Academics and institutional differentiation in Australian higher education

Similarities and differences are explored between academic staff in four different types of Australian universities. Despite an overall high degree of homogeneity amongst academics, those in pre-1987 universities, especially Go8 universities, are better qualified, have appreciably better publication records, spend more time on research and writing, and show more interest in research than academics in post-1987 universities. Pre-1987 universities are more likely than others to have academic organisational units headed by professors and associate professors. Academics in pre-1987 universities have distinctively different views with regard to research funding and the place of research, as well as about academic standards and recent expansion in student enrolments. While post-1987 universities have pockets of research strength, these are small and relatively small proportions of academics produce the bulk of research output. The views of academics generally coincide with those of their institutions on key differentiation issues.     

Recent evaluations in Australian higher education: Context and incidence

Peer evaluation of individuals and of individual activities within universities is commonplace in academic appointments and promotions, the examination of theses, and the assessment of research and publications. Less common, until recently, have been evaluations of institutional objectives and outcomes by formal review procedures. In Australia, the Williams Committee Report and the Tertiary Education Commission have encouraged a wider implementation of formal evaluations.This study initially reviews the institutional and societal context of higher education within which evaluation is being increasingly formalized. The incidence of evaluation (or review) at three dissimilar Australian universities is analysed in three areas: the frequency of evaluation activity; the constitution of evaluation teams; and the status of any ensuing report. Policy statements from two universities are briefly examined against standards for evaluation developed by Stufflebeam and others.Evidence of intra-institutional turbulence and a lack of value consensus encompassed many of the ninety-eight reviews considered. This overview study suggests that more energy should be spent on discovering essential problems and consequential needs and less on implementing reports arising from inadequate evaluations.     

高等教育强国建设与我国高等教育改革的政策走向

新中国成立以来,特别是改革开放以来,我国高等教育事业取得了巨大的历史性成就,成为名副其实的高等教育大国,为高等教育强国建设奠定了坚实的基础,但是与世界高等教育强国相比仍然有较大的差距。《国家中长期教育改革和发展规划纲要(2010-2020年)》明确提出了建设"高等教育强国"的战略目标,实现从高等教育大国向高等教育强国的转变,将是未来很长一个时期内我国高等教育改革与发展政策的基本走向。     

Widening participation in higher education with a view to implementing institutional change

In this research informed perspective, I discuss some of the barriers students face during progression to higher education. A crucial role can be played by higher education institutions (HEIs) and other public bodies. I discuss some of the measures taken and critically evaluate these to show how these can be improved. In the absence of a centralised admission system and autonomy exercised by HEIs, it is not clear yet how these targets will be achieved. HEFCE and OFFA play a vital role, but there is further scope towards addressing equality and diversity. This paper discusses some of the ways forward.     

Restructuring higher education systems through institutional mergers: Australian experience, 1981–1983

This paper reviews Australian experience over the period 1981–1983 in order to illustrate how institutional mergers can be used to tackle system-wide as well as local institutional problems in higher education. It also illustrates some of the tensions and complications that arise in a federal political system where the legal control for two out of three sectors of tertiary education lies at one level of government and funding responsibility at another. The background and context to the mergers are explained, an analysis is provided of how institutions and state governments reacted to Federal Government coercion, and an attempt is made to assess outcomes.     

高等教育大众化与制度创新

制度创新是美英德日四国高等教育大众化进程的共同特征 ,亦是我国实现高等教育大众化的一种必然选择。我国实现高等教育大众化的制度创新 ,应以办学模式的创新、管理体制的创新和投资体制的创新为重点。     

Three in-course assessment reforms to improve higher education learning outcomes

A current international concern is that, for too large a proportion of graduates, their higher order cognitive and practical capabilities are below acceptable levels. The constituent courses of academic programmes are the most logical sites for developing these capabilities. Contributing to patchy attainment are deficiencies in three particular aspects of assessment practice: the design and specifications of many assessment tasks; the minimum requirements for awarding a passing grade in a course and granting credit towards the degree; and the accumulation of points derived from quizzes, assessments or activities completed during the teaching period. Rethinking and reforming these would lead to improvements for significant sub-populations of students. Pursuing such a goal would also have significant positive implications for academic teachers, but be contingent on favourable contextual settings including departmental and institutional priorities.     

Diversity in Australian higher education?

This study explores systematic relationships between management attitudes about recent transitions in the funding and structure of higher education in Australia (Meek and Goedegebuure, 1989) and the domains of the taxonomy emerging from ongoing organisational effectiveness research based on these institutions (Lysons, 1990b). The results reinforce the integrity of the previously established 4 group framework and flesh-out more fine-grained issues which may militate against the smooth transition of amalgamated institutions to university status, on the one hand, and the enhancement of diversity on the other.     

惠特拉姆时代的澳大利亚职业技术和继续教育变革

技术和继续教育(TAFE)是澳大利亚职业教育的主体,而惠特拉姆时代则是技术和继续教育发展历程中的一个重要转折点。20世纪60年代末期和70年代初期,伴随着澳大利亚技术和继续教育发展的经济、社会和政治环境发生剧变,要求为技术和继续教育提供更多财政支持的呼声越来越高。1972年工党政府的上台启动了长达20年的技术和继续教育改革。1974年澳大利亚技术和继续教育委员会提交著名的《坎甘报告》(Kangan Report)。它对澳大利亚技术和继续教育产生最重要的影响。     

让院校研究走进院校管理

管理落后是制约我国高等学校当前改革与发展的一个重要因素,而造成我国高等学校管理水平落后的一个重要原因是管理中的院校研究缺失。因此,让院校研究走进院校管理是提高我国高等学校管理水平的理性选择。这需要管理者进一步提高对院校研究重要性的认识,加强高校管理队伍的专业化建设,继续深化高等教育管理体制改革,进一步扩大高等学校的办学自主权。     

我国高等教育课程制度改革的回顾与评析

我国高等教育课程制度自建国以来,先后经历了由荚美自由教育模式向前苏联计划管理模式转轨和再由计划模式向自由模式回归两次价值取向和目标迥异的改革路径,形成了具有中国特色的课程制度发展模式.当前背景下,及时、系统地总结我国高等教育课程制度改革的特征,问题和成因.有助于我们从根本上认识我国高等教育课程改革的基本规律.并为推进今后的进一步改革提供理论支持.     

我国高等教育财政改革的基本思路

我国高等教育财政的改革,虽已取得相当的成效,但仍存在不容忽视的问题,因此进一步加快我国高等教育财政体制改革,建立在公共财政框架下高等教育财政的多样化职能作用的协同性,是我们面临的一项非常重要而紧迫的任务。     

Distance education in Australian higher education — a history

Distance education, usually described in Australia as ‘external studies’ has a long history in Australian universities, although the situation since about 1965 has been marked by very considerable new development in all tertiary institutions. No longer is external study the very courageous innovation it was when the University of Queensland established a Department of Correspondence Studies in 1911; indeed it has become a very significant feature of Australian higher education generally. Reasons behind the introduction and expansion of external study extend beyond simply meeting the needs of people in rural areas, though these were important in the early stages. This article considers the wider policy issues affecting developments in Australian states, while also drawing attention to previously undocumented proposals in the nineteen thirties that established a base from which post‐World War II policy has been derived.     

The dilemma of reforms in financing higher education in India

Higher education systems are increasingly starved of financial resources. India is not an exception. The recent trends in financing of higher education in India are indeed disturbing. Quite a few important proposals are being made in this context by national governments and international organizations. International experience will be of considerable importance in formulating new policies. In this paper a select few proposals are described, the national and international experience on the same is contrasted with each proposal, and the necessary lessons are drawn. It is shown that the suggestions that are being made for developing countries do not have empirical validity, if the practices of developed countries are taken to provide any guidance.     

高职商务英语专业改革初探

为了更好地满足社会经济发展的需求，商务英语专业改革需从社会需求出发，建立教学分流模块，强化实践教学，开展双语教学。     

Towards a theory of curriculum implementation with particular reference to science education in developing countries

Improving science education is often regarded as a priority for developing countries in order to promote longterm economic development. Thus initiatives, both government and foreign-aid sponsored, aimed at improving science education in developing countries abound. However, all too often the focus of such initiatives is limited to the development of science curricula, while the details of how the curricula will be implemented at school level are often neglected. This paper represents an effort to lay the groundwork for a theory of curriculum implementation with particular reference to developing countries. We have drawn on school development, educational change, and science education literature in order to develop three constructs that could form the heart of such a theory, namely, Profile of Implementation, Capacity to Innovate, and Outside Support. Six propositions are offered to suggest how the constructs may inter-relate as a basis for the development of the theory. The implementation of the natural sciences learning area of the South African Curriculum 2005 is used to illustrate the emerging theory.     

Making sense of institutional positioning in Finnish higher education

Tertiary Education and Management - This paper examines how institutional positioning has emerged in the meaning-making activities between Finnish higher education institutions and the Ministry of...