The release of the 2011 film Contagion starting Kate Winslet introduced the world to contact tracers: highly skilled individuals who use a range of methods to ‘trace’ infections humans and those with whom they have come in contact. As COVID-19 ...
More »Australian university students call for ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ grading changes
Students at two of Australia’s highest-ranking universities are urging their peers to sign a petition to change the grading system this semester to either a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’. As universities across Australia and the world turn to online learning amid ...
More »Prioritising staff, expecting to lose thousands of students: Professor Rufus Black outlines UTAS’s immediate future
The University of Tasmania’s vice-chancellor Professor Rufus Black said in the face of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic he would prioritise keeping staff, despite expecting to lose thousands of students both this year and next. Instead, UTAS intends on staying afloat ...
More »The opportunities and challenges of attracting Indian students to Australia in the future: opinion
The COVID-19 travel restrictions on China, which started in Australia on February 1, have put a lot of pressure on Australia’s university system, which relies heavily on Chinese students to sustain both world-class teaching and research. With Chinese students away, ...
More »‘It’s time for the government to step up’: Independent education’s peak body
Australia’s peak body for independent providers in the higher education, vocational education, training and skills sector has put a number of measures to government amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Independent Education Council of Australia (ITECA) said it’s “facing a challenge” ...
More »COVID-19 ‘likely’ to affect Australia’s birth rate, relationships and population
A leading demographer believes Australians will be less likely to have babies, and the nation will experience changes in population and the way we form relationships as the COVID-19 uncertainty drags on. Dr Liz Allen, a population expert at Australian National ...
More »UniSA steps up to help SA schools transition to online learning
The University of South Australia has confirmed it will assist the state’s schools to transition to online learning, after an announcement by South Australian Minister for Education John Gardney yesterday. Professor Shane Dawson, UniSA’s Head of School for Education, contends ...
More »Six key humanities grant applications extended until June
The Australian Academy of the Humanities has extended the deadline for several prestigious humanities research grants, as COVID-19 continues to cause significant disruptions to work and personal life. Australia’s peak humanities body has now extended the deadline for the grants below ...
More »Staying socially connected in an isolated world: Professor Marc Stears
While it might sound trite, the world as we know it has changed for now. Not only has this "invisible enemy" killed thousands around the globe and sent economies into a nose dive, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a slew ...
More »How five Australian universities are dealing with the new normal
As Australia continues to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and deal with the economic fallout, a number of universities are communicating to their staff their much-needed entitlements as well as the imperative to move online, delay the start of ...
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