Just to the left and above this sentence is a picture of me.
Like most places on the web where discussion takes place, The Conversation places a profile picture of each author next to their writing. Indeed…
MOOC graduates would throw their laptops in the air instead.
Chris Ison/PA
A napster moment; the end of boring lectures; a tipping point. These are all common responses to the emergence of MOOCs – Massive Open Online Courses. Now, simply using a laptop or iPad, hundreds of thousands…
Wayne Swan’s budget has been disappointing for Labor’s education legacy.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
The last Labor budget has seen the top half of the Education Revolution fizzle. The ideals that powered the 2009 Gillard policies are in fragments.
Demand-driven higher education will survive until the…
Are students “customers”? The answer is not so simple.
Piggy bank image from www.shutterstock.com
With the rise of mass higher learning, tight public funding and intense competition for students, universities are often encouraged to see students as “customers”. But should they?
Commentators who criticise…
Universities Australia Chair Sandra Harding looks at the future of universities.
University image from www.shutterstock.com
Professor Sandra Harding, the Universities Australia chair and Vice-Chancellor of James Cook University addressed the National Press Club in Canberra today.
Here is a copy of her speech.
In his novel…
The recent cuts to universities are only likely to make the health problem growing in the academic community worse.
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The consensus on the recent A$2.3 billion funding cuts to the tertiary sector is they will do more harm than good.
Plenty of commentators foresee diminishing quality of teaching and research, possible…
Education used to be about striving towards the light of knowledge but this is increasingly less important.
Cave image from www.shutterstock.com
It’s nothing new to say we have a problem in education. But I’m not here to discuss the usual gripes with teachers and test scores.
I believe we have a more fundamental problem with defining what we want…
There’s renewed debate around whether universities need to specialise in research or teaching.
University image from www.shutterstock.com
“We must give universities more freedom to focus on what they are good at… If that means that some universities want to focus significantly more on teaching, then they should confidently do so… Government…
The institution you come from shouldn’t be the main factor in research funding allocation.
Evaluation image from www.shutterstock.com
Increasingly, it’s not the quality of the research or researcher that is determining who gets funding in Australia’s universities but the reputation of the institutions they work for.
This is now reflected…
Universities should be allowed to focus on what they are good at, Mr Pyne said.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Government policy should encourage some universities to focus on research and others on teaching, enabling institutions to specialise in certain areas, Australia’s shadow education minister, Christopher…
It’s steady as she goes in Australia’s universities according to a new book on the changing dynamics in higher education.
Higher education image from www.shutterstock.com
Writing books on fast-evolving topics is a hazardous business. The news can easily overtake a slow-moving publisher’s schedule.
Fortunately for Peter Coaldrake and Lawrence Stedman’s new book on higher…
A universal student ID could be on way for Australian students.
ID image from www.shutterstock.com
Is a universal (and cradle to grave) identity number on the way for all Australian students?
The government is now seeking to create a mandatory universal identifier for all Vocational Education and Training…
Tertiary education minister Craig Emerson yesterday announced significant changes to higher education funding.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Anyone believing new tertiary education minister Craig Emerson was just minding the higher education shop until the election has been proved wrong by this weekend’s announcement of funding cuts.
About…
Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University, Sir Leszek Borysiewicz talks with one of our academic experts about the changing role of universities.
Cambridge University
To listen to the conversation between Leszek Borysiewicz and Lynn Meek, please see the link below. An edited transcript is available here.
Lynn Meek: Hello, I’m Professor Lynn Meek from the LH Martin…
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, VC of Cambridge University, discusses all things higher education in our latest In Conversation.
Cambridge University
Cambridge University’s Vice Chancellor, Leszek Borysiewicz has been a pioneer in developing the world’s first cervical cancer vaccine.
But now he’s turning his attention to a much more difficult task…
Universities do have a role to play in helping developing countries.
University image from www.shutterstock.com
The following is based on the Monash Richard Larkins Oration given by Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University last night in Melbourne.
You can read and listen to our…
Red tape could be preventing online education from really flourishing in Australia.
Online learning image from www.shutterstock.com
Regulation has always shaped Australian higher education.
Some rules have helped – like extending HELP loans to private higher education providers in 2005. While tougher rules – like the ones to define…
There is a danger that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) may end up being more about money and less about education.
Mouse and money image from www.shutterstock.com
The astonishing idealism and energy manifest in the advance of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has taken the higher education world by storm.
Universities have been shaken to their foundations by…
Last week’s wholesale sackings of TAFE leaders is just another chapter in the chaotic story of the vocational reforms.
AAP Image/Joe Castro
On the eve of Good Friday, in apparent attempt to bury a bad news story, the Victorian government sacked seven of the chairs of its 14 standalone TAFEs and two more were to “retire”.
These sackings came…
It would be a mistake to assume that any private money funding research creates a conflict of interest.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
The research funding world is not often filled with controversy, but the story of indigenous academic Marcia Langton’s research funding has recently garnered a lot of attention.
Langton, who in her recent…
There’s lots of “problems” to be fixed in education, but what does the evidence say?
Teacher image from www.shutterstock.com
Over recent years we have seen a wave of angst about Australia’s school education.
The complex issue of teacher quality is, of course, part of the equation, but state governments are also concerned that…
There are other ways to improve undergraduate writing that don’t involve teaching grammar explicitly.
Writing image from www.shutterstock.com
University students across the nation will be handing in their first assignments of the academic year over the next few weeks.
Academic staff will sigh, as they do every semester: “my students can’t write…
Australian universities need to trim down their bureaucracies.
University image from www.shutterstock.com
Universities drive a knowledge economy, generate new ideas and teach people how to think critically. Anything other than strong investment in them will likely harm Australia.
But as Australian politicians…
Online learning offers plenty of opportunities but only if it’s done right.
Online learning image from www.shutterstock.com
By Shanna Smith Jaggars, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University and Thomas Bailey, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University
Higher education, we’re told, is rapidly heading towards huge transformation and technological disruption.
Advocates of online education promise that advances in online learning technologies – by permitting…
New tests could be in store for trainee teachers to demonstrate their emotional intelligence.
Emotions image from www.shutterstock.com
With the newly announced federal government reforms to teacher training announced this week, emotional intelligence is now firmly on the agenda for trainee teachers.
Under the proposed rules, prospective…
The announcement this week of funding for Victorian TAFEs won’t make up for previous cuts.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
There might be a new premier in Victoria, but it seems there’s still no good news for TAFEs. The $200 million in structural adjustment funding announced this week is certainly welcome, but it is simply…
What is it that we’re trying to fix in teacher education?
Teacher image from www.shutterstock.com
The past week has been a tumultuous time for university education faculties. First the NSW government announced minimum entry requirements for teaching degrees, and then the federal government trumped…
Many students are confused about grammar and sentence structure – so should universities teach it explicitly?
Words image from www.shutterstock.com
Imagine a student turning up at university and not knowing basic multiplication. He or she could be hard-working, bright, enthusiastic but completely unable to answer a basic question like: what’s six…
The Coalition looks set to only tinker around the edges of higher education policy.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
What should universities expect from a Coalition government if Tony Abbott wins the September election? In his address to the Universities Australia conference in Canberra, the signals were fairly reassuring…
In his new role as tertiary education minister Chris Bowen said enroling more disadvantaged students would not drag down quality.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Quality in education is something that seems so obvious – until you try to define it.
This week the new Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research Chris Bowen said that “the quality…
Copyright law could make the job of creating Massive Open Online Courses more difficult.
Legal image from www.shutterstock.com
Another university has jumped on the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) bandwagon this month, with the Australian National University joining up with Harvard venture edX.
In ANU’s case, it will enable…
Universities Australia chair Professor Glyn Davis speaking at the Higher Education conference in Canberra. He addressed the National Press Club today.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Universities Australia chair and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis, addressed the National Press Club in Canberra today.
Here is a copy of his speech.
In 1970, when…
A PhD is never easy but is there a way to make it easier?
Phd graduate image from www.shutterstock.com
Doing a PhD is a difficult business. Long hours, personal stress, institutional pressure to complete on time – and all this for what?
Increasingly a PhD alone does not guarantee an academic career. We…
Are students really paying for their degrees in exchange for sharing their beds?
Degree image from www.shutterstock.com
This year has already seen a flurry of media commentary regarding the “sugar daddy” phenomenon, much of it self-generated for publicity reasons by sites such as SeekingArrangement.com.
Sugar daddies…
University textbooks are expensive for a reason.
Textbook image from www.shuttestock.com
Although student life at university is generally enjoyable, one aspect that blemishes the experience is the astronomical cost of textbooks.
As many students head back to university this year, they can…
The future of higher education doesn’t look so bright.
Higher education image from www.shutterstock.com
Higher education, 2060: academics are out of a job. All the brand name universities have made all their courses free online, easily doing away with one side of the teaching and learning equation.
Pretty…
University is no longer just a place for high achievers.
AAP/Julian Smith
Each December we celebrate students who achieved an ATAR Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 99.95. In January, we are awed by what you need to study subjects such as medicine, or horrified that…
Australian researchers are frustrated with a funding system that makes job prospects unreliable and often ties them to short term contracts.
AAP
There’s a lot of bitterness, anger and frustration out there in the world of Australian research.
A new survey has shown that researchers like their work, but not the system in which they work. It’s…
Will open educational resources affect all stages of education?
Child computer image from www.shutterstock.com
By now, most of you have probably heard of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) – courses by universities like MIT and Stanford that are available for free online.
But what about Massive Open Online Kindergartens…
It’s time we looked at the idea of for-profit education in Australia.
EPA/Guillaume Horcajuleo
By Annette Rome, University of Melbourne and Adam Smith, Australian Council for Educational Research
For-profit education is something that really doesn’t exist in Australia… yet. But in many other countries around the world it has become a normal part of education and there are now many companies providing…
Some students come into medicine with a fixed idea of what they want to do – but this often changes.
uonottingham
Just before I finished high school, my local general practitioner suggested I consider medicine. But the thought of blood made me feel squeamish, so I went to university to do maths and physics, and to…
Academics need to trying new teaching methods in introductory classes if they’re to engage students.
Pirate image from www.shutterstock.com
Despite my university title, I’ve always thought that someone, one day, will discover that I’m not a “real” academic. This hasn’t been helped by the fact that when it comes to teaching, I’m by no means…
Measuring the quality and impact of university research is notoriously difficult but it’s time to watch this space.
Measuring image from www.shutterstock.com
Before this morning’s release of the Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) report, the scheme’s champion Aidan Byrne flagged that it could soon be looking at more than just research quality.
Measuring…
There are plenty of misunderstandings about what regional universities do, but they can play a big part in shaping Australia’s future in the knowledge economy.
Flickr/WilLiao
Most urban Australians don’t tend to think about regional Australia, and when they do it’s often hazy notions of a place blighted by natural disasters, economic gloom and declining population.
But for…
The idea of a universities commission has been floated recently – but is it a good idea?
Universities image from www.shutterstock.com
There’s been a push recently in university circles for a new body to help govern the sector and act as a buffer between the universities and government.
Champions of the idea point to the Universities…
The research funding system needs to be changed to make it more efficient says coalition member Andrew Robb.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
It’s hard to argue with the importance of research, particularly medical research. It leads to breakthroughs and can change people’s lives for the better.
But there are some crucial questions about how…
NSW premier Barry O'Farrell needs to reform the law to give Sydney University more responsibility for its colleges.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Why is the University of Sydney powerless to stop bullying behaviour in what the public sees as “its colleges”? This has been a constant refrain in recent weeks as the controversy surrounding the behaviour…
Free online courses from prestigious universities have caused a stir, but they won’t shut universities down.
Online education image from www.shutterstock.com
Last weekend, The Guardian ran an article entitled “Do online courses spell the end for the traditional university?” Had I been the one writing that article, it would have been precisely two letters long…
Despite a government target, students from poor backgrounds risk being left out of higher education.
University student image from www.shutterstock.com
According to the Federal Government, Australian public universities need to be more inclusive, particularly when it comes to enrolling poorer students.
They’ve set a target to have 20% of undergraduate…
Research into history of emotions related to suicide is just as important as research which bolsters innovation.
The Rochefoucauld Grail
How do we feel about death, suffering, and struggle, and how do we react to those around us as they deal with these issues?
These questions shape and are shaped by society. They guide individual choices…
Why is it that we no longer teach the big story of how everything came to be?
Universe image from www.shutterstock.com
All human societies construct and teach creation myths or origin stories. These are large, extraordinarily powerful, but often ramshackle narratives that try and tell the story of how everything came to…
President Barack Obama addressing a large crowd at University of Wisconsin – could he or his competitor Mitt Romney change higher education in Australia?
EPA/Tannen Maury
US presidential elections generally have little direct impact on Australia. And broadly speaking, this campaign is shaping up to be no different.
Despite their ideological differences, Barack Obama and…
Australia is all for engaging with India. But are we willing to pay?
EPA/Anindito Mukherjee
It will take some time for the full detail of the Asian Century White Paper to be digested by the public and elaborated by the government, especially by Craig Emerson as the designated Asian century minister…
Education academics and teachers should be able to share ideas.
Seminar image from www.shutterstock.com
Apparently, teachers and principals have no need to hear about research on international education policy and are too sensitive to deal with “controversial” ideas.
Last week, the University of Melbourne…
The white paper sets high standards for Australian universities in the Asian Century.
AAP/Paul Miller
In the slip-stream of the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper, released by Julia Gillard yesterday, there is a one-off opportunity to evolve new programs, open up and engage in Asia at scale. Many…
A report recently predicted the end was nigh for many universities – but is this true?
University image from www.shutterstock.com
Ernst & Young’s report on the future of universities made a big splash this week, fuelled by apocalyptic headlines heralding the end of the university world as we know it.
No one who has any feel…
There are still many questions left about the Future of Higher Education, but here’s some thoughts from our symposium.
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Resisting technological change is futile, according to the Minister for Tertiary Education, Chris Evans. So how should Australian universities respond to the technological change of online education…
Take part in The Conversation’s Future of Higher Education symposium here.
Online learning image from www.shutterstock.com
Five of our authors will today present their ideas on the future of higher education in a conversation with Tertiary Education Minister Chris Evans. And you’re invited to take part.
For two weeks…
Online platforms need to be well-designed if they’re going to help students learn.
Online image from www.shutterstock.com
By Gavin Melles, Swinburne University of Technology
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: We continue our series on the rise of online and blended learning and how free online courses are set to transform the higher education sector. In the final part of our series…
With free, quality online education from brand-name universities, will overseas students come to Australia?
Elephant image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: We continue our series on the rise of online and blended learning and how free online courses are set to transform the higher education sector. Today, Wollongong University…
For better or worse, the university experience has changed considerably over the past forty years.
University image from www.shutterstock.com
Before the second world war, a very small minority of the population in Western societies went to universities. Most were men, most were from the social elite.
From the late 1950s that changed. With a…
Online education might not cut it for students who want quality learning and more access to staff.
Student image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: We continue our series on the rise of online and blended learning and how free online courses are set to transform the higher education sector. Today, Victoria University’s…
Communication is a vital skill for university graduates, but in the move to online education we could be selling students short.
Communication image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: We continue our series on the rise of online and blended learning and how free online courses are set to transform the higher education sector. Today, Shirley Alexander from…
Online education may mean more stress and workload for academics, not less.
Stressed academic image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: We continue our series on the rise of online and blended learning and how free online courses are set to transform the higher education sector. Today, ANU’s Rod Lamberts and…
Universities campuses need to adapt to the new reality of mobile students and online education.
Flickr/Jill
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: We continue our series on the rise of online and blended learning and how free online courses are set to transform the higher education sector. Today Victoria University’s David…
Australian humanities subjects need to get on board with MOOCs and develop Australian voices in online learning.
World image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: We continue our series on the rise of online and blended learning and how free online courses are set to transform the higher education sector. Today Ruth Morgan looks at the…
Quality education which is free online may only affect some parts of the higher education sector.
Laptop image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: We continue our series on the rise of online and blended learning and how free online courses are set to transform the higher education sector. Today RMIT’s Vice Chancellor…
Some people could be left behind in the digital revolution in higher education.
Divide image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: We continue our series on the rise of online and blended learning and how free online courses are set to transform the higher education sector. Today, Tim Pitman writes on who…
Online learning has shown a better way to design courses.
University image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: The rise of online and blended learning and the development of free online courses is set to transform the higher education sector. We’ve asked our authors how to remake the…
Squeezing a thesis into three minutes sounds impossible. But it’s an important skill to learn.
Lecture image from www.shutterstock.com
Imagine condensing a thesis – which would normally take nine hours to read aloud – into a presentation just three minutes long.
Today at the Australian and Trans-Tasman Three Minute Thesis competition…
Academics and universities might need to be careful of what they wish for with free online education.
Job image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: The rise of online and blended learning and the development of free online courses is set to transform the higher education sector. We’ve asked our authors how to remake the…
Massive open online education could be the answer to addressing community and industry needs.
Head image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: The rise of online and blended learning and the development of free online courses is set to transform the higher education sector. We’ve asked our authors how to remake the…
Are you motivated or do you need a social setting and role models to keep you driven?
Exercise bike image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: The rise of online and blended learning and the development of free online courses is set to transform the higher education sector. We’ve asked our authors how to remake the…
Using technology to tackle plagiarism is important, but universities need to understand why students do it in the first place.
Student image from www.shutterstock.com
Trying to control and prevent plagiarism is a problem for all universities, and nearly all universities these days use some kind of technology to combat it.
But in a recent article on The Conversation…
A flexible online learning environment is what Australian university students want, so what’s getting in the way?
Student image from www.shutterstock.com
FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: The rise of online and blended learning and the development of free online courses is set to transform the higher education sector. We’ve asked our authors how to remake the…
Ranking universities is useful for only understanding the bigger picture.
University image from www.shutterstock.com
The release of The Times Higher Education World University Rankings will be welcomed by many people in the Australian university sector.
See the full list of The Times Higher Education World University…
Universities need to play closer attention to how they teach students, not just rankings.
University image from www.shutterstock.com
The Times Higher Education rankings will be released tomorrow and universities around the world will be clamouring to find out how they place.
As all academics know, rankings are closely tied to research…
Academics freedom and university reputations are being tested online.
Academic image from www.shutterstock.com
Trying to control your reputation online is a bit like trying to clean up wee in a toddler pool. You are much more likely to get your hands dirty than achieve any kind of meaningful damage control.
Many…
Universities play a vital role in creating a better understanding of Asia – if it is included broadly in curricula.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
Ahead of the soon-to-be-released Asian Century White Paper, Foreign Minister Bob Carr has said Australia needs to “know Asia” in order to prosper.
Delivering a speech to the Asia Society on behalf of…
Plagiarism is happening at universities, but technology is not the way to solve the problem.
Computer image from www.shutterstock.com
Plagiarism at university is a time-old scourge. Some would have us believe it can be sought out with ever-improving technology, and with more consistent vetting of student essays with the latest detection…
The role of TAFEs in supporting innovation by anticipating knowledge and skills can’t be easily picked up by universities.
(AAP Image/Joe Castro
TAFE staff are striking today to demonstrate their opposition to unparalleled funding cutbacks totalling almost $300 million imposed by the Victorian State Government.
A recent leaked cabinet paper summarising…
Ah, excuse me, I’d like my money back.
University image from www.shutterstock.com
Would you like to go to a university where “free thinkers from all over the world come together to make a difference” or, if you like getting to know people, you could go to a university where you can…
La Trobe’s reputation could be under threat if humanities cuts go ahead.
phil.lees
The cuts to the humanities and social sciences faculty at La Trobe University have been the source of much debate among the academic community, and anger among affected staff and students.
This culminated…
An experienced lab technician is one of the most readily employable people in the R&D-intensive industries.
fungiman_MD
Earlier this year the American journalist David Plotz wrote in Slate that:
America needs a lot more good engineers and scientists, more competent scientists, even more mediocre scientists.
I agree that…
How will online courses deal with assessment and accreditation?
Cloud computing image www.shutterstock.com.au
Many are proclaiming 2012 is the year of the MOOC — Massive Open Online Course — thanks to the arrival of major players, edX, Udacity and Coursera all started by colleagues from elite American universities…
La Trobe’s Vice-Chancellor John Dewar defends his cuts to the humanities program.
ABC News
On Sunday, La Trobe University held its most successful Open Day ever, with more than 19,000 visitors. But the day was disrupted by student protests against recently announced changes to our Faculty of…
Despite online courses available for free, university students still want the experience of bricks and mortar campuses.
University campus image from www.shutterstock.com
MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, are gaining a lot of attention. Some commentators believe that these free internet-delivered courses are the future of university education.
Others meanwhile argue…
The pressure on academics is becoming too much, there needs to be cultural change.
Stressed image from www.shutterstock.com
The pressure is on. More and more universities and academics are working in a culture that is untenable and cracks in the ivory tower have already begun to appear.
The work environment is now characterised…
By deliberately making false historical sources, students can learn to think more critically.
Historical hoax image www.shutterstock.com
What happens when you teach students how to lie? Answer: they become better historians.
More than a decade ago, back in the days of Web 0.5, a student of mine submitted a generally well-written essay…
The rise of open online courses will affect almost every part of higher education, including the international student market in Australia.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
Mass Open Online Courseware (MOOCs) is less than a year old but it is already clear this will be the game changer in higher education worldwide. Right now it is reverberating through Australian universities…
Reading the same book can bring students closer together as a group.
Students reading image from www.shutterstock.com
First-year undergraduate students at the University of Melbourne have been invited to participate in a new initiative. “Melbourne Summer Reading” identifies a book which speaks to some of the big issues…
Asking what higher education students should pay is a deceptively straightforward question.
University image from www.shutterstock.com
The Grattan Institute’s most recent report Graduate Winners by Andrew Norton has generated valuable debate about what financial subsidy government should provide for university students.
But before adjusting…
Education minister Peter Garrett along with his state counterparts have agreed upon some pretty big changes to teacher development.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Finally, perhaps the time has come. The Australian Charter for the Professional Learning of Teachers and School Leaders and the Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework, both signed off…
Should the government subsidise university places when graduates gain so much from a tertiary education?
Flickr/pamhule
After releasing my report, Graduate Winners: Assessing the public and private benefits of higher education, the question I have most been asked is: if university fees go up, will students still come…
Art history is falling out of favour with universities but why? We need to look at the reasons behind this change.
AAP Image/Warren Clarke
The impending closure of art history at La Trobe University has drawn sharp criticism from academics. They have pointed out that students enjoy art history: it is economical, has enduring value and demonstrably…
The NSW government has made some strong first steps to talk about teaching standards but there’s no policy blueprint yet.
AAP Image/Paul Miller
NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli’s discussion paper on teacher education, Great Teaching, Inspired Learning released earlier this week, could be seen as yet another review for a profession literally…
Avoid the hype – we need to take a realistic look at the changes ahead in higher education.
Flickr/Stanford EdTech
My childhood was influenced in some measure by two great icons that no longer exist. The first was Kodak – I adored my Box Brownie and I still have the wonderful grainy black and white pics. The second…
The government is trying to entice more young people to go to university – but can they do it?
AAP Image/Julian Smith
In 1973, the Whitlam Labor government abolished university tuition fees. In 1987, the Hawke Government radically created thousands of extra university places by creating a national system, financing it…
Universities such as Yale need to respect the human rights of their staff and students.
Flickr/Snap Man
Yale university’s decision to set up a liberal arts college at the National University of Singapore (NUS) while accepting Singapore’s restrictions on students’ rights to free speech and freedom of association…
Cutting the art history department at La Trobe university is short-sighted.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
La Trobe university’s art history department is set to be abolished, with a consultation period over the changes to the university’s humanities program to end this month.
While one art history department…
Universities sell more than just lectures and lessons.
Flickr/Butler University
When some of the world’s most prestigious universities – including Harvard and MIT in their edX venture or Stanford and Princeton through Coursera – start putting courses online for free, it tells you…
Shadow education minister Christopher Pyne’s latest statements on teacher training are counterproductive.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Opposition Education spokesman Christopher Pyne’s comments to the Sydney Institute this week provoked a new debate on teacher training.
Most of the educational community would agree, and have for at least…
Paying for expensive textbooks could be a thing of the past for university students.
Flickr/Abstract Machine
In the same way that free open online courseware is threatening to disrupt traditional universities, open textbook initiatives such as OpenStax College from Rice University threaten to do the same to the…
Much like the development of the railway in the 19th century, the National Broadband Network (NBN) will transform our society.
Wikimedia Commons
When I grew up in Canada there was a famous painting on the wall of nearly every primary school classroom. It was called “The Last Spike” and it depicted the final railway track connection being hammered…
Getting students hands on experience through a virtual world is the next big step in education.
Flickr/Mercy Health
In higher education, we’ve been talking about “e-learning” for years. But, in practice, we have mostly been teaching in the same way just through different mediums; that is, delivering one-way lectures…
Physical attendance at lectures may become a thing of the past.
Flickr/Matt From London
Universities are traditionally seen as exclusive institutions for the few, not the many. But that is changing as a new wave of online courses throws open the doors of academia to all.
Led by world renowned…
Future students need more than rankings to make the best choice.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
Australian universities compete with providers all over the globe. The stakes are high and it is hard to ignore world rankings.
In The Conversation recently, however, University of Southern Queensland…
The global movement towards open access publishing has taken another step with the release of the Finch report.
Flickr/liikennevalo
A committee convened to examine how UK-funded research could be made more accessible released its report this week. The committee, chaired by Dame Janet Finch, was set up last year by Minister for Universities…
There were protests against cuts to the ANU’s school of music, but the changes were sorely needed.
Flickr/Orangedrummerboy
The current crisis at the ANU School of Music has widely been reported as being, fundamentally, about money. The Australian National University’s (ANU) Vice-Chancellor Ian Young has cut ten academic and…
The traditional academic world has gone, but what has replaced it?
Flickr/Nick in exsilio
When a friend showed me the blurb for Whackademia: an insider’s account of the troubled university, I immediately left the office to buy a copy, solely on the promise in the title.
I read it in just two…
How best to quantify the performance of Australian researchers?
Storyvillegirl
The Excellence in Research for Australia Initiative (ERA) is the federal government’s latest attempt to quantify the “excellence” (or otherwise) of Australian researchers.
And just a few short weeks ago…
A simple desire to understand the way the world works has landed some Iranian researchers in hot water.
On a given day, your typical physicist is mainly preoccupied with trying to understand the intimate secrets of the universe. As with most academics, we get to visit one another in parts of the world to…
Real impact is important when considering how to fund research.
Flickr/Mozzer502
By Vicki Thomson, Australian Technology Network of Universities
When it comes to engaging with industry, government and the broader community, there is one secret weapon that is often overlooked in the university sector – the humble story. The art of storytelling is…
Cutting TAFE funding effects the people that need education and training most.
The phrase “class warfare” has been thrown around a lot in the media and within political circles recently – usually without much basis.
But in Victoria it is very real; the current Liberal Government…
All cut out to fit the same mould? We can’t assume that all universities are trying to be the same.
Flickr/walterh
James Cook University drew a lot of attention in the higher education sector recently by publicly “opting out” of the Times Higher Education (THE) World University rankings. Their reason was simple enough…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called on miners to accept that the resources they mine belong to the people.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Prime Minister Julia Gillard delivered one of her strongest messages to the mining sector last night, telling mining bosses at a Minerals Industry dinner in Canberra that they don’t own Australia’s minerals…
The ANU music school cannot replace live one-on-one teaching with online lessons.
Flickr/Orangedrummerboy
The Australian National University (ANU) has recently announced serious changes to the School of Music in Canberra. Students will receive fewer hours of one-on-one performance lessons, and the current…
The Victorian government’s TAFE cuts have shown other states exactly what not to do.
Flickr/Takver
For years, those concerned with vocational education and training have worried about how to lift the public profile of TAFEs. But what has taken many years for some – without much success – the Baillieu…
There’s knowing science, then knowing how to teach it.
B Rosen
Last week’s Health of Australian Science report, by the Chief Scientist of Australia Ian Chubb, has again highlighted the issue of declining student engagement in science in primary and secondary schools…
Why should freedom of the press trump the right of academics to have their say?
Linda Cronin
There has been much discussion about the role of free speech and a free press since the publication last week of the report from the independent inquiry into the Australian media. The review was conducted…
Women are equally represented in academia, but most professors are still men.
Flickr/Herkie
Australian higher education is often seen as a female-friendly industry, with overall numbers of both female students and academic staff outnumbering men. Yet women remain a minority as senior academics…
Chief Scientist Ian Chubb’s report, released today, presents some serious concerns for the future of Australian science.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Chief Scientist Ian Chubb’s Health of Australian Science report, launched today at the National Press Club, starts on an optimistic note. Australian science is generally in good health: school students…
Serious, interconnected risks are closing in on the globalised community, from climate change to anarchy. Are we heeding the warnings?
AAP/EPA/Daniel Deme
In that world of peripheral vision, essential for business, social and political leaders, it is surprising that the World Economic Forum’s report, Global Risks 2012 has not received greater publicity or…
A British sense of superiority: Australia shows little interest in the Asia, despite its rapid rise.
EPA/Made Nagi
There will be no more important piece of policy making this year than the White Paper on “Australia in the Asian Century” led by Ken Henry. It is a rare case of long-term thinking in government, of policy…
“And then there’s this…” Will there be any surprises in store for this year’s budget?
AAP
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan will be busy tonight handing down the Federal Budget with all the policy settings we’ll need to ensure Australia’s future prosperity (and not simply as a re-election platform…
My University is a good start, but it needs to be more accessible to succeed.
www.myuniversity.gov.au
Let’s be clear, anything that demystifies the complex processes of choosing and enrolling in tertiary education is a good thing.
With this in mind, the Federal Government today launched the My University…
Forensic police examine the scene where Roberto Laudisio Curt died.
AAP/Paul Millar
Sadly the issue of international student security in Australia has never been far from a headline over the past few years.
Many remember well the spate of attacks on Indian students in Melbourne, which…
The humanities could be dwarfed in a deregulated university marketplace.
Shoes on Wires
In his recent speech to the National Press Club Glyn Davis, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Melbourne and Chair of Universities Australia, made it clear that from now on higher education in Australia…
Bureaucracy is stymieing academic engagement.
StripeyAnne
The idea that universities should return to their “core business” of teaching and research has become a favourite mantra of vice chancellors. It is reinforced by increasing evaluations imposed by Canberra…
The University of Western Sydney has a proud history. Now it must compete on the market.
Colt Group
Can anyone recall why Monday 12 December 1983 was such a crucial date in Australian history?
It was – of course – the day everything changed for the Australian economy. On that December morning the Australian…
Elite universities need not fear students with an ATAR lower than 70.
jkim.ca
This week’s statement by Group of Eight universities on the potential consequence of lifting the cap on places at university allowing more “low performing” students to enter courses reads like a cautionary…
Traditional publishing methods could soon be a thing of the past.
Unhindered by talent
Most forms of publishing across the globe are in a state of flux. But university-based scholarly publishing faces a set of challenges all of its own. How can an industry whose target audience is so highly…
What does it mean to be truly open?
D Sharon Pruitt
The word “open” has grown educational wings over the past decade. From the British Open University, which enrolled its first students in 1971, the concept has expanded to mean various ways of relaxing…
Australian universities must raise their game to compete in the global education market.
Flickr/Reality-check
The world is in a state of transition.
The Indian and Chinese economies continue to grow at around 9 and 10 per cent respectively each year, while the North Atlantic economies – the 20th century epicentre…
China’s government has made a massive investment in research, and student funding. Australia can learn a lot.
AFP/Information Services Department
In recent weeks two commentary strands have intertwined and are extremely important to Australia’s future, and with special resonance for the higher education sector.
Beginning with the announcement of…
Australia would do better to shed light on Indian affairs. Media coverage of the country is dominated by corruption scandals, terrorism or cultural festivals like Diwali.
EPA/Sanjeev Gupta
CHOGM As Julia Gillard chairs the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Perth, she would do well to pay special attention to her Indian colleague at the table, Vice-President Hamid Ansari. Brian Stoddart…
Working to improve the performance of the resources sector is a challenging, yet important research focus.
AFP/Christian Sprogoe/Rio Tinto
There is common assumption that those of us who undertake applied research with the commercial world must be biased.
This month the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI), which…
An Indonesian stamp marking a 1959 Colombo Plan conference.
flickr/karen horton
AUSTRALIA IN ASIA: In the sixth part of our series, David Lowe of Deakin University examines an education project which brought us closer to our Asian neighbours.
The Colombo Plan for aid to South and…
Today’s students have unrealistic expectations of what university and the workforce requires of them.
flickr/Banksy
Every adult generation in history has worried about the young people following in their wake.
Youth have almost always been found wanting, seemingly lacking the attributes and qualities necessary for…
Universities need to remember why they research: to advance knowledge.
Flickr/Gates Foundation
Steven Schwartz, vice-chancellor of Macquarie University, recently claimed that universities should break from being treated as businesses and recapture their moral purpose.
He used the example of Jonas…
Universities already stockpile academic papers so they can report their output to the government. But stockpiling the wrong version of the paper can restrict their right to make the paper available on open access.
Flickr/Gideon Burton
Providing equitable access to the findings of scholarly research is an expensive and vexed business, as many recent stories here on The Conversation have highlighted.
Open access offers a way to freely…
A new generation of architects is needed to build our cities.
Flickr/MorBCN
The “future” is something which manifests nowhere more potently than in our cities.
Yet a substantial transformation over the past twenty years in the way cities are being made – both in terms of their…
Breaking free of the stranglehold of academic publishers holds appeal — but what are the dangers?
Flickr
There are three tensions in the field of academic publishing (1) who pays to publish research? (2) who decides what gets published? and (3) who takes any profits?
In the traditional model, based on publishing…
Frustration with copyright restrictions placed on scholarly work in many journals has helped fuel the Creative Commons and Open Access movements.
Flickr/TilarX
By Tom Cochrane, Queensland University of Technology
Back in 1991, in the very earliest days of the internet, a group of high energy physicists began sharing their findings on a Los Alamos-based online archive called Arxiv.
Their early experiments in the…
A growing number of academic institutions are building free online databases of their scholarly output. But publication in a big name academic journal still holds cachet for most academics.
Flickr/mandiberg
As the cost of accessing academic journal articles increases, a growing number of academic institutions are building publicly accessible databases of scholarly work.
But how much of a threat to the traditional…
How does the high cost of academic journal subscriptions impact the developing world?
Flickr/Book Aid International
Universities libraries in the developed world are struggling to pay academic journal subscription costs — so how can universities in developing countries hope to pay?
In this Q+A, Professor Adam Habib…
Does the cost of academic journals stymie learning?
Flickr/the.Firebottle
The phrase ‘publish or perish’ is familiar to all academics, who face enormous pressure to have their work featured in the top academic journals. Career progression, job security and pay rises can depend…
Exams aren’t the only way to turn out graduates ready for the world of work.
Flickr/Reality-check
The time has come to abolish university examinations. Just because something has been around a long time there’s no reason to assume it’s outdated. But in the case of exams that assumption would be right…
When is comes to research, it seems quantity has become much more important than quality.
Flickr/Iscan
Imagine the following conversation between a finance academic and his or her supervisor during an annual performance review:
Academic: So, do you think I am ready for a promotion?
Supervisor: Well, I…
The best and the brightest put themselves put themselves through an intellectual ordeal to end up here.
Flickr/Tejvan photos
The most feared exam in the world has been dropped. For over a century those hoping to study at All Souls College in Oxford opened an envelope with trepidation to discover just one word inside. They then…
The university funding system discourages research on volunteers like these men who are risking their lives to help their community.
Flickr/Rob Down Under
In Australian universities at the moment research is everything. They obsess over the rankings in the new ERA system which measures research performance. For academics publishing in the top journals isn…
Higher education and research largely escaped the budget cuts.
AAP
With its electoral support eroding, the federal government has been careful not to trigger frustration or disappointment in higher education and research.
These have been largely Labor constituencies…
International students are not fuelling immigration as much as first thought.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
If you’re in politics, population matters. Rival studies on what constitutes a sustainable Australian population project wildly different statistics. But behind the figures are real people whose lives…
