track with driving innovation.</p>
<p>Carr pledged to reignite the scheme he initiated all those years ago - the Sustainable Research Excellence program. This scheme was designed to cover the indirect costs of research to ensure that top performers were not dragged down by the weight of their successes.</p>
<p>You’ll note that the debate over science in Australia has become quite confusing as policy setbacks have occurred. This is not so much when one party replaces another, but when the government stays but the prime minister changes. In some ways, science policy appears to be coming down to the personality of our leaders.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the planets have aligned and we are now in quite a remarkable situation – all three parties, the Coalition, Labor and the Greens vocally support science and innovation as critical to their agendas. </p>
<p>The major parties differ in style – Pyne talked more about changing taxes and incentives to stimulate growth and industry; Carr had clear plans for stimulus and government investment. Both were supportive.</p>
<p>But there was one thing that impressed me more than all that. It occurred to me when Donald Trump’s name was mentioned in passing. We don’t seem to have any real extremes in this campaign: sure, we are struggling to find clear strategic leadership and sustained investment but the debate was civil and constructive. </p>
<p>There were some big names in universities, technology and business mentioned today – Ian Chubb, Alan Finkel, and Catherine Livingston to name a few. If we can tighten our resolve to stop talking and actually commit to real and unwavering investments in real priorities, then perhaps Sustainable Research Excellence will not elude us.</p>
<p>The Coalition is resting on its laurels and relying on the National Innovation and Science Agenda and the Medical Research Fund to establish its credentials. Labor is hoping to renew the promise of the early Carr/Rudd vision. </p>
<p>Nothing in the debate really shifted the momentum for me, but I hope we can step up a gear and mature into a nation that sticks to its plans in creating a culture of knowledge and wealth generation.</p>
<p>If we get it right then at last we will be able to build a proper foundation for innovation and industry that will deliver for us and for our children as we sail into the Asian Century.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61274/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Merlin Crossley receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, and is on the Trust of the Australian Museum, the Boards of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, UNSW Press, UNSW Global, and the Editorial Board of The Conversation.</span></em></p>Pyne talked more about changing taxes and incentives to stimulate growth and industry, whereas Carr had clear plans for government investment.Merlin Crossley, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Professor of Molecular Biology, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/610822016-06-17T04:53:00Z2016-06-17T04:53:00ZUncapping of university places achieved what it set out to do. So why is it dubbed a policy failure?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/127033/original/image-20160617-30200-1dp5gut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The main 'failure' of the demand-driven system is its success.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Allowing universities to recruit as many students as they wish is unsustainable and does not improve equity, the Group of Eight (Go8), which represents Australia’s elite universities, has stated in its <a href="https://www.go8.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/article/go8_7319_priority_directions_0.pdf">latest paper</a>. </p>
<p>The Go8 calls for “<a href="https://www.go8.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/article/go8_7319_priority_directions_0.pdf">moderation</a>” of the demand-driven system established in 2009, arguing that it ignores the importance of sub-degree and postgraduate places.</p>
<p>This year alone, <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/nick-cater/utopian-university-entrance-plans-fail-poorer-students/news-story/79371691b70aad2751b2c579ad8c7a42">commentators on the right</a> and <a href="http://www.canberra.edu.au/blogs/vc/2016/02/16/inequality-and-higher-education-a-class-act/">vice-chancellors on the left</a> have highlighted the apparent failures of the demand-driven system.</p>
<p>Quality, equity and sustainability are the usual victims mentioned. </p>
<p>Suggested reforms include recapping places, uncapping fees and <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016/elite-universities-break-away-by-calling-for-cap-on-student-places-20160615-gpjtry.html">redirecting the subsequent money to research</a> or equity. </p>
<p>Yet are these simply solutions looking for a problem? </p>
<h2>Understanding the demand-driven system</h2>
<p>The then Labor government introduced the demand-driven system in 2009. </p>
<p>Labor allowed universities to enrol unlimited numbers of students in virtually all undergraduate courses, in order to increase educational attainment and student equity. </p>
<p>Specifically, Labor set two targets based on the <a href="http://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv%3A32134">Bradley Review</a>: to increase the proportion of 25-to-34-year-old Australians with undergraduate degrees to 40%; and to raise the proportion of low-SES students to 20% of the undergraduate cohort. </p>
<p>The demand-driven system was the main policy devised to achieve these goals. Importantly, though, it was accompanied by specific equity funding through the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP). </p>
<p>The demand-driven system does not apply to sub-degree courses such as enabling programs and diplomas, nor to postgraduate courses. The Australian government allocates Commonwealth-supported places at both these levels, based largely on historical patterns.</p>
<h2>Has the demand-driven system met its objectives?</h2>
<p>Paradoxically, the main “failure” of the demand-driven system is its success. </p>
<p>University participation has risen spectacularly. The target of 40% participation <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/review_of_the_demand_driven_funding_system_report_for_the_website.pdf">should be comfortably met by 2025</a>. The nation has quickly moved from an elite to a mass higher education system. </p>
<p>The second equity target has proven more challenging, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uncapping-of-university-places-has-not-failed-disadvantaged-students-61145">but progress is being made</a>. The relative proportion of low-SES undergraduate students rose from 16.2% to 17.7% between 2009 and 2014. In the same period, the overall number of undergraduate low-SES students <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/38145">increased by 44%</a>, while other cohorts increased by 30%. </p>
<p>To suggest, as the vice-chancellor of Sydney University does, that <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016/elite-universities-break-away-by-calling-for-cap-on-student-places-20160615-gpjtry.html">medium- and high-SES students have been the big winners</a> is therefore mistaken, though major inequities remain by institution, field of education and level of study. </p>
<p>Improvements in equity are even more impressive when considered in historical context. The <a href="http://www.springer.com/jp/book/9789811003134">level of low-SES participation</a> was virtually unchanged from 1990, when data was first collected, until the introduction of the demand-driven system. Class is intractable, but not immovable. </p>
<p>Equally, since 2009 the number of Indigenous undergraduate students has <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/38145">increased by 60%</a>. The number of students with a disability has <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/38145">increased by nearly 80%</a>. </p>
<p>We may not reach the 20% low-SES target, but the demand-driven system has dramatically improved university access for under-represented students.</p>
<h2>At what cost?</h2>
<p>The expansion of enrolments and equity has <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/review_of_the_demand_driven_funding_system_report_for_the_website.pdf">not led to any notable reduction in quality</a>. </p>
<p>Retention and success rates have declined, but only marginally. The average success rate for commencing undergraduate students between 2001 and 2008 was 85.6%, while the equivalent rate between 2009 and 2014 <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/38149">was 84.2%</a>. </p>
<p>Student satisfaction and learner engagement have actually risen, according to the <a href="http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/Research/ResearchReports/GraduateCourseExperience">Australian Graduate Survey</a> and <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/university-experience-survey%E2%80%8B">University Experience Survey</a></p>
<p>Meanwhile, despite relatively low retention rates and rising offer rates, students with ATARs below 50 still comprise <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/36743">less than 2% of final enrolments</a>. </p>
<p>Of course things are not ideal. The Go8 universities still enrol too few equity students; low-SES students remain <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1360080X.2013.775921">under-represented at postgraduate level</a> and in some disciplines; and regional enrolments <a href="http://www.springer.com/jp/book/9789811003134">remain flat</a>. </p>
<p>The ongoing allocation of sub-degree and postgraduate places is inequitable and <a href="https://www.go8.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/article/go8_7319_priority_directions_0.pdf">could be addressed in any revised system</a>. </p>
<p>Universities need <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-labors-plan-to-create-ten-institutes-of-higher-education-a-good-idea-61146">scope to direct under-prepared students</a> to enabling programs and vocational education and technology pathways. However, the demand-driven system has essentially expanded educational attainment and equity as promised, without reducing quality. </p>
<h2>Next steps</h2>
<p>The main failure of university expansion is the unwillingness to fund it. Costs are certainly escalating, but priorities are always political as well as financial. </p>
<p>For example, the annual cost of HELP student loans is <a href="https://theconversation.com/reforming-help-loans-combine-lower-repayment-thresholds-with-a-super-payment-option-57655">expected to grow</a> from A$1.7 billion in 2015-16 to A$11.1 billion in 2025-26. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the cost of negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount is already <a href="http://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/872-Hot-Property.pdf">nearly A$12 billion per year</a>. Maybe we could have both affordable digs and affordable degrees. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the demand-driven system is now perceived as the scapegoat for <a href="https://www.go8.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/article/go8_7319_priority_directions_0.pdf">inadequate research funding</a>, but this approach serves only to divide the sector. </p>
<p>The university sector now has more students and graduates than ever before to rally. If united, universities could strongly defend both the demand-driven system and the nation’s research interests.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61082/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Harvey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The main failure of university expansion is the unwillingness to fund it. Costs are certainly escalating, but priorities are always political as well as financial.Andrew Harvey, Director, Access and Achievement Research Unit, La Trobe UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/611452016-06-17T02:22:55Z2016-06-17T02:22:55ZUncapping of university places has not failed disadvantaged students<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/126894/original/image-20160616-19925-uvtw7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Under a demand driven system, poor students are finding more opportunities to attend university.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Group of Eight (Go8), which represents Australia’s elite universities, has called for university <a href="https://www.go8.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/article/go8_7319_priority_directions_0.pdf">places to be recapped</a>, saying that the demand-driven system has failed to sufficiently boost numbers of disadvantaged students entering higher education – one of its primary goals – and therefore the additional cost to the taxpayer is unjustified. </p>
<p>In its paper, the Go8 said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Against the target of 20% of university enrolments to be students from a low SES background by 2020 the demand-driven system has delivered just a 1.5% increase, while the majority of the growth has come from medium and high SES students.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The word “just” implies the policy has been a failure, but such rhetoric is misleading.</p>
<p>In real terms this represents more than 35,000 extra students from low-socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds between 2009 and 2014, the period analysed by the Go8 in its paper.</p>
<p>This figure does not include other groups of disadvantaged students that have also benefited from the uncapping of places. These include Indigenous students, those living in regional and remote areas, and students with disabilities.</p>
<p>There are too many variables to know whether or not the 20% target by 2020 will be achieved. But even if, in the incredibly unlikely event that no more gains were made from now on, the policy would still have resulted in access for tens of thousands of disadvantaged students.</p>
<h2>A small but significant gain</h2>
<p>While on the face of it the 1.5% change might seem minimal, in real terms this is genuinely significant.</p>
<p>Using the same time period, enrolment population and low-SES measurement as the Go8 did for its paper, we find that between 2009 and 2014, an additional 36,720 low-SES undergraduate students were enrolled. </p>
<p>32,875 enrolled in non-Go8 universities, which is a proportional improvement of 7% over the period. That is, the relative change from an 18.4% share of enrolments to a 19.7% share was 7%. </p>
<p>In the eight elite universities an extra 3,845 low-SES students enrolled, which is an even better improvement of 11.7% over the period. </p>
<p>The Go8 is therefore calling for the scrapping of a system that has, it could be said, had more success in its own institutions than others. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/127020/original/image-20160617-15079-i4svpa.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/127020/original/image-20160617-15079-i4svpa.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127020/original/image-20160617-15079-i4svpa.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127020/original/image-20160617-15079-i4svpa.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127020/original/image-20160617-15079-i4svpa.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127020/original/image-20160617-15079-i4svpa.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127020/original/image-20160617-15079-i4svpa.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics">Department of Education and Training/Author provided</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>A major reason for the better-than-average improvement for the elite universities is that they have always been harder for low-SES students to get into compared to other institutions. Therefore, even small gains in this regard represent significant organisational cultural changes by the elite universities. These are changes that almost certainly would not have occurred without the policy being introduced. </p>
<p>For disadvantaged students, getting access to a university is important; getting access to an elite university perhaps more so. </p>
<p>Consider also that overall enrolments rose by 157,717, meaning the low-SES students share of these was 23.28%. That is almost parity with their representation in the wider community, which is by definition 25%. This is unprecedented: historically the low-SES share of enrolments has been in the low teens.</p>
<p>If different figures or measurements or time scales are used, then the specific figures will change. </p>
<p>However, the overall message does not change: now that places are uncapped, disadvantaged students are finding more opportunities to attend university, including those elite universities. </p>
<p>If supply was again restricted, as the Go8 is arguing for, these gains will almost certainly be lost. </p>
<p>So is a gain of around 35,000 disadvantaged students, out of around 150,000 overall, a success or failure? </p>
<p>If these numbers are judged in isolation, as the Go8 has done, then they may seem unremarkable. But when they are compared with those that came before them, the benefits of uncapping places for disadvantaged students becomes much clearer.</p>
<p>Look at it this way: the extra number of low-SES students who have accessed higher education thanks to uncapping places, is only slightly smaller than the total number of low-SES students in our universities a decade ago (39,781 in 2006).</p>
<h2>Challenge of boosting numbers of disadvantaged students</h2>
<p>The policy of uncapping places has not yet achieved its full objectives. Social disadvantage is highly entrenched in our systems and institutions and can take years, if not decades, to overcome this. </p>
<p>Expectations and aspirations of the students and their parents have to be supported over the long term, as does the academic preparation children receive from the earliest years of education. </p>
<p>Universities have to first encourage and then adapt to changing student demographics, including modifying their admissions and support systems. </p>
<p>All this takes time. But it is clear that uncapping places is helping.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61145/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Pitman is affiliated with the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education.</span></em></p>While on the face of it a 1.5% increase in the number of disadvantaged students going to university might seem minimal, in real terms this is genuinely significant.Tim Pitman, Researcher in Higher Education Policy, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/611462016-06-16T04:18:46Z2016-06-16T04:18:46ZIs Labor’s plan to create ten Institutes of Higher Education a good idea?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/126868/original/image-20160616-19959-1n7r3aw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Labor said they would establish Commonwealth Institutes of Higher Education at ten sites across Australia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Crossling/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="http://www.100positivepolicies.org.au/commonwealth_institutes_for_higher_education_fact_sheet">Senator Kim Carr has announced</a> that a Labor government would establish Commonwealth Institutes of Higher Education at ten sites across Australia, on a trial basis. </p>
<p>They would involve universities and TAFE Institutes working together to deliver associate degrees and advanced diplomas. </p>
<p>At a total cost of A$430 million, 10,000 Commonwealth Supported Places would be available. These “HECS” places would be funded at 70% of the normal rate.</p>
<p>This essentially creates a new layer of tertiary education. Students could study a two year sub-bachelor, higher education course at one of these institutions, then if they wish to complete a full degree they would receive credit for study to date. </p>
<p>At that stage they would go on to a normal HECS place at a university, which would be 100% funded during the final year. </p>
<p>The idea, it seems, is to have a network of such tertiary education institutions, bringing together the best of applied higher education and vocational skills training into institutions that are not funded to do research. </p>
<p>As with Colleges of Advanced Education which disappeared in the <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/gwilym-croucher/the-dawkins-revolution-25-years-on-9780522864151.aspx">Dawkins Reforms of 1989-90</a>, these Institutes would be “higher education”, but the conceptual difference between vocational and higher education is increasingly blurred. </p>
<p>The two are kept apart by peculiarly Australian circumstances relating to federal-state funding differences, separate regulatory bodies and the language of the Australian Qualifications Framework.</p>
<h2>How does it differ to TAFE?</h2>
<p>At face value, this proposal could put the cat amongst the pigeons. There are already “dual sector” universities with Vocational and Higher Education Divisions, mainly in Victoria, burned by severe cuts to TAFE funding. </p>
<p>Elsewhere, there are well-established articulation arrangements between universities and TAFE institutes. </p>
<p>Due to the uncapped nature of undergraduate places, some universities are now admitting students into bachelor degrees who would otherwise have enrolled in associate degrees. </p>
<p>Having become used to funding for such students at 100% of the normal rate for each year of study, and presumably using some of that funding to cross-subsidise research, it is not clear why they would want to collaborate with TAFE and accept 70%.</p>
<p>In principle, however, I think this proposal is well worth experimenting with. </p>
<p>I have long argued for the need to introduce “polytechnic” institutions which bridge vocational education and training (VET) and higher education. These bodies would provide highly practical, industry-connected courses taught by staff whose focus does not include research per se. </p>
<p>In fact, in 2010-11 the University of Canberra applied for a Structural Adjustment Fund grant to do just this and establish the University of Canberra Institute of Technology, jointly with the Canberra Institute of Technology. It was rejected by then Labor education minister Chris Evans.</p>
<h2>Benefits</h2>
<p>There are many students who would enjoy and benefit from highly practical, demanding courses. They may also be spared the unhappiness of dropping out of a bachelor degree because it is too long, or they cannot afford to live and study for that length of time, or because it is too theoretical or “academic” for them. </p>
<p>There are also many teachers who are presently distracted or distressed by the expectation of research, but who have much experience they could pass on to the future workforce.</p>
<p>Money, talent and enthusiasm could all be put to better use in a wider range of institutions funded for their particular mission.</p>
<p>Time, however, has moved on. </p>
<p>The uncapped undergraduate system is in full flood, as it were. The TAFE sector has been severely damaged as a result in my view, and some universities have become reliant on low-ATAR bachelor students to stay afloat. </p>
<p>Labor’s proposal emphasises that the location of the ten pilot sites will be chosen according to need and shortage. This is astute, but unless these institutes are set up where there is already a campus of some kind, the money would soon go in capital infrastructure. </p>
<h2>Planned sites</h2>
<p>It is very convenient that one of these sites will be at <a href="http://berwicknews.starcommunity.com.au/news/2016-06-14/labor-woos-voters-with-higher-education-offer/">Berwick in Victoria</a>, where Monash University wishes to exit and another university is willing to take it over. But it would be difficult to find ten Berwicks in parts of Australia where there is a sufficient population.</p>
<p>A further consideration is that these experiments are being dropped into a system where market forces have been embraced by both sides of politics as the organising element of higher education. </p>
<p>Markets will ultimately fail at university level. The uncapped, demand-driven system contained the seeds of its own destruction. We need to go back to that so “yesterday” idea of designing what we want. </p>
<p>In a submission to the Bradley Review in 2008, I argued we should look at the American idea of “system” universities, involving clearly differentiated institutions. These would be linked by agreement or governance, offering between them a comprehensive range of disciplines, qualifications and learning styles in a particular area. </p>
<p>I suspect, however, that the fetish of the market has not yet run its course. </p>
<p>In fact, the one big issue which all except one vice-chancellor seemed to agree on recently was, ironically, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2014/s4140850.htm">deregulation</a>. </p>
<p>My prediction is that if Labor were returned, some of the ten Commonwealth Institutes of Higher Education would succeed and some would not. </p>
<p>If, on the other hand, leadership were to emerge which designed a tertiary system fit for Australia’s future needs, then many more such institutes could have an important and viable place.</p>
<p>I have learned not to hold my breath, except as part of a meditation cycle.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61146/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Parker will become an employee of The Conversation from August 2016, after retiring as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra on 1 July. The views expressed here are his own, and are consistent with his writing over the last eight years.</span></em></p>Labor’s policy essentially creates a new layer of tertiary education that would involve universities and TAFE Institutes working together to deliver associate degrees and advanced diplomas.Stephen Parker, Vice-Chancellor, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.