Tertiary sector news & views
The Commonwealth government has been told to simplify its "HECS for skills" loan scheme after a consultant's report found administrative complexities -- including a 200-day application period -- had contributed to extremely low take-up rates. … [Read more...]
Swinburne to close campus The seismic shakeout in the Victorian TAFE sector has amplified – and extended into higher ed – with dual sector Swinburne University announcing it will close its Lilydale campus, with the loss of 240 jobs. [Continue Reading]… Evans rules out recapping student numbers Commonwealth tertiary education minister Chris Evans has dismissed rumours some vice-chancellors have been leaned on to constrain student growth amid talks on 2013 funding agreements. [Continue Reading]… Fees debate gathers pace Universities Australia (UA) is to host a workshop on 30 July for vice-chancellors on fee deregulation as debate on the divisive issue gathers pace. [Continue … [Read more...]
Swinburne to close campus The seismic shakeout in the Victorian TAFE sector has amplified – and extended into higher ed – with dual sector Swinburne University announcing it will close its Lilydale campus, with the loss of 240 jobs. [Continue Reading]… Evans rules out recapping student numbers Commonwealth tertiary education minister Chris Evans has dismissed rumours some vice-chancellors have been leaned on to constrain student growth amid talks on 2013 funding agreements. [Continue Reading]… Fees debate gathers pace Universities Australia (UA) is to host a workshop on 30 July for vice-chancellors on fee deregulation as debate on the divisive issue gathers pace. [Continue … [Read more...]
The Australian 29 June 2012 As part of Deakin University’s new strategic plan, Deakin students will increasingly access online, open source content from around the world, freeing up academics to focus on smaller tutorial groups delivered not just face-to-face but increasingly through social media like Facebook. Instead of attending or listening to a 50 minute lecture, for example, students will be able to listen to a 10 minute podcast by a world authority and then undertake activities with their tutor and fellow students. Deakin V-C Jane den Hollander says the strategy is about giving students the flexibility to work around their other commitments, such as part-time work, to access … [Read more...]
The Australian 29 June 2012 Queensland's TAFE chief, Deb Daly has quit abruptly after being left off the Skills and Training Taskforce which is reviewing the future of the state's vocational education and training system. The 12-person taskforce includes two private college representatives but none from TAFE. The only public education representative is department head Julie Grantham who has no direct vocational training experience. Training Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the terms of reference included TAFE reform, and that including TAFE representatives would have created a conflict of interest. This didn’t apply to private colleges because they weren’t “explicitly the subject … [Read more...]
28 June 2012 The University of Ballarat and Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE (BRIT) are the latest Victorian TAFEs to announce course closures in the wake of massive government funding cuts, estimated at up to $300 million a year across the sector. Ballarat, which estimated the cuts would cost it $20 million or 40% of its TAFE funding, will be shedding courses in areas like hospitality, business, arts and equine studies. Under a restructure announced on 26 June much of the university’s vocational training will be concentrated in a new Industry Skills Centre that will cultivate close ties to industry, which will provide training in engineering, manufacturing, automotive, … [Read more...]
Engaging people in tertiary education has never been more vital for the sector and for Australia. With new regulatory and competitive contexts emerging here and around the world, there is an urgent need to be efficient, to grow and to improve. Hear about the latest national and international policy and research on student engagement and experience. Learn strategies for managing larger and more diverse student cohorts. Discuss insights and findings from major national data collections and review benchmarking opportunities. Full-day workshops are scheduled on Monday 29 October before the conference. The first workshop focuses on using technology to engage students. The second … [Read more...]
