The Australian | 12 December 2012 Staff at Central Queensland University are about to vote on an enterprise agreement that will divide academics into five categories, whereby the most effective researchers will spend only 10 % of their time teaching. At the other end of the spectrum, the best teachers will spend only 10% of their time on research, although the vice-chancellor, Scott Bowman, is clear about the relationship between academics and scholarship. We wanted to recognise the work people actually do. So if you have really great research outcomes, you do less teaching. If you are someone who doesn't have the same interest in research and are interested in … [Read more...]
No overpromising on funding: Abbott
12/12/2012 By
The Australian | 12 December 2012 Opposition leader Tony Abbott has written to all vice-chancellors complaining about recent cuts to education. The Opposition Leader said the cuts to higher education, research and student support amount to $1 billion, but he itemised only $750 million in his letter. However, the letter, dated 23 November, did not sketch out any Coalition policy for higher education or research, butsimply said: Governments shouldn’t promise one thing and then do another. The Coalition will not over-promise and under-deliver. Damon Alexander, a political scientist from the University of Melbourne who is a co-researcher on an Australian Research … [Read more...]
ATARs less important in admissions
12/12/2012 By
The Australian | 12 December 2012 Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks were the determining factor in less than 34% of undergraduate admissions this year, according to HES estimates based on innovation department statistics. At least 66% of admissions — mature-age students who applied through tertiary admission centres, school-leavers who were made direct offers and international students — were determined only partially, if at all, on ATARs. The extent to which ATARs determined school-leavers’ admissions is not clear either, as individual ATARs are inflated by an expanding range of bonus point schemes, principals’ recommendations, community service, foreign … [Read more...]
