Maori and migrant communities will soon form New Zealand’s majority – but the system is failing them. Two strands of discussion have come together this week in New Zealand, in much the same way as they did in Australia a ...
More »Students can’t be left short-changed
With many different pathways into accounting and business studies it is important to focus on the ethical principles and financial integrity at the heart of the education process. The Australian higher education sector is at an interesting turning point. Never ...
More »Beware of going back to the future
While agreeing with the thrust of the Ernst & Young report, that change is inevitable, the NTEU urges caution over relying too much on online learning. The latest contribution to the future of higher education debate from corporate consultants Ernst ...
More »Reform to the sector is working
The head of a leading private training association, Claire Field, answers the critics of her part of the sector Sometimes when you’re half way through a difficult task it can be hard to remember just why you started it in ...
More »This tech fad is not going away
Educational technology and virtual learning are not a passing phase but essential in higher education. For the past two decades in the university sector, those charged with supporting the use of educational technology for face-to-face, online and blended learning have ...
More »Young struggle with TAFE cuts
Some students can’t even afford the cost of public transport to college, says an in-depth Victorian report. Does it matter much to students if TAFE programs are dropped, fees for courses are raised, counselling services are scrapped and campuses are ...
More »Techs pay for school problems
The redistribution of Level 1 and 2 funding to private providers and Wananga will not solve issues of learning and student transition to tertiary education. The Tertiary Education Commission, which has oversight of all post-school education in New Zealand, has ...
More »Retail sector pays the price
An award-winning training group fears employers will soon not be able to afford to train many staff. Over the past 12 months the national media revealed that "VET reform" opened the door to shonky providers. However, a story that has ...
More »Take care in teaching teachers
The signature pedagogies of teacher education are changing but they should not be allowed to be overly affected by political or social forces. While criticism of teachers seems to have waned somewhat, the focus of discontent has shifted to teacher ...
More »Tweeting a Greek tragedy
Students have a heavy enough load without adding the wasteful burden of social networking. University students believe themselves to be Sisyphus. Condemned by the gods to roll a boulder up a hill, a second-year arts/law undergraduate despairs – after all ...
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