No.109 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The polytech movement gathers pace Encouraged by remarks by the Commonwealth minister that he’s looking afresh at tertiary “inter-connectedness”, five tertiary institutions* are proposing a national network that brings together the strengths of TAFE and higher education traditions, enabling degrees to be studied initially at TAFE institute campuses in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Students would be able to study degrees in face-to-face, online or blended modes, with extra support depending on their needs and requirements of the course.....[READ MORE].... Teaching … [Read more...]
Industrial action on agenda at Deakin
08/03/2013 by
NTEU News Room | 7 March 2013 National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members at Deakin have voted unanimously to prepare for protected industrial action if insufficient progress was made in negotiations by the end of March. NTEU Victorian Secretary Dr Colin Long says that there had been little movement in the position taken by Deakin University management despite five months at the negotiating table. By its own admissions, Deakin University is the most profitable in Victoria. Last financial year, it boasted a $60 million surplus, $22 million greater than budgeted, which the Vice-Chancellor attributed to ‘underspends’ on salaries, research, buildings and grounds costs. … [Read more...]
Too much regulation stifles innovation
08/03/2013 by
Australian Financial Review | 4 March 2013 Fred Hilmer (vice-chancellor of UNSW and chair of the Group of Eight) argues that the university sector is stifled by over-regulation. Despite assurances to the contrary, the establishment of TEQSA has added "a bureaucratic overload to every university, regardless of its history, standing or proven proven quality." This overload, he says, creates a "mindset of compliance", stifling innovation and diversity within the sector. The erosion of university autonomy also threatens, over the longer term, the basic principle of academic freedom. He says that TEQSA has about six times the budget of its predecessor (Australian Universities … [Read more...]
Regulatory reviews
08/03/2013 by
8 March 2013 The Higher Education Standards Panel, which advises and makes recommendations to the Commonwealth minister responsible for tertiary education and research on the Higher Education Standards Framework, has released draft course design and learning outcome standards for comment. The panel has drafted seven standards on course design and ten on learning outcomes. Once settled, the standards will be the measure against which the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency will register institutions and accredit their courses. It’s seeking feedback on the proposed format, including style, clarity and “pitch”. The closing date for comments is Tuesday 16 April … [Read more...]
Teaching only roles on the rise in unis
08/03/2013 by
The Australian | 6 March 2013 The number of teaching-only academics is expected to rise markedly as industrial relations in the sector responds to myriad pressures for change in the traditional academic role. Author of a new report on the topic, Belinda Probert (La Trobe University) points to a shift in attitude by the academic union, the appetite for more teaching academics on the part of university managers and the expiry of many enterprise agreements yet to make provision for these roles. Jeannie Rea (National Tertiary Education Union) is urging the creation of 2000 "scholarly teaching fellows" as entry-level, continuing jobs "to start to soak up" some of the casual … [Read more...]
The polytec movement gathers pace
08/03/2013 by
The Australian | 6 March 2013 Encouraged by remarks by the Commonwealth minister that he's looking afresh at tertiary "inter-connectedness", five tertiary institutions* are proposing a national network that brings together the strengths of TAFE and higher education traditions, enabling degrees to be studied initially at TAFE institute campuses in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Students would be able to study degrees in face-to-face, online or blended modes, with extra support depending on their needs and requirements of the course. According to the leaders of the institutions, curriculum will be developed of a kind that is found at polytechnic universities around the world … [Read more...]
Teacher training “at the crossroads”
08/03/2013 by
The Age | 1 March 2013 Universities in Victoria have been accused by school principals of allowing teacher-trainees to graduate despite failing their final practice rounds in schools. For most student teachers, this is in the fourth year of their bachelor of education degree. Around Australia, school leaders and state governments have been highly critical of education faculties that lower entry standards to admit too many students and then fail to provide the training and classroom experience they need. This year, more than 100,000 Australians are undertaking education degrees and diplomas in the nation's higher education institutions – up by 10,000 since 2009. An estimated … [Read more...]
