How academic is academic development?

University provision for academic development is well established in the USA, UK and many other countries. However, arrangements for its provision and staffing vary. In Australia, there has been a trend towards professional rather than academic staff appointments. Is this appropriate? In this paper, the domains of academic development work are explored and roles that are essentially academic in nature – and those that are not – are identified. Upon investigation, the current staffing balance in Australian central units appears appropriate, but a further move to increase the proportion of professional appointments in central Australian academic development units would be counter-productive.     

Overseas influence on the staffing of schools and departments of education in Australian universities and colleges

Research conducted during the past twenty-five years has consistently indicated that Australian universities are subject to considerable overseas influence in their staffing. It is not known to what extent this influence also extends to the staffing of the country's more recently established colleges of advanced education. This study looks at overseas staffing influence in schools and departments of Education in a sample of ten universities and ten colleges of advanced education in Australia. It compares the extent of such influence in these two different types of institutions and analyses its nature and scope in terms of particular types of qualifications and particular countries.     

The motivations, values and future plans of Australian academics

The Australian academic profession is more differentiated than is acknowledged in national and institutional policies and academic roles are more diverse than many academics themselves may recognise. However, the evolution of the nature and purposes of the profession and its implicit diversification have been incremental and largely unplanned. A consequence of this piecemeal approach is the attitudes and pressures on academic staff uncovered by this study, including a widespread intent to leave the Australian higher education sector for other work, or work in overseas universities. The study is based on a large-scale survey of over 5,500 academics across 19 Australian universities, and explores the attitudes, motivators and career plans of the present academic workforce in Australia.     

The effect of culture and belief systems on students’ academic buoyancy

Increasingly, learner motivation is implicated in student failure at universities. This has led to intense research into internal or external variables that might buoy resilience to failure. This research investigates the impact of strong cultural connectedness and strong belief systems on the academic buoyancy of international students studying at an Australian University. For this purpose, we surveyed 102 tertiary students at a Sydney university. Results demonstrate that, in the event of academic failure, students’ academic buoyancy remains high if they have support through strong cultural connections and from their belief systems. We further endeavored to identify if academic buoyancy was fed by intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. This research contributes to the understanding of the sources of strengths available to international students from primarily collective cultures studying overseas. There are implications for educational practice in terms of identifying students ‘at high risk’ if they are unable to draw strengths from cultural connections and belief systems.     

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.     

Performance Indicators and Quality Review in Australian Universities

This paper examines the relationship between sets of quantitative performance and diversity indicators and the qualitative banding of Australian universities made by the Committee for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. Using factor analysis, three performance factors (Traditional Research University Performance, Teaching Performance and Competitive Research Performance) and four diversity factors (Size, Equity, Student Staff Ratios and Access) were obtained. Strong association was found between quality ranking and composite measures of performance. When factor‐based composite measures were used, quality rankings were significantly correlated with Traditional Research University Performance, Teaching Performance and Size, and negatively with Equity.     

Executive power and scaled-up gender subtexts in Australian entrepreneurial universities

Deputy Vice Chancellor and Pro Vice Chancellor positions have proliferated in response to the global, corporatised university landscape [Scott, G., S. Bell, H. Coates, and L. Grebennikov. 2010. “Australian Higher Education Leaders in Times of Change: The Role of Pro Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor.” Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 32 (4): 401–418]. Senior leadership is the sphere where academic and management identities are negotiated and values around the role of the university are decided. This paper examines the changing and gendered nature of the senior leadership setting and its implications for diversity in and of university leadership. The analysis draws from a three-year empirical study funded by the Australian Research Council on leadership in Australian universities. It focuses on executive leaders in three universities – one which is research-intensive, the second, in a regional site, and the third, university of technology. The article argues that the university landscape and its management systems are being restructured in gendered ways. It utilises the notion of organisational gender subtexts to make explicit how gender works through structural and cultural reform.     

来华留学预科教育总体设计及其质量保障机制——以河北省高校为例

随着我国留学生教育事业的快速发展,教育部决定自2010年9月起对中国政府奖学金本科留学生新生进行预科教育,并在北京语言大学、天津大学、山东大学、南京师范大学等8所高校建立了预科培训基地。面对这种新的形式,针对河北省高校进行来华留学预科教育总体设计及其质量保障机制研究,对于推动建立河北省留学生预科培训基地,带动河北省高校对外汉语教学工程建设,吸引更多的留学生到河北省高校接受学历教育,提高河北省留学生教育在国内外的影响力具有重大的理论价值和现实意义。     

Academic locus of control: a relevant variable at tertiary level?

A survey of 744 first year students at an Australian university provides no evidence of significant sex, age, or faculty differences in those students' perceptions of their control over their own learning. A follow-up survey of 182 of this sample over two years later suggests that neither maturation nor the impact of tertiary study has brought about a significant change in these students' academic locus of control. However, cross-lagged analysis indicates that accepting responsibility for learning was causally dominant over the adoption of less superficial and more achievement oriented learning strategies. Implications of these findings for study skills training programmes are briefly outlined.The data reported here were collected while the author was a Research Fellow in the Office for Research in Academic Methods at the Australian National University. Parts of the data were discussed in a paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia, Canberra, 1986.     

Effective strategic planning in Australian universities: how good are we and how do we know?1

Strategic planning was introduced to Australian universities as part of the Commonwealth Government higher education reforms of 1988. The ‘Dawkins Reforms’ implemented extensive structural reform, changed executive leadership roles and responsibilities, commenced the ‘managerialisation’ of the Australian university sector, introduced the Higher Education Contribution Scheme and facilitated the transformation of Australian universities from collegial academies to modern, ‘enterprise’ universities.

There is an abundance of published marketing material celebrating ‘effective’ strategic planning outcomes in the myriad of strategic plans published by Australian universities. Yet, a recent study indicates that strategic planning remains a contested internal leadership function in Australian universities almost 30 years after traditional academic planning was replaced with commercially-focused strategic planning. This paper will review the effectiveness of strategic planning practices in Australian universities guided by the rhetorical question: ‘how good are we and how do we know?’     

基于CCD的中国教育类8种期刊近5年引文统计分析

根据中国引文数据库Chinese Citation Database所提供的统计数据,采用文献计量学、数值比较和按类统计的方法对影响因子排名靠前的8种中国教育类期刊在2006-2010年间引文进行了数据统计,研究成果可为教育学研究提供一些量化数据的参考,同时也为用户提供全面翔实的期刊被引和引用数据。结果表明:《教育研究》是人文、社科权威级期刊;《高等教育研究》、《中国高教研究》、《中国高等教育》、《高等工程教育研究》是教育类核心期刊中的佼佼者,具有一流的学术水平和学术影响,在教育学领域中有着绝对的影响力;《中国大学教学》、《北京大学教育评论》、《教师教育研究》在教育学界也有着非常高的学术地位。     

Organizational socialization and induction in universities: Reconceptualizing theory and practice

This paper argues that the theory and practice of induction and socialization of new academic staff in universities have been based on a partial, corporatist, perspective influenced by now defunct structural-functionalist theory. We develop a more sophisticated theoretical understanding of organizational socialization and explore its consequences for the practice of induction of new academic staff. These ideas are based on secondary data derived from a number of studies of new academic appointees (NAAs), 27 in-depth interviews we conducted with academics in ten Canadian and English universities, both chartered and unchartered, and a five year ethnographic study of academic staff in a single unchartered English university.     

A case study on the incorporation of gender-awareness into the university journalism curriculum in Spain

As in other disciplines, ‘gender mainstreaming’ is becoming an increasingly important principle in Journalism. This implies bringing gender equality into the mainstream of the media industry, by means of an adjustment of the educational issues and the practice related to this profession, which is influential in society. In light of the gap existing in this line of research committed to re-education for change [North, L. 2010. “The Gender Problem in Australian Journalism Education.” Australian Journalism Review 32 (2): 103–115; Adhikary, N. M., and L. D. Pant 2011. “Journalism Education in Nepal: Gender Perspective.” Shweta Shardul 8: 119–123], this paper analyses the curricular integration of gender-related issues into journalism studies, taking as a casestudy the undergraduate programmes of the Spanish public and private universities. The study employs content analysis and qualitative questionnaires to the academic staff. The results prevent from understanding equality as one of the main teaching and learning strategies in journalism studies in Spain, even if the invigorating curriculum reform carried out by these universities leads to posit some positive outcome in terms of a more gender-aware higher education. As discussed in the conclusions, the inclusion of the gender perspective depends on the academic staff’s own initiative, in contrast with the involvement showed by university institutions in promoting parity in many other aspects.     

Hong Kong University and Polytechnic Grants Committee

The political uncertainties surrounding Hong Kong's future as a British Crown Colony have not inhibited either the Hong Kong Government or its particular version of a University Grants Committee (UGC) system from devising and planning a continuing expansion of higher education at a time when most other countries are levelling off or contracting their own.This article deals with the many unique features of the Hong Kong situation of which perhaps the most important is the nature of the Hong Kong Government - traditionally colonial and potentially authoritarian, not elected yet highly sensitive to Chinese opinion both internally and externally, and highly efficient in most of its management activities in spite of a strongly laisser faire tradition.The Hong Kong UGC system is charged with much wider planning functions throughout higher education than elsewhere and is responsible for the polytechnic as well as the two universities - hence its trans-binary designation as the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee. While this has helped its overall planning and academic guidance roles, it has involved it in severe difficulties in relation to its basic financial role which requires it to develop methodologies of financial assessment of Polytechnic costs for which no overseas models exist. Its academic membership is still entirely from overseas, with inevitable repercussions on its ability to arrange adequate collective discussion and its reliance on its local secretariat who act as the Government's de facto Department of Higher Education.     

Supply issues for science academics in Australia: now and in the future

Australia, like the rest of the developed world, is in the midst of dealing with notable issues related to the age structure of its academic workforce. These issues are widespread and have been articulated in the Australian context most comprehensively by Hugo (2008). This paper investigates issues with demographic change and other key factors related to the desirability of a science or mathematics academic career within Australian universities. It draws on the findings of a research project undertaken in 2008 for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The findings show that while demographic issues are not as dire for science academics compared to the entire sector, issues relating to tenure, workload and retaining young science academics in Australia are a threat to the long-term sustainability of science faculties in Australian universities.     

Korean academic women: Multiple roles,multiple challenges

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of Korean academic women regarding their faculty careers within Korean universities. Personal interviews were conducted with thirteen female faculty members as well other informants (administrators, male faculty and graduate students) at three large private universities in the Republic of Korea: Yonsei University, Ewha Women's University and Dankook University. The study focuses on 1) the experience of Western-trained academic women in securing faculty positions in Korean universities, 2) the work load and responsibilities of women faculty within the academy, and 3) the impact of their personal lives and social roles on their professional achievement and satisfaction. Comparisons are drawn between the experiences of these Korean academic women and what we have learned about the experiences of academic women in Western institutions.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Comparative and International Education Society, Annapolis.     

Using Entrepreneurial Activities as a Means of Survival: Investigating the Processes used by Australian Universities to Diversify their Revenue Streams

This study provides a profile of the actions taken by Australian universities to diversify their revenue streams in order to generate more independent (non-government) income. Marginson’s taxonomy of Australian universities is used to catergorise universities and contrast levels of independent income (Marginson and Considine 2000). This study finds that some Australian universities have used isomorphic tactics in their attempts to diversify their revenue streams. Unitechs (Universities of Technology) and New Universities are over-reliant upon income earned from overseas student fees, whilst earning comparatively small amounts of revenue from Royalties, Trademarks and Licences, Consultancy, Contract Research and Investments. This work discusses the dangers inherent in over-reliance on a single type of independent income. It argues that if Australian universities seek to enhance their success competing in global research, staff and student markets then they need to augment efforts to diversify revenue streams with structural and cultural changes, transforming themselves from being rigid hierarchical public bureaucracies to become more flexible network enterprises (Castells 2000).     

Early career patterns of men and women in British universities

The early career paths of 436 men and 162 women who took up lectureships in British universities in English, modern languages, or psychology in 1971–1973 were identified. Proportionately fewer women (61 percent) than men (80 percent) held a full-time post in a British university ten years after their initial appointment. Among those retaining a university appointment, relatively fewer women (8 percent) than men (18 percent) had advanced to the level of senior lecturer, reader, or professor. Factors that may have served to restrict the career development of women in British universities are discussed. There now is a higher proportion of women than in the past in the pool of graduates who are qualified for academic posts. However, the end to university growth makes it unlikely that the sex ratio of academics will shift substantially in the 1980s or the 1990s. Since promotion has become more competitive than it was in the past, the current sex ratio at senior levels of appointment may also remain relatively unchanged.This study was supported by funding under the Australian Research Grants Scheme. Unless stated otherwise, the university statistics cited in this article were derived from the analyses published annually by the Department of Science and Education. I am grateful to Sandra Lancaster for her assistance in data analysis.     

How do Revenue Variations Affect Expenditures Within U.S. Research Universities?

Using Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) figures on the 96 Research Extensive Institution in academic year 2007?C2008, we employ panel data from academic year 1984?C1985 to 2007?C2008 to identify revenue-expenditure relationships. Although we consider a wide range of functional expenditure categories, we focus our analysis on instructional and research expenditures because these categories tie most closely to the core missions of research universities. Results suggest tight relationships between some revenue and expenditure categories for some institutions. For public universities, these relationships tend to follow expected paths. For example, a large proportion of tuition revenues tend to be spent in the functional category of instruction. Private universities evidence a somewhat different pattern, with revenues generally expended in the pursuit of merit aid and research. This suggests that private universities strategically deploy revenues from a wide variety of sources to secure particular students and to conduct research activities. However, the ways in which universities and IPEDS classify faculty work raises some questions about the transparency of various categories, and suggests that some current conceptions of how revenues are expended on research and instruction functions may be less than straightforward.     

高等教育国际化视角下的中国大学英文网站群建设——与20所世界知名高校英文网站的对比研究

通过分析并量化《泰晤士高等教育》大学评价指标体系,指出中国大学的国际化水平和国际学术影响力明显落后于其综合实力。为推进大学的国际化发展,对国内20所985高校的英文网站进行了为期6个月的持续观察和评测,并通过与世界著名的20所大学(其中10所为英语母语、10所为非英语母语)的英文网站进行比对分析和研究,总结出国外大学英文网站的建设经验,指出我国大学英文网站存在学术信息报道不及时、留学生服务欠缺、译编行文难以通畅跨文化交流等问题,并提出在提升大学英文网站水平,促进中国大学国际化进程中需注意的问题。