Government funding drives behaviour as universities scramble to meet certain indicators. But Conor King advocates a more flexible approach.   It is perhaps too obvious to state that governments and education providers bring quite different assumptions to the creation of ...

As a tenured academic in the US, Toby Miller is clear about its value and equally clear about the need to protect its status.   Tenure is a real prize in the US academy. Most academic positions are casualised – ...

Researchers, students and administrators all stand to benefit from open source learning and management systems, says Beverley Head.   Open source learning and management systems are again in the spotlight following the release of a Sakai-based online learning environment at ...

The tourism and education sectors recently took indiscreet swipes at each other over which sector was of more value to the Australian economy. Neil Leiper says there’s more at stake than just bragging rights.   In February “a massive war ...

Australia’s lucrative international education industry could face a stiff challenge from the growing popularity of transnational higher education, according to a recently released study. The 2007 StudentPulse study, a global survey of the perceptions and motivations of prospective international students, ...

The time has come for Australia’s universities to reach out to Papua New Guinea’s ailing higher education system, says Allan Patience.   Australia’s universities are introverted institutions. Their hesitancy in reaching out generously to local and international communities limits their ...

The focus of research grants change over time with researchers constantly looking at the trends to help frame their applications. John Ross looks at the latest round of NHMRC grants. That prevention is better than cure is a tried and ...

Collaboration is the rage, but universities must be careful when negotiating multi-party research agreements. Kate Rintoul tells how to avoid the pitfalls.   If properly established, multi-party research agreements provide unique opportunities to combine a range of skills, experience and ...

Data mining can dig up rich information about everything from admitting students most likely to succeed to how to teach them. But universities are slow off the block in embedding it, says Beverley Head.   Until recently, organisations could reliably ...

Auckland and Otago universities appear to be the only New Zealand institutions that come close to footing it with Australia’s Group of Eight universities in terms of the impact of their research, an investigation by the NZ education ministry has ...