The Scan 26 April 2012

drowning duck

Control and click headlines and highlights to link to articles Links may not work unless you or your organisation is a paid subscriber to the originating media outlet.  Check with your communications people about subscriptions. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Measuring research impact Universities seeking to develop broader measure of research impact Dozens of industry experts are being sought to serve on eight panels for an Australia-first audit of the impact that university research has on the economy, society and environment.  Twelve universities, including the Group of Eight, have joined a pilot … [Read more...]

ATARs & the quality issue

Quality

As the season turns and the days get shorter, overcast, colder and wetter, people often express surprise.  Why?  You should be surprised if that happened in February or July (or didn’t happen at all) rather than that it happens about now, as usual. A report by the Australian Council of Educational Research analysing university admission data seems to have created a similar sort of “the weather has changed” surprise.  The report says that Australian Tertiary Admission Rank entry scores - which are used to determine university placements by ranking academic performance relative to every other Year 12 student - "on average are declining". The ACER report comes hot on the heels of the … [Read more...]

Tracking demand: an early audit of Australia’s new student demand driven system

jtd-banner2

Key findings highlighted in the ACER report are: Demand for university in Australia rose 2.1% for 2012 enrolments and has increased 9.7% since 2009. Among the states, Queensland and Victoria have  experienced the largest growth in demand for university places over the past few years. University offers have surged in Australia following the announcement of student demand driven funding for the sector. In 2012, university offers increased 5.3% nationally.  This increase comes on top of notable rises of 3.5% in 2011 and 6.4% in 2010. This sudden growth directly parallels government policy announcements on student demand driven funding. Since 2009 the annual number of offers by … [Read more...]

Good stuff @ Apollo Bay

Dallas Frasca

Melbourne Ska Orchestra MSO is everything it claims to be on its website. Fronted by Nicky Bomba (Bomba, John Butler Trio) in his ad-hoc conducting style, the 26-piece Melbourne Ska Orchestra (MSO) is a fun-loving big band experience with music from the golden ska period of 1963 through to modern day classics. A massive hit at festivals everywhere, the MSO is fast becoming a must- see institution with members hailing from some of the best ska and reggae bands in Australia. Founded in 2003 as a way of celebrating this uplifting music, the MSO is dedicated to educating and entertaining audiences with the sweet sounds of ska – and dancing is compulsory. Dallas Frasca   The … [Read more...]