Architecture, Building and Planning - Research Publications
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 7 of 7
-
ItemThe Adaptation of Tertiary Admissions Practices to Growth and Diversity(La Trobe University, 2016)The expansion of higher education places adaptive pressure on institutional and policy frameworks that were originally designed at times of lower levels of participation. This adaptive pressure is evident in changes to admission and selection practices, and has become more acute with the introduction of demand driven funding for undergraduate Commonwealth supported places. Universities seeking to optimise their market share in line with their values and strategic objectives are increasingly utilising direct admissions rather than historically dominant state centralised admissions processes. Direct entry pathways are also being utilised by some institutions as a means of increasing their share of disadvantaged students in particular. Both centralised and direct admissions pathways are also drawing on contextual data – such as the geo-demographic background of the applicant, school attended, perceived academic potential, or volunteer and community service – in the assessment process (Harvey 2014). The growth and complexity of university admissions practices raises two key questions. First, what impact is rising complexity in admissions practices having on student decision-making, with particular emphasis on students from disadvantaged backgrounds? And, second, how are universities and state-based tertiary admissions centres (TACs) responding to the challenges associated with rising student participation, diversity and mobility, as well as complexity in admissions practice?
-
ItemHow can The University of Melbourne best support career interruptions for male and female staff?(The University of Melbourne, 2016)This report was undertaken by a group of four researchers from the University of Melbourne (details in Appendix 1), as part of their participation in the Academic Women in Leadership course in 2016. The project brief was to explore how the University of Melbourne can best support career interruptions for male and female staff. Within this broad project brief, the team further refined the focus to aim to explore workplace cultures of career interruptions and towards career interruption policies at the University of Melbourne. In-depth face to face interviews were undertaken in October and November 2016 with a total of ten staff members, across two faculties at the university of Melbourne. One faculty was a Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) faculty, and the other was a non-STEM faculty. The results were analysed using qualitative methods. Five recommendations are presented. They are elaborated in the final section of the report: 1. Consider increasing research allocation for first 6 months on return to work 2. Provide guidance on 'Performance Relative to Opportunity' to managers and staff 3. Include strategies for re-entry and support in 'Performance Development Framework' discussion 4. Tailor career interruptions policies to accommodate different work patterns 5. Provide more bridging/transitional support such as fellowships for staff who have experienced career interruption/s
-
Item
-
ItemDoes the space make a difference?(The University of Melbourne LEaRN group, 2016)Empirical retrospective of the impact of the physical learning environment on teaching and learning evaluated by the New Generation Learning Spaces Project.
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableTowards Buildings that Thrive(The University of Melbourne, 2016)
-
Item
-
ItemMelbourne’s food future: Planning a resilient city foodbowl(VEIL, 2016)Melbourne is surrounded by a highly productive foodbowl that currently grows a wide variety of fresh foods, but it faces challenges. • Melbourne’s foodbowl grows 47% of the vegetables produced in Victoria and has the capacity to meet around 41% of Melbourne’s total food needs. • As Melbourne grows to a population of 7-8 million people by 2050, it will need at least 60% more food. • If the city’s footprint continues to grow as it has in the past, the capacity of Melbourne’s foodbowl to meet the city’s food needs could fall to around 18% by 2050, due to population growth and urban sprawl. • Loss of production in the foodbowl is likely to contribute to higher food prices. • Melbourne’s foodbowl contributes $2.45 billion per annum to Melbourne’s regional economy and 21,000 full time equivalent jobs. • Melbourne’s food supply faces future challenges from the impacts of climate change, including water scarcity and extreme weather events. • Other major Australian state capitals also have productive foodbowls that contribute to fresh food supplies, but they are all under similar pressure from population growth and urban expansion. They are unlikely to be able to meet future deficits in Melbourne’s food needs. Melbourne’s foodbowl is an important building block in a resilient and sustainable food future for the city. • Ensuring a resilient food supply for Melbourne requires a precautionary planning approach that retains – or strengthens – the capacity of the city’s foodbowl. • The loss of Melbourne’s foodbowl is not inevitable as the city grows. If growth on the city fringe can be limited to existing growth corridors and strong targets are set for urban infill and increased urban density, the impact on the city’s foodbowl can be reduced. • Melbourne can plan for a resilient city foodbowl that provides healthy food for a growing population, promotes a vibrant regional food economy and acts as a buffer against future food system shocks. • Increased investment in delivery of recycled water from water treatment plants could create ‘drought-proof’ areas of food production. • A ‘joined up’ policy framework is required to plan for a resilient city foodbowl. Policy is needed to protect farmland, increase water access, reduce and reuse food waste, strengthen the regional food economy and attract farmers to farm in the city’s foodbowl.