Australian academics rely heavily on the output of international scholarly publishers. Robin Derricourt recently encountered some troubling quandries of his North American counterparts. Even in hard times our American colleagues do it well. Meeting in the massive halls of the ...
More »Some thoughts on restructuring
An imminent restructure and curriculum overhaul gets John Melville-Jones thinking he’s seen it all before. At a time when UWA faculties are upon the cusp of restructure, it is appropriate to revive (with some updates) a proposal that I made ...
More »Mitigating plagiarism requires shift in emphasis
Plagiarism is an enduring issue in higher education. Perhaps a change in approach is required, says Milind Sathye. An Australian university recently made headlines for allowing more than 100 overseas students to graduate despite an allegation of plagiarism against them. ...
More »VET briefs
Disability leader appointed to national VET council Elizabeth Reid, the Northern Territory’s disability coordination officer, has been appointed to the National VET Equity Advisory Council (NVEAC). Reid, whose position is hosted by Charles Darwin University, has expertise in equity issues ...
More »Size matters in VET
Which providers will dominate VET in future, asks John Mitchell. What is the ideal size for a VET provider? This question springs to mind after one vice-chancellor recently called for the creation of large polytechnics to offer vocational certificates and ...
More »Universities, TAFEs and polytechnics
Is there a role for enhanced TAFEs to help achieve the government’s social inclusion targets, asks Meeuwis Boelen. Professor Stephen Parker, vice-chancellor of the University of Canberra, has recently speculated in the media on the capacity, or otherwise, of Australian ...
More »International briefs
Major textbook publisher to rent not sell One of the US’s largest textbook publishers announced this month that it would start renting books to students at 40 per cent to 70 per cent of the sale price, reports the New York ...
More »Professor Punt
Checked mate 27
Accreditation is not a dirty word
Planning the development of so-called academic achievement standards has just begun, but already the process appears flawed. Accreditation might provide the answer, says Roger March. Let’s pretend you’re a parent of Daniel, a Year 12 student destined for university next ...
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