New standards agency loosens grip of states

10/10/2012 By
$ sign

The Australian    |   27  April 2011 Under the Constitution, responsibility for education resides with the states.  And so it was that the states were the primary funders of higher education until 1975, when the Whitlam government negotiated the transfer of funding responsibility for higher education to the Commonwealth. But the Whitlam deal wasn't particularly strong on detail and in this case the settlement with the states was financial rather than constitutional. It has been a source of growing annoyance to the commonwealth that, while it pays most of the bill, the states retain their constitutional prerogatives in regard to higher education. It is through this prism … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commonwealth-State relations, universities Tagged With: ,

States “squandering” the university opportunity

10/10/2012 By
$ key

  The Australian    |    9 October 2012 States are squandering a potential competitive advantage by failing to support universities financially, according to Australian Catholic University vice-chancellor Greg Craven. Craven told a National Press Club audience last week that when it came to universities, the states and territories took more than they gave. The states typically take more out in payroll tax than they put into the entire system  It’s incredibly short-sighted, because one of the great ways of differentiating between the states is if you can create that type of education-innovation culture that then drives industry. Craven said there had been … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Australian Catholic University, Commonwealth-State relations Tagged With: ,

Online offers productivity gains

10/10/2012 By
Group of 8 logo

The Australian    |    10 October 2012 Group of Eight executive director Mike Gallagher has told a seminar universities need to take control of the productivity agenda to cut costs in teaching, research and administration, as well as boost retention. You can't have credibility if you are asking government to invest more in higher education or for students to pay more if you are going to pass on cost inefficiencies.  We have the opportunity to embrace the productivity agenda and define it on universities' terms. We can take advantage of this new breakthrough in online teaching to ask questions about what the potential is for improving university productivity in Australia by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Group of 8, MOOCs Tagged With: , , ,

Online efforts boosted as ANU mulls changes in teaching arrangements

10/10/2012 By
MOOCs

The Australian    |    10 October 2012 The Australian National University's embrace of online teaching will be given a boost under new arrangements that will see all academic teaching staff designated to one of three groups: online learning; promoting excellence; or adult education and staff development. Deputy vice-chancellor (academic) Marnie Hughes-Warrington said she had wanted to identify clear functional areas that would promote teaching within the university. But the delivery of the graduate certificate in higher education and masters of higher education would be reviewed, a move criticised by staff and the academic union. Hughes-Warrington said the university was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANU, MOOCs, Teaching & learnig, Technology Tagged With: , , ,

The fractured social settlement in VET in Australia

10/10/2012 By
LeesaW

LH Martin Institute    |    25 September 2012 The Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency argues that Australia needs to increase productivity and workforce participation to maintain international economic competitiveness and increase social inclusion. The AWPA’s vision is that: Australia’s growth potential is realised through a highly skilled and adaptable workforce where skills are used effectively to meet the increasingly complex needs of industry and individuals are able to fulfil their potential. In its most recent discussion paper, the AWPA identifies the key factors that will realise this vision, such as effective deployment of skills at work, a forward looking … [Read more...]

Filed Under: LH Martin Institute, Vocational education & training Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Love me do

10/10/2012 By
John Lennon

11 October 2012 Friday 5 October marked the 50th anniversary of Love me do, The Beatles' first single release. It was a minor hit in the UK, ahead of the release in January 1963 of the album Please please me, which sparked the social phenomenon of Beatlemania. Tuesday 9 October marked the 72nd anniversary of the birth of John Lennon, who was murdered outside his home in the Dakota building in 1980. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life & stuff, Society

NCVER Report: The value of completeing a VET qualification

10/10/2012 By
NCVER logo

NCVER News    |     10 October 2012 Students generally benefit from completing a vocational qualification, although the pay-off varies considerably, according to a new report by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). The value of completing a VET qualification was undertaken to get a handle on whether completion matters against a background of relatively low completion rates. The study compares the post-study outcomes for those who complete with students who do not finish a qualification and explores the value of completion on a number of outcomes against a range of different types of students. “Without a doubt, the overwhelming message from this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: NCVER, Vocational education & training Tagged With: , , , , ,
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