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1
Jurczyszyn, Reeny. "Care to Higher and Further Education." Thesis, Griffith University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366834.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is about access to higher and further education for children and young people in out-of-home care. There are almost 40,000 children and young people living in out-of-home care in Australia. They are consistently identified as one of the most vulnerable population groups in society. The low educational attainment of children and young people in out-of-home care compared to their peers has been noted, including low levels of participation in higher and further education. In Australia, there is a lack of data about higher and further education attainment of young people in out-of-home care with no current mechanisms to identify care leaver outcomes after exiting the care system. The few Australian studies which have been conducted show higher and further education attainment mirrors international trends, which show the low education attainment for this group. Post-secondary education, such as TAFE and university, is an important gateway to health and emotional wellbeing, job satisfaction and financial security in adult life. This is one factor that contributes to children and young people who have been in out-of home care persisting as a highly vulnerable population group in society.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Human Services and Social Work
Arts, Education and Law
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2
Rueckert, Caroline M. "Conceptions of care in international higher education in Australia." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2017. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/107901/1/Caroline_Rueckert_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis analyses conceptions of care within the public discourse about international higher education in Australia from 2002-2013. It examines a series of public texts from the period that specifically addressed questions about the 'care' and 'duty of care' that government and institutions afforded to international students studying in Australia. I trace through the conceptions of care that are articulated within these documents, analyse how they both constitute and are constitutive of wider social practices within the period, and posit a new critical model of care to provide a way forward for how we might practice care more effectively within international higher education, both in Australia and elsewhere.
3
Renner, William 1966. "The open learning initiative : a critical analysis of change in Australian higher education, 1990-1997." Monash University, School of Political and Social Inquiry, 2003. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/9353.
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4
Hidaka, Tomoko. "International students from Japan in higher education in South Australia /." Title page, contents and introduction only, 2002. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09AR/09arh6321.pdf.
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5
Cooper, Trudi. "Quality management in Australian higher education : A critical review." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2004. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/842.
Full textAbstract:
Quality management in higher education is a politically contentious issue in Australia. as it is in North America, New Zealand, and many European countries. The Australian government has instituted a quality management system for higher education that it claims will improve university efficiency, accountability and quality. Critics assert that the current quality management system is detrimental to universities and undermines the capability of universities to deliver maximal benefits to individuals and to society. Evaluation of the basis of conflicting claims is necessary to enable decisions about the usefulness of current practices and decisions about whether existing quality management arrangements should be retained, modified and developed, or replaced, or, abolished.
6
Sinclair-Jones, Janet A. "The idea of the university in Australia in the 1990s." Thesis, Curtin University, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/1747.
Full textAbstract:
Over the past ten years Australian higher education has undergone a transformation from a binary structure, marked by a division of 'traditional universities' and colleges of advanced education, to a uniform university structure. This transformation was first proposed in 1987 by the Hon. John Dawkins, Minister for Employment, Education and Training in the Hawke Labor Government. The proposals appeared in the form of a 'Green' policy discussion paper which drew substantial amounts of criticism from the academy, but nonetheless were swiftly transformed into policy as a 'White' paper or policy statement. Since that time, Australian higher education institutions have been subject to a series of changes that have fundamentally changed the patterns of tertiary education provision established over the previous forty years. They have experienced a re-allocation of research funds which has eroded the established advantage of the traditional universities; they have been obliged to accept amalgamations; and, student numbers have expanded at a rate and to a proportion never previously imagined. All of this has been achieved under the banner of improving Australia's place in the highly competitive international economy. The champions of a restructured higher education sector have argued that this competitiveness is greatly dependent upon Australia's ability to improve the scientific and technical base of its human capital: higher education must move towards a more efficient and effective provision of education which will meet the needs of the market.The transformation of higher education has been achieved without the unanimous blessing of the academy. Many of the most strident critics of what have come to be known as the Dawkins Reforms are academics who have expressed dismay at these changes. In particular there has been as strongly argued case that the reforms, with their emphasis on science and technology, mark the end of liberal education in Australia. Australian higher education is now, they declare, the site of mass education based upon a new instrumentalism in which the liberal arts have no significant place.This dissertation takes such criticisms as its focus. In particular it attempts to show that the critique founded upon a defence of the inherent role of liberal education in the Australian university sector has been misguided. Furthermore, the dissertation argues that because so much of the attack on the restructuring policy took this form there was little place for a substantial critical appraisal of the validity of restructuring based upon an imperative of the market.The idea of the university in Australia as one fundamentally defined by liberal education is examined at two levels. First, it is argued that the notion of liberal education used to defend the university against new instrumentalism is an idealised notion which both ignores the historical construction of such an idea at a time when liberalism itself was undergoing transformation, and, wrongly assumes the absence of instrumentalism, within it. Second, the history of the establishment of the university in Australia is reviewed to show that whilst the founders of the universities often had sympathies for the liberal arts, from the outset Australian universities were consistently conditioned by the drive for instrumental education.Higher education policies in the post-WWII era are given particular attention in order to show that mass higher education is no new phenomenon, but the continuation of the drive towards expanded education provision. Just as with the expansion of schooling to mass schooling, a greatly expanded higher education sector has been necessary to fulfil the continued demands of the social democratic consensus. The thesis concludes with the argument that the critique of higher education reforms has been hobbled by the absence of a critical sociology of education which could place the restructuring of Australian higher education in the context of the transformation of social to market democracy.
7
Shanks, Pamela-Anne. "A critical policy analysis of the Crossroads Review: implications for higher education in regional Western Australia." Thesis, Shanks, Pamela-Anne (2006) A critical policy analysis of the Crossroads Review: implications for higher education in regional Western Australia. Masters by Research thesis, Murdoch University, 2006. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/304/.
Full textAbstract:
This work is a critical policy analysis of the Crossroads Review, especially those aspects of it that are most likely to have a significant impact on higher education in regional Western Australia. It aims to understand the place of higher education in regional Western Australia historically with a view to critiquing current policy directions and the potential consequences of Crossroads. The thesis argues that the ideologies of marketisation and corporatisation are driving current higher education policy and this may significantly damage the long-term viability of regional campuses and learning centres as well as public and private funding allocations. The implications for the dismantling of the social contract (or social democratic settlement) in the knowledge economy is an important issue for regional populations for their continued growth, health, education and welfare.
The issues examined here are relevant to regional higher education in this State. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the potential policy effects with regard to accessibility of higher education in regional Western Australia. The thesis analyses the advantages and disadvantages of studying in regional WA in the current policy environment where there has been a dramatic shift in ideology from the welfare state to economic rationalism. Factors that impact on higher education in regional Western Australia include the provision of telecommunications services for access to and participation in the knowledge economy.
The thesis considers the evolution of higher education in Australia in general and more particularly in Western Australia, as it has evolved since its foundations in the mid-nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century. In this time there have been radical changes in higher education in Australia in line with changes to our society and its place in an increasingly globalised environment.
The thesis concludes by considering some possible options for the future such as the development of learning communities and branch campuses. In discussing such possible alternative forms of delivery of higher education to regional Western Australia, this thesis seeks to raise awareness in relevant government bodies and in rural and remote communities of their particular higher education needs. It is hoped also to encourage regional communities to become more confident and pro-active in their own endeavours to gain greater access and equity in higher education.
8
Shanks, Pamela-Anne. "A critical policy analysis of the Crossroads Review : implications for higher education in regional Western Australia /." Shanks, Pamela-Anne (2006) A critical policy analysis of the Crossroads Review: implications for higher education in regional Western Australia. Masters by Research thesis, Murdoch University, 2006. http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/304/.
Full textAbstract:
This work is a critical policy analysis of the Crossroads Review, especially those aspects of it that are most likely to have a significant impact on higher education in regional Western Australia. It aims to understand the place of higher education in regional Western Australia historically with a view to critiquing current policy directions and the potential consequences of Crossroads. The thesis argues that the ideologies of marketisation and corporatisation are driving current higher education policy and this may significantly damage the long-term viability of regional campuses and learning centres as well as public and private funding allocations. The implications for the dismantling of the social contract (or social democratic settlement) in the knowledge economy is an important issue for regional populations for their continued growth, health, education and welfare.
The issues examined here are relevant to regional higher education in this State. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the potential policy effects with regard to accessibility of higher education in regional Western Australia. The thesis analyses the advantages and disadvantages of studying in regional WA in the current policy environment where there has been a dramatic shift in ideology from the welfare state to economic rationalism. Factors that impact on higher education in regional Western Australia include the provision of telecommunications services for access to and participation in the knowledge economy.
The thesis considers the evolution of higher education in Australia in general and more particularly in Western Australia, as it has evolved since its foundations in the mid-nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century. In this time there have been radical changes in higher education in Australia in line with changes to our society and its place in an increasingly globalised environment.
The thesis concludes by considering some possible options for the future such as the development of learning communities and branch campuses. In discussing such possible alternative forms of delivery of higher education to regional Western Australia, this thesis seeks to raise awareness in relevant government bodies and in rural and remote communities of their particular higher education needs. It is hoped also to encourage regional communities to become more confident and pro-active in their own endeavours to gain greater access and equity in higher education.
9
Malik, Mandeep Singh, and n/a. "Exploring the Need for Higher Education in Sales." University of Canberra. Community Education, 2000. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20090609.090420.
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10
Weeks, Patricia Ann. "Facilitating a reflective, collaborative teaching development project in higher education : relections on experience." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 1994.
Find full textAbstract:
A rapidly changing social, educational, political and economic context has meant that there are calls for teaching processes in universities to change from the
traditional didactic, lecture method to a more problem-based, student centered active approach to learning, in order to promote and encourage the development of creative, analytical, flexible, lifelong learning skills in graduates.
In Australia in recent times there has been an emphasis placed on improving the quality of teaching in higher education. Recently teaching in higher education has
been nominated by the Government as an area of national priority. Many universities have responded by establishing Academic Staff Development Units part of whose brief is to assist with the improvement of university teaching practices.
University lecturers are well trained in their own disciplines but it is unusual for them to have received any pre-service formal education in teaching methodology. This study was based in and limited to the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) where teaching is a valued part of the mission, and an Academic Staff Development Unit (ASDU) was established to provide support and assistance to lecturers. Part of the brief of the unit is to provide programs, courses, projects and individual consultation to assist lecturers to make changes and improvements to their teaching practices.
This study explored the processes involved in encouraging lecturers to join and sustain their involvement with a voluntary collaborative, cross faculty teaching development project (TRAC) which promoted an alternative method of teaching development. This teaching development project offered academics an opportunity to move out of the traditional forms of teaching development by becoming
reflective practitioners (Schon, 1983, 1987). The fact that some lecturers were becoming involved and making improvements to their teaching practice by reflecting on and researching their own teaching suggested a need to focus on the processes required to foster and sustain this
involvement.
The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine my process of facilitation in the teaching development project.
The study is descriptive and interpretive, it was designed to reveal the processes involved in facilitating the project. Narrative inquiry was used as the mode of research in this study as it was an appropriate means of understanding an experience in which the researcher was an active participant and for capturing the complexity of improving teaching in higher education. As facilitator of the project the researcher kept a journal and data was collected through a series of unstructured conversations with lecturers involved with the TRAC project.
Observations were made of group meetings and the documents relating to the reflective, collaborative teaching development project were collected. This study aimed to add to the literature on the role and concerns experienced by
the facilitator of a teaching development project in higher education. By engaging in reflective inquiry, the researcher learned more about her role and responsibility
as a teaching developer and the potential promise and possible pitfalls of helping others engage in studying their teaching practice in higher education. She came
to understand more about engaging in reflective practice.
The narrative highlighted the processes involved in facilitating a university-wide collaborative, reflective
teaching development project for lecturers in higher education, which was aimed at improving the quality of university teaching. By giving a detailed analysis of the individual experiences of the facilitator the study provided a portrayal of the barriers to change and the discussion extended to the implications for supporting lecturers in their quest to become "reflective practitioners" or "teacher-researchers" of their own lecture rooms, laboratories, tutorial rooms and studios in order to improve their pedagogic practice.
This study has not aimed to portray a "perfected" process of facilitation, but rather to explore various processes involved in one particular situation. Inquiry into teaching in higher education increasingly focuses on how students learn. While there are many reports in the school sector of teachers examining their own teaching practice, we read very little information about self-reflection either among lecturers or among teaching developers in higher education.
The narrative focused on the exploration of my daily practice. The emerging portrayal was characterised by complexity. In this study, I observed that for lecturers to venture beyond the security of former patterns of teaching, to extend their vision and to engage in the change process to improve their teaching practice, I had to create the opportunities and provide support for lecturers whilst they
became involved in questioning their teaching practice. I had to provide a 'safe haven' as they entered into a process of thinking, talking and writing about their
experiences as lecturers. I found for many lecturers, telling their stories (either through writing or talking) and sharing their concerns with colleagues produced a
remarkably fresh and personalised awareness of the experience of being a lecturer.
11
Kiley, Margaret. "Expectations and experiences of Indonesian postgraduate students studying in Australia : a longitudinal study /." Title page, table of contents and abstract only, 1999. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phk478.pdf.
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12
Addison, Patricia A. "Receptivity to a proposed change in accounting education." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1995. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1196.
Full textAbstract:
This cross-sectional correlation study is concerned with accounting practitioners' receptivity to a propose change in accounting education; specifically, that the existing three year degree course be extended to four years. This change is proposed by the Accounting Profession in Australia. A model of accounting practitioners' receptivity towards the proposed change, at the adoption stage, was revised and adapted from a general model of teacher receptivity to any system-wide change. The revised model has one dependent variable, receptivity, which is measured in three aspects; overall feelings, attitudes, and general behaviour intentions towards the proposed change in accounting education. It has eight Independent variables, and a number of situation variables. These independent variables are; attitudes towards the structure and content of the proposed change, general beliefs about the change based on the expanding scope of accounting practice, overall feelings about the strengths and weaknesses of accounting graduates, overall feelings about alleviating fears and uncertainties of the proposed change, overall feelings about the practicality of the proposed change in the lecture room and tutorial room in two aspects, general behaviour intentions about expectations and achievements for the proposed change, and general behaviour intentions to support instructors and the accounting profession. The relationships between the dependent variables and the independent variables are examined in the context of a number of situation variables.
13
Sinclair-Jones, Janet A. "The idea of the university in Australia in the 1990s." Curtin University of Technology, School of Social Sciences and Asian Languages, 1996. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=11499.
Full textAbstract:
Over the past ten years Australian higher education has undergone a transformation from a binary structure, marked by a division of 'traditional universities' and colleges of advanced education, to a uniform university structure. This transformation was first proposed in 1987 by the Hon. John Dawkins, Minister for Employment, Education and Training in the Hawke Labor Government. The proposals appeared in the form of a 'Green' policy discussion paper which drew substantial amounts of criticism from the academy, but nonetheless were swiftly transformed into policy as a 'White' paper or policy statement. Since that time, Australian higher education institutions have been subject to a series of changes that have fundamentally changed the patterns of tertiary education provision established over the previous forty years. They have experienced a re-allocation of research funds which has eroded the established advantage of the traditional universities; they have been obliged to accept amalgamations; and, student numbers have expanded at a rate and to a proportion never previously imagined. All of this has been achieved under the banner of improving Australia's place in the highly competitive international economy. The champions of a restructured higher education sector have argued that this competitiveness is greatly dependent upon Australia's ability to improve the scientific and technical base of its human capital: higher education must move towards a more efficient and effective provision of education which will meet the needs of the market.The transformation of higher education has been achieved without the unanimous blessing of the academy. Many of the most strident critics of what have come to be known as the Dawkins Reforms are academics who have expressed dismay at these changes. In particular there has been as strongly argued case that the reforms, with their ++emphasis on science and technology, mark the end of liberal education in Australia. Australian higher education is now, they declare, the site of mass education based upon a new instrumentalism in which the liberal arts have no significant place.This dissertation takes such criticisms as its focus. In particular it attempts to show that the critique founded upon a defence of the inherent role of liberal education in the Australian university sector has been misguided. Furthermore, the dissertation argues that because so much of the attack on the restructuring policy took this form there was little place for a substantial critical appraisal of the validity of restructuring based upon an imperative of the market.The idea of the university in Australia as one fundamentally defined by liberal education is examined at two levels. First, it is argued that the notion of liberal education used to defend the university against new instrumentalism is an idealised notion which both ignores the historical construction of such an idea at a time when liberalism itself was undergoing transformation, and, wrongly assumes the absence of instrumentalism, within it. Second, the history of the establishment of the university in Australia is reviewed to show that whilst the founders of the universities often had sympathies for the liberal arts, from the outset Australian universities were consistently conditioned by the drive for instrumental education.Higher education policies in the post-WWII era are given particular attention in order to show that mass higher education is no new phenomenon, but the continuation of the drive towards expanded education provision. Just as with the expansion of schooling to mass schooling, a greatly expanded higher education sector has been necessary to fulfil the continued demands of the social democratic consensus. The thesis concludes with the argument ++
that the critique of higher education reforms has been hobbled by the absence of a critical sociology of education which could place the restructuring of Australian higher education in the context of the transformation of social to market democracy.
14
Bunker, Alison M. "Conceptions of learning identified by indigenous students entering a University preparation course." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2000. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1370.
Full textAbstract:
The increase in Indigenous participation in university courses in recent years has not been matched by an increase in graduation. In the mainstream university population, student success has been linked to approaches to learning, which are linked to conceptions of learning. This study investigates what conceptions of learning Indigenous students identify at the beginning of their university career. Thirty six students completed a 'Reflections on Learning Inventory' developed by Meyer (1995). Nine of these students were interviewed in depth about what they thought learning was and how they would go about it. The interview analysis for each of the nine students was compared with their individual inventory profile. It was anticipated that the use of such complementary methods would increase the validity of the findings, but this was not the case. The participants identified a range of conceptions comparable with those identified by mainstream students, but with a greater emphasis on understanding. However, the descriptions of how learning happens were undeveloped and not likely to result in the kind of learning described. The findings will be useful in making curricula decisions in an Indigenous university preparation course that encourage students to adopt successful strategies for learning. In addition, it will also be useful information for the participants themselves as they become reflective learners.
15
Truscott, Keith. ""More than three "Rs" in the classroom" : a case study in Aboriginal tertiary business education." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2011. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/925.
Full textAbstract:
This was an investigation of factors that assisted Australian Aboriginal students complete or incomplete a business course at a University in Perth between 2000 and 2010. The concept of resilience and related factors of inclusion and exclusion from the participants’ past were assumed clues by the researcher. The investigation involved four inquiries. First, the researcher reviewed recent statistics of Aboriginal population, education and employment. A short history of Aboriginal education in Western Australian was also made. Both reviews indicated Aboriginal people endured relative exclusion and a lower status than the mainstream population in areas of education and employment.
Second, the researcher assumed that a shared interdependency existed between distinct “ethnic groups” (Barth, 1969) in terms of “levels of engagement at the cultural boundaries”. The cultural boundaries consisted of four layers, namely observable behaviour and material artefacts, institutions, values and worldviews (Barney, 1973; P. D. Milnes & Grant, 1999b). At these “cultural boundaries” that the researcher explored, there were more than three “Rs” (i.e. reading, writing and arithmetic) concerns active in the classroom, namely the silent “R”, resilience.
Third, the researcher built upon the theoretical work of Francis’ (1981) ‘teach to the difference’, Nakata’s (1997) idea of ‘cultural interface’ and Milnes’ (2008) concept of ‘meeting place’. The researcher then adapted a new research model called ‘engagement at the cultural boundaries’.
Fourth, the researcher conducted a large case study on four samples. A short life-history interview was made of each sample: 1) a pilot study of a previous business graduate; 2) Aboriginal graduates (n=17); 3) Aboriginal non-graduates (n=13); 4) teaching and administrative staff (n=6). Then the pilot study and three groups of stakeholders were rated with a ‘resilience score’ in terms of their engagement at social and economic boundaries based on their personal, public, training and economic identities.
The researcher concluded that overall ten factors of resilience had assisted the Aboriginal students complete or incomplete the tertiary business course. These ten factors were: a strong self-reference point, sense of community, structured living, strong support network, stakeholders identifying with struggles, significant role models, strong status and a single mindedness to complete the task at hand, skills in crisis management, and a previous history of successful engagement at the cultural boundaries.
Besides the pilot study, the students who completed the tertiary business course had a high resilience score based on previously, strong inclusive engagements at the two key cultural boundaries, the social and economic boundaries. Those students who did not complete the tertiary business course still had a high resilience score, but showed less experiences and examples of inclusive engagement at the overall cultural boundaries prior to and for the duration of the tertiary business course. Teachers of Aboriginal students would do well to discern that Aboriginal students do have a high resilience score overall despite their publicly acknowledged low status and historic loss of economic power. Teachers and key stakeholders in Aboriginal tertiary education also would do well to recognise that some of the ten factors of resilience in Aboriginal tertiary students, especially those resilience factors linked to training and economic identity, require more focus and strengthening. The challenge for all stakeholders of tertiary education is to develop all factors of resilience so that Aboriginal students can experience more inclusion as the latter engage at the tertiary cultural boundary.
16
Xu, Ren-Hao. "Problematising higher education enrolment policy: A comparative case study of Australia and Taiwan." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2022. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/29914.
Full textAbstract:
Over the last four decades, higher education enrolment has been perceived as various types of
‘problems’. Some government, for example, have widened university access to respond to the
problem of growing student demand, while other sought to resolve the problem of an insufficiently
skilled workforce. A robust body of literature has analysed the effectiveness of policies; scant studies
have delved deeper to explore the conceptualisations of the problems themselves.
This thesis examined higher education enrolment policies to better understand how different ideas,
beliefs, and norms could lead to diverse policies. This study used Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem
Represented to be’, and Bartlett and Vavrus’s Comparative Case Study to explore the historicalpolitical
discourses that underpinned the representations of enrolment problems in Australia and
Taiwan.
The study involved 40 interviews with high-profile policy actors in Australia (n=21) and Taiwan
(n=19). It secondarily collected a considerable corpus of archival sources from the two countries
(n=66). The interview transcripts and policy documents were transcribed and analysed using an
inductive approach to generate its themes.
The findings reveal three theoretical and applied implications. First, higher education expansions in
Australia and Taiwan represented a specific domain where individuals and the population,
universities, and the state were intimately intertwined, offering a unique ‘truth’ pronounced by
governments related to their perceived obligations to both widen university provision to respond to
growing student demand and to enhance national competitiveness. Yet, this ‘truth’ was produced
differently according to local contexts. Second, this thesis argues that policies were produced in
tension with extant power/knowledge relations and various historical-political entanglements. Last,
both cases manifested complex governing apparatuses that shaped the rules of how university
enrolments could function.
17
Philpott, Rodger Frank. "Commercializing the university: The costs and benefits of the entrepreneurial exchange of knowledge and skills." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/186730.
Full textAbstract:
The emergence of the global economy has forced the Australian government to revise economic strategies and to seek institutional changes. Higher education's new roles in research and human resource development, have been manifested in university commercialization activities. Mindful that Universities are prestige rather than profit maximizers, this study applies Schumpeter's (1942) theoretical model for the survival of a firm under financial stress. The model's responses, extended to education by Leslie and Miller (1973), include new products, new markets, restructuring, increased productivity and new supply factors. University entrepreneurial activities have monetary and non-monetary impacts. The non-monetary costs and benefits of Australian university enterprise were studied by Leslie (1992) and Leslie and Harrold (1993). In this study, academics at Curtin University of Technology (Perth, Western Australia) were selected as entrepreneurial or non-entrepreneurial subjects and surveyed on the non-monetary costs and benefits of entrepreneurial activities affecting Curtin's teaching, research and public service mission. This data were analyzed and subsequently compared with data obtained by Leslie (1992). Differences in academic perceptions were found among the Curtin respondents by gender, academic status, discipline area, entrepreneurship and non-entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial revenue importance. Using the Leslie data inter-institutional differences were examined and an order of entrepreneurial institutional types proposed, with Curtin University described as a frontier entrepreneurial university. The taxonomy of costs and benefits developed by Leslie (1992) was revised with the addition of personal social costs, stress, networking and professional development. An estimate was made of the dollar value of non-monetary items; non-monetary benefits were three times the dollar value of monetary benefits; non-monetary costs were less than half the monetary cost levels. The ratio of non-monetary costs to benefits was 1:3.5. Academics in the disciplines of engineering and science had more favorable perceptions of entrepreneurial costs and benefits than respondents in business studies. Health science respondents were described as having pessimistic perceptions. Future research may look at the levels of commercial revenue and investigate the effects of the amount of financial success or failure on the entrepreneurial efforts of academics. In university enterprise successes seem to foster success and the favorable perceptions of academics.
18
Meulenberg, Paul Martin Charles, and pmeulenberg@swin edu au. "An investigation into the effectiveness of implementing video conferencing over IP." Swinburne University of Technology, 2005. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20051025.144820.
Full textAbstract:
Nobody really knows with certainty what education using digital video communication technology will be like in the next ten years. The only thing that seems certain is that it will not be like the present. While no one can see into the future, we can research present realities and current rates of change as bases for projecting ahead.
Video conference systems that operate over IP (Internet Protocol) are being implemented in educational organisations, businesses and homes around the globe. Video conference manufacturers inform us that the implementation of such systems and their use is relatively straightforward. This may or may not be the case. This research argues that there is significantly more to implementing video conferencing over IP than simply installing the equipment, training staff and commencing classes. This study reports on an investigation into the effectiveness of implementing digital video conferencing over IP in educational institutions. It specifically looks at this in respect of the desktop and small group user. Research in desktop videoconferencing in education exists but is not abundant, for example, Thompson (1996), Kies et al., (1997), Bogen et al., (1997), Daunt (1999), Davis and Kelly (2002), Davis et al., (2004). With the considerable progress made in IP technologies, more educational providers are moving to use desktop and small group videoconference systems to link to classes and/or students over the Internet. This is a trend that is growing rapidly world-wide. The implementation and application of IP video conferencing in education is under-researched. This study examines three separate case studies to collect the required data. It looks at the processes required to set up effective communications with students and teachers using digital media. It identifies the specific difficulties that need to be overcome, both technically as well as the human factors that are involved. It addresses these issues chiefly as related to desktop users and small groups of participants in particular. In conclusion it also focuses on the design aspects of the video conference equipment and venues used in educational environments. The aim of the research, therefore, is to understand current and future trends of implementing and using video conferencing over IP, in a technical, human and design sense. The research has practical significance for educational institutions, as it provides useful information for students, tutors, technicians and designers involved in digital video conferencing technologies now, and in the years to come.
19
Quann-Youlden, Cathy, and n/a. "Commonwealth Higher Education Policies: Their Impacts on Autonomy and Research in Australian Universities." University of Canberra. Business & Government, 2008. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20081202.151704.
Full textAbstract:
In recent years, the Australian Government's (Commonwealth) relationship to universities has become one of greater involvement as political circles recognise the escalation in the significance of higher education as a key determinant in Australia's economic, social, cultural, and intellectual development. The increasing role of the Commonwealth in Australian universities is largely a consequence of this recognition, but it is also due in part to changes in the way governments approach the public sector and publicly funded institutions.
Both the literature and extensive Commonwealth reports provide an array of details in relation to: what the Commonwealth wants from its universities; why it wants it; what it is doing to ensure that it gets what it wants; and the results of its actions-at least from the perspective of the Commonwealth. But what is missing is how universities themselves perceive the impact of the Commonwealth's increasing involvement in universities. Although academics and managers in Australian universities have much to say about how current and proposed Commonwealth policies affect their working environment they are not given much of a venue to opine. As such there is a lack of literature on how universities perceive the impact of this increasing involvement. This dissertation aims to fill the gap by providing a forum that addresses universities' perceptions of how Commonwealth policies affect their universities.
Specifically, this dissertation sets out to discover if and how Commonwealth policies change universities and focuses on how policies influence autonomy and research in Australian universities through the responses of those who work in the offices of the deputy vice chancellors of research in twelve Australian universities.
One of the most significant findings of the thesis is that the Commonwealth's increasing involvement in universities is viewed by respondents as a consequence of the Commonwealth's mistrust of Australian universities. Furthermore, the Commonwealth is seen as lacking expertise in areas relating to universities-their needs, history, purpose, mission, and how they best relate to and contribute to society-and their need for autonomy. This dissertation offers some insights into perspectives whereby policies built on the Commonwealth's mistrust and lack of expertise in university matters negatively influence autonomy and research productivity in Australian universities. The results indicate decreased productivity which leads to further mistrust that appears to decrease productivity even morea
cycle that respondents fear might be a self-propelling downward spiral. Eight hypotheses and one overarching proposition emerge from the findings. In addition, nine areas are identified as adding to the overall understanding of the affect that Commonwealth policies have on university autonomy and research productivity in Australian universities.
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edu, aruddy@indiana, and Annie Ruddy. "Internationalisation: Case studies of two Australian and United States universities." Murdoch University, 2009. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20090416.20912.
Full textAbstract:
Higher education has undergone significant change as universities have sought to respond to government reforms in a period of globalisation. One major reform that globalisation has introduced is the reduction in state funding for higher education. Universities have turned to other resources to provide funding and one of these is the recruitment of international students. The focus of this thesis is on contrasting the internationalisation policies of two nations, Australia and the United States, by analysing published policies, statistics and carrying out interviews on two campuses. Two universities, one in Australia and the other in the United States, served as case studies to examine the strategies used to implement these policies. Approximately 100 participants were interviewed, including administrators and faculty members, international and domestic students.
Each university featured internationalisation as a goal in its mission statement. By integrating intercultural and global dimensions into the teaching, research and service functions of a university, internationalisation encompasses a multitude of activities that provide an educational experience. While administrators generally stated that the implementation of strategic plans to achieve international goals had been successful, many faculty members, domestic and international students were of the view that international goals were yet to be realised. These contrasting discourses revealed that each university was falling short of achieving its internationalisation goals. Faculty members and domestic and international students expressed dissatisfaction about cultural insensitivity, lack of adequate services that offered housing and emotional/social support, and language barriers. At the same time, each university was achieving some of its internationalisation goals. In conclusion, strategies are suggested that might improve the implementation of internationalisation at both universities.
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Redpath, Adrienne Kay, and n/a. "Graduate Rural Women: Perceptions of the Impact and Import of a University Education." Griffith University. School of Vocational, Technology and Arts Education, 2004. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20041208.104942.
Full textAbstract:
While there is abundant literature about Australian rural women including references to those who have had or wish to have some form of tertiary education, little attention is given to those who are the subject of the present study, graduate rural women, in this case of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The significance of the research emerged from its focus on the experiences of such women, with the purpose of the study being to present an exploration of their previously unrecorded perceptions of themselves as graduates occupying a place in their rural communities - to articulate the impact and import of graduate status for rural women. As understanding the articulations rather than explaining the data was deemed to be more appropriate to the exploration, a qualitative-interpretivist approach was adopted, recognising that a grounded constructivist epistemology would assist in viewing the experiences through the eyes of the participants. Data were collected in the form of written narrative - correspondence via e-mail - which allowed both the participants and myself to revisit and reflect upon each other's comments. The graduate women's comments were wide-ranging, from matters of concern to all country people, to those which were particularly relevant to graduate rural women, such as the perceived value of their own expertise and their experiences in taking up either professional or other roles in the rural context. The depth of thought, the powers of perception, the identification of lines of reasoning, the development of interwoven themes in rural life, and the manner of expression through the articulation of common occurrences, revealed far more than was originally envisaged. From the resultant collation of data it was possible to identify, examine and associate important perceptions which permeated the lives of graduate rural women. An exploration of the term rural and being a rural person in that environment was an important pre-cursor to interpreting subsequent articulations as the meaning of rurality extended the accepted geographical definitions and comparative urban-rural economic and social relationships. With this understanding, remembered experiences embraced the stages of becoming and being graduate rural women in professional practice and in everyday life, evidencing the participants' introspective, positive appreciation of the impact and import of their university education in the fulfilling and rewarding application of their professional skills. The concluding stage involved the graduates' relationship with the members of their rural communities as they attempted to pursue their lives at the level of their confidence and belief in themselves and in the value of their education. Challenging situations were recounted, indicating a schism to be overcome in that association, with male culture and traditional attitudes, the feminist movement and the rural crisis being included in the considerations. The core concepts, upon which the findings of the research were structured, emerged from the participants' articulations to illustrate the stages of becoming and being graduate rural women, both from the introspective and contextual viewpoints. The written narrative articulations of graduate rural women defined their reflective views of self-empowerment through education, countered by the challenges and constraints of social reality in the application of that ability in the rural context of their professional and everyday lives. The previously unrecorded perceptions of this significant section of society have added to the store of knowledge by giving graduate women a voice, a basis for further expression and a collective presence and identity in the rural situation. The future value of this research lies in its dissemination to raise awareness of identified issues and in its invitation to explore a wider sphere of knowledge enrichment beyond its central focus.
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Redpath, Adrienne Kay. "Graduate Rural Women: Perceptions of the Impact and Import of a University Education." Thesis, Griffith University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366713.
Full textAbstract:
While there is abundant literature about Australian rural women including references to those who have had or wish to have some form of tertiary education, little attention is given to those who are the subject of the present study, graduate rural women, in this case of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The significance of the research emerged from its focus on the experiences of such women, with the purpose of the study being to present an exploration of their previously unrecorded perceptions of themselves as graduates occupying a place in their rural communities - to articulate the impact and import of graduate status for rural women. As understanding the articulations rather than explaining the data was deemed to be more appropriate to the exploration, a qualitative-interpretivist approach was adopted, recognising that a grounded constructivist epistemology would assist in viewing the experiences through the eyes of the participants. Data were collected in the form of written narrative - correspondence via e-mail - which allowed both the participants and myself to revisit and reflect upon each other's comments. The graduate women's comments were wide-ranging, from matters of concern to all country people, to those which were particularly relevant to graduate rural women, such as the perceived value of their own expertise and their experiences in taking up either professional or other roles in the rural context. The depth of thought, the powers of perception, the identification of lines of reasoning, the development of interwoven themes in rural life, and the manner of expression through the articulation of common occurrences, revealed far more than was originally envisaged. From the resultant collation of data it was possible to identify, examine and associate important perceptions which permeated the lives of graduate rural women. An exploration of the term rural and being a rural person in that environment was an important pre-cursor to interpreting subsequent articulations as the meaning of rurality extended the accepted geographical definitions and comparative urban-rural economic and social relationships. With this understanding, remembered experiences embraced the stages of becoming and being graduate rural women in professional practice and in everyday life, evidencing the participants' introspective, positive appreciation of the impact and import of their university education in the fulfilling and rewarding application of their professional skills. The concluding stage involved the graduates' relationship with the members of their rural communities as they attempted to pursue their lives at the level of their confidence and belief in themselves and in the value of their education. Challenging situations were recounted, indicating a schism to be overcome in that association, with male culture and traditional attitudes, the feminist movement and the rural crisis being included in the considerations. The core concepts, upon which the findings of the research were structured, emerged from the participants' articulations to illustrate the stages of becoming and being graduate rural women, both from the introspective and contextual viewpoints. The written narrative articulations of graduate rural women defined their reflective views of self-empowerment through education, countered by the challenges and constraints of social reality in the application of that ability in the rural context of their professional and everyday lives. The previously unrecorded perceptions of this significant section of society have added to the store of knowledge by giving graduate women a voice, a basis for further expression and a collective presence and identity in the rural situation. The future value of this research lies in its dissemination to raise awareness of identified issues and in its invitation to explore a wider sphere of knowledge enrichment beyond its central focus.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Centre for Learning Research
Full Text
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Peach, Deborah. "Improving the Provision of Learning Assistance Services in Higher Education." Thesis, Griffith University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365399.
Full textAbstract:
This study is motivated by the need to look continually for ways to improve Griffith University’s learning assistance services so that they meet the changing needs of stakeholders and are at the same time cost-effective and efficient. This study uses the conceptual tools of cultural-historical activity theory and expansive visibilisation to investigate the development and transformation of learning assistance services at Griffith University, one of Australia's largest multi-campus universities. Cultural-historical activity is a powerful theoretical framework that acknowledges the importance of dimensions such as cultural context, local setting, collective understanding, and the influence of historical variables on interactions in settings. Expansive visibilisation is a practical four-stage process that was used in this study to make visible and analysable the work context of the Learning Assistance Unit. The study uses these conceptual tools to illustrate how learning assistance services at the University have moved through several stages of historical development and that historical variables, such as the political setting and physical location of services continue to influence current work practices. The investigation involved gathering data through interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders in order to map the University's Learning Assistance Unit as an activity system that appears to have separated out from the overall activity system of the University. It involved making visible problems and tensions in the activity system, and identifying ways of improving future practice. The study reveals problem clusters and underlying tensions amongst the interacting activity systems of the Learning Assistance Unit, faculty, library and student. These problem clusters relate to different understandings about the purpose of the Learning Assistance Unit and the role of the learning adviser, the difficulties in offering a quality service on a restricted budget, and tensions between contextualised and de-contextualised learning assistance. The study suggests that resolving these tensions depends on staff taking an active role in critically examining their practice, in particular the way that they collaborate with key stakeholders in the learning environment. The dissertation concludes by suggesting that one way forward is to expand the activity system on its socio-spatial, temporal, moral-ideological, and systemic-developmental dimensions (Engeström, 1999c).Thesis (Professional Doctorate)
Doctor of Education (EdD)
School of Cognition, Language and Special Education
Full Text
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Stanford, Sue-Ann. "The Non Self-accredited Institution: Private Higher Education Providers in Australia: An Explication and Explanation." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2018. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/21666.
Full textAbstract:
This study takes up the point that it requires a certain kind of educational institution to deliver a certain kind of education to ask why do we have private higher education in Australia, what is the non self-accrediting institution (NSAI) and what type of so-called ‘non-university’ higher education are they providing students? The purpose of this study is to explore why Australia has the ‘private’ higher education sector it does and to provide an account for its existence and growing presence from 1980 to 2010/2018. This study is timely given increased policy directions for an ‘inclusive and seamless tertiary education sector’, the anticipated rise in enrolments in ‘private’ higher education and discussion and debate on the costs associated with providing higher education in a neoliberal state. The study is undertaken as a qualitative case study, and includes a detailed exploration of related policy during the period of the study. Based on a critique of the uses of Levy's typological system to describe Australia's non-university sector, a new localised and contemporary typology for Australia's NSAIs was developed to contribute to the explication and explanation for the growth in numbers of NSAIs.
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Roche, Vivienne Carol. "Razor gang to Dawkins : a history of Victoria College, an Australian College of Advanced Education." Connect to digital thesis, 2003. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00000468.
Full text
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Jay, Jenny. "The use of digitised video of experienced teachers at work in preservice teacher education." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2005. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1703.
Full textAbstract:
This portfolio describes an action research study designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning in an undergraduate teacher education course. It will describe the process of the initial implementation of an online module containing video segments of teachers at work. Use of the Internet and high quality digitised video has been combined to increase the number of classrooms preservice teachers can observe. Is it the answer to improving the depth of understanding of teacher's work and creating a higher level of reflective practice in undergraduates attending a teacher education program? The study examines the experience of a team of university lecturers and tutors and 232 first year undergraduate students when an online module was introduced into their first year general educational studies unit. In particular the study will investigate how the use of 'high tech' software provided frequent, relevant opportunities for viewing teachers at work and whether they have implications for future teacher training institutions. The presentation of the study in digital form is an innovative way of presenting the results of an action research study. The digital format enables the display of information and evidence not normally available in a print format.
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Goldacre, Lisa A. "Consumers of Higher Education in Australia : do the unfair contract term provisions in the Australian Consumer Law provide effective protection for students as consumers of educational services?" Thesis, Curtin University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/1018.
Full textAbstract:
Extensive consumer protection legislation has existed in Australia for nearly four decades. The new Australian Consumer Law (‘ACL’) in schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (‘CCA’)1 is the most significant change to consumer rights since the introduction of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) (‘TPA’). Over a corresponding period of time, the landscape of the higher education sector has been transformed into a culture of consumerism with the student at the centre as the consumer. However, students have seldom sought redress in relation to infringement of their rights as consumers under consumer protection legislation and more rarely successfully. It is recognised that some rights do accrue to students as consumers of educational services under the ACL, principally with regard to promotional activities of higher education institutions (‘HEI’).2 It is not certain that the ACL can provide effective protection for students as consumers of educational services beyond this known application to address issues regarding the nature of the service provided. This research is specifically concerned with whether the introduction of an Unfair Contract Terms (‘UCT’)3 regime in the ACL overcomes identifiable barriers faced by students using consumer protection as a means to ensure they receive services as promised and advances their rights as consumers.The ACL saw the introduction of an UCT regime, which previously had only existed in limited jurisdictions in Australia, notably Victoria, as a means of protection in consumer contracts. Now any term in a consumer contract that is an unfair term as defined under the ACL is void. The application of these provisions in the context of the student as a consumer of educational services will require first an assessment of whether there exists in Australia a contract between the student and HEI. Further, for the UCT to apply, the student–HEI contract must be a ‘standard form’ ‘consumer contract’4, for ‘services’ occurring in ‘trade or commerce’5. Importantly the analysis will identify any connection between the UCT provisions regarding substantive unfairness and the protection this affords students in the context of the provision of educational services, such as the design and delivery of courses, as distinct from promotional activities.Ordinarily, claims concerned with the nature of the educational service provided are considered matters that involve questions of academic judgement. Courts have been consistent in their reluctance to examine matters relating to the exercise of academic judgement and accordingly such matters are considered non-justiciable. The significance of the UCT provisions is that rather than just focusing on procedural unfairness, they attempt to deal with substantive unfairness.6 In the context of the student–HEI contract and provision of educational services, the UCT provisions have the potential to ensure that the student–HEI contract does not contain terms that are substantively unfair. Consequently, HEIs may now be obliged to provide educational services in a manner students might reasonably expect upon entering the student– HEI contract. Thus the new UCT regime may deal with claims concerning the provision of educational services more effectively than other actionable rights that require the court to examine matters of academic judgement in relation to the nature of educational services provided. The analysis will evaluate the implications for the higher education sector and make recommendations for change in the current practice.
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Peach, Deborah, and n/a. "Improving the Provision of Learning Assistance Services in Higher Education." Griffith University. School of Cognition, Language and Special Education, 2004. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20040319.163140.
Full textAbstract:
This study is motivated by the need to look continually for ways to improve Griffith Universitys learning assistance services so that they meet the changing needs of stakeholders and are at the same time cost-effective and efficient. This study uses the conceptual tools of cultural-historical activity theory and expansive visibilisation to investigate the development and transformation of learning assistance services at Griffith University, one of Australia's largest multi-campus universities. Cultural-historical activity is a powerful theoretical framework that acknowledges the importance of dimensions such as cultural context, local setting, collective understanding, and the influence of historical variables on interactions in settings. Expansive visibilisation is a practical four-stage process that was used in this study to make visible and analysable the work context of the Learning Assistance Unit. The study uses these conceptual tools to illustrate how learning assistance services at the University have moved through several stages of historical development and that historical variables, such as the political setting and physical location of services continue to influence current work practices. The investigation involved gathering data through interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders in order to map the University's Learning Assistance Unit as an activity system that appears to have separated out from the overall activity system of the University. It involved making visible problems and tensions in the activity system, and identifying ways of improving future practice. The study reveals problem clusters and underlying tensions amongst the interacting activity systems of the Learning Assistance Unit, faculty, library and student. These problem clusters relate to different understandings about the purpose of the Learning Assistance Unit and the role of the learning adviser, the difficulties in offering a quality service on a restricted budget, and tensions between contextualised and de-contextualised learning assistance. The study suggests that resolving these tensions depends on staff taking an active role in critically examining their practice, in particular the way that they collaborate with key stakeholders in the learning environment. The dissertation concludes by suggesting that one way forward is to expand the activity system on its socio-spatial, temporal, moral-ideological, and systemic-developmental dimensions (Engeström, 1999c).
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Dooey, Patricia. "Issues of English language proficiency for international students." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2005. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/628.
Full textAbstract:
In the last 20 years or so, there has been a phenomenal increase in the number of international full-fee paying students applying to study in Australian universities, The revenue provided in this way has helped to address the problems faced by cash-starved universities facing recurring funding cuts over the same period. Furthermore, the presence of such students on any university campus provides immeasurable enrichment to the student body in terms of cultural diversity and research potential, and indeed it is very tempting in an ever,-increasing global market, to be as flexible as possible with prospective international students. However, the process of admission also demands careful consideration on the part of the various stakeholders involved. Although several factors need to be taken into account, the most obvious and certainly of primary importance would be the need to prove proficiency in the English language, Given that English is the dominant means of communication in the university, all students are required to draw from a complex web of linguistic resources to construct meaning and to complete the range of tasks required of them during their tertiary studies, This volume deals :with the overarching theme of issues of English language proficiency for overseas students studying in an Australian university. This focus can be viewed from many angles, and there are certainly many key facets involved, a selection of which is explored in the papers of the portfolio. These include the following broad areas: recruitment and admissions, language testing and technology, curriculum and inclusivity, English language support, academic conduct and finally the specific needs of international students, as viewed from their own perspective.
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Abednia, Arman. "Teacher identity construction in a TESOL Graduate Certificate of Education in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2018. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2078.
Full textAbstract:
This research project explored the potential of a second language teacher education course for fostering teacher identity negotiation. It was found that classroom conversations provided a rich space for teacher identity negotiation; however, no substantial changes were observed in most aspects of their identities during the course, except for a growth in a few teachers’ selfconfidence. The implications are that conducting teacher education in an interactive manner is highly beneficial, but deeper engagement with practice of teaching is recommended. These insights should facilitate positive outcomes for teacher education programs.
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au, Editech@iinet net, and Pamela-Anne Shanks. "A critical policy analysis of the Crossroads Review: Implications for higher education in regional Western Australia." Murdoch University, 2006. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20061019.134304.
Full textAbstract:
This work is a critical policy analysis of the Crossroads Review, especially those aspects of it that are most likely to have a significant impact on higher education in regional Western Australia. It aims to understand the place of higher education in regional Western Australia historically with a view to critiquing current policy directions and the potential consequences of Crossroads. The thesis argues that the ideologies of marketisation and corporatisation are driving current higher education policy and this may significantly damage the long-term viability of regional campuses and learning centres as well as public and private funding allocations. The implications for the dismantling of the social contract (or social democratic settlement) in the knowledge economy is an important issue for regional populations for their continued growth, health, education and welfare.
The issues examined here are relevant to regional higher education in this State. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the potential policy effects with regard to accessibility of higher education in regional Western Australia. The thesis analyses the advantages and disadvantages of studying in regional WA in the current policy environment where there has been a dramatic shift in ideology from the welfare state to economic rationalism. Factors that impact on higher education in regional Western Australia include the provision of telecommunications services for access to and participation in the knowledge economy.
The thesis considers the evolution of higher education in Australia in general and more particularly in Western Australia, as it has evolved since its foundations in the mid-nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century. In this time there have been radical changes in higher education in Australia in line with changes to our society and its place in an increasingly globalised environment.
The thesis concludes by considering some possible options for the future such as the development of learning communities and branch campuses. In discussing such possible alternative forms of delivery of higher education to regional Western Australia, this thesis seeks to raise awareness in relevant government bodies and in rural and remote communities of their particular higher education needs. It is hoped also to encourage regional communities to become more confident and pro-active in their own endeavours to gain greater access and equity in higher education.
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Williams, Helen Margaret. "Curriculum conceptions of open learning : theory, intention and student experience in the Australian Open Learning Initiative." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 1995.
Find full textAbstract:
This thesis addresses the need to clarify the meaning of the open learning concept. It does so from a curriculum perspective and with a particular focus on curriculum
control. The reason for this is that open learning is said to involve control of curriculum by learners. The study draws on curriculum theory to identify three alternative conceptions of curriculum which are used as alternative ways of considering open learning. Thus,open learning is examined as an element of social theory, as an intended curriculum and as a perceived student learning experience. The analysis is facilitated by the development of a suite of analytical tools, comprising curriculum code theory and
the concepts of frame and decision-making space. Students are considered as curriculum decision-makers in order to investigate their latitude for curriculum control from their own perspective. By comparing the three conceptions of open learning listed above as they apply to a particular case of open learning provision, by analysing that case in terms of the suite of analytical tools and by considering the relevant historical and socio-cultural context, a new theory of open learning is generated. In the first instance, the three curriculum conceptions of open learning are applied to the Australian Open Learning Initiative. The methodology is based on a research philosophy of realist-coherentism. Theory on open learning, which is generic and
inclusive of a wide range of views, is analysed and reviewed. Three major categories of theory on open learning (descriptive, prescriptive and explanatory) are considered.
The intended curriculum of the Initiative is then detailed primarily from documentary evidence with support from key informant interviews. Students' curriculum experiences are studied by means of a series of telephone interviews with
a targeted sample of 44 students registered for units of study with Open Learning Australia (the Open Learning Agency of Australia) in the first study period of 1993.
Comparing theory on open learning with the evidence of the intended curriculum and student experience indicates that a technocratic approach to opening access, rather
than learner control of curriculum, is the central feature of this case. Learner-centred features of the curriculum and learner control are not primary aims but rather the byproducts of increasing participation primarily through flexibility in the location and timing of study and an open entry policy. Students are seen to be essentially
curriculum-takers with curriculum structures acting as strong frames on their decision-making. In relation to its context, the Initiative is seen as a pragmatic
response to economic and political pressures to expand participation in higher education and to have implications for centralising control of higher education.
It is proposed that open learning is understandable as a manifestation of educational democratisation. Rather than being a novel post-Fordist or neo-Fordist form of
education, it is argued that open learning is a continuation of longer term,
progressive educational trends. Open learning is distinctive from earlier progressive educational movements in its adult focus and use of communications technologies. It is suggested that, in the post-industrial era, pressures associated with the attainment of mass higher education are inducing reforms at that level similar to reforms
previously enacted in primary and secondary education as these reached mass levels of provision. Evidence for this interpretation extends beyond the Australian case and
includes parallels between open learning and the reforms characteristic of democratisation as well as historical data on the expansion of opportunities for adult
education. In terms of curriculum code theory, open learning is seen as an expression of the
rational curriculum code. This suggests an amendment to curriculum code theory to acknowledge a lag in the implementation of certain codes at post-secondary level in
comparison with schooling. If the patterns previously observed in school education continue to be followed, state intervention is likely to involve further technocratic
and internalised controls at this level.
The new theory implies that a systems wide, rather than a piecemeal, approach to the development of national systems of open learning is needed. In Australia, this means
fully integrating the Initiative within the Unified National System of Higher Education and making its funding base and systems of student support more equitable with conventional provision. The study identifies the learners' context as a significant but previously unacknowledged constraint on students' decision-making and learner control of curriculum. It notes that transfer of control over entering a program of study is not automatically conferred by an open admissions policy but is, instead, dependent on
providers meeting the information needs of students.
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Foreman, Emma. "A Study of Higher Education Scholarships as a Workforce Incentive for the Community-Managed Mental Health Sector." Thesis, Griffith University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365376.
Full textAbstract:
With Australia’s mental health support needs increasing, non-government serviceproviders are in high demand to deliver community-managed mental health support services. Despite this demand, there is limited research into the features of the community-managed mental health workforce, particularly in relation to career pathways, professional development opportunities and effective recruitment and
retention strategies to support the growth of this industry.
In 2013 and 2014, the Queensland Government funded 19 scholarships for the Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice or Master of Mental Health Practice at Griffith University in Queensland. The intention of the scholarships was to contribute to the development of the community-managed mental health workforce through the provision of university qualifications. By supporting the enhancement of mental health skills and knowledge in the sector the scholarships have a threefold purpose: maintaining the commitment and desire of people to work in the sector, attracting skilled individuals, and supporting quality service provision to people with poor mental health.Thesis (Masters)
Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
School of Human Services and Social Work
Arts, Education and Law
Full Text
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Rossiter, Darien Elizabeth. "Embedding e-learning in universities : analysis and conceptualisation of change processes." Queensland University of Technology, 2006. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16223/.
Full textAbstract:
E-learning has acquired the status of a "radical innovation" in higher education over the past decade. This claim is contestable, but certainly as the latest educational innovation, it can be attributed with introducing significant disruption into many facets of university life, reaching well beyond the traditional activities associated with the classroom pedagogies. In Australian universities, there are many now who simply take e-learning for granted as accepted teaching and learning practice (Oliver, 2004). Conversely, there are others who forecast its demise, claiming that, like previous educational technological innovations, it is another passing fad (Noble, 1998b). This thesis does not primarily engage this debate. Instead the purpose of this thesis is to gain insight into how universities can realise sustained benefits from the considerable investments to date that have been made in educational technological innovations. The inquiry seeks to understand better change within contemporary universities, in particular the process of embedding the e-learning innovation effectively. The intention is to produce an analysis useful to university executives, managers, teachers and researchers, as well as to make a more general contribution to knowledge about innovations in organisations. The research literature on change and innovation in organisations is relevant but is reviewed and assessed as of limited value to the enquiry. This is because: * the literature mainly focuses on the objective characteristics of an innovative product which cannot encompass the socially constructed value of e-learning * it fails to differentiate between the concept of "embedding" and other change phases and constructs, mostly examining the precursory and innovation-producing processes * the context of research into innovation has been primarily industrial, not university-based * its variable analytic paradigm fails to produce holistic analyses which can be appreciated and enacted on by decision makers and practising managers. For these reasons and because suitable research on innovation in universities is lacking, an introductory investigation based on grounded theory building was undertaken. To this end, four qualitative, descriptive case studies of contrasting Australian universities embedding e-learning were compiled. The four case universities (their identities protected through use of pseudonyms) assessed were: * Gamma University - a multi-campus institution, geographically spread across urban and regional locations * Lambda University - an established university, with the majority of students located at a single urban campus * Epsilon University - a younger, multi-campus amalgamated university with a strong reputation for distance education * Delta University - a relatively young multi-campus, urban university, although its parent bodies provide a longer history. The cases were based on interviews and focus group sessions with 74 participants, and electronic resource and document analyses over two phases; the first conducted in 1998-1999 and the second in 2002-2003. These analyses provided holistic pragmatic accounts that encapsulate a number of issues. One issue was about the importance of creativity in the innovating process. A second set of issues centred on the theme of complexity and the multifarious nature of the e-learning innovation. Other themes included the significance of the innovation context, partnerships and collaborations, and the emerging polarisation of issues such as standardisation versus diversification. These issues provoked three major propositions about the process of embedding and prompted the development of two systems-based analytical frameworks; one focusing on the nature of system relationships and interactions and the second providing a longitudinal perspective of system change. The propositions are: * the ability of a university to negotiate system intersections and transitions influences the degree to which e-learning can be embedded in that university * complexity is an integral part of an innovation, therefore cannot be ignored or eliminated without destroying the kernel of the innovation itself, and its longterm viability * the efficacy of the innovation is related, in some measure, to the ability to sustain partnerships and collaborations. The analysis suggested that there are number of key influences which affect the embedding process and the ability of an organisation, such as a university, to manage the processes associated with the e-learning innovation. The key system influences which affect embedding include: * the nature of the interactions and transactions occurring within the system, at the boundaries and between the phases of transition * the importance of organisational context (cultural, technological, strategic, geographic) * the pervasive impact of complexity on all dimensions of the research problem (the e-learning innovation, the change process and the university environment) * the necessity for collaboration. The implications of this study for university executives, managers and beyond are far reaching, and in some respects contradict accepted contemporary management practice. They include: seeking ways to maximise organisational tensions to achieve positive outcomes; enhancing decision making by allowing more flexibility and personal judgement into the process; developing greater tolerance for system fuzziness and uncertainty; and encouraging better utilisation of previous knowledge gained about innovation practices and processes.
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Cruickshank, Mary T., of Western Sydney Hawkesbury University, and Faculty of Management. "Developing a quality culture within a school of nursing in higher education." THESIS_FMAN_XXX_Cruickshank_M.xml, 2000. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/604.
Full textAbstract:
During the past decade, nurses in the clinical setting have began making a paradigm shift from Quality Assurance to Total Quality Management, or as it is commonly referred to within health care facililties, Continuous Quality Improvement.In contrast, scant attention has been paid to quality management practices in nursing in the higher education sector. This study provides an applied example of where it investigates quality management practices in the context of organisational culture and human resource management with the aim of developing a quality culture model for a school of nursing in higher education.The research study that was conducted produced several major findings from the views of nurse academics who participated in it. Several issues associated with nurse academics' opinions of quality management practices utilised in schools of nursing have been unravelled.The fundamental issue is that procedures and policies formulated for nurses in the hospital setting do not serve the needs of nursing education.The most crucial factor to be considered in policy developments and future research is that it needs to be contextualised in the culture of nursing in higher education.It has become imperative that a transparent quality culture reflects contemporary nursing in Australia and the proposed model in this thesis provides nurses with an opportunity to shape a quality system for the nursing profession.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Eedle, Elizabeth Margaret, and n/a. "Resoure allocation in selected Australian universities." Swinburne University of Technology, 2007. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20070828.164416.
Full textAbstract:
Australian universities are multi-million dollar operations employing tens of thousands of people. They attract revenue from a variety of government and non-government sources, and yet, as non-profit organisations they are judged by governments, peers and their communities on their performance in teaching and research rather than on a financial bottom line.
In order to achieve these results, university managers must make decisions on how to allocate available funding throughout the university. Faced with competing demands on scarce funds, how do university managers make these choices? One option is to use a resource allocation model to 'crunch the numbers'. Resource allocation models can incorporate a number of elements - student and staff numbers, weightings and performance data, for example - to allocate available funds. These allocation models are used in different ways in different universities, but serve the same basic purpose of assisting decision-making on how much to allocate to different sections of the organisation. Such models operate within a process and context that includes the strategic aims of the University, the organisation structure, its committees and culture.
This thesis contains case studies of resource allocation models and processes used in three Australian universities. It examines the methods used for resource allocation at the first and second levels within each university; that is, from the Vice-Chancellor to Dean (or equivalent), and from Dean to Head of School (or equivalent). Observations and conclusions are drawn on the models used, the processes surrounding the models, and the continuity between the two layers of allocations.
The research finds all the case-study universities operate models at multiple levels in their organisations, and that there is a concerning lack of consistency and flow-through at these different levels. The messages that the university leadership intends to send through the allocations may be lost to managers one-process removed from them. The research also concludes that transparency is the most important element of the resource allocation process. University staff dealing with allocation processes will accept the results, even if they are not ideal, if they can understand how and why decisions were made.
As a professional doctorate thesis, the aim is to provide a practical aid to people with responsibility for resource allocation in universities.
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Chowdhury, Md Raqibuddin. "Globalisation, international education and the marketing of TESOL: student identity as a site of conflicting forces." Monash University. Faculty of Education, 2008. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/68680.
Full textAbstract:
This study provides a critique of institutional discourses that are informed by race, culture and identity, learning constraints and particular constructions of English and offers ways of thinking that encourage multiplicity and complexity. Its principal aim is to probe issues relating to the identity formation of international TESOL students in the context of the globalisation of international education. To achieve this aim, the study poses questions about the commodification of the TESOL machinery through marketing programmes and its impact on international TESOL students. In addressing these questions the study considers Australian universities’ marketing practices, the discursive representation of international students by these universities and the government, as well as wider matters of educational policy. The research draws on poststructuralist and postcolonial theories, particularly on selected aspects of the works of Foucault and Said and in so doing demonstrates the usefulness of such theories for exploring issues associated with international TESOL students. Taking from these theorists the concepts of power/knowledge, subjectivity, identity and agency, it also incorporates the work of cultural theorists such as Althusser and Hall. The participants were drawn from a wide range of cultural, linguistic and professional backgrounds, enrolled in Masters of TESOL at Australian universities. Through dialogic sessions with them and documentary analysis the discursive practices of the university sites were examined. So too were the subjectivities of students, as they became involved in the various activities of the institution in which they were enrolled, before, during and after their studies. Overall, the analysis reveals how the subjectivities of international TESOL students are constructed both by the university and the students themselves. The students’ accounts of their experiences broadly conflicted with the sweeping claims made by certain institutes, as well as by the dominant knowledges of marketing, international education and globalisation. The analysis shows how the subjectivities of international TESOL students are constructed by both the university and by the students themselves. It also shows how economics has become firmly entrenched in a market discourse and overall how international students are inscribed within policy shifts. The academic welfare, teaching and learning processes of the university indicated little awareness of the fluidity of culture and language or hybridity of its international students. A consequence of this myopic vision of the university is that students are subjected to constricting, divisive and exclusionary discursive practices that fail to properly acknowledge their complex histories, subjectivities and professional aspirations. An identity has been created for them that is not only superficial but also inaccurate. The findings point to the benefits of examining through a Foucauldian analytic such discursive practices of the institution alongside the subjectivities of students. The approach adopted in the research points to the possibility of moving beyond the current reductionist dualisms and binaries to the adoption of educational and institutional practices that recognise students’ hybridity and syncretic subjectivity. In such a space, the meaning of ‘international students’ and the institutional and educational policies and practices designed for them might be renegotiated. The study concludes that if the goal of genuine internationalisation is to be achieved, there is a need for significant institutional change.
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Wang, Jie, and n/a. "Is tourism education meeting the needs of the tourism industry? An Australian case study." University of Canberra. n/a, 2008. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20081211.112039.
Full textAbstract:
Despite the rapid growth in the provision of tourism higher education in the past 40 years,
uncertainties remain about the content and nature of tourism degrees and how these are
aligned with the needs of the tourism industry. Some research has been done on tourism
higher education curriculum design, but the extent to which tourism higher education meets
industry needs has not yet been closely investigated. This study aims to ascertain whether a
gap exists between what education institutions provide in their undergraduate curricula in the
way of tourism knowledge and skills sets, and what knowledge and skills sets are required by
the tourism industry.
A conceptual framework was developed to outline the research process, which involved two
steps. First, content analysis of tourism curricula was conducted as the preliminary research.
A list of 34 subject areas was synthesised from all core subjects offered in tourism courses in
a sample of Australian universities according to subjects? titles, themes and detailed
descriptions. A list of 27 skills and abilities was identified by collating university generic
skills and tourism discipline attributes from these institutions. Based on the study of tourism
curricula, two web-based surveys were then designed and distributed in order to investigate
the respective perceptions of industry professionals and academic providers on the subjects
and skills sets necessary for tourism employment.
In analysing the data, perceptions about the subjects and skills sets were compared between
tourism industry professionals and academic providers. Importance- performance analysis,
gap analysis, and SPSS statistical tools were applied to analyse this data.
The study found considerable variance between the views of industry professionals and
academic providers in Australia. Their views vary firstly on the relative value of tertiary
degrees for tourism professionals; secondly, on the relative merits of skills and abilities
needed to work in the tourism sector; and thirdly, on the relative merits of various subjects
taught at university. These findings establish the existence of a gap between the existing
tourism curriculum at university level, and the needs of the tourism industry. The findings of
this study also provide evidence to suggest that tourism higher education provision should not
be isolated from real practice and that those involved in curriculum design should work
closely with industry representatives to ensure a strong connection between theory and
practice, thus improving the likelihood that graduates of tourism higher education courses will
graduate with knowledge and skills sets which are closely aligned with the needs and
expectations of the tourism industry
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Jones, Megan Dymphna. "Remembering academic feminism." Phd thesis, Department of Gender Studies, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7020.
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Gopalkrishnan, Caroline, and n/a. "The Colours of Diversity: Women Educators Turning the Gaze onto Australian Universities." University of Canberra. Education & Community Studies, 2006. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20081009.095141.
Full textAbstract:
The internationalisation of universities has attracted significant political and even
media attention, as well as internal focus. Concurrently, global discourses evolving
around the notion of borders, terrorism, security and identity have taken on a renewed
significance. Today, the articulation of identities has significant and even dire
consequences for many people living in different parts of the world. In Australia, too,
the matter of what it means to be ethnic, indigenous, non-indigenous or mixed-race is
highly contested, controversial and for some groups of people, in particular contexts,
even dangerous. In Australian higher education, the term international is commonly
used to refer to the other - citizens of other countries (including those who visit our
educational institutions). They are seen as the global citizens and we are not. Cultural
diversity is widely celebrated and legislated through the Commonwealth
Government?s Living in Harmony policy. Yet there is a dearth of knowledge and/or
discussion around members of staff who are different in our own universities. This
raises questions about how we come to differentiate between us and them in an
Australian socio-historical context, understanding how race and ethnic difference is
made salient in identification, and the knowledge production process.
This is a small-scale, in-depth qualitative study, which addresses a significant gap in
the literature on higher education by focusing on the experiences of four women
educators of colour, each of whom has brought with her a complex collage of
diasporic experiences, histories, identities and ways of knowing. By employing a
multi-race/ethnic dialogic methodology and a research conversation method, the study
presents the women?s experiences in narrative form, integrating the autoethnographic
writing of the researcher with the women?s stories about difference. The inquiry
provides new insights into what race and ethnic identity mean to the women in an
everyday, professional and ethical practice context.
The women?s stories are not of the traditional career or romantic multicultural kind,
but reach into the realms of the personal, political, philosophical and spiritual
dimensions of human experience. As they traverse the political terrain of the
Academy, the women have looked within and outside the university, navigating
multiple identities to make sense of their work. By documenting four women?s
experiences that have never been documented before, this small-scale study provides
basic research for others to build on.
This research affirms the salience of race and ethnicity in the university and the new
higher education knowledge creation ethos. The study reveals there is little current
evidence that Australian universities are capitalising on and applying opportunities
provided by research on race, ethnicity and difference to higher education debate and
reform. The women?s stories reveal that the issue of under-representation of women
of colour is not unique to the university, but is reflective of the powerful and
constitutive impact of discourses of race and difference in Australian society. By
highlighting the issues of who has the power and authority in the university to
determine what counts as a valid identity and how identity and knowledge boundaries
are policed within the Australian university, this research raises questions about the
wider implications of epistemological racism embedded in university practices in
relation to governance, curriculum, policy, teaching and learning. Through its
development and exploration of a multiple race and ethnic dialogic methodology, and
the use of research conversations as a method, the study sheds new light on the
complexities of Australian race politics in knowledge production and on women?s
differentiated experiences in higher education.
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Kerr, Sharon. "White Questions—Black Answers: Effective Inclusion of Indigenous Students with a Disability into Higher Education in Australia." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2021. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/27386.
Full textAbstract:
Australian higher education has its roots deep in the soil of colonisation and European imperialism. Therefore, it has developed as a system that is exclusive rather than inclusive of social and cultural diversity. The poor levels of higher education participation and outcomes for Indigenous students and students with a disability indicate the need to examine current practices and their impact on Indigenous people with a disability. This study aimed to explore how the higher education sector can mitigate barriers faced by Indigenous students with a disability and scaffold their successful engagement with and outcomes in higher education.
Founded on Indigenous Standpoint Theory, as presented by Gilroy (2009a), the methodology of this research foregrounds the central role of Indigenous people with lived experience of disability—in the study design, its implementation and in the validation of the results. This research applied a mixed methods convergent parallel design. As described by Creswell and Plano Clark (2011), the study involved collecting and analysing two distinct datasets. The Quantitative Track comprised an audit of Australian university websites and a review of Disability Action Plans to ascertain the nature of service delivery. The Qualitative Track comprised listening to the stories and truthtelling of five Indigenous people with a disability who had undertaken higher education in Australia. Following the collection and analysis of the unique datasets, a process of comparison and identifying relationships between the two Tracks was undertaken.
The study revealed the following six key findings:
1. Systemic barriers for Indigenous students with a disability were created by variable and bureaucratic institutional processes. Examples include the widespread requirement for medical diagnosis of a disability before the provision of assistance and lack of flexibility in course design, delivery and assessment.
2. The Indigenous perspective of on disability was found to be a dual consideration with Indigenous students not presenting for disability support and Indigenous staff not accessing disability services and supports for their students.
3. Institutional supports for Indigenous students and students with a disability were siloed into different areas, creating a lack of clarity for Indigenous students regarding where to go for help and placing them at risk of missing out on services and supports available to non-Indigenous students.
4. Systems were not cognisant of the additional barriers faced by students who were both Indigenous and had a disability.
5. The ineffective transition from higher education to employment was a major frustration. Participants found themselves in a continuous loop of attempting further qualifications to improve their life opportunities.
6. There was a desire for and appreciation of supportive and respectful communications from support services. Further, a spirit of resilience, determination and the desire to succeed was observed in participants.
This study has identified a need for both public and private providers in the higher education sector to effectively coordinate their support services for Indigenous students with a disability. Within the current institutional funding model, this cohort may be better served by ensuring the following:
• Services are coordinated and easy to navigate within the institution.
• Students can present for supports without requiring supporting documentation to verify disability.
• All staff are committed to the principles of person-centredness to ensure that individual student needs are recognised and supported.
• Materials are produced following the principles of Universal Design of Learning to mitigate the need for students to declare that they have a disability.
• There is institutional commitment to cultural safety to ensure that knowledge of and respect for Indigenous culture, community and knowledge is embedded throughout all facets of the institution.
This thesis presents a framework to provide a pathway for institutions to achieve these desired outcomes and embed the processes in their Disability Action Plans.
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Delahunty, Susan. "Portraits of Middle Eastern Gulf female students in Australian universities." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2013. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/585.
Full textAbstract:
This research explores the experiences and insights of ten Middle Eastern Gulf women as they cross international borders to study in Australian universities. The literature indicates that international students in Australia establish their identity within the context of their overseas existence. This is particularly important as Muslims may feel they are being placed in a precarious situation due to, more often than not, terrorism being linked to Islam. Also, when Muslim women wear Islamic or traditional attire, the general public tends to look upon them with curiosity. With this in mind, the complex and changed contexts faced by ten Middle Eastern Gulf female post-graduate students are investigated using qualitative research methods. Utilising a grounded theory approach to interpret data and identify themes from two online questionnaires and personal interviews, individual portraits are created to illuminate their experiences. The research findings reveal new knowledge indicating that education is a structured mechanism for the participants, resulting in the creation of a new hybrid self as a key instrument for survival. This enables them to better understand cultural contexts and barriers arising from class, tradition, religion and learning. The participants indicate that a two-way agreement between educators and learners is paramount to a smooth transition into the Australian education system and a positive return to their home communities.
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Turner, Julia P. "University preference : A conjoint analysis." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1999. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1245.
Full textAbstract:
The business of tertiary education has become more and more competitive in recent years due to reductions in government funding and higher study fees. As the nature of the environment grows more competitive the role of marketing, previously non-existent in most universities, has grown significantly. One of the key pieces of information that would assist the marketing effort of any university is an understanding of what determines university preference. This study examines university preference in Western Australia. A form of conjoint analysis, known as Adaptive Conjoint Analysis (ACA), was used to investigate the relative importance of a number of attributes to university preference. The study involved presenting 259 Western Australian school leavers (Year 12 students) with a combination of paper and disk based questionnaires. Results indicated that the four most important determinants of university preference for Western Australian school leavers were course suitability, academic reputation, job prospects and teaching quality. The results are compared to previous research findings and their implications for the marketing of universities are discussed.
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Ferman, Terrie. "Academics’ work and the concept of “profession” : an Australian case study." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2011. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/50790/1/Terrie_Ferman_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Universities in Australia and elsewhere have changed considerably in recent years. Inevitably, this has meant that the work of academics has also changed. Academics’ work is of importance because they are key players in universities and universities matter to the nation economically and intellectually in advancing knowledge and its practical application. Through the changes and challenges that have characterised academia in recent years, there is an assumption that academics’ work is representative of a profession. This research study investigates how academics construct their own perspectives regarding the academic "profession". The study is theoretically informed by Freidson’s theory that conceptualises professions as occupations if they are in control of their work rather than it being under the control of either the market or of their employing institutions. Two research questions guide this study. The first question investigates how academics might construct their work in ideal terms and the second one investigates the extent to which such constructions might constitute a "profession". A qualitative case study was conducted within two Australian universities. In all, twenty academics from ten disciplines took part in the study that consisted of a focus group and fifteen individual interviews. The study was conducted in three phases during which a conceptual framework of academics’ work was developed across three versions. This framework acted both a prompt to discussion and as a potential expression of academics’ work. The first version of the framework was developed from the literature during the first phase of the study. This early framework was used during the second phase of the study when five academics took part in a focus group. After the focus group, the second version of the framework was developed and used with fifteen academics in individual interviews during phase three of the study. The third version of the framework was the outcome of a synthesis of the themes that were identified in the data. The discussion data from the focus group and the individual interviews were analysed through a content analysis approach that identified four major themes. The first theme was that academics reported that their work would ideally be located within universities committed to using their expert knowledge to serve the world. The second theme was that academics reported that they wanted sufficient thinking time and reasonable workloads to undertake the intellectual work that they regard as their core responsibility, particularly in relation to undertaking research. They argued against heavy routine administrative workloads and sought a continuation of current flexible working arrangements. The third theme was that teaching qualifications should not be mandated but that there should be a continuation of the present practice of universities offering academics the opportunity to undertake formal teaching qualifications if they wish to. Finally, academics reported that they wanted values that have traditionally mattered to academia to continue to be respected and practised: autonomy, collegiality and collaborative relationships, altruism and service, and intellectual integrity. These themes are sympathetic to Freidson’s theory of professions in all but one matter: the non-mandatory nature of formal qualifications which he regards as absolutely essential for the performance of the complex intellectual work that characterises occupations that are professions. The study places the issue of academic professionalism on the policy agenda for universities wishing to identify academics’ work as a profession. The study contributes a theory-based and data-informed conceptual framework for academics’ work that can be considered in negotiating the nature and extent of their work. The framework provides a means of analysing what "academic professionalism" might mean; it adds specificity to such discussions by exploring a particular definition of profession, namely Freidson’s theory of professions as occupations that are in control of their own work. The study contributes to the development of theories around higher education concepts of academic professionalism and, in so doing, links that theoretical contribution to the wider professions field.
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Rossiter, Darien Elizabeth. "Embedding e-learning in universities : analysis and conceptualisation of change processes." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2006. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/16223/1/Darien_Rossiter_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
E-learning has acquired the status of a "radical innovation" in higher education over the past decade. This claim is contestable, but certainly as the latest educational innovation, it can be attributed with introducing significant disruption into many facets of university life, reaching well beyond the traditional activities associated with the classroom pedagogies. In Australian universities, there are many now who simply take e-learning for granted as accepted teaching and learning practice (Oliver, 2004). Conversely, there are others who forecast its demise, claiming that, like previous educational technological innovations, it is another passing fad (Noble, 1998b). This thesis does not primarily engage this debate. Instead the purpose of this thesis is to gain insight into how universities can realise sustained benefits from the considerable investments to date that have been made in educational technological innovations. The inquiry seeks to understand better change within contemporary universities, in particular the process of embedding the e-learning innovation effectively. The intention is to produce an analysis useful to university executives, managers, teachers and researchers, as well as to make a more general contribution to knowledge about innovations in organisations.
The research literature on change and innovation in organisations is relevant but is reviewed and assessed as of limited value to the enquiry. This is because:
* the literature mainly focuses on the objective characteristics of an innovative product which cannot encompass the socially constructed value of e-learning
* it fails to differentiate between the concept of "embedding" and other change phases and constructs, mostly examining the precursory and innovation-producing processes
* the context of research into innovation has been primarily industrial, not university-based
* its variable analytic paradigm fails to produce holistic analyses which can be appreciated and enacted on by decision makers and practising managers.
For these reasons and because suitable research on innovation in universities is lacking, an introductory investigation based on grounded theory building was undertaken. To this end, four qualitative, descriptive case studies of contrasting Australian universities embedding e-learning were compiled. The four case universities (their identities protected through use of pseudonyms) assessed were:
* Gamma University - a multi-campus institution, geographically spread across urban and regional locations
* Lambda University - an established university, with the majority of students located at a single urban campus
* Epsilon University - a younger, multi-campus amalgamated university with a strong reputation for distance education
* Delta University - a relatively young multi-campus, urban university, although its parent bodies provide a longer history.
The cases were based on interviews and focus group sessions with 74 participants, and electronic resource and document analyses over two phases; the first conducted in 1998-1999 and the second in 2002-2003. These analyses provided holistic pragmatic accounts that encapsulate a number of issues. One issue was about the importance of creativity in the innovating process. A second set of issues centred on the theme of complexity and the multifarious nature of the e-learning innovation. Other themes included the significance of the innovation context, partnerships and collaborations, and the emerging polarisation of issues such as standardisation versus diversification. These issues provoked three major propositions about the process of embedding and prompted the development of two systems-based analytical frameworks; one focusing on the nature of system relationships and interactions and the second providing a longitudinal perspective of system change. The propositions are:
* the ability of a university to negotiate system intersections and transitions influences the degree to which e-learning can be embedded in that university
* complexity is an integral part of an innovation, therefore cannot be ignored or eliminated without destroying the kernel of the innovation itself, and its longterm viability
* the efficacy of the innovation is related, in some measure, to the ability to sustain partnerships and collaborations.
The analysis suggested that there are number of key influences which affect the embedding process and the ability of an organisation, such as a university, to manage the processes associated with the e-learning innovation. The key system influences which affect embedding include:
* the nature of the interactions and transactions occurring within the system, at the boundaries and between the phases of transition
* the importance of organisational context (cultural, technological, strategic, geographic)
* the pervasive impact of complexity on all dimensions of the research problem (the e-learning innovation, the change process and the university environment)
* the necessity for collaboration.
The implications of this study for university executives, managers and beyond are far reaching, and in some respects contradict accepted contemporary management practice. They include: seeking ways to maximise organisational tensions to achieve positive outcomes; enhancing decision making by allowing more flexibility and personal judgement into the process; developing greater tolerance for system fuzziness and uncertainty; and encouraging better utilisation of previous knowledge gained about innovation practices and processes.
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Gunasekara, Chrys. "The role of universities in the development of regional innovation systems in Australia /." [St. Lucia, Qld.], 2004. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe17678.pdf.
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Cohen, Steven. "International postgraduate students and their reasons for choosing to study at public universities in Perth, Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2017. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2043.
Full textAbstract:
The global higher education sector has become increasingly competitive. A large segment of that market now consists of attracting international students. Understanding why these students are motivated to study overseas is crucial for universities seeking to attract the transnational students as well as for the host country. Trading education is now Australia’s third largest export. As the international market for students becomes more crowded, it is imperative that thorough and concise research occurs to assist local universities within Australia to maintain their competitive advantage.
Perth, Western Australia (WA) comprises a small segment of the international Australian tertiary education market. An insufficient evidence base exists to aid local universities with strategic planning to maintain their competitive advantage in attracting international students. The current literature is sparse in analysing Australian state based international student decision-making. Most research focuses upon a generalised understanding of international student motivations concentrating on specific motivational factors.
To enrich and contribute to the current research literature, a comprehensive qualitative study was undertaken to explore the decision-making processes of postgraduate international students who chose to study in Perth. The research explored how and why these students chose Perth as their study destination. The study employed a variety of decision-making theories, most importantly the Push-Pull Theory of international student decision-making to test the applicability of a generalised model of international student flows on the local market.
Data sources included international postgraduate students who are currently or have completed their studies at a public university in Perth. Data were collected using a variety of qualitative instruments including semi structured open-ended interviews and a focus group.
The findings suggested that postgraduate students in Perth are sensitive to course price, with those on scholarships submitting such an undertaking would otherwise be impossible. Students, particularly from countries suffering economic or political disruptions considered international study as a pathway to immigration. These participants viewed Australia as a stable and prosperous nation, which offered them a ‘good life’ without the problems of their home countries. Most participants also considered WA as a culturally pluralistic destination, with a relaxed and outdoor lifestyle, without the pressures and costs of larger Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Participants also sought to choose their preferred university on the recommendation of family or friends.
The study has implications for how Australian universities market their courses to international students. The study contributes to the growing literature on international student decision-making. This knowledge is critical to both recruitment strategies and government policies to continue to attract international students.
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Hao, Jie. "Employability of Australian-educated Chinese postgraduates in China: a case study of the University of Sydney." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/15712.
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Durmush, Georgia. "Empowering Indigenous thriving : Identifying conceptions of wellbeing and enabling the voice and agency of Indigenous youth in higher education." Phd thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2022. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/c9206bf6f58a1880c87478be2927c052cfcdf8d1db22c6733f5a9a16967aefd1/1476762/Durmush_2022_Empowering_indigenous_thriving_identifying_conceptions_of.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
First Nations youth in Australia are the future leaders of their communities and represent over half the Indigenous population; as such their voices and wellbeing needs are vital for their communities' brighter future. This thesis weaves together Indigenous and Western theoretical perspectives to identify the wellbeing needs of First Nations students’ attending university. The research put First Nations higher education youth’s voices and agency at the epicentre, enabling Indigenous higher education youth to define what their wellbeing needs are, thus providing future theory, research, and practice with new insights and directions.
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Weller, Stephen Adrian. "A study of organisational justice and participative workplace change in Australian higher education." Thesis, full-text, 2009. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/2028/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis explores employee participation in the management of workplace change through an organisational justice framework within the context of the Australian Higher Education (HE) sector. The thesis examines the extent to which the Australian HE sector makes provisions for participative workplace change, the extent to which participants within the sector perceive participative workplace change as providing fairness, and practices that can facilitate and foster participative workplace change.
The provisions for participative workplace change are examined through a longitudinal study of enterprise bargaining agreements across all public universities in Australia for the period of 1997-2006. The research findings identify a decline in both the degree and form of employee participation in workplace change across this decade.
The perceptions of participative workplace change are examined through an altitudinal survey of management and union executives within all public universities in Australia. The research findings identify considerable divergence between management and union executives in relation to employee participation, workplace change and organisational justice.
The practices for participative workplace change are examined through twenty semi-structured interviews with management and union executives drawn from amongst the respondents to the attitudinal survey. The research findings identify areas of convergence around organisational justice dimensions and workplace change practices between management and union executives.
The thesis concludes that it is a combination of fair processes and fair interactions which are most effective in facilitating workplace change and fostering employee participation in the Australian HE sector and which in turn are seen to be able to contribute to shared perceptions of organisational justice.