Given the pandemic circumstances there has been a shift, by many providers within the higher education sector, to online (virtual) graduation ceremonies. There is no doubting the importance of a graduation to a student who has worked hard, invested heavily, ...
More »What it’s really like as a greying remote worker in the hybrid work world – opinion
The challenge was laid down. I, a ‘digital convict’ (someone who reluctantly joined the digital revolution) wanted to experience the notion of being a digital nomad working from anywhere (WFA) and decided to choose a remote location (London) as part ...
More »The missing ten per cent – you get what you pay for in higher education: opinion
Why do ten per cent of Australian students choose non-government (independent) institutions of higher education in preference to universities? With over 140,000 students enrolled in approximately 120 independent higher education institutions, this sector saves the Australian taxpayer the cost of ...
More »Quasi-judicial committees vs state courts: opinion
The MeToo# hashtag had more than 19 million respondents in its first year alone, with many survivors disclosing their stories for the first time. It became, as Tarana Burke - the acknowledged founder of the movement - puts it “one ...
More »Lessons from the sexual assault and harassment committee: what could go wrong?
Establishing various committees at universities and within private providers is a matter of course in the higher education sector. One such committee – Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment (SASH) – has caused significant problems in recent times. SASH was pronounced ...
More »The value of humility in education – opinion
If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us as a society, it is to be humble. Despite our collective wealth, advanced scientific knowledge and unprecedented technological capacities, we have been struck and wounded globally by a tricky virus. The ...
More »What matters in the great readjustment ahead? Opinion
Despite the further uncertainty arising this week from the latest Omicron variant, there is still some prospect of domestic and international students returning to Australian campuses in 2022, allowing us, to some extent, to catch up with other parts of ...
More »How will strategies change if we take a listening response? Opinion
With the lifting of lockdowns and restrictions there is some sense of euphoria emerging, though many in our universities will be reaching year’s end with, in many cases, relief and exhaustion. There is a great opportunity for leaders to start ...
More »Opportunities for Australian universities with the Brisbane Olympic Games – opinion
The succession of restriction-easing announcements from our most affected states, and the case-free landscape in others, adds to the sense that this might be the end of lockdowns. Talk in universities is of fuller returns to campus, and returning international ...
More »Universities depend on safe and secure IT infrastructures more than ever, but who will be left behind?
Pre-pandemic, there was already widespread acknowledgement that the traditional higher education business model was seriously outdated. 2020 represented a tipping point as all Australian universities were forced to shift to either fully remote learning or hybrid learning, a trend that ...
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