Australia Association for Research in Education
higher education
Academics, we need useful dialogues not monologues
(Illustration by Oslo Davis Copyright Oslo Davis 2022. Used with permission. www.osldavis.com) Some things in academia become normalised …
O’Shea: All I want for higher education now and tomorrow
Fresh from delivering a widely-applauded keynote at this year’s HERDSA conference, “Fragility or tenacity? Equity and participation in …
Is this now the Federal government’s most bone-headed idea ever?
Apparently international PhD students in Australia now have to seek ministerial approval to change their thesis topic or …
Now there’s one surefire way to stop the brain drain
The pandemic has brought about an energetic rethinking of the role and nature of higher education into the …
Why your doctorate can make you feel like you’re drowning
This is not a cry for help. These aren’t my thoughts on the difficulties of managing money, time, …
We struggled to make university more equal. Has that battle for equality worked now?
Australian education policy has really focussed on getting ‘equity groups’ into university and then onto completion with initiatives designed to improve access and participation. That worked. Recent data indicate that there has been growth in the university enrolment of these equity groups in the past ten years. Published studies have also found evidence for comparable …
Teaching-focused academics: five ways to beat the struggle for identity
An academic career centered on teaching should not be associated with a dead-end, or second-rate professional life. It …
At least six ways COVID has crushed higher education (now university managers make it worse)
Even less work-life balance, anxiety around online skills, fears the pandemic will be used to crush academic autonomy …
There are direct actions we can take now to make university access fair
While in recent decades there has been a focus on improving equitable access to higher education, inequalities cannot be overcome by simply exhorting more young people to go to university. Policies must also address the disparities between students that affect their capacity to ‘choose’ higher education. Australia has seen substantial growth in university enrolments since …
Online learning will never be a substitute for face-to-face
In 2020 higher education student satisfaction with their ‘entire educational experience’ hit its lowest point since Australia’s national survey of current students began in 2011. But the detailed survey results, which cover many aspects of student life, paint a mixed picture. Despite an unexpected shift to online learning due to COVID-19 restrictions, satisfaction with many …