Institutional Amalgamations and Abolition of the Binary System in Australia under John Dawkins

Under a Federal Labor Government, over the past three years Australian higher education has undergone dramatic and fundamental restructuring and redirection. The programe of reform has been extensive, covering numerous aspects of the structure and work of higher education and how higher education relates to government. This paper concentrates on two aspects – abolition of the binary system, and the dramatic reduction in the number of separate institutions through institutional amalgamations.     

Professional loyalties of university academics: Four ideal types

University academics display a high degree of internal differentiation in terms of their professional interests, diverse roles and divided loyalties. Perceptions from academics at the University of Melbourne regarding these elements are used in this paper to construct a typology which distinguishes four different groups according to their levels of research and institutional commitment. Such typologies serve to highlight not only the essential nature of universities but also the importance of the research culture. Implications of emphasising research are seen to have possible detrimental effects on the functioning of a university and these are addressed.     

Tertiary education and public policy: Australia's response to a changing environment

This paper discusses how tertiary education policy is handled at the national level in Australia, and how effective this approach is today in terms of the considerable future problems to be faced. An assessment is made of both policy successes and policy failures over the last two decades, and brief comments are offered about future prospects.This is a revised version of a paper presented at the conference on A New Order for Tertiary Education in Australia held from 9 to 12 July 1987 at the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education, Toowoomba, Queensland.     

Student selection and admission to higher education:Policies and practices in the Asian region

Student selection and admission for higher education in the Asian region are matters of concern at a time when there is rapid growth in enrolments and mounting pressure for changes, and when public funds are unable to match demands for expansion. This paper provides a broad review of policies and practices in developing and newly industrialised countries of the Asian region, paying particular attention to access, selection, the admission process, equity and links to the labour market. It attempts an evaluation and provides suggestions for policymakers.     

The research grant application process. Learning from failure?

Increasing competition for federal government research funds has resulted in a large number of good projects not being funded. This situation is unlikely to change in the near future and has generated uncertainty and frustration amongst many who are dependent on external funding for their research. In this context it is particularly important that the aims of federal government funding agencies are communicated effectively and that the procedures they establish to allocate research funds are seen as credible by the academic research community. This article reports the results of a survey which investigated the research grant process from the point of view of unsuccessful applicants from four universities for large 1991 initial Australian Research Council grants. The findings identify a number of limitations in the operations of the peer review mechanism as used by this Council and question the adequacy of the advice and instructions provided by the ARC to those nominated to review research proposals. The findings also raise questions concerning how the lists of external assessors are compiled as well as how these external assessors are later matched with individual applications.     

The Research Training Experiences of Doctoral Students Linked to Australian Cooperative Research Centres

This paper reports on the research trainingexperiences of Australian doctoral studentsworking in or funded by Cooperative ResearchCentres (CRCs), notes how their levels ofsatisfaction compare with those of theircounterparts in regular university science andtechnology disciplines and assesses to whatextent the CRC program is achieving its hopeswith respect to PhD training. Findings arebased on data from a survey of all enrolled PhDstudents in two research-intensive universitiesin Australia, together with supplementary datafrom student and supervisor interviews. Findings indicate that in the main, CRC-relatedPhD students fare well compared with theircounterparts in regular university departmentsand that on a number of indicators CRC-relatedstudents recorded higher levels of satisfactionwith their course experience. This situationsuggests that CRCs are playing a significantand worthwhile role in research training inAustralia.     

The Management of Quality Assurance: A Review of International Practice

Current and recent international practice in the management of quality assurance for higher education systems and institutions is reviewed. Particular attention is given to administrative agencies or units with responsibility for the management of quality assurance at both national and institutional levels; whether participation in reviews and other activities is optional or compulsory; the main methodologies employed; the focus of quality assurance activities; the purposes of such activities; and reporting and/or follow-up activities.