Faculty of Education - Research Publications
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ItemDevelopment of the Australasian survey of student engagement (AUSSE)(SPRINGER, 2010-07)
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ItemAustralian higher education leaders in times of change: the role of Pro Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor(Routledge(Taylor & Francis), 2010)This paper discusses responses provided by 31 Pro Vice-Chancellors (PVCs) and Deputy Vice-Chancellors (DVCs) who were part of a larger study of more than 500 higher education leaders in roles ranging from DVC to head of programme in 20 Australian universities. Using both quantitative and qualitative data the paper gives an insider’s perspective on what the roles of DVC and PVC are like at the daily level. It identifies the key focus of the roles, highlights the criteria these leaders use to judge that they are effectively performing them and outlines the relative impact of different influences on their work. It then discusses their views on what being in such a role is like, including its key satisfactions and challenges; and identifies the capabilities seen to be central to managing in such a context. Finally, it provides insights into how such leaders have gone about learning their role. The paper indicates how these findings can be used to address the current succession crisis for leaders in such critical roles. It shows how the data generated can be used to build leadership from within by identifying leaders with potential early on in their career, how the findings can be used to give selection processes more focus and how leadership development programmes can best be shaped to be effective. Having a high level of emotional intelligence is identified as a key ingredient in the successful delivery of such roles.
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ItemDiversity in Australian higher education: an empirical analysis(National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), 2009)The concept of diversity has been part of the Australian government’s higher education agenda for several years, but empirical studies on the actual state of diversity in the sector are limited. This situation raises questions regarding the factual basis for the policy claims made. With this in mind, this paper seeks to assess the degree of diversity within the Australian higher education sector through an analysis of the perceptions, aspirations and reported activities of Australian academics in terms of their teaching, research and community service. Using data collected in the 2007 international Changing Nature of the Academic Profession survey, we are able to cautiously conclude that some diversity appears to exist, however not to the extent one might expect given the importance placed on institutional groupings in the Australian higher education debate.
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ItemAustralia's casual approach to its academic teaching workforce(Monash University, 2009)Australian academics’ response to the Changing Academic Profession (CAP) survey indicates that they are among the least satisfied academics in the world. This dissatisfaction has been expressed after two decades of rapid growth in the student body and structural changes in the academic workforce, particularly an expansion in the amount of teaching provided by casual staff. The growth in casual staff numbers is a factor which has simultaneously created a precariously employed but cheaper and more flexible workforce along with higher levels of stress among the full-time teachers responsible for managing and supervising casual teachers. The academic profession has an important role to play in creating a highly educated workforce for Australia and in generating export income by teaching international students. Careful attention needs to be paid to this situation especially in light of the need to replenish the ageing academic workforce.
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ItemAcross the great divide: what do Australian academics think of university leadership? Advice from the CAP survey(Routledge, 2010)This paper considers Australian academic staff members’ attitudes to their colleagues in positions of university leadership, based on responses to the international Changing Academic Profession (CAP) survey conducted in 2007. When compared with responses from other participating nations, Australian academics indicate considerably lower satisfaction on management issues than the average for all countries. Only academics from Hong Kong and the United Kingdom report a lower level of satisfaction with institutional leadership.
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ItemA model of online and general campus-based student engagement(Informa UK Limited, 2007-12-01)
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ItemA critical examination of the effects of learning management systems on university teaching and learning(Taylor & Francis, 2005)The rapid uptake of campus-wide Learning Management Systems (LMS) is changing the character of the on-campus learning experience. The trend towards LMS as an adjunct to traditional learning modes has been the subject of little research beyond technical analyses of alternative software systems. Drawing on Australian experience, this paper presents a broad, critical examination of the potential impact of these online systems on teaching and learning in universities. It discusses in particular the possible effects of LMS on teaching practices, on student engagement, on the nature of academic work and on the control over academic knowledge.
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ItemThe value of student engagement for higher education quality assurance(Taylor & Francis, 2005)As the principles and practices of quality assurance are further implanted in higher education, methodological questions about how to understand and manage quality become increasingly important. This paper argues that quality assurance determinations need to take account of how and to what extent students engage with activities that are likely to lead to productive learning. The idea of student engagement is introduced. A critical review of current possibilities for determining the quality of university education in Australia exposes limitations of quality assurance systems that fail to take account of student engagement. The review provides a basis for suggesting the broad relevance of student engagement to quality assurance. A sketch is provided of an approach for factoring student engagement data into quality assurance determinations.
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ItemThe Development of an Extended Course Experience Questionnaire(Carfax Publishing, 2003)
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ItemStudents' engagement in first-year university(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2008)