The Construction and Challenges of Australia's Post‐binary System of Higher Education

Abstract

In 1988 Australia commenced the transition to a post‐binary system of higher education as the UK is currently doing. In both countries the generally acknowledged obsolescence of the dual system had provoked the structural change. In Australia, the new direction was also motivated by official concerns that the universities be made more accessible to government priorities, particularly economic priorities, at a time of national economic decline. Unlike the UK, the Australian post‐binary era has been founded on a government programme of widespread amalgamations based upon the universities.

This article explores the process of constructing the unitary system, the difficulties experienced in conceptualising the new order and its impact upon the other provider of tertiary education. The Australian approach has ignored a canon in higher education, that varied structures and types of institutions preserve diversity. Further, in contrast to Britain's gradualist path into a unitary system, Australia moved quickly to form large undifferentiated universities to serve the needs of a mass system of higher education.     

Teaching communication in general science degrees: highly valued but missing the mark

Abstract

Effective communication of science is a ubiquitous learning outcome for most science degrees, and a national threshold learning outcome for science in Australia. Evidence suggests that employers and academics are dissatisfied with the communication skills of many science graduates. Our study examines communication tasks used in summative assessment in bachelor of science (BSc) degrees. We compiled public information for all units of study from the BSc programmes at five research-intensive Australian universities. Our analysis suggests that science academics place high value on developing the ability of students to communicate, with 66% of all science units (n?=?1225) using one or more communication tasks as assessment (mean weighting 44%). However, opportunities for students to communicate in a variety of contexts are lacking. We found that communication tasks from eight majors (n?=?683) across the five universities addressed a very narrow range of contexts; an audience of scientists (including students) in the same discipline (97%), in the mode of traditional writing (79%) and for the purpose of interpreting and presenting results (66%). As such, assessment practice does not match the variety of contexts required by the Australian threshold learning outcomes or guiding statements in other countries. We identify opportunities and offer practical recommendations to help correct this mismatch.     

University students with learning disabilities: Results of a national survey

Abstract

Despite increasing attention to disadvantaged students in Australian universities, data on students with disabilities is sparse. This paper reports the results of a 1996 national survey on students with learning disabilities (LD) in Australian universities. The data collected from disability support staff indicate that in 1996 they supported approximately 1000 students with LD: this group of students comprised 12% of all supported students with disabilities. The gender ratio of supported students with LD did not differ significantly from that of all university students, but the supported students with LD were more likely to be studying part‐time, less likely to be studying for a higher degree, and less likely to be aged under 20 years.     

University reputation and undergraduates’ self-perceived employability: mediating influence of experiential learning activities

ABSTRACT

Stratification, in the form of silent exclusion that is experienced by some groups of students because of the perceived low reputation of the university attended, and which the students have no control over, has been observed as a social menace that works against the concept of equity in education. To address this problem, a need exists for universities with lower reputations to go the extra mile to develop the employability skills of their students, which, in turn, will enhance their self-perception of employability. The major objective of this study was to investigate the influence of experiential learning activities on the relationship between university reputation and self-perceived employability among undergraduates in South African universities. Data were collected by means of an adapted questionnaire from 402 respondents drawn from two universities in the same province in South Africa. To achieve our objective, four hypotheses were formulated and tested through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using AMOS 25. The findings show that both direct and indirect effects of university reputation on undergraduates’ perceived employability through experiential learning activities are positively significant. To minimise the negative effects that universities with low reputations are likely to have on undergraduates’ acquisition of experiential learning, on their self-perceived employability, and subsequently on their employment prospects, the government, the Department of Higher Education and universities (particularly, the low-rated ones in South Africa) need to put in place some timely interventions, some of which are suggested in the study.     

Chinese students' assessment and learning experiences in a transnational higher education programme

Abstract

Chinese universities are increasingly entering into transnational higher education partnerships with institutions in primarily English-speaking countries. With this increase in programmes, there is a growing body of research investigating both policy and practice. Our study contributes insight into how students in a China–Australia programme experienced assessment drawing on theorisations of sustainable assessment. We present findings from interviews with 10 Chinese students who shared stories and reflections of their experiences of assessment and learning that reveal the complex ways students negotiated qualitatively different assessment experiences, while displaying sophisticated levels of agency, between Chinese and Australian universities. In making sense of the interviews in relation to sustainable assessment, we evoke notions of cultural ignorance to illuminate aspects of a cross-cultural ignorance in teaching and learning practices. In doing so, we argue that conversations about cultural ignorance combined with principles of sustainable assessment can create space to support partners to better plan and coordinate for meaningful assessment and learning experiences for students in cross-cultural articulation programmes.     

Inclusion of students with special needs: Benefits and obstacles perceived by teachers in new South Wales and South Australia

Abstract

This study compares the views of primary teachers from South Australia and New South Wales on selected aspects of inclusive education. The questionnaire administered in the study probed the following issues: (i) the numbers and types of students with special needs in inclusive classes; (ii) any benefits that had occurred as a result of including children with disabilities in mainstream classes; (iii) the types of disability or , ‘special educational need’ most difficult to cater for in the regular classroom; (iv) the teachers’ level of satisfaction with the personal and material support available within their schools; and (v) the amount of special education training each teacher received during their pre‐service and in‐service experience. The questionnaire was sent to a representative sample of schools listed in the Disadvantaged Schools and Country Areas Programs in both states. Seventy‐seven (77) responses were received and analysed, comprising forty‐one (41) from teachers in South Australia and thirty‐six (36) from teachers in New South Wales. The overall patterns of responses from teachers in NSW and South Australia were similar. Major findings indicate that approximately one third of teachers in both South Australia and New South Wales report definite benefits associated with having students with disabilities enrolled in their classrooms. However, teachers in both states also report that the major difficulties they encounter are ‘lack of time’, combined with difficulty balancing the demands of all students. Specific obstacles to implementing inclusive practice included class size, lack of appropriate teaching resources, behaviour problems exhibited by some students (resulting in a need for constant behaviour management), and lack of appropriate professional training in inclusive methods. The article discusses these and other factors reported by the teachers. This investigation adds usefully to Australian research into problems and practices associated with inclusion.

Peter Westwood is an Associate Professor in the Department of Education, University of Hong Kong, where he teaches and researches in the field of special education. For twenty‐five years he was a teacher, lecturer and researcher in Australia. He is author of the recent books Commonsense methods for children with special needs (published by Routledge), Spelling: approaches to teaching and assessment, and Numeracy and learning difficulties (both published by Australian Council for Educational Research).

Lorraine Graham is senior lecturer in Special Education at the University of New England. After some years as a primary teacher in Queensland, she completed her Masters and Ph.D. at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. Lorraine is particularly interested in ways to foster the literacy skills of students with learning difficulties. Her current projects focus on cognitive strategy instruction, inclusive education and automatkity in basic academic skills.     

A Scale for Measuring Student Perceptions of Quality: An Australian Asian Perspective

ABSTRACT

Australia is rapidly moving into the globally competitive higher education market. As a consequence the issue of consumer satisfaction and quality is emerging as an area of interest. This paper focuses on the issue of student understandings of quality by developing a consumer derived scale which identifies the quality variables related to student perceptions with the university experience. The scale was derived from focus groups, in-depth interviews and through an examination of the literature. The scale was tested and refined on a cohort of 351 Australian and Singaporean/Hong Kong students studying business subjects at an Australian University. The refined scale comprised 25 quality variables which factored into four orthogonal components. The mean values of the variables and factors were examined to make inferences about how educational marketing practitioners can be assisted.     

Private higher education: challenges for Australia and beyond

Among the chief characteristics of the post‐industrial society are ambiguity and paradox. In Australian higher education, as in other sectors of Australian Society, these have found expression in individualism, private initiative and entrepreneuship.

The ‘privatization’ of higher education now includes the imposition on enrolment charges, the re‐introduction of ‘full cost’ fees, especially for private overseas students, moves towards the deregulation of salaries and conditions of employment of academic staff and the establishment of new ‘self‐contained’ and ‘hybrid’ private higher education institutions.

In response to these developments, debate has tended to centre upon a number of mythologies which inter alia assert that private higher education is new to Australia, that it is foreign to the Western academic tradition and that such education avoids the employment of public funds. Moreover, it is claimed that while private higher education is ipso facto elitist, it will, through competition, result in a more effective and efficient public sector.

The above mythologies are examined in the light of past, present and proposed developments in Australian higher education, with particular note being taken of the establishment of the Bond University in Queensland.     

Concepts in Conflict: Students and Customers–An Australian Perspective

ABSTRACT

Increasingly, pressure is being brought to bear on Australian academics as service providers in the higher education ‘industry.’ Students are attracted to universities by marketing and promotion activities which inculcate the perception that the student is a customer. Furthermore, education is being treated by various governments as a commodity which may be purchased by customers in a free market system. The authors argue that students are not customers in the sense currently recognised by business. An alternative view of the customer base of an institution is put forward. This alternative more effectively accounts for the variety of interests that must be served by the higher education industry.     

The Experiences of International and Local Students at Three Australian Universities

In 1992 international fee‐paying and local students currently enrolled at the three tertiary institutions in South Australia were surveyed by a common questionnaire on students’ study‐related and personal experiences, and issues related to students’ choice and subsequent evaluation of their institution. The breadth of the student sample and the comparative data the questionnaire generated present an overarching view of the experiences and evaluations of a diverse range of university students.

The results of the survey show that while international students experience more problems, and experience them to a more serious degree than their Australian counterparts, the nature of the issues which are of most concern are generally shared. These are concerns about financial issues such as access to Austudy for local students, and the level of fees for international students and the ability to find part‐time work for both groups. The other broad group of issues of concern was study related: workload, fear of failure, loss of motivation, doubts about academic ability, nervousness and tension. Notably, in spite of the differences ‐between the three institutions – the University of Adelaide representing a ‘traditional’ university, Flinders University of South Australia, a ‘1960s’ university and the University of South Australia a ‘post‐1987’ university – the student responses across the three institutions were remarkably similar.

In terms of student evaluations of the quality of the education and services provided, Australian students were consistently more likely to rate aspects of teaching more positively than their international counterparts, but for both groups it was evident, particularly in their comments, that aspects of teaching such as the quality of lectures, accessibility of staff, availability of resources and staff: student ratios were of major concern.

The findings lead to the recommendations that universities could improve both local and international student experience by providing clear information about courses and course expectations, by the provision of effective feedback on assignments, by embedding the teaching of academic skills within courses, by increasing course flexibility to enable students to balance study and earning demands, and by ensuring that student support services are adequately resourced.     

Staffing in a Steady State 1

This article is part of a long‐term study of change in the office and role of vice‐chancellor in Australian universities. Data derived from a social characteristics profile of 46 Australian vice‐chancellors in office in the years 1983, 1973, and 1963 forms a background to the focus of the paper: This presents an interpretative perspective on why scientists have been appointed vice‐chancellor in increased number in Australia as in the U.K. A decline in students enrolling in science until 1983 and the accepted pattern of much scientific teaching and research are included in the explanation. Further research will be required to test whether scientists predominate in vice‐chancellorial appointments made during 1986.     

A complex matter: charitable organisation or corporate institution? A reflection on charity and its applicability in an era of market-driven higher education in Australia

ABSTRACT

Universities represent institutions of learning, research and knowledge but are also not-for-profit charitable organisations delegated the charitable purpose of advancing education and public benefit. Charity law differentiates the obligations, values and philosophies of not-for-profit and for profit organisations. Policy and economic imperatives to reform universities in Australia should raise questions about potential compromises to charity values, social justice objectives and public benefit. The disjuncture between the values of charity and profitability draws attention to issues of public benefit in a market-oriented higher education economy and obligations delegated by charity laws. More research is needed into the investment of charity capital and obligations of public benefit delegated to Australian public universities.     

Approaches to Studying of Australian and Overseas Chinese University Students

This article takes up the question of whether the approaches to study adopted by Australian students and overseas Chinese students differ. Participants in the study consisted of 202 first‐year Australian students and 248 first‐year overseas Chinese students drawn from two Australian universities. The students were tested using the Approaches to Studying Inventory (ASI). The data obtained from the two groups were subjected to factor analysis (with orthogonal rotation). For Australian students, a four‐factor structure in studying approaches, which accounted for 55.6% of the total variance, was obtained. The factors were: Meaning Orientation; Non‐Academic Orientation; Anxious‐Rigid Orientation; and Goal Orientation. For the overseas Chinese students, a four‐factor structure in studying approaches which accounted for 52.8% of the total variance was obtained. The factors were: Anxious‐Surface Orientation; Self‐Motivated Reflective Orientation; Efficiency Orientation; and Comprehension Orientation. Although Cattell's (British Journal of Psychology, II, 1949, pp. 134–138) salient similarity sindex indicated some resemblance between the factors obtained for Australian and overseas Chinese students, confirmatory factor analyses failed to confirm a common factor structure in approaches to studying for both groups. It is concluded that the studying approaches of first‐year Australian and overseas Chinese university students are summarized by somewhat different factor structures. Several implications of the research findings are discussed.     

Cross-Cultural Differences in Student Expectations

ABSTRACT

International students represent a growing market segment for colleges and universities in the U.S. As universities begin to target international students, it will become imperative that university administrators and faculty understand what these students expect once they arrive on campus. The present study, utilizing 686 U.S. and 338 Australian business students was designed to explore university service expectations from a cross-cultural perspective. Results indicate that expectations of Australian students are greater than those of U.S students on three dimensions of service quality. Implications for university administrators and faculty, along with future directions, are discussed.     

From Design and Implementation to Impact of Quality Assurance: An Overview of Some Studies into what Impacts Improvement

Abstract

Access to university has improved following the massification of the Australian higher education sector which started in 1989, with the expansion being funded by a widening of the funding base. In the ten years from 1989, Australian universities enrolled an additional 231,000 students, including an extra 189,000 in undergraduate bachelor degrees. Specific equity policies have further attempted to increase opportunities for students previously excluded from higher education. This paper looks at changes in the composition of the student body, and in the patterns of university funding. Using aggregated national student data sets, some of the changes which have arisen from massification are identified, with particular consideration of designated equity groups.     

International graduates host country employment intentions and outcomes: Evidence from two Australian universities

ABSTRACT

A key attractor for many international students when choosing to study abroad is the prospect of gaining employment in the host country after graduating. From a university’s perspective this becomes an important attraction issue for both maintaining and increasing the number of international students as well as improving graduate employability. A survey was utilised to explore employment intentions and outcomes of international graduate alumni from two Australian universities (n = 511 and n = 648). A comparative analysis between the universities has been undertaken in relation to this and rates of unemployment amongst graduates. The study has coined the term Two-step migration intender for international students/graduates and contributes to a gap in the research in relation to international graduate mobility, career intentions and employment outcomes. The findings have strategic implications for the promotion of Australian higher education to overseas markets and can also inform higher education policy and practice in terms of strategies for promoting international graduate employability.     

A comparative study on student perceptions of their learning outcomes in undergraduate science degree programmes with differing curriculum models

ABSTRACT

This study investigated students’ perceptions of their graduate learning outcomes including content knowledge, communication, writing, teamwork, quantitative skills, and ethical thinking in two Australian universities. One university has a traditional discipline-orientated curriculum and the other, an interdisciplinary curriculum in the entry semester of first year. The Science Students Skills Inventory asked students (n?=?613) in first and final years to rate their perceptions of the importance of developing graduate learning outcomes within the programme; how much they improved their graduate learning outcomes throughout their undergraduate science programme; how much they saw learning outcomes included in the programme; and how confident they were about their learning outcomes. A framework of progressive curriculum development was adopted to interpret results. Students in the discipline-oriented degree programme reported higher perceptions of scientific content knowledge and ethical thinking while students from the interdisciplinary curriculum indicated higher perceptions of oral communication and teamwork. Implications for curriculum development include ensuring progressive development from first to third years, a need for enhanced focus on scientific ethics, and career opportunities from first year onwards.     

Access constraints experienced by physically disabled students at a South African higher education institution

Abstract

Current developments in government law and policies have created the hope that people living with a disability will enjoy the same rights and privileges as the non-disabled. Unfortunately, only 2.8% of disabled persons have access to higher education. The aim of this study was to determine if a group of students, living with a physical disability, experienced constraints with regard to access to a South African higher education institution. This study, following a two-phase sequential mixed method approach, consisted of a questionnaire survey, a focus group discussion, and individual interviews. It was found that students living with a physical disability experienced constraints relating to the accessibility of the relevant higher education institution. Since access constraints affect the lives of students living with a disability, it is necessary to provide guidelines to universities on how to address these challenges.     

Understanding research strategies to improve ERA performance in Australian universities: circumventing secrecy to achieve success

ABSTRACT

Many Australian universities have prioritised improving discipline performance on the national research assessment – Excellence for Research in Australia. However, a culture of secrecy pervades Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA). There are no specified criteria for the assignment of ratings on a 5-point scale ranging from ‘well above world standard’ (5) to ‘well below world standard’ (1). No rationale is provided to institutions for their discipline ratings and university staff on the ERA panels sign confidentiality agreements. However, what is available to universities are the research strategies that each university documents to improve its ERA performance in its Mission-based Compact, a government funding agreement. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the similarities and differences in the research strategies that universities with different performance profiles employ. Following an analysis of the strategies, substantial commonality was identified in strategy use. However, what was different was how universities employed these strategies and the associated contexts.