Australian universities have come to rely heavily on revenue from onshore international students. Numbers more than doubled in the decade to 2018. But the proposition that Australia’s public universities should step back 50 years, retreat from international education and focus wholly or largely on domestic students is naively nostalgic. Such a move would be a backward step […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Our unis do need international students and must choose between the high and low roads
Why for-profit college enrollment has increased during COVID-19
When COVID-19 hit the U.S., many experts warned that America’s colleges and universities could be devastated. Some of them predicted enrollment declines of up to 20%. So far, those initial forecasts were worse than what has actually taken place. One month into the fall semester of the 2020-2021 academic year, overall enrollment was only 3% lower than at […] … learn more→
What can the West learn from China about keeping campuses Covid-free?
Soon after universities across the UK started classes in September, many reported coronavirus outbreaks – some involving hundreds of students in their halls of residence. This sparked recrimination and controversy about the best strategy as governments and universities strove to ensure education continued while preventing a full-blown wave of infections and deaths. Many UK universities […] … learn more→
Recruitment practices of faculty are they fair?
A recent amendment adopted within the framework of the Research Programming Law (LPR) calls into question the national framework for the recruitment of teacher-researchers by reverting to the obligation of qualification by the National Council of Universities of candidates for positions of university professor. Through petitions, open letters, press releases, academics are mobilizing . The amendment intends to “strengthen the […] … learn more→
How to support junior staff in a time of turmoil for universities
An estimated 17,500 casual and fixed-term academic staff at Australian universities are projected to lose their jobs over the next six months. Most of them will be early career researchers (ECRs). ECRs are junior academics who face increasing workloads and expectations, and insecure employment. This combination of factors makes them susceptible to termination, exploitation and burnout as they pursue a permanent […] … learn more→
The humanities are crucial to addressing the assault on truth
This time four years ago, I was interviewing applicants for a joint undergraduate degree in history and literature. This was a job I’d come to treasure over the years; new thinkers are always interesting, and joint honours students often particularly so. But something was different. The interviews took place about a week after Donald Trump’s […] … learn more→
Seven prompts for writing with literatures – #startingthePhD
If you have just started your doctorate, then your supervisor has no doubt asked you to read, and read a lot. By now, you probably have quite a few texts entered in your bibliographic software. You can start to write about these already. You don’t have to wait until you are asked. #AcWriMo2020, held every year […] … learn more→
How to create your own online courses
Thanks to the internet, teachers and educators are no longer restricted to teaching a classroom, it is now possible to teach thousands of people across the world. With online platforms such as Udemy, you can create courses and publish them for free, or for a specific price. From a business point of view, the popularity […] … learn more→
It is time to reconnect the two arms of academic communication
When the pandemic brought an immediate halt to all forms of in-person academic meetings and conferences earlier this year, we initially thought it was a temporary blip. It never occurred to us that our old habits of travelling to far-flung parts of the world, meeting up with friends and colleagues, and exchanging results and gossip […] … learn more→
Open access to higher education is about much more than axing ATARs
The importance of higher education for the growth and development of society is generally accepted. But openness and access to education for all is essential to maximise its benefits. Leaders in higher education must be ready to examine what it will take to achieve this. What do we mean by open access? Higher education should […] … learn more→
