The demand-driven university system is having mixed results on student performance and outcomes, a new Productivity Commission report has found. While the report found the new system has increased student numbers – particularly students from low socio-economic backgrounds – it ...
More »Dispelling the myths of the Ramsay Centre
Established in March 2017 through a bequest by the Ramsay Foundation, the Ramsay Centre’s objective is to reinvigorate the study of Western civilisation in Australia. The Centre aims to have its program taught in two to three universities initially, mainly ...
More »ANU hack points to troubling year ahead
A trove of personal data held at one of Australia’s premier universities has been accessed by a “sophisticated operator”, signalling troubling times ahead for data security. According to a statement issued by Australia National University’s Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt, the ...
More »Locking down our houses of higher learning: why effective cyber protection should start from the top
Around the world, cybersecurity threats are real and rising, and Australia’s education sector is far from immune. Maintaining effective cybersecurity defences has become an enterprise-wide challenge for organisations of all sizes and stripes, including the country’s houses of higher learning. ...
More »A vision for radical university change
The world over, the higher education sector is booming. The number of global students attending higher education has doubled since 2000 alone, and a recent study predicts that by 2040, nearly 600 million students will be enrolled. Such statistics glimmer ...
More »Election 2019: What’s in it for VET?
While there is very little difference between what the Coalition and Labor are offering in school funding – save for Labor’s plan to provide universal early childhood care – their commitments to the VET sector differ sharply. In today’s Media ...
More »The key to creating successful technology projects in education: opinion
Universities, and businesses, all around the world are littered with failed technology projects. If you dig into why those projects fail, the fundamental reasons are often the same – the scope wasn’t well defined or they were trying to achieve ...
More »Four Corners program raises concerns about international student sector
Last night’s Four Corners program Cash Cows has sent shock waves through Australia’s $34 billion university sector. The program alleged that some Australian universities have become far too reliant on foreign fee-paying students to boost revenue, and have subsequently jeopardised ...
More »Humanising our future: Why Australia can’t afford to neglect the humanities
In an age where science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) disciplines receive the lion’s share of policy attention and funding, you can understand how those in the humanities, arts and social sciences (HASS) feel a bit miffed. Despite cultural and ...
More »Strung out: research finds a quarter of uni students stressed daily
In contrast to the sanguine, laughing faces of students you see on most university marketing flyers and websites, a uni student’s life is no walk in the park. It’s not supposed to be: the whole purpose of enrolment is to ...
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