Trends in private higher education in Australia

The last decade has witnessed a significant growth of private higher education around the world. The growth included the number of private education providers, and also the growing number of students. While some countries are experiencing trend growth, others are witnessing decline. Some of the reasons for the decline include increased regulation and stringent accreditation and reaccreditation of higher education institutions and courses, government policies to encourage the growth of public universities, and acquisition of small providers by large private education institutions. The growth of private higher education has increased competition, and it has also established collaboration with public institutions. The growth of private higher education has also raised concerns about ethical governance, maintenance of academic standards, and mechanisms to plan, review, and improve educational outcomes. This paper focuses on Australia where despite growth, there is limited research about private higher education. This paper reviews literature on the global growth and decline of private higher education. It then analyses the trends in Australia and possible scenarios for the future of private higher education in the country.     

Maryam Mirzakhani

The article outlines the life and work of Maryam Mirzakhani — the first and the only female winner of the Fields Medal since its inception in 1936. Mirzakhani is an inspiration to young women around the world, to believe in their own abilities and pursue their academic dreams.     

Role of HAMP Genetic Variants on Pathophysiology of Iron Deficiency Anemia

Hepcidin is a 25-amino acid peptide hormone produced by hepatocytes and plays a key role in body iron metabolism. Hepcidin deficiency is the cause of iron overload in hereditary hemochromatosis, iron-loading anemia, and its excess is associated with anemia of inflammation, chronic disease and iron deficiency anemia (IDA). The aims of this study was to evaluate HAMP gene mutation, namely IVS2 + 1(–G) (c.148–150 + 1del) and Gly71 Asp (c.212G > A (rs104894696) association with iron status in IDA conditions. Our study participants were 500 IDA patients and 550 age and sex-matched healthy controls. Hepcidin, ferritin and CRP analysis was done by ELISA method while ESR analysis was done according to Wintrobe method. CBC analysis was done by auto-analyzer. Two mutations in the HAMP genes were analysed by PCR RFLP method. Among the IDA patients, 7 were heterozygous for Met50del IVS2 + 1(–G) mutation. Nine IDA patients were heterozygous for G71D G–A mutation and homozygous were not identified in both mutations.Controls were showing heterozygous frequency 1.8 and 2.1% of Met50del IVS2 + 1(–G) and G71D G–A mutations respectively. Mutation of HAMP (Met50del IVS2 + 1(–G) and G71D G–A) were clinically associated with IDA and act as modulator of disease.     

Usage patterns discovery from a web log in an Indian e-learning site: A case study

An important research area in education and technology is how the learners use e-learning. By exploring the various factors and relationships between them, we can get an insight into the learners’ behaviors for delivering tailored e-content required by them. Although many tools exist to record detailed navigational activities, they don’t explore the learners’ usage patterns for an adaptive e-learning site. The previous web log data analyses, done so far, have been very limited in their scope as they lack detailed empirical results on the learning technology usage. This paper discusses the detailed results of a case study of web data mining in a specific e-learning application. The main objective of this study is to conduct research on usability and effectiveness of the e-content by analyzing the web log. For this, a suitable data set was retrieved from raw web log records, to which various web mining & statistical techniques could be applied. We have evaluated different features of e-content that can lead to better learning outcomes for the learners, by understanding their navigational behaviors, their interaction with system and their area of interest. We found, for example, what sequence of topics were the most liked and the least liked by the learners; we also found that these patterns, lead us to hypothesize, the correlation and regression analysis between the average time, test score and total attempts.     

Equal Opportunity Issues in the Context of the National Curriculum: a black perspective

This article examines the context and content of the National Curriculum documentation published so far within the framework of educational debates on the education of black children (black referring to non‐white). In particular it focuses on the interpretation of equal opportunities, the proposed strategies for implementation within the National Curriculum, and the prospects for success because of the other changes brought about by the 1988 Education Reform Act (ERA). The main conclusion is that in some respects more appears to have been achieved than would have seemed possible in the early stages of the debates relating to ERA; on the other hand, there is a probability that an education system that provides true equal opportunities for groups and individuals currently being denied that will remain more of a hope than a reality. The article concludes that equality of opportunity is still a long way off, especially from a black perspective.     

Goodbye conflict, hello development? Curriculum reform in Timor-Leste

Motivations to reform curriculum in post-conflict, or post-colonial states are often driven by the need to (re) construct a cohesive and publicly legitimated national identity that is starkly different to that which existed prior. This paper explores the context behind such action in the Timor-Leste (East Timor) and some challenges which policy makers and citizens have wrestled with in developing and implementing the country's first post-independence primary curriculum. The author argues that specific aspects of this new curriculum have effectively alienated and/or divided large segments of its population, despite a desire for the reforms to result in a more inclusive, democratic and distinctly “Timorese” educational system. The assertion is that the desire to institute change rapidly after independence has in fact hampered the ability of the reforms to constructively serve the political and social project of nation building. The paper cautions that education's role in promoting human development, and reducing the triggers of conflict in this country hang in the balance as long as this new curriculum fails to deliver on its aspirations.     

The Impact of Quality on Satisfaction,Revenue, and Cost as Perceived by Providers of Higher Education

Researchers have found a strong relationship between improvements in quality and satisfaction, revenue, and cost. However, no study to date investigates the same for higher education. This study investigates whether institutions of higher education have implemented quality improvement programs, and if so, if the results are similar to what has been observed with firms in the private sector. The study proposes and tests five hypotheses, and findings support four of the five hypotheses, with partial support for the fifth hypothesis. The study finds that implementing quality programs leads to an increase in satisfaction among constituent groups, increase in revenue, and a reduction in costs. The findings also show that increased satisfaction (due to improved quality) also leads to increase in revenue and reduction in costs.     

Private for-profit higher education in Australia: widening access,participation and opportunities for public-private collaboration

Private for-profit higher education has grown rapidly in many parts of the world. This growth is attributed to many factors, including a broadening of the student population and the recognition that wider access to higher education will be economically beneficial to individuals, governments and society as a whole. In Australia, the number of students in private for-profit higher education is rising, with dramatic projections for the next 10 years. The Australian government has set a target to increase the participation of students in higher education, with a focus on increasing the access and success of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is unclear, however, what role the burgeoning private for-profit institutions will play in meeting the government's targets, and what incentives will be provided for them to increase the access and participation of students from disadvantaged groups. This paper analyses the key drivers of growth in private for-profit higher education in Australia, and discusses issues around quality and standards. It examines the strengths and limitations of the sector, and the extent to which it contributes to diversity, access and the participation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. It argues that the sector needs clear government directions to improve levels of access, and new government policies to encourage public-private collaborations to help ensure sustainability. The paper also briefly touches on the need for a review into the current structure of Australia's higher education sector as a whole, and whether higher education would benefit from the formation of public community colleges with the explicit aim of widening access for disadvantaged student groups. Further, the paper suggests that encouraging such public-private collaboration may be beneficial to ensure access and participation of students from all walks of life, including disadvantaged groups.     

Lead toxicity as a result of herbal medication

Awareness about the toxic effects of non-essential metals is still lacking in developing countries. Lead is one among them, which ranks second in the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’ s top 20 lists of toxic metals. Some of the herbal medicines prepared from certain roots and leaves are known to contain this toxic metal at alarming levels. We have a case of a person who suffered from the toxic effects of lead such as vomiting and colicky abdominal pain after consuming a herbal remedy for Jaundice treatment. This went unrecognized initially because of the presence of multiple problems like Malaria and Renal calculi. Lead poisoning as causative factor for anemia, vomiting and colic were confirmed only when blood lead concentration was estimated. A combination of chelation therapy and nutritional supplementation was found to be useful in reducing the body lead burden.